Do homosexuals love or lust for each other ?

[mathinspiration]

Are they just using each other?

 

[ViaCrucis]

That's like asking if heterosexual couples love or lust each other.

The answer is probably yes. Some relationships (regardless of sexual orientation) are chiefly sexual, some are romantic, and many are about two people loving one another.

There's no one size fits all for relationships. If something is true in heterosexual relationships, then it is also true of homosexual relationships--which means that it's different for every relationship, because each individual is a distinct individual and thus ever relationship is a distinct relationship.

If one wanted to say that homosexual relationships are just about sex then that dehumanizes them--it's an act of prejudice and an attempt to devalue their basic humanity in order to justify one's prejudices. Regardless of what a person's view is on homosexual sexuality, there's no excuse for dehumanizing our fellow human beings. Regarding our fellow man, created in the image of God, as full human persons worthy of respect, and treating people as we would want to be treated are at the center of Christian ethics.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[SkyWriting]

Are they just using each other?

They are the same as you and me. Usually more lonely.

 

[seeking.IAM]

I've known gay and lesbian people who have been in committed relationships for more than 25 years. You can say what you will about it, but that isn't lust.

 

[TerryWoodenpic]

They have loves and lusts in the same way as every one else.

 

[com7fy8]

First, any of us can lust instead of loving. We can use people for pleasure we want. And love does not have us only using any person.

And Jesus says, "if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" in Matthew 5:46. People can indeed love those they use. This is an issue for any of us.

So, love with using can isolate a person more or less with the one or ones he or she is using. But God's love has us more and more caring for and loving any and all people. Then our main challenge is not merely about getting pleasures and adrenaline rushes that we want; but we so need to take on the challenge of finding out how to submit to God and share with Him while we learn with Him how to love any and all people < learning how to love is part of our greatest and most worthwhile challenge and there is no greater education

If certain people were not getting any pleasure with what they do, would they do it, and would they stay with each other? In pleasure addictions which involve other people, there are personalities involved which can make it all very complicated and entangling. Staying with each other can be not really love, but because of entanglement, and wanting the pleasures, and being too insecure to test and trust anyone else.

But with God we become stronger in our character, not desperately using pleasure to try to make us not feel our deep problems. And with God we become more and more sound so we can share with different people as God's family, and enjoy our quiet rest even while involved with more and more people. And we are not dictated to and dominated by won't-take-no-for-an-answer lusts, but we have nice and quiet rest in His love.

"'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29)

 

[want-love]

lust

 

[dreadnought]

Are they just using each other?

Certainly they are lusting after each other, which is forbidden in Leviticus 18:22. I suspect they have affection for each other.

 

[SkyWriting]

Certainly they are lusting after each other, which is forbidden in Leviticus 18:22. I suspect they have affection for each other.

We don't look to Leviticus for a useful guide.

1. Burning any yeast or honey in offerings to God (2:11) [Normal penalty.]

2. Failing to include salt in offerings to God(2:13) [Normal penalty.]

3. Eating fat (3:17) [That one’s “a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.” All fat is to be saved for offerings to God. Normal penalty.]

4. Eating blood (3:17) [Normal penalty]

5. Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve witnessed (5:1) [“They will be held responsible.”]

6. Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve been told about (5:1) [Which sounds like hearsay. At any rate, “they shall be held responsible.”]

7. Touching an unclean animal (5:2) [NIV translates this as touching “the carcass” of an unclean animal. So if Rover dies, or you’re a worker in a pork plant, you’re in trouble here. Normal penalty.]

8. Carelessly making an oath (5:4) [Even if you don’t realize you have. Normal penalty.]

9. Deceiving a neighbour about something trusted to them (6:2) [Return the item and a 20% penalty, plus normal penalty.]

10. Finding lost property and lying about it (6:3) [Return the item and a 20% penalty, plus normal penalty.]

11. Bringing unauthorised fire before God (10:1) [God will smite you.]

12. Letting your hair become unkempt (10:6) [“You will die” and God will be angry at everyone. May only apply to the priesthood.]

13. Tearing your clothes (10:6) [“You will die” and God will be angry at everyone. May only apply to the priesthood.]

14. Drinking alcohol in holy places (bit of a problem for Catholics, this ‘un) (10:9) [“You will die.” May only apply to the priesthood.]

15. Eating an animal which doesn’t both chew cud and has a divided hoof (cf: camel, rabbit, pig) (11:4-7) [“You will be unclean.]

16. Touching the carcass of any of the above (problems here for rugby) (11:8) [“You will be unclean.”]

17. Eating – or touching the carcass of – any seafood without fins or scales (11:10-12) [“You will be unclean.”]

 

[Brotherly Spirit]

I can't say for certain by God's standard. Only he knows it's full meaning and purpose. What I know is we're not to use our own judgement, as it's judgemental; we tend to lack understanding while having plenty of hypocrisy. This causes us to have more mercy to forgive ourselves than others we're quick to condemn.

Personally I think it's a problem to separate people as if they're a sexuality. Sexualities are a part of people and not the whole. It's how they relate to others sexually, having attractions and expressions. The sexuality of a person is either heterosexual or homosexual. The way sexuality is handled and pursued is the act, which could be lustful or loving.

So how I understand it is better to see people as we would ourselves and carefully not judge; especially when we're probably as much guilty, just different details unique to our character and life.

 

[JackRT]

I think it safe to say that the Biblical authors had no idea of "sexual orientation". The philosophy of dualism pervaded the culture and led to black and white thinking. There was male and female period. Males were attracted to females period. Females were attracted to males period. Anything else was deliberate perversion. The idea of a homosexual orientation was simply unavailable in their world at that time.

 

[Steve Petersen]

The underlying insinuation in the OPs question is that homosexuals are different than other humans.

 

[dreadnought]

We don't look to Leviticus for a useful guide.

1. Burning any yeast or honey in offerings to God (2:11) [Normal penalty.]

2. Failing to include salt in offerings to God(2:13) [Normal penalty.]

3. Eating fat (3:17) [That one’s “a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.” All fat is to be saved for offerings to God. Normal penalty.]

4. Eating blood (3:17) [Normal penalty]

5. Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve witnessed (5:1) [“They will be held responsible.”]

6. Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve been told about (5:1) [Which sounds like hearsay. At any rate, “they shall be held responsible.”]

7. Touching an unclean animal (5:2) [NIV translates this as touching “the carcass” of an unclean animal. So if Rover dies, or you’re a worker in a pork plant, you’re in trouble here. Normal penalty.]

8. Carelessly making an oath (5:4) [Even if you don’t realize you have. Normal penalty.]

9. Deceiving a neighbour about something trusted to them (6:2) [Return the item and a 20% penalty, plus normal penalty.]

10. Finding lost property and lying about it (6:3) [Return the item and a 20% penalty, plus normal penalty.]

11. Bringing unauthorised fire before God (10:1) [God will smite you.]

12. Letting your hair become unkempt (10:6) [“You will die” and God will be angry at everyone. May only apply to the priesthood.]

13. Tearing your clothes (10:6) [“You will die” and God will be angry at everyone. May only apply to the priesthood.]

14. Drinking alcohol in holy places (bit of a problem for Catholics, this ‘un) (10:9) [“You will die.” May only apply to the priesthood.]

15. Eating an animal which doesn’t both chew cud and has a divided hoof (cf: camel, rabbit, pig) (11:4-7) [“You will be unclean.]

16. Touching the carcass of any of the above (problems here for rugby) (11:8) [“You will be unclean.”]

17. Eating – or touching the carcass of – any seafood without fins or scales (11:10-12) [“You will be unclean.”]

God told us not to engage in homosexual activity. He had a reason.

 

[dreadnought]

We don't look to Leviticus for a useful guide.

1. Burning any yeast or honey in offerings to God (2:11) [Normal penalty.]

2. Failing to include salt in offerings to God(2:13) [Normal penalty.]

3. Eating fat (3:17) [That one’s “a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.” All fat is to be saved for offerings to God. Normal penalty.]

4. Eating blood (3:17) [Normal penalty]

5. Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve witnessed (5:1) [“They will be held responsible.”]

6. Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you’ve been told about (5:1) [Which sounds like hearsay. At any rate, “they shall be held responsible.”]

7. Touching an unclean animal (5:2) [NIV translates this as touching “the carcass” of an unclean animal. So if Rover dies, or you’re a worker in a pork plant, you’re in trouble here. Normal penalty.]

8. Carelessly making an oath (5:4) [Even if you don’t realize you have. Normal penalty.]

9. Deceiving a neighbour about something trusted to them (6:2) [Return the item and a 20% penalty, plus normal penalty.]

10. Finding lost property and lying about it (6:3) [Return the item and a 20% penalty, plus normal penalty.]

11. Bringing unauthorised fire before God (10:1) [God will smite you.]

12. Letting your hair become unkempt (10:6) [“You will die” and God will be angry at everyone. May only apply to the priesthood.]

13. Tearing your clothes (10:6) [“You will die” and God will be angry at everyone. May only apply to the priesthood.]

14. Drinking alcohol in holy places (bit of a problem for Catholics, this ‘un) (10:9) [“You will die.” May only apply to the priesthood.]

15. Eating an animal which doesn’t both chew cud and has a divided hoof (cf: camel, rabbit, pig) (11:4-7) [“You will be unclean.]

16. Touching the carcass of any of the above (problems here for rugby) (11:8) [“You will be unclean.”]

17. Eating – or touching the carcass of – any seafood without fins or scales (11:10-12) [“You will be unclean.”]

Leviticus 18:22, which forbids homosexuality, is a commandment meant for everybody, not an ordinance, statute, decree, or law meant just for the Jews. It takes a little wisdom, but it's not that hard to recognize a commandment.

 

[JackRT]

Here is a comment by the bible scholar, the late Walter Wink, on the verse above:

Putting these texts to the side, we are left with three references, all of which unequivocally condemn homosexuality. Leviticus 18:22 states the principle: "You [masculine] shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." The second (Lev. 20:13) adds the penalty: "If a man lies with a male as a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them."


Such an act was considered as an "abomination" for several reasons. The Hebrew prescientific understanding was that male sperm contained the whole of nascent life. With no knowledge of eggs and ovulation, it was assumed that the woman provided only the incubating space. Hence the spilling of sperm for any non-procreative purpose -- in coitus interruptus (Gen 38:1-11), male homosexual acts or male masturbation -- was considered tantamount to abortion or murder. (Female homosexual acts and masturbation were consequently not so seriously regarded.) One can appreciate how a tribe struggling to populate a country in which its people were outnumbered would value procreation highly, but such values are rendered questionable in a world facing total annihilation through overpopulation.


In addition, when a man acted like a woman sexually, male dignity was compromised. It was a degradation, not only in regard to himself, but for every other male. The patriarchalism of Hebrew culture shows its hand in the very formulation of the commandment, since no similar stricture was formulated to forbid homosexual acts between females. And the repugnance felt toward homosexuality was not just that it was deemed unnatural but also that it was considered unJewish, representing yet one more incursion of pagan civilization into Jewish life. On top of that is the more universal repugnance heterosexuals tend to feel for acts and orientations foreign to them. (Left-handedness has evoked something of the same response in many cultures).

 

[dreadnought]

Here is a comment by the bible scholar, the late Walter Wink, on the verse above:

Some of the most ignorant people in the world are Bible "scholars." If you want to understand the Lord, you obey his commandments. Reading the same words over and over, twisting them to agree with your agenda, makes you popular, but doesn't get you into heaven.

 

[JackRT]

Ad hominem.

 

[S.O.J.I.A.]

they love to lust for each other.

 

[dreadnought]

Ad hominem.

I think the Lord is much more merciful to homosexuals than he is to religious leaders who pander.

 

[FireDragon76]

The very fact this is a question at all, that some debate gay orientation in the abstract, is dehumanizing.