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Subject Jesus never mentioned homosexuality in the New Testament
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Original Message there are a number of verses, however, that condemn homophobia. The story in Matthew about the centurion who asks Jesus to heal his "son" was not his son, but the word actually means something quite different. The translations suggest that the word used for "son" actually meant most likely his lover - or more specifically, the young man who served the centurion sexually which was not uncommon for Rome back then.

(the centurion i am speaking of is the one who asked Jesus to heal his "son", Jesus asks him to take him to the young man, and the centurion replies 'only say the word and I know he will be healed' then Jesus commends his great faith)

Matthew 8:5-13:
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.



These verses describe how a Roman centurion asked Jesus to cure his "pais" who lay paralyzed and in great agony. The centurion stated that all Jesus had to do was to say the right words to effect the cure. Jesus praised the centurion for his faith. If the boy had been the centurion's son, then the author probably would have used the Greek word "uios" (son). If the writer wanted to imply that they boy was a slave or indentured servant, then he probably would have used the word "duolos" (slave). But he did not. He used the Greek word pais which, in this situation, contains the suggestion of a young male kept for sexual purposes by his adult owner. The English word "pederasty" comes partly from this word. Various translations of the Christian Scriptures have suppressed the possible sexual component of the term and translated the word simply as a "servant boy", "serving boy", "young servant," "my son," and "my boy." A present-day relationship of this type would be considered child sexual abuse, a serious crime. However, such arrangements were common in the Roman Empire at the time, and were tolerated by society, as was human slavery itself.

The Gospel of Luke, starting at Luke 7:2 told the same story differently. The boy was changed into a slave of undefined age who was 'dear to' (KJV) the Centurion. The author used the Greek word doulos which is a generic term for servant or slave. He was described as being very sick and near death; this contrasts with the author of Matthew who description of a boy being paralyzed and in great pain.

Scripture that most likely shows Jesus condemning homophobia:

Matthew 5:22:

"...anyone who says to his brother 'Raca' is answerable to the Sanhedrin [the Council]. But anyone who says 'You fool' will be in danger of the hell fire" (NIV)

It is often stated that Jesus never commented about homosexuality. A case can be made that he refers to gays in this verse. On the surface, the verse seems to condemn individuals who treat others with contempt and call them names. Hatred of others is considered here as serious to God as an overt act of murder. 'Raca' is defined in the NIV as an Aramaic term of contempt. It has been translated literally as "I spit on you." But "raca," "rakha" and similar terms in various Semitic languages also carry the meaning of effeminacy or weakness - terms frequently used to refer to homosexuals. The word 'Moros' which is translated as "fool" has a number of meanings, including both sexual aggressor and homosexual aggressor. 1 One could argue that Jesus was condemning homophobia in this passage; but it would be a weak case at best, because of the multiplicity of meanings of the key words.

[link to www.religioustolerance.org]

(note: hell fire used in matthew 5:22 does not mean "hell" but for a clarification of the term "hell fire" feel free to ask and I can extrapolate that for you.)
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