Liberals vs. Christianity

[dtg108]

This question isn't meant to be disrespectful at ALL. I just want to know, I've wondered for a while. How do you be a liberal and a Christian when the Bible clearly states against how some of these things are wrong (social issues).

HOMOSEXUALITY:
Leviticus 18:22
"Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." (NLT)

ABORTION:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

That means that babies in the womb are humans, and you are killing them with abortion. Do you pick out parts from the Bible? Once again, not disrespectful, just wondering.

[Goat]

This question isn't meant to be disrespectful at ALL. I just want to know, I've wondered for a while. How do you be a liberal and a Christian when the Bible clearly states against how some of these things are wrong (social issues).

HOMOSEXUALITY:
Leviticus 18:22
"Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." (NLT)

Gosh, that is a horrible translation.

More accurately, specifically it is taking about Anal sex, and according to more than one commentaries on it, it is specifically talking about humiliation rape... others claim it has to do with male temple prostitutes.

And, the term 'Tovah' means 'ritualistically unclean'. That is not 'sin', but rather a condition that everyone gets into sometimes. For example, a woman who is going through her period is 'tovah' , until she does the ritual cleansing in a mikveh.

ABORTION:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

You do know that has nothing to do with abortion what so ever. If you read about it in context., this a Jeremiah claiming that his birth was special... A prophet being born is not your average joe schmo baby (at least according to the self proclaimed prophet).


Now, if you read Numbers 5, you will see a ritual that is testing the fidelity of a pregnant woman by inducing an abortifact to her. If it causes a miscarriage, then she was unfaithful, and that was her punishment..

While that ritual is thankfully obsolete, it does show that making life/death choices , including abortion, is in the realm of mankind.

[perfessor]

You may not consider my answer to be valid, since I am no longer a Christian. But my thinking on these two subjects has not changed much in the intervening yhears; so if you will, this is an answer from a younger version of me...

This question isn't meant to be disrespectful at ALL. I just want to know, I've wondered for a while. How do you be a liberal and a Christian when the Bible clearly states against how some of these things are wrong (social issues).

I believe that you don't mean to be disrespectful; but you clearly have only a cartoon version of what liberals want or believe. Maybe we can change that!

HOMOSEXUALITY:
Leviticus 18:22
"Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." (NLT)

Leviticus is an interesting book; have you read the whole thing? It turns out that a whole bunch of things are sinful. If you eat shellfish or pork, or wear mixed fabrics, or harvest your fields out to the edges, you are also a sinner. You're not one of those cafeteria Christians, picking parts out of the Bible, are you?

ABORTION:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

That means that babies in the womb are humans, and you are killing them with abortion. Do you pick out parts from the Bible? Once again, not disrespectful, just wondering.

It may surprise you to discover that we are on the same side - we both want to reduce abortions. If you really believe that liberals want MORE abortions, then you are believing the cartoonish rantings of Limbaugh-type demagogues.

So, how do I aim to reduce abortions? Simple - by reducing unwanted pregnancies. Age-appropriate sex education in the schools, which means that by the age of 13, kids know both what causes babies, and how to prevent them. Is that such a bad thing?

Coupled with sex ed, birth control methods should be taught, understood, and available. You might reasonably ask, "OK, but we could have all those things and still not allow abortion!" It turns out that having an open, "liberal" health care system, where reproductive rights and choices belong to the individual, leads to fewer abortions. Banning abortions, however punitively, does not.

[East of Eden]

You may not consider my answer to be valid, since I am no longer a Christian. But my thinking on these two subjects has not changed much in the intervening yhears; so if you will, this is an answer from a younger version of me...

This question isn't meant to be disrespectful at ALL. I just want to know, I've wondered for a while. How do you be a liberal and a Christian when the Bible clearly states against how some of these things are wrong (social issues).

I believe that you don't mean to be disrespectful; but you clearly have only a cartoon version of what liberals want or believe. Maybe we can change that!

HOMOSEXUALITY:
Leviticus 18:22
"Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." (NLT)

Leviticus is an interesting book; have you read the whole thing? It turns out that a whole bunch of things are sinful. If you eat shellfish or pork, or wear mixed fabrics, or harvest your fields out to the edges, you are also a sinner. You're not one of those cafeteria Christians, picking parts out of the Bible, are you?

If we were members of the Old Testament theocracy of Israel, you might have a point.

It may surprise you to discover that we are on the same side - we both want to reduce abortions. If you really believe that liberals want MORE abortions, then you are believing the cartoonish rantings of Limbaugh-type demagogues.

So, how do I aim to reduce abortions? Simple - by reducing unwanted pregnancies. Age-appropriate sex education in the schools, which means that by the age of 13, kids know both what causes babies, and how to prevent them. Is that such a bad thing?

Coupled with sex ed, birth control methods should be taught, understood, and available. You might reasonably ask, "OK, but we could have all those things and still not allow abortion!" It turns out that having an open, "liberal" health care system, where reproductive rights and choices belong to the individual, leads to fewer abortions.

Cite?

There are lots of Biblical reasons to be against abortion.

http://www.reasons.org/articles/argumen ... t-abortion

To answer the OP, there is nothing new about people claiming to be God's people disregarding His laws. This is from Jeremiah 23 about similar people:

"This is what the Lord Almight says:

"Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the Lord.
They keep saying to those who despise me,
"The Lord says: You will have peace'.
And to all who follow the stubborness of their hearts they say, 'No harm will come to you.'
I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.
But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds."