[donaldscrankshaw] Donald: Obama on Homosexuality

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Posted by Donald:
Obama on Homosexuality
http://www.donaldscrankshaw.com/posts/1205083573.shtml


   I hadn't even heard about this one, but [1]Parableman does an
   excellent job of both explaining the issue and dissecting Obama's
   argument.

     A lot of people are discussing Barack Obama's recent off-the-cuff
     remarks about the Bible and same-sex civil unions. I want to delve
     a little bit into the contrast he draws between the Sermon on the
     Mount and Romans 1. The gist of his statement is (1) the Sermon on
     the Mount is more central to Christian faith than an "obscure"
     passage in Romans, and (2) the Sermon on the Mount should influence
     our attitudes toward civil unions in some positive way.

   Generally arguing about how the Bible should be interpreted is the
   wrong way to win people who believe the Bible to your side. This is
   not because the Bible-believers are not open to multiple
   interpretations, but rather because, in 2000 years, there are very few
   new interpretations. The argument that the Sermon on the Mount is more
   important than Paul's letters is one I've heard before, especially
   when the argument is that the most central part, the lens through
   which the entire Bible should be read, is through the two greatest
   commandments, loving God and loving your neighbor. This then,
   especially the loving your neighbor commandment, is seen as
   justification for letting your neighbor do whatever he wants. Oddly,
   the loving God part gets left by the wayside, ignoring the fact that
   it means listening to his word and obeying it, not tossing it out as
   if loving God is merely having positive feelings towards him. Even
   though I agree that all commandments should be interpreted in light of
   the two greatest, it's still not a convincing argument, as love has
   always required correction.

References

   1. http://parablemania.ektopos.com/archives/2008/03/obama-mount.html