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Originally posted by chavos
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Sorry? I don't know anyone who can take the whole book literally...and so its all degrees of subjectivity. The most literal readers i find are athiests, much me in my early days. Closing off debate to moderate viewpoints is a cheap trick...just because it's "difficult" does not mean it's not valid.
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The origins of my interest in this debate come from various political debates over whether God belongs in the classrooms, whether the Bible is neccessary for a soceity to be morally upright, etc. As a result, I tend to start out assuming the Bible is being taken litterally. If it's not, if your assesment of it's lessons as a source of morality is subjective, then no such debate can occur because the Bible would then mean different things to different people prohibiting it as a source for law by which non-christians would be regulated by as well. Only the basic laws that are neccessary for maintaining civilization could be in place.
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I'm not happy...that's quite disrespectful.
Not to mention, you did nothing to disprove my point! Proof texting, such as taking ONE VERSE out of context, and not reading it in light of the critical discourse on that text...is not a very respected way of reading the OT. Works for arguementative athiests and fundamentalists....but that's about it.
Furthermore, if you for some reason doubt the conviction of GBLT Christians, and their sincere faith in BOTH testaments...you're sorely mistaken. whosoever.org is a good resource online...and i can get links to Jewish GBLT groups too, if you so like.
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Levicitus 20:13 was most certainly NOT taken out of context. It rather clearly stated that homosexuality was wrong and the offenders should be executed.
I don't doubt that that there are dedicated GBLT Christians but they would most certainly have overlooked that particular part of the Old Testament, wouldn't they?
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I respectfully disagree. The debate you seem to want cannot occur, as your assumptions frame the debate in ways to exclude a large number of viewpoints...but i believe a worthwhile debate can, and has occured.
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Debate over subjective interpretations?