There is a difference between the 10 Commandments and the Bible. The
links Steve provided quote from the Old Testament. And there is
certainly lots of wild stuff written there. It was in the shared
experience of the many writers over years that outlined their sense of
morality as events revealed these principles to them. Certainly there
was lots of trial and error. That's what makes the stories so
interesting. You can actually witness our human value systems in the
making...not always pretty.
Regarding Sodom and Gomorrah, there was no direct reference to
homosexuality as the reason the people died. The reason most widely
accepted among those I know is that they fell out of favor with G_d
because they did not show hospitality to strangers, in this case, the
angel visitor.
Remember now, all of this was in the old testament, before Jesus. Once
Jesus comes on the scene, everything changes. Now the focus is not on
sin, but on Love. Jesus made it perfectly clear that we were not to
judge the sinner, only the sin.
Now this could get a little dicey here but I trust you all know me well
enough to know that I am not passing judgment on anyone. But just
because some might not believe homosexuality is a sin doesn't make it
true. Believing that it is a sin, doesn't make it one either. The same
holds true for the idea that abortion is murder. We are not our own best
judges. Life is about learning through constant analysis. Protecting
ourselves from self-examination because we have certain characteristics
or prejudices that may or may not be sins isn't a good idea either. But
in the end, the only thing that matters is our personal relationship
with G_d. Before G_d, we are all equal. And we are all sinners and not
worthy to pass judgment on our fellow man as though we were G_d.
Whether we are sinners or not and who is going to be damned in hell is
not the point. The point is that we are not to be judging others as it's
not our job. Those who use the bible to attack people because they are
sinners are missing the point of the New Testament. That good people
thought otherwise in the Old Testament, says nothing about Christianity
because Christ had not yet arrived. To be Christian is to understand
Christ's role in the change.
Thanks for listening....
Mike