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Originally Posted by asaris
Gilda, I think one of the reasons to dispute the Bible's teaching on homosexuality is that that's the topic of the thread. It'd be a pretty boring thread if we weren't arguing with each other, wouldn't it?
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Not necessarily. It's possible to have a civil discussion/debate without it descending into an argument.
My point wasn't that there's no reason to debate the topic. That would be somewhat hypocritical given my posts here. My point was that there's a difference between presenting one's interpretation as one's interpretation and presenting it as the one true and factual meaning given by God that should be accepted by an acted on by everyone.
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Originally Posted by frogza
The premise of Christian churches is that they are in some way founded by God himself. The authority to teach was given either through direct lineage (Catholic Church) or an enlightening of some kind (Most other Christian churches) Both methods of assembly claim divine help in some form. Therefore it is claimed that the teachings of these churches are from God himself. The current trend of adding or taking away from a churches belief system is baffling to me. If people believe that God started the church they belong to, how then can they justify taking teachings away or adding new doctrines via a popular vote? By so doing, they are voiding the claim of divine guidance in their church.
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The simple and obvious answer to this is that not all Christian churches (or churches that have Christian members) are based on this principal. The two churches I've been a member of the last five years or so, the Metropolitan Community Churches and the UUA were started by people for the purpose of providing people with a similar belief system with a safe and welcoming place to worship and find fellowship.
I'd venture to guess that only those churches that believe that they are the one true church representing the one true way are based on the principle and line of reasoning you describe here.
It makes sense to me to interpret church doctrine to take into account the time and place and culture that existed at the time the Bible was written and to adapt church doctrine to take into account new knowledge regarding science and human nature and the differences between the culture of the time and as it exists currently.
Certainly not all churches will do this, but some do, and do so because they don't subscribe to the more conservative interpretation of the Bible.
Gilda