by Charles Gill Ii

Created on: September 21, 2011

The essence of Judeo-Christian morality is listed in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. It is Hear Israel, God is Almighty, God is One, Love God with all of your animate being, with all of your hearts, (the word for “hearts” is plural, and the word for “your” is singular,) and with all of your measure. The question is, how do we love God? What do we give someone who already has everything? We respect what is his, in particular what God made in his image.

In the New Testament, the major reference to homosexual behavior is in Romans Chapter One, verse 16 through Romans Chapter two, verse 16. On the surface, the key quote in the passage is very clear, “God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for metaphysical. The males gave up physical passions with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity. Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper.”

On the surface, the passage is very clear on the subject. Things are not always, what they appear on the surface. This passage comes in three sections and this quote is in the first section. As we read the passage, all three sections, we see clear section breaks between them. The sections are defined by how St. Paul uses second and third person in his verbs and pronouns in the sections.

In the first section, the section in question, St. Paul uses the third person over twenty times. In the second and third sections, St. Paul uses the third person almost not at all, and the second person is used over ten times.

In the first section, St. Paul is playing the role of the revivalist minister. “They do this...” “They do that...” “They do the other thing.” “Look at how bad they are.” He whips the crowd up to a passion. When he sees blood and fury in their eyes, he moves on to the second section, Romans Chapter Two, “You are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. By the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things.”

The truth is now out. This passage is not about whether or not homosexuality is wrong. The passage is about Matthew 7:1. The passage is about whether or not we should judge others at all. “Eternal life is to those who seek beautiful thoughts,

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