MEDEWTYSENU SAID
Greetings:
What is normal? People say Homosexuality is not normal, yet it has been actively practiced for thousands of years and is acceptable in many countries though currently not in the USA because of the influence of the Roman Catholic Church that has said it's not normal and is a sin against God, this being due mostly because of their lack of understanding of the scriptures and God's Mercy.
To me the subject of the rightness/wrongness of Homosexuality is the same as Slavery, no equal rights for women and all other forms of racism/bigotry. People have used the Bible (though not in context) as a means to propagate these forms of suffering upon others and have effectively slandered God's Holy Name for which they will have to render an account.
At one time many religious leaders said it was quite correct for slavery to be practiced in this country, yet they forget that the Bible doesn't promote slavery at all. It simply introduced laws that regulated something that already existed when the Hebrews came out of Egypt. God saw that his people were already practicing slavery or that some because of financial hardships might enter into indentured servitude to pay off a debt, but when this was done they still had certain rights. If a finger was lost or an eye was gouged out then the slave was to be set free. In the USA slaves were viewed as property and less than farm animals. This is not a Biblical view.
Women were treated as less than equal for many years until the Suffrage Movement changed many of those things (though not all). Yet many religious people will say a woman's place is in the home, without a job or income of her own. However many of the laws given to the Hebrews were for themselves alone as they existed in a covenant relationship with God. People who cite those scriptures oftentimes forget that that relationship no longer exists and those women had particular protections under the Law from abusive relationships, which wasn't the case in the USA before the Suffrage Movement or even now for that matter.
Then we have the issue of Homosexuality. What is normal? Who is to say what is normal? The Bible doesn't really speak on the issue. Some might say that it was Adham and Eve and not Adham and Steve, yet that's simply making a mockery of the issue and not really addressing it.
What does history have to say about this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality#History The following link shows many differing attitudes and that in many cultures is was either condemned, accepted or ignored. In the USA it's really only because of religious influence has it gained a stigma as something wrong.
Let's look at it in a biological sense, that is to say that which God created within us.
It's a long article that I will simply link and people can read/reply to at their leisure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_an ... rientation One thing becomes clear though is that biologically speaking there are many factors that seem to indicate this is not deviant behavior at all, but something natural but our own tendency to categorize everything into good/evil has made homosexuality something to be detested by many religious people. In the end (no pun intended) it's really none of our business unless we ourselves are Homosexual. This is between the individual and God and not something any of us, no matter our personal viewpoint should be judging another for adversely. If Gays want the constitutional right to marry, then so be it. Why does it concern me? It doesn't.
Then we have the very touchy subject of Pedophilia.
The following link describes what it is. I will say up front I am not advocating this behavior, merely discussing it in a reasonable manner without becoming emotionally involved.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia What I found interesting is that what constitutes a "child" really isn't addressed. Historically Mary (the Mother of Jesus) was 13 years old when she married Joseph, yet her husband was in his thirties. This would make Joseph (by modern standards) a Pedophile.
"n ancient Israel, girls married in their teens, even early teens. [2] For Mary to be betrothed (engaged) but not yet formally married, yet old enough to have and nurse the Messiah, she would have been 12-14. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible points out, “It appears that both boys and girls were married very young. Later [after the New Testament period] the rabbis fixed the minimum age for marriage at twelve for girls and thirteen for boys.” [3]"
http://www.truthortradition.com/iphone/ ... &Itemid=59 So what constitutes a child? In the US a child is anyone under the age of 18 years of age. However many of us know that maturity is not based upon physical age. In other cultures maturity is defined at different ages. So Pedophilia is not so well defined after all. Also it has been a practice for many thousands of years. This doesn't make it correct. I suspect in order to adequately address this subject we must define exactly what constitutes a child. So I will say a child is anyone who has not reached sexual maturity (the ability to procreate) which is different depending upon the sex of the individual and or certain environmental factors which may not exist elsewhere.
In the US if anyone under 18 years of age has sexual relations with someone of the same age, no law has been broken. However if someone under 18 has sex with someone who is over 18, either by many years or just one day, then it's statutory rape and they can be prosecuted for it (at least here in South Carolina). Yet the laws vary state by state.
In ancient Israel if the husband died then the Brother of said husband would be obligated to take his surviving wife as his own to continue the family line. In some people's eyes this would be a form of incest since they were already related by marriage or blood (if children were involved) yet is was acceptable.
What I am getting at is people often make the mistake of applying our modern standards to Biblical examples without considering them in their proper context. In ancient times people didn't live as long as they do now (because of advances in medicine) so people married at a much younger age. Also it must be remembered because many families do not live together (as in ancient times) there is less interdependence upon each other for survival. The mortality rate for children was quite high and many children died in childbirth. Recall that Jesus himself was "wrapped in swaddling which besides making sure an infant's limbs grew straight also seemed to be a preventive measure against SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) which is caused by babies rolling over and suffocating. Swaddling would prevent this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swaddling It's likely that Mary did this as a preventive measure for the welfare of Jesus because she was quite aware of the huge responsibility laid upon her to care for Jesus until he reached adulthood.
So my point here is that we make the mistake of not factoring in maturity vs age and not considering the times in which people lived.
In my own viewpoint no one should have sexual relations until they are in their thirties as biologically/mentally they have most likely reached maturity. It's been said that between the ages of 18-29 people undergo the most physical as well as mental changes so that the person they were at 18 no longer exists when they reach their thirties. for this reason alone I feel that we would have less of a problem with childless parents or child abandonment. As it is though what constitutes a child varies from culture to culture and geographic region. It also depends upon the maturity of the individuals involved and consent.
So as stated previously..what constitutes a child? Is it age, sexual maturity or law?
YSand FSofC
Morgan
_________________
"Those that matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter"--Dr. Seuss
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