He told them to go and sin no more, though.
We don't hire people who are living unrepentant sinful lifestyles. That goes for more than just homosexuality, too.
And how do you determine who is unrepentant and who isn't? Do you hire obese people? I find it hard to believe you haven't hired a fornicator, divorcer, or adulterer at some point. How would you even know what sins anyone has committed?
I still find it highly hypocritical that you would fire a gay person for being gay when 1) You have no clue whether they have sinned 2) What goes on in another's bedroom is none of your business and 3) You have no authority to tell other people that their convictions from God are not genuine. We've have plenty of gay Christians on this board who have spent 10, 20 40 years praying to God over and over asking about this issue, and he has not once, told them they are abominations, or are unrepentant sinners. Why on Earth should I ever accept your opinion over theirs?
This is the biggest problem I have with fundamentalists. I would have a tiny bit more respect for your beliefs if you understood the concept of interpretation, and that yours is not automatically the correct one. Just because, you read a 21st Century English Bible, and automatically assume that it condemns modern day homosexuality, despite all the evidence to the contrary, does not make you right.
You are completely unwilling to ever admit you could be wrong, because the fundamentalist mind set is "The English Bible says it, that settles it". You have no respect for context, language, or culture.
See, it's so easy for you to formulate an argument around something you don't even believe in. I'll admit, I can't overcome that kind of illogic. All you have to do is say "I don't believe that part of the bible" and voila...no accountability from you.
Um, no - I actually examine the original language, culture, and context - and I'm willing to accept that my modern day understanding of certain verses may not be correct. In the face of indisputable evidence that indicates something is not factual, for example Genesis, I have no logical or rational choice but to dismiss the literal view. God gave me a brain, and I intend on using it. It's not my fault if it indicates to me some 4000 year old book translated into faulty English is not perfect.
Augustine held this position, and if it applied in his day, it most certainly applies to the 21st Century, where our understanding of the universe is exponentially better.
It not infrequently happens that something about the earth, about the sky, about other elements of this world, about the motion and rotation or even the magnitude and distances of the stars, about definite eclipses of the sun and moon, about the passage of years and seasons, about the nature of animals, of fruits, of stones, and of other such things, may be known with the greatest certainty by reasoning or by experience, even by one who is not a Christian. It is too disgraceful and ruinous, though, and greatly to be avoided, that he [the non-Christian] should hear a Christian speaking so idiotically on these matters, and as if in accord with Christian writings, that he might say that he could scarcely keep from laughing when he saw how totally in error they are. In view of this and in keeping it in mind constantly while dealing with the book of Genesis, I have, insofar as I was able, explained in detail and set forth for consideration the meanings of obscure passages, taking care not to affirm rashly some one meaning to the prejudice of another and perhaps better explanation.
– De Genesi ad literam 1:19–20, Chapt. 19
More Christians need to heed Augustine's advice, and this applies to all of scripture, not just Genesis.
Of course, if you actually read what I post instead of projecting your feelings about my faith onto me, you would see that I do not condemn homosexuals. But you're too busy condemning my beliefs.
Yes, you do condemn homosexuals. You already stated you fire them under the assumption they are in a same-sex relationship.
Condemn:
to express an unfavorable or adverse judgment on; indicate strong disapproval of; censure.
No one has shown that what my church teaches is wrong. I've compared what my church teaches to what is in the bible and I've found the two to be in line with each other.
No one
could show you that your church teaching even
might be wrong. You are so unwilling to consider other views, you dismiss them immediately.
Oh yeah, right, another flaw in debating you. You aren't justifying a sinful life because you don't believe that the sin you commit is a sin.
You keep claiming I'm committing a sin, and yet you haven't told me which one. Which sin have I committed that I'm justifying?
The point was, those who do not want to be accountable for their sins would clamor to join your church of "do what you want because God loves you and don't worry about the bible, it's just a myth". If I was a weak Christian struggling with my sin, I'd want to join it so I wouldn't have to struggle anymore. Gosh, how wonderful that would be...at least right up to the point where God would say to me "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoer".
And what makes you think that your views, won't result in God saying that? How do you know God won't hold you accountable for the judgement you place on others? Since you guys continue to judge gays according to the Law, you will be judged by that same law.
