Board index ‹ LGBT: Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual, Transgender, and Homosexuality

[Sell It All]

"Since Scripture puts homosexuality in the "morality" category,"

I agree with much of what you've written. I'm curious to know though how you determine what's part of the "moral law" and what's not?

Following all of the Law was a "moral" issue for the Jews. Since they were commands God had given.

The closest thing to a clear statement I can find is Paul saying that you can't follow one part of the Law without needing to follow all of it Galatians 5:3 (specifically circumcision in this case)

[jimwalton]

Great question. The Jews, especially in Leviticus, delineated between sacred space (the tabernacle and temple), sacred status (as God's people), and sacred time (in the festivals). While it was all God's law, they distinguished between laws pertaining to various spheres. The ancients would have also between what we would call inner convictions about right and wrong (morality), and actions pertaining to the expectations of society (ethics), meaning that they saw distinctions between social responsibility and customs, on the one hand, and moral integrity on the other. For instance, their social rules may prescribe that prostitutes be unveiled, or their understanding of ethics may rail against the social disintegration that could result from prostitution, but neither of those, in their minds, would be speaking of the immorality of prostitution. Anthropologist Van der Toorn says that their behavioral practices were "linked to the maintenance of the social order," but that's different than their moral mindset. The Israelites made a distinction between their cultic practice, ethical responsibility, and righteous behavior. And while all of this might be captured under the heading of the generic terms "right" and "wrong," and while all of it carried consequences of blessing or judgment, they still perceived the differentiation of the domains.