I will repeat having a gay orientation is not a choice. You want Biblical evidence Jesus spoke against homosexuality? Okay here it is:
Quote:
Matthew 23:1-11
23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them. 4 "And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5 "But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 "And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi. 8 "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 "And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 "And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 "And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. NAS
The Scribes and the Pharisees taught the Torah and Jesus is instructing Jews to adhere to the Law, which includes Leviticus 18.
Quote:
Matthew 5:17-32
17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. 19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, in order that your opponent may not deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 "Truly I say to you, you shall not come out of there, until you have paid up the last cent.
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; 28 but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 "And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 "And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell. 31 "And it was said, 'Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce'; 32 but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. NAS
Many Christians take verse 17 totally out of context and use this to mean we are not under the law, however when taken in full context Jesus actually made the Law more restrictive. What Jesus did was fulfill the penalty clauses of the Law; He did not abolish, revoke, or annul the Law.
The Law was given to the sons of Israel and is our tutor or guide for living a righteous life. We can view the Torah as the Hebrews constitution for the nation of Israel, which was originally established as a theocracy.
I don't see how you can take us round the merry go round like this. In some earlier post you said you can't or don't "interpret" the Bible. How in God's name can you justify that when you are reaching as far as the moon to justify this particular position?
Let me get this straight...
1) You're convinced that there is a difference between what is ACTUAL moral law and what is tradition in the Torah.
2)Apparently there is no easily recognized distinction between these arbitrary moralistic pronouncements.
3) Jesus or his apostles that said many things after his death (without the living authority of Jesus there to correct them or not btw. Peter and Paul did not always see eye to eye either which is interesting) apparently said some things no longer are important to follow such as dietary restrictions because they are no longer considered part of the "law".
4) But the Jews have always considered all of these things equal parts of the law. So they apparently had it wrong all that time and still think Christians are wrong.
Sheesh
5) Because of your quotes above that say that the "law" is still in effect, homosexuality is by your belief absolutely part of the moral laws that are still in effect because Jesus didn't identify that portion of the Bible as just tradition or error. Thereby giving the assumption of agreement through silence.
If this is not "interpreting" then I would like to know how you define the word. Is it really important to make a divine book this complicated if it's so perfect? Apparently we need an updated Idiots guide to the Bible.