In reading the recently published “Interview: Transgenderism Emerging on the Heels of Homosexuality in Media” at the Christian Post, I sat amazed with my mouth agape at the following statement.
“When you look at Scripture for example, when Paul talks in 1 Corinthians 6:9 about the following group of people will not inherit the Kingdom of God. One of those groups of people he calls the “soft men.” Now the meaning of that essentially, in its historical context, is men who feminize themselves to attract male sex partners. And that’s the closest thing you have in the ancient world to transgenderism. Paul lists them among the group of people who risk not being included in the Kingdom.”
For years conservative Christians have used 1Corinthians 6:9 to prove that homosexuality is a sin. In using 1Corinthians 6:9 in the above context, they are confirming the view that the verse isn’t about homosexuality. For years liberal churches like the MCC church have argued the fine points of the Greek words used in 6:9 (malakoi, malakee, and arsenokoitai instead of the word paiderasste).
The question of usage is unclear, but one thing is not. This verse either relates to homosexuality or effeminate behavior, but NOT both. If they use this passage as a way to deny transgender people a place in the church, they leave the back door wide open for gays and lesbians.
These types of attacks on transgender people are by conservative Christians who don’t care about theology or about scripture. They are simply trying to find a way to further their hatred and bigotry.
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To really comment I think you need to know what a transgender person really feels and know the extent to which a change can effect them. They are a very suicide prone group, not because of who they are, but because religion and people don’t let them be who they are.
To really comment I think you need to know what a transgender person really feels and know the extent to which a change can effect them. They are a very suicide prone group, not because of who they are, but because religion and people don’t let them be who they are.
Oh, certainly i don’t advocate sticking our heads in the sand and there is value in meeting them on their own ground, questioning the validity of their statements.
But ultimately i think that as long as Christianity so closely tied to scripture there is the imminent risk of a literalist reactionary resurgence.
Oh, certainly i don’t advocate sticking our heads in the sand and there is value in meeting them on their own ground, questioning the validity of their statements.
But ultimately i think that as long as Christianity so closely tied to scripture there is the imminent risk of a literalist reactionary resurgence.
While I agree with your analysis on what the words mean, it does matter today when Christians are dictating policy today based on scripture. They’re doing what the right wing media is awesome at… using scripture in a certain way based on who they’re trying to demonize. I think they definitely need to clarify their scriptural basis for their analysis.
While I agree with your analysis on what the words mean, it does matter today when Christians are dictating policy today based on scripture. They’re doing what the right wing media is awesome at… using scripture in a certain way based on who they’re trying to demonize. I think they definitely need to clarify their scriptural basis for their analysis.
Well, Marti, can’t they just say that “arsenokoitoi” refers to gay men and “malakoi” refers to transsexuals?
Never mind that “arsenokoitoi” is a word Paul made up (so it could mean anything) and “malakoi” refers to a very specific kind of sex slave.
Never mind that Jesus defended John the Baptist after he’d been slandered because, apparently, he’d been a malakos or was accused of having been one.
Well, i turned away from this kind of debate a long time ago because i can’t really figure out why we should care what people believed 1,950 years ago. They also believed the Earth was flat and the sun went around it. Maybe there is some transcendant spiritual core therein which can inspire us today. But spirit flows from a limitless fountain, we should drink what flows from it today rather than the stale still waters of a previous era.
Well, Marti, can’t they just say that “arsenokoitoi” refers to gay men and “malakoi” refers to transsexuals?
Never mind that “arsenokoitoi” is a word Paul made up (so it could mean anything) and “malakoi” refers to a very specific kind of sex slave.
Never mind that Jesus defended John the Baptist after he’d been slandered because, apparently, he’d been a malakos or was accused of having been one.
Well, i turned away from this kind of debate a long time ago because i can’t really figure out why we should care what people believed 1,950 years ago. They also believed the Earth was flat and the sun went around it. Maybe there is some transcendant spiritual core therein which can inspire us today. But spirit flows from a limitless fountain, we should drink what flows from it today rather than the stale still waters of a previous era.
I remember reading somewhere that “soft men” referred to men who were soft on morals rather than effeminate.
Of course it could be that 1 Corinthians 6:9 (ain’t that a wonderful number for that verse?) was just written by some ancient homobigot with a hair up his ass.
I remember reading somewhere that “soft men” referred to men who were soft on morals rather than effeminate.
Of course it could be that 1 Corinthians 6:9 (ain’t that a wonderful number for that verse?) was just written by some ancient homobigot with a hair up his ass.