Question to Priest's Answer Column: "Is the New Testament Silent About Homosexual Acts?"

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When you read the New Testament you will find that it is not silent.
 
Romans 1:26-27

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

1 Timothy 1:10

That should get you started, plenty of stuff regarding chastity and sexual sin available upon request.
 
The only difficulty I have in understanding where the Scriptures and Church teaching stand on homosexuality is that yes, homosexual ACTS are forbidden and are considered disordered and are contrary to natural law, but what about the love itself? Throw out all the sexual bits, but leave in the companionship and love and mutual care between two morally upright people. Would that still be immoral? I have a hard time agreeing that it would.

Marriage on the other hand, is completely different and has a whole list of requirements and presumptions and for that reason we know, definitely, that it is impossible for those of the same sex to marry their own sex. It’s just impossible.
 
LoyalViews said:
The only difficulty I have in understanding where the Scriptures and Church teaching stand on homosexuality is that yes, homosexual ACTS are forbidden and are considered disordered and are contrary to natural law, but what about the love itself? Throw out all the sexual bits, but leave in the companionship and love and mutual care between two morally upright people. Would that still be immoral? I have a hard time agreeing that it would.

Marriage on the other hand, is completely different and has a whole list of requirements and presumptions and for that reason we know, definitely, that it is impossible for those of the same sex to marry their own sex. It’s just impossible.
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I would recommend doing a word study on the word love based on the four different types of love defined in the Greek language. Agape, Eros, philia, storge all bear clear and definitive distinctions which so many who use the English word love toss around arbitrarily and may not be aware of. Mind you that the NT was originally translated in Greek and these distinctions were made 😉
 
Matthew 10:14

Jesus advises the apostles concerning those who will not listen to them preach the word. In this passage he looks for a comparison to emphasize how poorly it will go for those who refuse to hear the gospel.

“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.”

Sodom and Gomorrah were well know centers of homosexual activity, the reason these cities were destroyed by fire and brimstone. Apparently Jesus finds the citizens of those two cities the worst possible comparison for those who reject the gospel, and even those citizens will not be judged so harshly, but certainly will be judged very harshly or Jesus would not have chosen them as a comparison for terrible judgment.
 
LoyalViews said:
The only difficulty I have in understanding where the Scriptures and Church teaching stand on homosexuality is that yes, homosexual ACTS are forbidden and are considered disordered and are contrary to natural law, but what about the love itself? Throw out all the sexual bits, but leave in the companionship and love and mutual care between two morally upright people. Would that still be immoral? I have a hard time agreeing that it would.
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You seem to be saying that the Church and Scriptures forbid love between two people of the same sex. This is far from the case. Previous cultures did not have the uptightness that we have about two same sex people showing affection for one another; in some countries men as well as women will hold hands and nobody thinks twice. David and Jonathan in the Bible were dear friends.
It’s just the act of homosexuality that is disordered. The Church never said friendship was immoral.

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Viki63 said:
You seem to be saying that the Church and Scriptures forbid love between two people of the same sex. This is far from the case. Previous cultures did not have the uptightness that we have about two same sex people showing affection for one another; in some countries men as well as women will hold hands and nobody thinks twice. David and Jonathan in the Bible were dear friends.
It’s just the act of homosexuality that is disordered. The Church never said friendship was immoral.

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Fair enough.

In regards to the Agape, eros, etc distinction, C.S. Lewis wrote a excellent book on the distinction of “The Four Loves” which I think is an excellent help when defending the Church’s teaching on the matter.
 
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