Aineo wrote: “...You have danced around the issues of how the Bible handles same sex relationships...”
Response: There’s not much to dance around because the Bible limits its handling of same sex relationships to a few instances of male prostitution as was excellently elaborated upon, specifically, in the cited passage, around which you choose to silently tip toe, regarding “arsenoikoites” relation to male prostitution s from http://www.welcome-committee.org/chapter-blosser-2.html :
“...Arsenokoites is a rare word in both biblical and cultural literature, but when it does occur it provides important insight. It usually appears in lists of sins. These lists are not simply random lists of evil things; they usually have a clustering order to them, so that scholars, by studying these lists can learn a great deal about these sins by seeing how they are clustered together. In most lists there are sexual sins (adultery, rape, prostitution), sins involving violence (murder, maiming, physical abuse), and economic or justice sins (stealing, destruction of property, etc.). In these lists, arsenokoites does not appear with the sexual sins, but rather is clustered with the sins of exploitation and economic justice. There is a growing number of Biblical scholars who believe that arsenokoites refers to a very specific form of sexual exploitation and abuse that has no connection with same gender attraction as commonly experienced today...”
Again, the Jonathan David homosexual relationship needs to be emphasized. From
http://www.christiangays.com/articles/queer_bible.doc.:
“...The important verse to highlight in this passage is verse 30, which includes a rather surprising outburst by Saul that seems unprovoked. The King James Version for this verse has Saul shouting “Do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto
the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?” To understand what Saul might be referring to here, let us turn to Tom Horner’s commentary on this passage in his book Jonathan Loved David:
Commentaries, too, are generally lax in pointing out the slight textual corruption in the verse [T]he [Hebrew] word bocher, represented here as "chosen," could also be read as chaber, "companion" or "fellow," and so it is read in the Greek version. The distinguished scholar, S. R. Driver, says that the Greek choice is unquestionably the one to be followed here ? Thus the entire Greek clause could be translated, "For, do I not know that you are an intimate companion to the son of Jesse?"
Next, there is the evidence of the Hebrew word bosheth, poorly anslated as "confusion" by the King James Version, but more correctly rendered "shame" in most modern translations. Both "shame" and "nakedness" - the next key word in Saul's outburst - are associated in the mainstream of Israelite patriarchal society with sex, as is illustrated by the Garden of Eden story and in numerous other passages. Captives were taken away naked to shame them; in that way too they could much more easily be taken advantage of sexually, as indeed they sometimes were....
One final thing to notice in connection with this key passage is the Semitic practice of refusing to pronounce the actual name of a person or group - or even thing, as in the case of homosexuality - that is being put down. There is either an epithet of some kind or no mention of the name or word at all - a phenomenon that is found throughout the Bible and a practice that may very well add to the difficulty of our tracing references to homosexuality and homosexual groups. There is, of course, more than one epithet or substitution to be found in this crucial passage: "son of Jesse" for David, "shame" and "nakedness" for sex.
Thus, the implication of a homosexual relationship is clearly a part of Saul's outburst...”
Aineo wrote: “...As to your remarks directed at the webmaster; the reason most heterosexuals think all gay men engage in anal intercourse is because of the (1) gay activists who emphasize the sexual aspects of being gay. Add to this that (2) the only way AIDS can be sexually
transmitted male to male is by penetration and (3) since about 50% of all HIV cases in the U.S. are men who have sex with men the logical conclusion is anal intercourse is a universal practice....”
Response: (1) It is homophobic heterosexual activists who advance their heterocentric agenda by disseminating misinformation that anal sex is the be all end all of homosexuals’ raison d’être while homosexual activists are informing the homosexual community of the importance of safe sex.
(2) AIDS can also be transmitted through oral sex.
(3) There is nothing logical about heterosexuals’ obsession with homosexual anal sex being universally practiced in the gay community &, consequently, being responsible for AIDS, again, it is merely heterocentric self-flattery that all of creation desires to mimic the particular plumbing configuration of heterosexual coitus.
Aineo wrote: “...Christianity is not a democracy where we can vote on interpreting God's truth. Christianity is a theocracy and God makes the rules...”
Response: New evidence from the scientific fields of linguistics, philology,
epigraphy & arqueology among others, reveal that Biblical references to
homosexuality are not as condemnatory as previously alleged by those who believe themselves to have an inerrant interpretation of God’s truth..
If left to fundamentalist Christian fanatics who despotically insist on
universally forcing their heterocentric lifestyle on others by attempting to
coerce politicians into legislating laws criminalizing homosexual acts between consenting adults, Christianity will become the mirror image of
fundamentalist Islam. Wisely, the U.S. Supreme Court has maintaind the
separation of church and state by declaring all laws criminalizing homosexual acts between consenting adults as being unconstitutional.
Arqueological & epigraphical evidence indicates the early Christian church
accepted same-sex couples and even officiated same-sex union rites.
According to http://www.depts.drew.edu/jhc/samesex.html
“...BURIALS of pairs of men and pairs of women in ecclesiastical contexts from the early Byzantine era, along with more expected burials of married couples, families and random groups, have been discovered in excavations at Philippi and Edessa in northern Greece..."
The following are burial inscriptions of same-sex couples:
“..."Sleeping place of Euodiana and Dorothea." Fifth century. From Extra-Muros Basilica.6
"Sleeping place belonging to Posidonia, deacon, and Pancharia, very humble canoness." Fourth to fifth century. Marble stele from the east side of Philippi, now lost.7
"Sleeping place of Alexandra and Glukeria (or Glukerios)." Fifth to sixth century. From Basilica B (Direkler).8
"Sleeping place of the most pious presbyters, Faustinos and Donatos, of the holy catholic and apostolic church of the Philippians." Fourth century. From Extra-Muros basilica; two skeletons found.9
"Sleeping place of the most devoted presbyters, Gourasios and Konstantios, resting in Christ, 14th indiction." Fourth to sixth century. From Extra-Muros Basilica; large number of skeletons and 18 skulls found.10
"Sleeping place of Kyriakos and Nikandra (or Nikandros or Nikanoros)." Fourth to fifth century. From Basilica B (Direkler)...”
The following is a Christian same-sex marriage rite according to
http://www.geocities.com/pharsea/tradition.html#more in spirit than in flesh. :
“...SINAI 966 [13th century: Greek]
Those intending to be united shall come before the priest. shall place his hand on the Gospel, and the second on the hand of the first.
Lord our God and ruler, who didst commend the union of thy holy martyrs Serge and Bacchus: do Thou vouchsafe unto these thy servants grace to love one another and abide unhated and not a cause of scandal all the days of their lives.
Grant them unashamed faithfulness, true love.
accept now these Thy servants N. and N to be united in spirit and faith to prosper in virtue and justice and in sincere love.
that they be joined together more in spirit than in flesh.
And they shall kiss the holy Gospel and each other, and it shall be concluded.
This liturgy is particularly important for its prayer that the two men should be joined together "more in spirit than in flesh". This collect only appears in one other manuscript, a tenth Century Greek office of same gender union. "Joined in flesh" is a phrase used with reference to marriage
both in Genesis [Gen 2:24] and by Jesus [Mat 19:5]. It is not clear whether it refers to the physical coming together of sexual congress or alternately the joining of familial kinship relations by the contract of marriage. What ever it signifies, here we have a clear use of the very
term in connection with a same gender union. Such a petition is exactly what one would expect if the liturgy was a celebration of a sexual union between Christians, for whom embodiment is important; but the spiritual more so...”
“...It is reasonable to interpret these rites as being homo-gender marriages because of the context in which they were found. Very commonly they appear together with related rituals, with the
ceremonies listed in the following order:
Ceremony for a hetero-gender betrothal
Ceremony for a first hetero-gender marriage
Ceremony for a second hetero-gender marriage (with less emphasis on procreation)
Ceremony for a homo-gender union
Moreover, they share some of the characteristics found in hetero-gender marriage. For example, they regularly include some of the following:
The couple standing together at the Altar
Hands joined
Blessing by the priest
Prayers of promise of lifelong fidelity
Walking around the altar
Comparable use of litanies
Crowning
Sharing Communion
Banquet for friends and family afterwards...”