From: kane@buast7.bu.edu (Hot Young Star)
Newsgroups: ca.politics,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Picking and Choosing our References
Date: 3 Sep 92 17:42:57 GMT
Followup-To: ca.politics
Organization: Astronomy Department, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

In article <12107@optilink.UUCP> cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) writes:

>Was there no word in Greek for prostitute?

I'm sure there was...but it probably referred to female prostitutes
primarily...

>In short, you admit that you don't have a way of attacking what [Romans]
>says.

Not at all...I said that the concept of "nature" that Paul had is different
from the one we have now. And Paul spends much effort setting up the situation
in which he believes homosexuality is immoral.

>I don't "utterly reject the authority of the government," but
>rather, reject the unlimited authority of the government to do
>anything and everything that it wishes.  The Constitution was
>intended to be a restraint on government power -- and ever since,
>those limitations have been "interpreted" away.

Curious to know what your "interpretation" of free speech is.
Is it unlimited like your interpretation of FOA, or do you agree
with the traditional interpretation, which is that first amendment
rights may not be infringed on the basis of content (accept with
"compelling state interest"---which I would disagree with) but CAN
be restricted with respect to time, place, and manner?

What makes FOA so special that you are not satisfied to do it with
your family, friends, and church? You are perfectly able to be
a heterosexist bigot in that company if you wish!

Why do you have to need to affect other people's lives in areas which
many consider to be public necessities, that is, shelter and work?

>So why did [Jefferson] bother to extract all of Jesus' words out of the
>New Testament, and paste them together?  He clearly recognized
>that there was some sort of authority, or at least deep meaning
>to it, or why bother?

Clearly he was saying that the essence of Christianity could be much
more clearly seen by extracting the words of Jesus, unfettered by the
well-intentioned yet fallible interpretations of the apostles. This
was considered radical in Jefferson's day.

And don't get me wrong...I believe that there is an ultimate meaning, an
ultimate authority, too. But I don't expect to find it through gov't
OR religion. I think that need for an authority figure is a basic human
need. People want it one way or another, either through leaders, through
religion, through science, even through self-aggrandizement.

[on Paul's assertion that government is divinely inspired:]
>In fact, I am considered a bit of skeptic in most churches I've
>attended.  I ask unpleasant questions about these sort of issues,
>and what did the word that was used in Greek mean, and how do we
>know what constitutes a general admonition, and what was specific
>to a time and place.

Excellent! This is the first sign you've given me that you don't
swallow myths about sexuality whole...I hope you make more progress...

>I was one of the troublesome ones who asked questions about
>the Scriptures concerning homosexuality.  I wasn't comfortable
>with the rigid position that homosexuality was always wrong --
>even though Romans is quite clear on it.

Well, you can debate even Romans' clarity...

>Why? [...] because a few homosexuals I've run into over the years
>were relatively normal people (though most were at least a little odd). 
>But soc.motss, the parades, and the generally infantile behavior that
>has been demonstrated on USENET by homosexuals, persuaded me that the
>media were lying to me.

For such a skeptic, you appear to be awfully gullible.

Brian
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kane@{buast7,astro}.bu.edu (Hot Young Star) Astronomy Dept, Boston University,
Boston, MA 02215. True personal salvation is achieved by absolute faith in
ones true self.
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Xref: sparky ca.politics:7235 talk.politics.misc:42769