Edit: I began the post which follows, this morning. I had not read the last two interchanges. My mistake. Apologies. I might have written differently if I had, but, I'll leave this to stand, as I would like to post something about God's word... when I get round to it.
WhiteKnuckle said,
Sin is sin, not because God said so, but because it's a "being" that exists. No matter how small or innocent it seems, it's destructive and will keep growing. Just as a little leaven leavens the whole bunch, or a grain of mustard seed growing into some large stalk, sin works the same as faith. Feed one and it will starve out the other.
I love the way you've put this. It was Adam's willingness to trust the word of one other than God (unbelief) which laid the ground for sin to be received by him. The link between sin and unbelief comes up again and again in scripture.
dragonfly
But God does give His reasons.
aspen
I am sure He does, but he needs no defense.
There is a sense in which God needs no defence, but His instructions - commands, prohibitions -
can be understood in terms of His nature - character and substance - and the counsel of His will according to His own good pleasure.
The point brightmorningstar has been making is: we know what God is like because we are made in His image - male and female. God wants increase and multiplication (we learn early in Genesis), and so the abuse of the human form made in God's image, revolts Him; because He gives each newborn its spirit, having created its body in His image
to bring glory to Himself and His name, and the introversion of use which happens in homosexual encounters
nauseates Him.
aspen said
I am saying that God does not give a reason for condemning homosexuality for Christians
But, He does give a reason in the Old Testament, as to why Israel should not practise it, and the same applies to us. It applies to all people, and those who practise it will receive the same 'reward' from God, for their activities.
Your point about the kindness it is to let homosexual captives continue in their captivity, is not in line with Jesus' words or mission:
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
In the next extract, God repeats what He said at the start of the chapter, but more than once. It matters to Him!
Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination. 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it [is] confusion. 24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit [any] of these abominations; [neither] any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which [were] before you, and the land is defiled; ) 28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that [were] before you.
29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit [them] shall be cut off from among their people. 30Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that [ye] commit not [any one] of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I [am] the LORD your God.
Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
God makes clear there is another way for people to live, than trapped in the practice of this abomination. Much of what those practitioners believe, is false. What is true is,
'And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient,' to their own destruction.
Sad.
It takes wisdom to know when to walk away after having preached the gospel, hoping they will let God's goodness lead them to repentance.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things [are] naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 
