Bible Publishers Sued for Anti-Homosexual References
Newsmax reporting Bible Publishers Sued for Anti-Gay References:
A Michigan man is seeking $70 million from two Christian publishers for emotional distress and mental instability he received during the past 20 years from versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin.
Bradley LaShawn Fowler, a gay man, claims his constitutional rights were infringed upon by Zondervan Publishing Co. and Thomas Nelson Publishing, both of which, he claims, deliberately caused homosexuals to suffer by misinterpretation of the Bible.
This is a classic example of our culture calling "evil good and good evil".
Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Society is snow balling into moral confusion and decay partially because they have let man-made rules define our cultural values while neglecting what the actual scriptures say (in both Christianity and Judaism) and then when the rest of society (that part which would have no rules (except the rule to have no rules)) gains judicial control over the rest of us, we have to submit and/or be punished based upon their rule to have no rules. Here is the growing theme: "There are absolutely no absolutes and by golly don't cause me any mental or emotional distress or I'll sue you and yours for 70 mill."
Fowler admits that every Bible printed is a translation that can be interpreted in many ways, but he says specifically using the word “homosexual” is not a translation but a change.
Fowler is most concerned with 1 Corinthians 6:9. See three major version translations below:
(NIV) 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
(KJV) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
(ASV) Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men,
The underlying Greek word being translated differently is: Arsenokoites (G733), which has generally been thought to mean "a sodomite: abuser of self with mankind" and is derived from the Greek word: Koite (G2749) which means "a couch; by extension cohabitation; by implication the male sperm: bed, chambering, X conceive". By looking at the context of the verse, I'm curious how else homosexuals think this word could be alternatively translated.
Largely because people have been taught that "Jesus nailed the Law to the Cross", they seem to forget Apostle Paul was not deriving his statements, as in 1 Corinthians, from living in a vacuum. He was a Jew from the Israelite tribe of Benjamin who had likely memorized the entire text of the Torah (if not large tracts of it). And the Torah plainly says this:
Leviticus 20:13 ‘And a man who lies with a male as he lies with a woman: both of them have done an abomination, they shall certainly be put to death, their blood is upon them.
Just as in ancient Israel, individuals today are not allowed to "take the Law into their own hands". Homosexuals were put to death by the assembly of Israelite Elders (Judges). Vigilantes were rare and rarely accepted. We now have a system of Judges in the USA which also have the right in some states to put persons to death for some crimes, but Homosexuality has not been a crime punishable with death for a very long time in this country. Currently, if a person murders a homosexual for being homosexual, that person him/herself would also be put to death in some states or at least go to prison for life. And no one is forcing homosexuals to read the Bible translations which cause them deserved emotional distress and no one is forcing them to fellowship with people who do read those Bible translations and rightly teach against homosexuality.
I've had homosexual friends and lovingly talked with them and disagreed with their behavior, but I do not think they themselves are evil. I see their activity/actions as evil. Men were simply not designed to lie with other men and that is why it is considered abominable and wickedness. Wickedness (Ra) is basically defined in Hebrew as breaking the design/function of something. See my article What does the word "Wickedness" mean in Hebrew? for more details.
Sadly, one of my concerns in posting this is whether or not my webhost will one day turn off my domain account simply because of my Torah-stance on this issue or similar controversial issues. Even so, Torah is Light, and I must speak the Light as long as I am able. The World hates the Light because mankind loves darkness more than Light (John 3:19).