Niddah

[OllieFranz]

[bible]Leviticus 15:19-24[/bible]
Stephen Greenberg, a gay-friendly Orthodox rabbi, has made the statement that a loving, committed gay couple who choose to refrain from engaging in the specific act of a**l s*x are more halakhically correct (that is more in obedience to Mosaic Law) than a loving, married couple who fail to obey the niddah laws (Leviticus 15:19-24) which forbid them to have s*x for at least 15 days every month.

He has yet to find another Orthodox rabbi who will disagree with that statement. [NOTE: He does not say that no one has successfully argued against it, he says that no matter how conservative they are, they do not disagree with it.]

Even in the most conservative Orthodox communities, a sizable portion of couples fail to keep the niddah laws, but it is considered a matter between the couple and God. They are never questioned about their marital relations. Instead it is assumed that they are keeping themselves pure, even when their is circumstantial evidence that they might be having "forbidden" sex.

Rabbi Greenberg questions why the same courtesy could not be extended to gay couples. Frankly, so do I.

 

[OllieFranz]

Actually, I'd go so far as to suggest the possibility that someone who is married and does not keep the niddah law and yet condemns gays is exactly the kind of hypocrite that Jesus was speaking of in Matthew 7:1-5

 

[savedandhappy1]

Actually, I'd go so far as to suggest the possibility that someone who is married and does not keep the niddah law and yet condemns gays is exactly the kind of hypocrite that Jesus was speaking of in Matthew 7:1-5

So what are we if we keep the niddah law and still believe that homosexuality is a sin?

 

[OllieFranz]

Then at the very least you would have some small idea why the suggestion by married straights that gays must be totally celibate for life might be a harsh misreading of the "man-lying" law.

Male-male pair-bonding is not unBiblical (Cf Jonathan and David, Elijah and Elisha, and Jehu and Jehonidad)

And if the bonded pair happens to be gay, there are intimate, even sexual things that fall short of a**l s*x. Those are not forbidden by Leviticus 18:22 or 20:13.

 

[Phinehas2]

Yes that is possibly true, but it might mean the same-sex relationship is a friendship.
It also leaves the traditional Christian position in tact that sex should be within a faithful man/woman marriage.

 

[OllieFranz]

It also leaves the traditional Christian position in tact that sex should be within a faithful man/woman marriage.

And not even between man and wife for over two weeks every month.

 

[KCKID]

As you suggest, there is much nit-picking and hypocrisy within Christianity. It would appear that NO ONE has it right.

Actually, a**l s*x seems to be the only thing 'forbidden' of male/male in the Bible. And even that 'taboo' may well have been intended for a specific period of time ...you know, the command to go forth and multiply. I think we've done that pretty well thank you.

Anyway, playing it by the book, as long as a**l s*x isn't a part of the equasion where does the Bible say that male/male, female/female is sinful? I just don't see it.

I may post this same comment in one of the other homosexual threads in order to initiate more responses.