![]() The Jewish religious leaders being very well versed in the Old Testament Scriptures threw every single theological argument against Jesus, and trying to put blame on Jesus from His association of the Prostitutes, the Tax Collectors, the unclean and the sick. Gays were known to the religious leaders as natural Eunuchs for despite having their manhood, they were not attracted to women. Yet, they never confronted Jesus anything about homosexuality? especially since modern day Christians considers homosexuality is a great sin in the bible. How could two groups of religious people, the Jews and the mainstream Churches interpret the bible so differently if it were so obvious? They brought a prostitute to Jesus so trap Him, so why wouldn't they bring a gay person to Jesus to see how Jesus responded. Surely, if Jesus were to accept the gay person, they could use the law to condemn Jesus as friends of "sinners". Homosexuality was not a significant mention in the Gospels, because the Jewish religious leaders never used this argument against Jesus. This may seem surprising as threw everything that could damage Jesus' reputation. Yet, they never ever mentioned gays not as if Gays were not common then and today. The reasons were quite simple, they knew the bible and history very intimately, and the bible's condemnation of the homosexual acts was in relations to idol worship by the Jewish religious leaders themselves. So, the mention of homosexuality would be shooting yourself in your own foot, because it was straight religious leaders committing sex with men which were unnatural to them to please the idols. They had a legacy to hide. The usage of the Prostitute was much easier, easier to find, and to condemn theologically and culturally, but there was no way to recreate the context of straight men having homosexual sex on account of worshipping Baal. They could find a Gay person, just as modern Christianity tries the frame this as the sin of homosexuality, but they really had more wisdom than many modern day Christians. The arguments would not hold especially when debating with Jesus and they themselves would be instead condemned just as Paul used this to effectively remind them of their sin of idolatry (resulting in homosexual acts) when apparently under the law. The Jewish religious leaders, even though expert in the bible and the laws, knew they could not justifiably condemn the gay person unlike the mainstream churches today. Paul was different; he was an ex-religious fundamentalist. He was against the Jewish legalist, of whom he was once part of. His arguments were against the Legalistic Jews in Rome and not the Gays in Rome or Corinth. Paul was using all the anti-law arguments, and raised the issue that they/ their ancestors had indulged in worshiping idols evidenced by their homosexual orgies whilst claiming to be abiding by the Torah. It was a put down of the legalistic Jews, a put down of their self righteousness, a put down of the effectiveness of the law to change people' heart. No wonder, the Pharisees dared not come against gays when coming against Jesus. They would have had the same response and much more. Jesus would have condemned them of their religious hypocrisy who were so willing to forgo their natural inclination for women in order to worship idols yet so quick to reject those who are naturally attracted to the same sex. Even the Jewish leaders who were so evil and self righteous, did not go to the low level of condemning gays. What does this say about our mainstream churches today? The Jewish leaders deliberately abstain from using gays in their confrontation with Jesus, yet modern day Christians tries every single means to twist the bible verses to condemn gays. A classic example is the use of "arsenokoites", and "Malakos" to refer to Homosexuals just because some translators to English did so even though the original Greek meaning was lost in history. The mainstream churches are so desperate to blame gays, because if you explore further, these verses highlights the self righteousness of religious people. The city of Corinth just like the city of Geylang in Singapore were so well known for its worship of prostitution, yet we assigned it to homosexuality. We could not even distinguish a "chicken" from a "duck". How clouded and biased could our biblical interpretations be? Our so called "biblical" interpretation of the Word of God becomes even more bizarre when we use alleged that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because they were Homosexuals forgetting that God could not find more than a few good men other than Lot. Were they all Homosexuals, notwithstanding that Gays form no more than 5% of the population then and today. The Sodomites did practiced homosexual rape but also heterosexual rape. But the homosexual sex was highlighted because gang rape of women to subjugate the surrounding cities were cruel but understandable but to go beyond to anally rape or "to sodomise" the men as well, was considered unforgivable because it destroyed the dignity of the man being raped to be treated like woman. It was a very cruel means to show who was in control hence their attempt to rape the angels visiting Lot. To condemn gays based on Sodom and Gomorrah shows that we may be no better that the two cities using every underhand and cruel method to achieve our means. It is said that there are good and well meaning people on the two sides of the debate on homosexuality. Good and well meaning people have said and do crazy things in the name of religion just as the Judaist had sex orgies because of Idol worship. But to cover up our immorality and exalt our self righteousness and blame gays is unforgivable whatever our mitigating circumstances and good intentions may be. And to use the bible, the sacred Word of God, for our own agenda and ulterior purpose so directly contradict the message of God's love, only God can forgive us. But God is so full of mercy and grace and is slow to anger and yearn for His Church to come back to Him and not to play the harlot to the power of this world and the attraction of power and wealth and self righteouness. |