B
BigBadWlf
Guest
Guess you missed this again
The various letters of Paul have historically been used to punish and oppress every identifiable minority in the world: Jews, children, women, blacks, slaves, politicians, divorced people, convicts, religious reformers, and the mentally ill. Currently the popular target of this discrimination are homosexuals
In the original Greek, the phrase for “vile affliction” used in Romans translates as ecstatic or ecstasy, the original meaning was not in reference to passion or the street drug but rather referred to ecstatic trance states described by anthropologists (Ref: Mircea Eliade). These ecstatic trances were part of pretty much every religion, such states were generally achieved by religious leaders but lay people could engage in them as well, the process was to connect to the spirit world for healing and blessing. The Modern Christian version would be “speaking in tongues” and the meditative state achieved in ritualistic prayer. Originally the condemnation was against any religion but the one Paul was founding, but like so many other non-Christian traditions, ecstasy found their way into Christianity.
As for the reference to “natural.” The society Paul is writing to, both Roman and Greek, considered homosexuality be quite natural. What would have been considered unnatural for Paul’s audience would have been to force oneself to go against one’s own nature, to pretend to be something one is not. Such relationships are referred to as being unnatural by many writers of the era.
Paul specifically used the Greek word paraphysi here, and contrary to popular belief paraphysi does not mean "to go against the law(s) of nature", as those promoting discrimination against homosexuals often claim, but rather it means to engage in action(s) which is uncharacteristic or against the nature of that person or more simply an individual denying his/her true nature. An example of the word paraphysin is used in Romans 11:24, where God acts in an uncharacteristic (paraphysin) way to accept the Gentiles. To claim that paraphysi means unnatural would indicate that God was acting in an unnatural way. Thus the passages correctly reads that it would be unnatural for heterosexuals to live as homosexuals, and for homosexuals to live as heterosexuals. And what Paul is condemning is the unnaturalness of going against one’s nature. In the verse you cite God punishes individuals engaging in ecstatic trance work by forcing them to be something they are not.
The sin here (aside form ecstasy trance work) is pretending to be something you are not.
Romans 1:26-27 is not a condemnation of homosexuality but a condemnation of trying to change or lying about ones sexual orientation. Thus it is a condemnation of ex-gay ministries.
Further…
To read Romans 1 without Romans 2 is a great error, for Paul goes on to say that we are not to judge each other. He points out the self-righteousness of those who have judged the pagans just described in Romans 1. Then he reiterates the commandment of Jesus in his own words: "God will give to each person according to what he has done." Romans 2:6
So what's happened between Romans 1 and 2? Paul is obviously using an "attention grabbing" technique like any good writer or speaker. In this letter, he is concerned with trying to bridge the gaps between Jewish Christians and Greek Christians who were busy judging each other and putting each other down.
Paul starts by talking about those "awful pagans" a group which both Jew and Greek Christians felt superior to. He gives a laundry list of "sins" to which his Christian audience was undoubtedly approving of and enjoying how bad those people were compared to how good they were. Then, after having caught them in their judgmentalism, he says "by judging, you pass judgment on yourself." By using a pagan example of sins, he could then go on to say, I caught you judging others…Do not judge " For God does not show favoritism." Romans 2:11
Upvote
0
God says, explicitly, that we are to avoid judging others whenever possible, and to judge "with a righteousness exceeding that of the Pharisees" when we do judge, because by the measure we judge we too shall be judged. What manner of righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees? He's at pains to explain it: it is to return good for evil, to have compassion, to love as He would love. It is to recognize that one's own sins are as black in His sight as those we are tempted to condemn, and to throw ourselves on His mercy, recognizing that by His grace only are we saved. "He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
