Sunday, May 01, 2005

The "Jesus Never Spoke Against Homosexuality" fallacy

Ona Shepperd of Vancouver, WA writes in the April 24 Columbian (C6):

"I'm sure that if Jesus prayed for homosexuals, it went something like this: God, help this person, made in your image and likeness, to be strong and forgive those who are bigoted and intolerant of differences in your creation."

I'm not trying to single one person out because many supporters of homosexual behavior do this; remember the ever popular, "Jesus never spoke against homosexuality." Ona simply was more creative in speaking this view. Although they would deny it, these people actually have a low view of Scritpure and an anemic understanding of Christology. Here's why:

  1. Jesus called himself the Son (i.e. in the image) of God. In other words, he is the very essense of God. Not any old God but the God of the Old Testament.
  2. In the OT, God does speak about homosexual behavior and in rather unflattering (and in the eyes of today's culture) bigoted and intolerant terms. Gen 18:16 - 19:29; Lev 18:22, 20:13
  3. Jesus is called the Creator (Jn 1:3, Col 1:15-17)
  4. God "created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Gen 1:27
  5. After making the woman from man God said, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Gen 2:20-24. Jesus reiterates this statement in Matthew 19 to show the proper purpose of marriage.
  6. The Bible's teaching on sexual behavior is consistent - within the confines of marriage and since marriage is between a man and a woman that would exclude homosexuals.

Therefore, Shepperd's statement amounts to this:

"I'm sure that if Jesus prayed for homosexuals, it went something like this: God, help this person, made in your image and likeness, to be strong and forgive me who is bigoted and intolerant of differences in My creation."

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