Comments on: The Biblical View(s) of Marriage and Sex http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/ An online community sharing our lives and faith within a place of grace Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:29:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: RDM http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-17475 RDM Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:29:35 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-17475 dear Anita, I only came upon this site in January this year and all I can say is that it has broadened my mind to consider many perspectives on the subject of homosexuality. I am so interested in all the articles and still going through them one at a time. I am throughly enjoying the challenging thinking as I read each article and at the end of it I am most guided by the 2 laws that Jesus gave us - To love God first and to love your neighbour as yourself. Love is all encompassing and I think we humans cannot grasp this mystery easily due to our some form of conditional upbringing. All I want to say for now is "thank you" for your efforts to bring us a new perspective. It is so liberating to keep challenging our thinking and moving the goalposts. That is what Jesus did in His time here on earth. I enjoyed the above article and Dr Walter Wink's article as well on this subject. I also thought the curls comments on the links to Judaism were good so that we do not clear our understanding of one thing at the expense of another. Good work all around. You should be so proud. You will see me here in the future I hope. For now I am enjoying moving through the thought and heart provoking articles. cheers, dear Anita,
I only came upon this site in January this year and all I can say is that it has broadened my mind to consider many perspectives on the subject of homosexuality. I am so interested in all the articles and still going through them one at a time. I am throughly enjoying the challenging thinking as I read each article and at the end of it I am most guided by the 2 laws that Jesus gave us – To love God first and to love your neighbour as yourself. Love is all encompassing and I think we humans cannot grasp this mystery easily due to our some form of conditional upbringing.
All I want to say for now is “thank you” for your efforts to bring us a new perspective. It is so liberating to keep challenging our thinking and moving the goalposts. That is what Jesus did in His time here on earth.
I enjoyed the above article and Dr Walter Wink’s article as well on this subject. I also thought the curls comments on the links to Judaism were good so that we do not clear our understanding of one thing at the expense of another.
Good work all around. You should be so proud. You will see me here in the future I hope. For now I am enjoying moving through the thought and heart provoking articles.
cheers,

]]> By: agaba broad http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-3723 agaba broad Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:55:07 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-3723 that message was very good and help God bless that message was very good and help
God bless

]]> By: Chucky http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-1423 Chucky Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:22:19 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-1423 I see. I see.

]]> By: anita http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-1422 anita Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:35:35 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-1422 Chucky--> I was not attempting to "prove the legitimacy of homosexuality or include it in the mariage [sic] definition" in this post. This article, as most of my other posts were written primarily for a GLBTQ readership and is part of a larger conversation we're having on Christian sexual ethics. The point of this specific article was merely to say that if one goes looking for a Biblical sexual ethic to apply to the lives of today's Christians (gay/straight), one will find a sexual ethic that includes many relationships and behaviors most Christians and society as a whole view as inappropriate in our contemporary society. Would I base an argument for same-sex marriage on the varied configuration of marriages that exist in the Biblical witness? No, not as a primary argument, though it's important information when considering the actual history of marriage in light of such statements as "traditional marriage has always been between one man and one woman," since the Biblical witness clearly doesn't bare that out. Equally un-defendable by the Scriptural account is the statement that "God ordained marriage between one man and one woman," when the Biblical witness suggests God was more than fine with a much wider definition of marriage than the one being espoused in conservative circles. But again Chucky, a defense of homosexuality or same-sex marriage wasn't the point of the article but because you interpreted that as my intent I felt it important to clarify in the event anyone else had the same (mis)understanding. Chucky–> I was not attempting to “prove the legitimacy of homosexuality or include it in the mariage [sic] definition” in this post. This article, as most of my other posts were written primarily for a GLBTQ readership and is part of a larger conversation we’re having on Christian sexual ethics. The point of this specific article was merely to say that if one goes looking for a Biblical sexual ethic to apply to the lives of today’s Christians (gay/straight), one will find a sexual ethic that includes many relationships and behaviors most Christians and society as a whole view as inappropriate in our contemporary society.

Would I base an argument for same-sex marriage on the varied configuration of marriages that exist in the Biblical witness? No, not as a primary argument, though it’s important information when considering the actual history of marriage in light of such statements as “traditional marriage has always been between one man and one woman,” since the Biblical witness clearly doesn’t bare that out. Equally un-defendable by the Scriptural account is the statement that “God ordained marriage between one man and one woman,” when the Biblical witness suggests God was more than fine with a much wider definition of marriage than the one being espoused in conservative circles.

But again Chucky, a defense of homosexuality or same-sex marriage wasn’t the point of the article but because you interpreted that as my intent I felt it important to clarify in the event anyone else had the same (mis)understanding.

]]> By: Chucky http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-1421 Chucky Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:55:20 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-1421 Your conclusion about biblical views on mariage and the examples chosen did not prove the legitimacy of homosexuality nor include it in the mariage definition. All the examples you mentioned above were inclusively mariage related by definition. Out of your own words, you left homesexuality out of the indicated the definition. In order to justify homosexuality based on biblical principles, there should clear evidence of the possibilities that homosexuality was implicitly included into te definition. Otherwise it is still exclusive by definition. Your conclusion about biblical views on mariage and the examples chosen did not prove the legitimacy of homosexuality nor include it in the mariage definition. All the examples you mentioned above were inclusively mariage related by definition. Out of your own words, you left homesexuality out of the indicated the definition.

In order to justify homosexuality based on biblical principles, there should clear evidence of the possibilities that homosexuality was implicitly included into te definition. Otherwise it is still exclusive by definition.

]]> By: anita http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-1363 anita Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:16:12 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-1363 Esther--> I couldn't agree with you more. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Esther–> I couldn’t agree with you more. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto.

]]> By: anita http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-1362 anita Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:08:07 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-1362 Susan--> The follow-up is coming, I promise! I covered for our pastor on Sunday so I was waylaid for the week with sermon prep. Hey, sounds like an interesting opportunity coming up for you, and yes, I think you might be on target with your <em>wild</em> guess. Another good resource, if you haven't read it already is Dale Martin's "Sex and the Single Savior." There are a couple essays that might be really helpful for you. Susan–> The follow-up is coming, I promise! I covered for our pastor on Sunday so I was waylaid for the week with sermon prep. Hey, sounds like an interesting opportunity coming up for you, and yes, I think you might be on target with your wild guess. Another good resource, if you haven’t read it already is Dale Martin’s “Sex and the Single Savior.” There are a couple essays that might be really helpful for you.

]]> By: Susan http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-1356 Susan Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:00:43 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-1356 This is great! Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to your follow-up. I'll probably use this...and look at the Walter Wink article, too...as I've been asked to maybe do an ethics talk at my church later this year. I suspect the rector wants me to talk about homosexuality...and not my experiences with the death penalty. That's just a wild guess ;-). This is great! Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to your follow-up. I’ll probably use this…and look at the Walter Wink article, too…as I’ve been asked to maybe do an ethics talk at my church later this year. I suspect the rector wants me to talk about homosexuality…and not my experiences with the death penalty. That’s just a wild guess ;-) .

]]> By: Esther http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-1341 Esther Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:58:25 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-1341 This is helpful - I've been trying to think through a lot of this myself, and I'm really glad you're writing about it. Sexual ethics are way more complex than I was taught in my church growing up - the easy answers just don't work, and the logic really doesn't even hold up. But that doesn't mean that I have no moral standards or that I don't care what Scripture has to say about sex - it's just more complex. So I'm glad you're writing about this and that we can discuss it here. Thank you. This is helpful – I’ve been trying to think through a lot of this myself, and I’m really glad you’re writing about it. Sexual ethics are way more complex than I was taught in my church growing up – the easy answers just don’t work, and the logic really doesn’t even hold up. But that doesn’t mean that I have no moral standards or that I don’t care what Scripture has to say about sex – it’s just more complex. So I’m glad you’re writing about this and that we can discuss it here. Thank you.

]]> By: anita http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-biblical-views-of-marriage-and-sex/comment-page-1/#comment-1326 anita Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:22:13 +0000 http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/?p=302#comment-1326 Mindy--> Well, it works both ways because I just turned to D and read to her what you wrote, with my voice cracking with emotion. The generosity of your comments mean so much to me and I really want you to know how genuine my gratitude is, not only for what you took the time to share, but that something of support and blessing has been here for you and yours. I just love that. I was happy most of all to read "testing your thoughts against scripture" and that you're finding your faith growing. I would never want for anything I say here to be taken in any way or given any more authority than simply my personal faith expression. I'm just one believer here among many....I just tend to be more verbal than most :) God <em>is</em> amazing Mindy and for your comment I really do give him all the credit and thanks. What a blast this is for me. Because of the numbers of people who are subscribed to this site, I know there are many who never comment but I hope they, and you know, that you're just as much a part of this community as any of us who regularly chat it up around here. A big hug back to you and your partner....and <em>that's</em> what Anita wrote today! Mindy–> Well, it works both ways because I just turned to D and read to her what you wrote, with my voice cracking with emotion. The generosity of your comments mean so much to me and I really want you to know how genuine my gratitude is, not only for what you took the time to share, but that something of support and blessing has been here for you and yours. I just love that. I was happy most of all to read “testing your thoughts against scripture” and that you’re finding your faith growing. I would never want for anything I say here to be taken in any way or given any more authority than simply my personal faith expression. I’m just one believer here among many….I just tend to be more verbal than most :)

God is amazing Mindy and for your comment I really do give him all the credit and thanks. What a blast this is for me. Because of the numbers of people who are subscribed to this site, I know there are many who never comment but I hope they, and you know, that you’re just as much a part of this community as any of us who regularly chat it up around here. A big hug back to you and your partner….and that’s what Anita wrote today!

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