"My research for the past 30 years or so was devoted to examine whether cells have such signal integration and control center(s). The results suggest that mammalian cells, indeed, possess intelligence. "
Guenter Albrecht-Buehler, Ph.D. Fellow, European Academy of Sciences, Brussels Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies, Berlin Robert Laughlin Rea Professor of Cell Biology Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago
The intelligence of individual cells is fascinating. I haven't read the above doctor's website, but I have heard of interesting experiments. For example, a living heart cell will beat, as can be seen with a microscope. Furthermore, two living heart cells in a petri dish will beat out of rythm with one another, but place them beside each other, and they quickly beat as one. Consider the fact that we are told as early as high school that when you step on a nail, it is not your brain that tells your foot to lift, but your spine. It is explained to us that our spine acts as a mini-brain or mid-body brain for "lesser" functions. Perhaps one of the weirdest anecdotes I've been told is that bacteria placed into a perfect environment, not a perfect growing environment, will actually die because they do not need to struggle to survive. How bizarre.
Suppose for a minute, though, that individual cells are intelligent. That would imply that each of our bodies is an excellent example of a perfect society. Our cells do not rebel, do not mutiny. They each do their task in perfect socialist obedience, like little smurfs.
Of course, if they are indeed intelligent, then perhaps they feel pain, and suffer, or perhaps they have a desire to survive. As a sentient moral agent, are we not responsible for the lives of these cells, devoted to us, subject to our will?
Do the rest of the philosophy on your own....
Be a Good Dictator!
Showing posts with label Theology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theology. Show all posts
February 13, 2007
How Old are Humans?
Someone recently told me that when humans are kept in isolation from a cyclic light pattern, they develop a 25 hour day pattern on their own. In other words, if they are kept indoors and away from natural light patterns, they still keep a 25 hour day cycle.
So, this causes me to propose a question, or perhaps a thought experiment. First, some additional data: The earth is slowing down in its spin. Surprise, there's a wee bit o' friction in all that space up there. Also, there are three different kinds of "day," the civic, solar, and sidereal day. The civic day is 86,400 SI seconds, or 24 hours exactly. The solar day is the time a planet takes to rotate once with respect to its star. For the Earth, that varies depending on the time of year, and the average is our fabulous 24 hour day. The sidereal day, however, is the amount of time a planet takes to rotate with respect to distant stars. For Earth, this is about 3 minutes and 56 seconds shorter than our normal 24 hour period.
So, let's do a little math, figure out how fast the Earth is slowing down, and then "calculate backwards" to figure out how long it took to slow down from 25 hours per day to our current time of 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds.
Of course, I'm not actually going to do all that math in my blog. Especially seeing as I'm ill right now. Instead, I'll ask my physics Professor to explain it to me. Perhaps he will also be interested to see the order of time in which our "day" has changed from what our bodies "expect" a day to be.
So, this causes me to propose a question, or perhaps a thought experiment. First, some additional data: The earth is slowing down in its spin. Surprise, there's a wee bit o' friction in all that space up there. Also, there are three different kinds of "day," the civic, solar, and sidereal day. The civic day is 86,400 SI seconds, or 24 hours exactly. The solar day is the time a planet takes to rotate once with respect to its star. For the Earth, that varies depending on the time of year, and the average is our fabulous 24 hour day. The sidereal day, however, is the amount of time a planet takes to rotate with respect to distant stars. For Earth, this is about 3 minutes and 56 seconds shorter than our normal 24 hour period.
So, let's do a little math, figure out how fast the Earth is slowing down, and then "calculate backwards" to figure out how long it took to slow down from 25 hours per day to our current time of 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds.
Of course, I'm not actually going to do all that math in my blog. Especially seeing as I'm ill right now. Instead, I'll ask my physics Professor to explain it to me. Perhaps he will also be interested to see the order of time in which our "day" has changed from what our bodies "expect" a day to be.
December 12, 2006
Incensed... and drawn to Orthodoxy
Instead of studying for my Physics final, I stayed up all evening reading about the historical origins of various canticles and hymns. I find myself inexorably drawn to Orthodox Christianity. (There is a little pun there in inexorably... inexorable comes from the Latin inexorabilis, which literally translates to "ouside of prayer" ie: beyond hope that prayer can prevent what is going to happen next.)
Long ago I passed judgment on the Catholic church in my personal life. Although I give them freedom to worship as they please, I can never be a Catholic for various theological reasons. I find that many of these reasons do not exist in the Orthodox church. Furthermore, and moreover, there is a response in my being to an immediate and primal demand for accountability. Did you know that an Orthodox Christian can expect to spend approximately half the year in at least some form of fasting? Why does that appeal to me so much? Perhaps it is because I am ill by protestants that go to church on sunday and keep their Christianity in the back pocket of the pants they wear on that day. Perhaps it is because of Galatians (4:10-11)
Worship is for every day of every week, not for Christmas day, and not for sunday. Even with that, it is better to believe and not attend, than to attend for show, and not believe. Perhaps the monastery is for me after all.
Long ago I passed judgment on the Catholic church in my personal life. Although I give them freedom to worship as they please, I can never be a Catholic for various theological reasons. I find that many of these reasons do not exist in the Orthodox church. Furthermore, and moreover, there is a response in my being to an immediate and primal demand for accountability. Did you know that an Orthodox Christian can expect to spend approximately half the year in at least some form of fasting? Why does that appeal to me so much? Perhaps it is because I am ill by protestants that go to church on sunday and keep their Christianity in the back pocket of the pants they wear on that day. Perhaps it is because of Galatians (4:10-11)
10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
December 11, 2006
The Real Meaning of Christmas:
What is the real meaning of Christmas?
Surely not the birth of Christ, something often pointed to as the real meaning of christmas. After all, there have been Winter solstices celebrated year after year centuries before Christ came into this world. In fact, "late December" celebrations were common in many cultures as the shortest day of the year, and thus the day representing the rebirth of the Sun-God in the standard death and rebirth cycle. At some time, the organized church decided to "overwrite" these pagan traditions with one of their own. Their success?
Surely not the commercialism that goes on and Santa Claus. Actually, I always find it funny that you can spell Santa and Satan with the same letters, ever since I saw a *NIX suite of tools called either satan or santa depending on your preference. (Security Administrator's Tool for Analyzing Networks, which comes with a pre-packaged tool for converting the name to Santa... the alteration tool is called repent.) At any rate, this rampant commercialization and desire for MORE is not getting anyone anywhere. Even the profiteering capitalists get nowhere, really.
What else is there? Oh yeah, family. If it's about family, try telling that to the homeless, the drug addicts, the fatherless, and those born with AIDS. Tell it to the poor, who do not have food, and tell it to the emotionally destitute, regardless of whether their destitution comes from genes beyond their control, or the of actions of man, equally beyond their control.
What is it about? Beats me.
POSTSCRIPT: I recommend reading this webpage... http://home.tiac.net/~cri/1998/carol.html
Christians aren't necessarily called to a political interest in communism or any socialist state, although they may be called to independent and free action that would be consistant with that executed under such legislation. I think the voluntary aspect is important, however. (Further note on Christmas: how much of this commercialism is voluntary? Try not giving presents and see how people respond!)
PPS. Mass is a celebration of the death of Christ, not the birth. Christmas is a misnomer, and in actually should represent the celebration of Mass in a Catholic or Greek Orthodox church, or Communion in a protestant church, I think. At any rate, a quick search in the bible for the word Birthday gives only 3 results: 1 for Pharoah in Joseph's time, and 2 (Matt, Mark) for Herod's Birthday. Apparently celebrating birthdays is something the pagans do. How many times did Jesus say to remember him, his death, and how to do it? I don't remember seeing anything about his birthday... which was definately not in December.
Surely not the birth of Christ, something often pointed to as the real meaning of christmas. After all, there have been Winter solstices celebrated year after year centuries before Christ came into this world. In fact, "late December" celebrations were common in many cultures as the shortest day of the year, and thus the day representing the rebirth of the Sun-God in the standard death and rebirth cycle. At some time, the organized church decided to "overwrite" these pagan traditions with one of their own. Their success?
Surely not the commercialism that goes on and Santa Claus. Actually, I always find it funny that you can spell Santa and Satan with the same letters, ever since I saw a *NIX suite of tools called either satan or santa depending on your preference. (Security Administrator's Tool for Analyzing Networks, which comes with a pre-packaged tool for converting the name to Santa... the alteration tool is called repent.) At any rate, this rampant commercialization and desire for MORE is not getting anyone anywhere. Even the profiteering capitalists get nowhere, really.
What else is there? Oh yeah, family. If it's about family, try telling that to the homeless, the drug addicts, the fatherless, and those born with AIDS. Tell it to the poor, who do not have food, and tell it to the emotionally destitute, regardless of whether their destitution comes from genes beyond their control, or the of actions of man, equally beyond their control.
What is it about? Beats me.
POSTSCRIPT: I recommend reading this webpage... http://home.tiac.net/~cri/1998/carol.html
Christians aren't necessarily called to a political interest in communism or any socialist state, although they may be called to independent and free action that would be consistant with that executed under such legislation. I think the voluntary aspect is important, however. (Further note on Christmas: how much of this commercialism is voluntary? Try not giving presents and see how people respond!)
PPS. Mass is a celebration of the death of Christ, not the birth. Christmas is a misnomer, and in actually should represent the celebration of Mass in a Catholic or Greek Orthodox church, or Communion in a protestant church, I think. At any rate, a quick search in the bible for the word Birthday gives only 3 results: 1 for Pharoah in Joseph's time, and 2 (Matt, Mark) for Herod's Birthday. Apparently celebrating birthdays is something the pagans do. How many times did Jesus say to remember him, his death, and how to do it? I don't remember seeing anything about his birthday... which was definately not in December.
December 10, 2006
No Heaven, No Hell, No Purgatory... Just Earth
In western civilization, a strong percentage of the population follows a Judeo-Christian religion. It is commonly accepted within these faiths that there is a Heaven and Hell, and often Purgatory as well. I do not believe that humans go there when we die.
Although I am essentially a psycho-physical dualist, for those of you who are familiar with Descartes, I do not allow that to justify belief in Heaven or Hell, or any other spiritual afterlife, for that matter. My abductive arguments may be summarized thus:
The Scripture of these faiths do not explicitly state that any human afterlife is merely spiritual, and excludes the physical;
The Scriptures state that we will be given new bodies;
Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support a spiritual-aphysical afterlife.
The Scripture of these faiths display the importance of physicality;
The concepts of Heaven and Hell are derisive to the importance of physicality;
Therefore, the concepts of Heaven and Hell as they stand are unacceptable.
The Scriptures use the words (within translation) Spirit and Soul in reference to living people, who have bodies;
The Scriptures use the word dead quite explicitly to describe those who are no longer living, and who "do not have bodies" as it were;
Therefore, there is no Scriptural evidence for the existence of a person outside the body.
Resurrection is a strong theme in the Scriptures;
The importance of the Body strengthens and coalesces with that;
An aphysical afterlife takes away from the importance of Resurrection;
Therefore, we need to be careful not to contradict ourselves when it comes to Resurrection.
Definition: Dead means dead, not "self which is seperated from the body."
These arguments, if valid and true, rule out Scriptural support of survivalist immortality through aphysical means. As I'm sure you are just dying for my to quote to support my outrageous claims, here you go:
Support:
~~~In Job 7:11 they are used in poetry in the NIV translation. They are not necessarily used redundantly, emphatically, or with different meanings. See also Isaiah 26:9 for more poetry.
~~~In Hebrews 4:12 they are used with very similar meaning. Observe the comparison to dividing joints and marrow. Joints and marrow are not the same, but are near each other, and related. We can understand how analogically Spirit and Soul are similar yet not the same: however, they are both found in living beings.
~~~1 Thessalonians 5:23 is the most intriguing usage, where the Apostle Paul says, "May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless." This neat division of the human being implies a difference between the two, and explicitly includes the physical.
~~~The word Spirit is often used to describe God. In Genesis 1:2, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. We cannot picture this in our minds without giving the Spirit of God some spatial quality within a physical frame. Water is physical. In later sections when the Spirit of God is mentioned, it often "comes upon" or "is in" someone. Either way it is given a locality, a living body as a point of reference.
~~~ Daniel 12:2 states, "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." It is hard to claim that this statement is referring to an aphysical Heaven or Hell. One could argue that the Heaven or Hell come after, yet that neither explains where the spirit was the whole time the body was sleeping, nor does it explain why, having been brought back from dust, any individual would be merely spiritual and not physical.
~~~ An often quoted verse from the book of Matthew talks about how humans will not longer be married or get married. Matt 22:30-32 makes at least 2 points. One important one is that we will be like the angels in heaven -- in that we do not marry. To take this farther would require substantial effort. In verse 32 he says he is not the "God of the dead, but of the living."
~~~ Luke 14:13-15 is a beautiful set of verses. Naturally the main theme is that of generosity, kindness, and love. However, for our purposes here, it is apparent that people who are righteous are not in heaven, but are dead until the resurrection. Heaven, which is often thought of as, "The Kingdom of God" cannot be where they are, as the next verse says, "who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." We can see that Kingdom of God involves eating. Last time I checked eating was a physical thing, which the colloquial understanding of soul cannot account for, nor do I accept this verse as metaphorical. The reason I propose to take it literally is that God created eating, food, and so on, and also the human ability to enjoy it. Why would we be denied that in the Kingdom of God? Would we not be able to enjoy ALL of his wonderful creation? What about groumet food, is that all to waste?
~~~ Genesis chapter 1 has many occurances of God creating something and then seeing how good it was. God's creation pleased him. There is no reason to toss that aside.
~~~ Revelation 20:4-6 is an awesome passage. We see those who are "seated," the "souls of those," and that they, "came to life." I'd like to point out that a) You have to have a body of some kind to sit; b) souls OF those is different from souls ARE those. Those souls aren't people, but are part OF people; c) A soul is not living in and of itself, and neither is a body. d) We are an amazing creation.
Objections:
Although I would claim that the Semitic people from whom Judaism and Christianity did not believe in non-physical human existence, there may be those who disagree with me based on the usage of sheol and abyss, as well as the translated heaven, which are used in the Bible.
Sheol:
Sheol is often translated as pit or lowest pit, but most often grave. It is used in Proverbs 9:18 and Genesis 37:35. When Jacob uses it in Genesis, he is using it to express how deeply he feels sorrow for the loss of his son Joseph. It is interesting to note that he expected to end up there. In Proverbs it is understood as an undesirable place.
In Psalm 16, which is a Hymn of Thanksgiving and Praise, the writer declares that God will not abandon him to the grave. Please note that this does not contradict the idea of resurrection, in fact, it makes perfect sense. If the writer believed that he would die, one day to be resurrected, he would want very much not to be abanded while in the grave!
In Numbers 16:31-34 Korah and some others are swallowed whole by the ground, physically. The word sheol is used to describe where they went. The general concept of down does apply, but it is not a necessitated hell, merely a physical grave.
Let me wrap up a bit on Sheol with some quotation from wikipedia (an authoritative source!):
"both the bad and the good, slave and king, pious and wicked must go after death to sleep in silence and oblivion in the dust. . . Sheol in many cases does not seem to be an afterlife destination or a location at all, but merely the grave. . ." and also, " In the Book of Job, while Satan is portrayed as tormenting and testing the living, he does not appear to have any particular presidency over Sheol, or to dwell in Sheol." which leads us into the next topic:
Abyss:
Abaddon is usually considered to be Satan, as is described in Rev 9:11 the king of the bottomless pit, or the angel who rules over the abyss; this varyies slightly with translation.
The abyss, the "bottomless pit" which Abaddon rules over, is mentioned 7 times in the book of Revelation and once in the book of Luke. [NIV Translation] The occurance in the book of Luke is the result of Jesus' interchange with a man possessed by demons. In fact, he is possessed by so many, they are 'Legion,' and they do not wish to go to the Abyss, so instead Jesus allows them to enter a herd of pigs. [Sidenote: One of the things most amazing to me is that Jesus is not only merciful to us, but also to demons. Truly the Prince of Peace.]
One important thing to consider while discussing the Abyss is that in those days, people believed that demons lived at the bottom of the sea(s). Water was associated with chaos and evil, particularly in Jewish tradition. The Jews were, interestingly enough, terribly sailors who avoided the water. They had one major port during the peak of their civilization, whereas their neighbours to the north, who had much worse terrain, had many more. Furthermore, the Hebrews would often hire foreigners to sail their vessels for them. The reason why the association between evil and water and demons is important is that Jesus' miracles often involved water, especially calming the sea.
So What Do I Believe?
I believe people die and are dead. Then at some point, God resurrects them if he chooses. Then they are alive again. They're not alive in between, so they don't notice any time passing. I've seen no conflicts between the scriptures and this belief.
I hope you've enjoyed this brief overview, and that I didn't make too many errors as I didn't proof read it.
Cheers and God Bless! [And Merry Christmas]
Although I am essentially a psycho-physical dualist, for those of you who are familiar with Descartes, I do not allow that to justify belief in Heaven or Hell, or any other spiritual afterlife, for that matter. My abductive arguments may be summarized thus:
The Scripture of these faiths do not explicitly state that any human afterlife is merely spiritual, and excludes the physical;
The Scriptures state that we will be given new bodies;
Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support a spiritual-aphysical afterlife.
The Scripture of these faiths display the importance of physicality;
The concepts of Heaven and Hell are derisive to the importance of physicality;
Therefore, the concepts of Heaven and Hell as they stand are unacceptable.
The Scriptures use the words (within translation) Spirit and Soul in reference to living people, who have bodies;
The Scriptures use the word dead quite explicitly to describe those who are no longer living, and who "do not have bodies" as it were;
Therefore, there is no Scriptural evidence for the existence of a person outside the body.
Resurrection is a strong theme in the Scriptures;
The importance of the Body strengthens and coalesces with that;
An aphysical afterlife takes away from the importance of Resurrection;
Therefore, we need to be careful not to contradict ourselves when it comes to Resurrection.
Definition: Dead means dead, not "self which is seperated from the body."
These arguments, if valid and true, rule out Scriptural support of survivalist immortality through aphysical means. As I'm sure you are just dying for my to quote to support my outrageous claims, here you go:
Support:
~~~In Job 7:11 they are used in poetry in the NIV translation. They are not necessarily used redundantly, emphatically, or with different meanings. See also Isaiah 26:9 for more poetry.
~~~In Hebrews 4:12 they are used with very similar meaning. Observe the comparison to dividing joints and marrow. Joints and marrow are not the same, but are near each other, and related. We can understand how analogically Spirit and Soul are similar yet not the same: however, they are both found in living beings.
~~~1 Thessalonians 5:23 is the most intriguing usage, where the Apostle Paul says, "May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless." This neat division of the human being implies a difference between the two, and explicitly includes the physical.
~~~The word Spirit is often used to describe God. In Genesis 1:2, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. We cannot picture this in our minds without giving the Spirit of God some spatial quality within a physical frame. Water is physical. In later sections when the Spirit of God is mentioned, it often "comes upon" or "is in" someone. Either way it is given a locality, a living body as a point of reference.
~~~ Daniel 12:2 states, "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." It is hard to claim that this statement is referring to an aphysical Heaven or Hell. One could argue that the Heaven or Hell come after, yet that neither explains where the spirit was the whole time the body was sleeping, nor does it explain why, having been brought back from dust, any individual would be merely spiritual and not physical.
~~~ An often quoted verse from the book of Matthew talks about how humans will not longer be married or get married. Matt 22:30-32 makes at least 2 points. One important one is that we will be like the angels in heaven -- in that we do not marry. To take this farther would require substantial effort. In verse 32 he says he is not the "God of the dead, but of the living."
~~~ Luke 14:13-15 is a beautiful set of verses. Naturally the main theme is that of generosity, kindness, and love. However, for our purposes here, it is apparent that people who are righteous are not in heaven, but are dead until the resurrection. Heaven, which is often thought of as, "The Kingdom of God" cannot be where they are, as the next verse says, "who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." We can see that Kingdom of God involves eating. Last time I checked eating was a physical thing, which the colloquial understanding of soul cannot account for, nor do I accept this verse as metaphorical. The reason I propose to take it literally is that God created eating, food, and so on, and also the human ability to enjoy it. Why would we be denied that in the Kingdom of God? Would we not be able to enjoy ALL of his wonderful creation? What about groumet food, is that all to waste?
~~~ Genesis chapter 1 has many occurances of God creating something and then seeing how good it was. God's creation pleased him. There is no reason to toss that aside.
~~~ Revelation 20:4-6 is an awesome passage. We see those who are "seated," the "souls of those," and that they, "came to life." I'd like to point out that a) You have to have a body of some kind to sit; b) souls OF those is different from souls ARE those. Those souls aren't people, but are part OF people; c) A soul is not living in and of itself, and neither is a body. d) We are an amazing creation.
Objections:
Although I would claim that the Semitic people from whom Judaism and Christianity did not believe in non-physical human existence, there may be those who disagree with me based on the usage of sheol and abyss, as well as the translated heaven, which are used in the Bible.
Sheol:
Sheol is often translated as pit or lowest pit, but most often grave. It is used in Proverbs 9:18 and Genesis 37:35. When Jacob uses it in Genesis, he is using it to express how deeply he feels sorrow for the loss of his son Joseph. It is interesting to note that he expected to end up there. In Proverbs it is understood as an undesirable place.
In Psalm 16, which is a Hymn of Thanksgiving and Praise, the writer declares that God will not abandon him to the grave. Please note that this does not contradict the idea of resurrection, in fact, it makes perfect sense. If the writer believed that he would die, one day to be resurrected, he would want very much not to be abanded while in the grave!
In Numbers 16:31-34 Korah and some others are swallowed whole by the ground, physically. The word sheol is used to describe where they went. The general concept of down does apply, but it is not a necessitated hell, merely a physical grave.
Let me wrap up a bit on Sheol with some quotation from wikipedia (an authoritative source!):
"both the bad and the good, slave and king, pious and wicked must go after death to sleep in silence and oblivion in the dust. . . Sheol in many cases does not seem to be an afterlife destination or a location at all, but merely the grave. . ." and also, " In the Book of Job, while Satan is portrayed as tormenting and testing the living, he does not appear to have any particular presidency over Sheol, or to dwell in Sheol." which leads us into the next topic:
Abyss:
Abaddon is usually considered to be Satan, as is described in Rev 9:11 the king of the bottomless pit, or the angel who rules over the abyss; this varyies slightly with translation.
The abyss, the "bottomless pit" which Abaddon rules over, is mentioned 7 times in the book of Revelation and once in the book of Luke. [NIV Translation] The occurance in the book of Luke is the result of Jesus' interchange with a man possessed by demons. In fact, he is possessed by so many, they are 'Legion,' and they do not wish to go to the Abyss, so instead Jesus allows them to enter a herd of pigs. [Sidenote: One of the things most amazing to me is that Jesus is not only merciful to us, but also to demons. Truly the Prince of Peace.]
One important thing to consider while discussing the Abyss is that in those days, people believed that demons lived at the bottom of the sea(s). Water was associated with chaos and evil, particularly in Jewish tradition. The Jews were, interestingly enough, terribly sailors who avoided the water. They had one major port during the peak of their civilization, whereas their neighbours to the north, who had much worse terrain, had many more. Furthermore, the Hebrews would often hire foreigners to sail their vessels for them. The reason why the association between evil and water and demons is important is that Jesus' miracles often involved water, especially calming the sea.
So What Do I Believe?
I believe people die and are dead. Then at some point, God resurrects them if he chooses. Then they are alive again. They're not alive in between, so they don't notice any time passing. I've seen no conflicts between the scriptures and this belief.
I hope you've enjoyed this brief overview, and that I didn't make too many errors as I didn't proof read it.
Cheers and God Bless! [And Merry Christmas]
On Homosexual Marriage
Homosexual Marriage is now legal in Canada. I think this is a very unfortunate thing. I am strongly against homosexual marriage for just one reason, and that reason isn't that homosexuality is wrong. Yes, I do believe that homosexuality is wrong, but that isn't the reason I think that a homosexual union should never be called a marriage. At the bottom I've typed up some [there are lots more] Bible verses which refer to sexual immorality. Sexual immorality, also known as Fornication, is a category which includes various sexual sins, including homosexuality. The majority of these verses are directed to Believers. It would be nice if everyone was a believer, but not all are, and that is a reality of this world. There will always be sin, there will always be sexual sin [fornication], and most likely there will always be homosexuality so long as this world exists.
The reason I feel so strongly against Homosexual marriage is that Marriage isn't a human creation. God created marriage, so therefore, we, as humans, have no right to alter it. It is a covenant, a set of vows before God. The structure and design was created by God and we have no right to change that. It says quite plainly in Genesis, "And for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave [bond] to his wife." This was the inception of marriage. "What God has put together, let no man put apart."
On the topic of homosexual sin, I feel the Bible is completely transparent, as you'll see below. My personal view is that homosexuality is a sin, but that doesn't mean the person is ruined for life. There is always forgiveness. It is no different from any other sin, and equally forgivable. All that is required is for repentance. With true repentance comes a desire not to fall back into familiar sin. Unfortunately, with the stance the secular society is taking towards homosexuality, many people who have fallen into sinful habits are being encouraged to remain in them under the guise of freedom, even by those not similarly stricken. I cannot see how there is freedom within sin, only bondage. All of us are Human. All of us have the same nature. I have never met anyone who has achieved happiness or satisfaction from sin, be it gambling, gluttony, or adultery. I've never met a cheater who obtained happiness from it, have you? Do you know anyone who is mortally obese from gluttony who is happy the way they are? The happiest people I've ever met have always been spiritual, holy people. These people do their best to make their words, "a honey to the soul and bones" of those around them. They are pleasurable to be in the company of. I do not hate people who are bound in lives of sin, and neither is it my place to judge them. That right is reserved for someone else, and it isn't a task I envy.
Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander."
Mark 7:20-23 "He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"
Acts 15:20 "Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood."
Acts 15:28-29 "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things."
These seem to be basic requirements.
Acts 21:25 "As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."
Romans 13:!3 "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy."
"As in the daytime" If there are things that you are ashamed of, and want hidden away in the dark, they are likely sinful. People aren't ashamed of the good things they do. Everyone should be able to recognize immediately if something is evil.
1 Corinthians 5:9-11 "I have written to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people----- not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat."
"Not at all meaning the people of this world" Christians are free to associate with the "worst scum" of mankind. It's quite encouraged. Christ himself spent most of his time with prostitutes and tax collectors. What Paul is warning against is spending time with "anyone who calls himself a brother but..." any Christian who is behaving like a pagan. Any Christian who is using forgiveness as a get out of jail card so that s/he can commit any crime s/he feels like. It is these people who are two-faced that we should not associate with, for numerous reasons. One is that they have obviously already heard the message, and time would be better spent trying to reach people who have never even heard the name, "Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
In this particular verse, Paul states "sexually immoral" as a category and then specifies specifically 3 types of sexual sin.
1 Corinthians 6:13 ""Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"---but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."
(This is just my interpretation) The Human body enjoys wordly pleasures, "food for the stomach," but when one starts to live completely for worldly pleasures, "stomach for food," one has gone away from spirituality and has engaged in worldly desires. This verse reiterates that the Body is given over to God.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body."
A very well known (and often misquoted) verse which states our body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. This is a key principle when it comes to maintaining health, avoiding chemicals, poisons, drugs, or sexual abuse of ourselves.
1 Corinthians 7:2-4 "But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife."
Take note: MAN should have a wife, and WOMAN should have a husband. The Bible is not known for cutting words short when they're necessary. If it was allowable for a Man to have a Husband, and/or a Woman to have a Wife, those possiblities would also be mentioned. The gender is very plain here.
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
It's true that homosexuality has been around for a loooong time. It was fairly well known in most ancient civilizations. Then again, so was prostitution, theft, lying, and murder. Just because it occured way back in the past doesn't justify it now any more than theft and murder are justified for existing for so long. In fact, Cain killed his brother Abel, the earliest record of murder, far before any record of homosexuality, so fratricide should be legal, right? Or maybe not.
Galations 5:19-21 "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Colossians 3:5-6 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to you earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming."
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;"
Homosexuality is a natural thing in that humans have been tempted by it for thousands of years. I suppose it's part of human nature to fail, and to give into temptation. None of that is justification to continue living in sin after it's been identified.
Hebrews 12:15-16 "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son."
In reading the context of this verse, I interpret it to be a command for Christians to be examples through our deeds. The part about the bitter root is to see that no branch of the Christian faith grows out and becomes twisted or perverted, causing many to think they are Christian when really they are not. It is our duty to see that people understand the Truth, and that no one, for any single wordly pleasure, gives up their right to a place in the kingdom of God.
Jude 4 "For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."
A straight forward warning against using the forgiveness of Christ as a get-out-of-jail-free card to commit sin.
Jude 7 "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire."
Sodom and Gomorrah were so corrupt with sexual sin that the surrounding towns were corrupted as well. I'm sure many people are familiar with a sexual perversion that is named after the town of Sodom. This verse clearly indicated that sexual sin isn't just an issue for individuals, but for towns, cities, and countries as well. Not to mention it stands as an example to what will happen to those that continue to live in sin.
Revelation 21:8 "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars---their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death"
Sounds terrible.
Revelation 22:12-15 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."
Those that live in sin will be barred from heaven, left begging at the gate. I believe that this is one of the verses that the phrase, "pearly gates" stems from, as well as those jokes involved Peter standing at the "Pearly Gates" judging who gets to go in.
The reason I feel so strongly against Homosexual marriage is that Marriage isn't a human creation. God created marriage, so therefore, we, as humans, have no right to alter it. It is a covenant, a set of vows before God. The structure and design was created by God and we have no right to change that. It says quite plainly in Genesis, "And for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave [bond] to his wife." This was the inception of marriage. "What God has put together, let no man put apart."
On the topic of homosexual sin, I feel the Bible is completely transparent, as you'll see below. My personal view is that homosexuality is a sin, but that doesn't mean the person is ruined for life. There is always forgiveness. It is no different from any other sin, and equally forgivable. All that is required is for repentance. With true repentance comes a desire not to fall back into familiar sin. Unfortunately, with the stance the secular society is taking towards homosexuality, many people who have fallen into sinful habits are being encouraged to remain in them under the guise of freedom, even by those not similarly stricken. I cannot see how there is freedom within sin, only bondage. All of us are Human. All of us have the same nature. I have never met anyone who has achieved happiness or satisfaction from sin, be it gambling, gluttony, or adultery. I've never met a cheater who obtained happiness from it, have you? Do you know anyone who is mortally obese from gluttony who is happy the way they are? The happiest people I've ever met have always been spiritual, holy people. These people do their best to make their words, "a honey to the soul and bones" of those around them. They are pleasurable to be in the company of. I do not hate people who are bound in lives of sin, and neither is it my place to judge them. That right is reserved for someone else, and it isn't a task I envy.
Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander."
Mark 7:20-23 "He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"
Acts 15:20 "Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood."
Acts 15:28-29 "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things."
These seem to be basic requirements.
Acts 21:25 "As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."
Romans 13:!3 "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy."
"As in the daytime" If there are things that you are ashamed of, and want hidden away in the dark, they are likely sinful. People aren't ashamed of the good things they do. Everyone should be able to recognize immediately if something is evil.
1 Corinthians 5:9-11 "I have written to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people----- not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat."
"Not at all meaning the people of this world" Christians are free to associate with the "worst scum" of mankind. It's quite encouraged. Christ himself spent most of his time with prostitutes and tax collectors. What Paul is warning against is spending time with "anyone who calls himself a brother but..." any Christian who is behaving like a pagan. Any Christian who is using forgiveness as a get out of jail card so that s/he can commit any crime s/he feels like. It is these people who are two-faced that we should not associate with, for numerous reasons. One is that they have obviously already heard the message, and time would be better spent trying to reach people who have never even heard the name, "Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
In this particular verse, Paul states "sexually immoral" as a category and then specifies specifically 3 types of sexual sin.
1 Corinthians 6:13 ""Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"---but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."
(This is just my interpretation) The Human body enjoys wordly pleasures, "food for the stomach," but when one starts to live completely for worldly pleasures, "stomach for food," one has gone away from spirituality and has engaged in worldly desires. This verse reiterates that the Body is given over to God.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body."
A very well known (and often misquoted) verse which states our body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. This is a key principle when it comes to maintaining health, avoiding chemicals, poisons, drugs, or sexual abuse of ourselves.
1 Corinthians 7:2-4 "But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife."
Take note: MAN should have a wife, and WOMAN should have a husband. The Bible is not known for cutting words short when they're necessary. If it was allowable for a Man to have a Husband, and/or a Woman to have a Wife, those possiblities would also be mentioned. The gender is very plain here.
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
It's true that homosexuality has been around for a loooong time. It was fairly well known in most ancient civilizations. Then again, so was prostitution, theft, lying, and murder. Just because it occured way back in the past doesn't justify it now any more than theft and murder are justified for existing for so long. In fact, Cain killed his brother Abel, the earliest record of murder, far before any record of homosexuality, so fratricide should be legal, right? Or maybe not.
Galations 5:19-21 "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Colossians 3:5-6 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to you earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming."
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;"
Homosexuality is a natural thing in that humans have been tempted by it for thousands of years. I suppose it's part of human nature to fail, and to give into temptation. None of that is justification to continue living in sin after it's been identified.
Hebrews 12:15-16 "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son."
In reading the context of this verse, I interpret it to be a command for Christians to be examples through our deeds. The part about the bitter root is to see that no branch of the Christian faith grows out and becomes twisted or perverted, causing many to think they are Christian when really they are not. It is our duty to see that people understand the Truth, and that no one, for any single wordly pleasure, gives up their right to a place in the kingdom of God.
Jude 4 "For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."
A straight forward warning against using the forgiveness of Christ as a get-out-of-jail-free card to commit sin.
Jude 7 "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire."
Sodom and Gomorrah were so corrupt with sexual sin that the surrounding towns were corrupted as well. I'm sure many people are familiar with a sexual perversion that is named after the town of Sodom. This verse clearly indicated that sexual sin isn't just an issue for individuals, but for towns, cities, and countries as well. Not to mention it stands as an example to what will happen to those that continue to live in sin.
Revelation 21:8 "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars---their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death"
Sounds terrible.
Revelation 22:12-15 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."
Those that live in sin will be barred from heaven, left begging at the gate. I believe that this is one of the verses that the phrase, "pearly gates" stems from, as well as those jokes involved Peter standing at the "Pearly Gates" judging who gets to go in.