Woody said:
But they are equally guilty. They are all fornicators:
They are
ALL fornicators??? ALL equally guilty???
That's a very bold, presumptuous statement. It's also incorrect.
In at least some of these cases (probably many), it is the husbands who are the unfaithful fornicators. Sometimes the women are aware, sometimes they are not. Men cheating on their wives is nothing new. And even when the women know what's going on, they are often afraid and powerless to do anything about it. You see, men in Africa have a very similar attitude towards women that men in the middle-east have had since the olden days. One could almost say it's a very Biblical attitude.
Furthermore, approximately 2 million of those suffering from AIDS in Africa are children. Were these children fornicating, and receiving the just punishment for their iniquities? You seem to be of the same mindset as, say, Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church, who sees any little maladie or misfortune suffered by gay people (or replace "gay" with any other undesirable group) as being some type of divine reward or punishment.
Oh, and let us not forget the millions more children who have been orphaned or abandoned because AIDS has taken their parents away.
Woody said:
My bible says " no fornicator will enter the kingdom of god." So they all go to the same hell, regardless of which sex they choose to do it with. God is no respecter of persons.
My Bible also speaks of concubines, and how they are distinct from normal wives. Many men had concubines, including Abraham, Jacob, David, and of course, Solomon.
These men were also polygamists, which was never outlawed in the Bible. Biblically speaking, you can be married to more than one wife. It's not committing adultery.
And what exactly is marriage? Fornication may be defined as sex outside of marriage, but who defines marriage? The Bible outlines no ceremony for marriage, nor does it make clear any legal contracts (such as marriage licenses, etc.) that one must undergo in order to have a "true" marriage.
What do you need for marriage? Love? A contract on a piece of paper? Do you need the say-so of a judge, or the blessing of a priest?
What if two people decide, because of their strong feelings toward each other, to simply declare themselves married, without any pomp or ceremony? (like common-law marriage) Is that less authentic than a big, fancy, "proper" wedding?
Who approves or defines how two people go about being married? Two people may have lived together for twenty years, and consider themselves happily married, without having had any official marriage ceremony. This technicality would lead a number of people to say that this couple are fornicators, living in sin.
Woody said:
If my response confuses you regarding african americans versus homosexuals. They are both human, but a homosexual is not homosexual unless there is sex involved.
Is a heterosexual still a heterosexual even if they are abstaining from sexual relationships?
What if two men or women are involved in a romantic relationship, without sex? What are they then? Homosexuals? Potential homosexuals? Sinners? Good friends?
You said they aren't homosexuals unless there is sex involved. So, I'm curious to know just what exactly they would be considered.
Woody said:
Another interesting fact from the bible: Moses married an ethiopian woman -- that's right she was black. I guess that pretty well busts the so-called "bible justified" slavery in the 1800s, doesn't it. Somebody just open a bible. :bugeye:
No, it doesn't really bust the so-called "Bible justified" slavery in the 1800's. The racist side of it, perhaps, but slavery was not even condemned in the New Testament. Slavery and racism are distinct entities.
Woody said:
What did you expect me to be?
You're right, Woody. I was mistaken to have expected anything more from you.