steve_bnk

Matthew 19:11-12

'...Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it...'

Hard not to read homosexualty into it to some degree.

http://www.christiangay.com/he_loves/Jesus.htm

Jesus lived as a 'eunuch?'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexuality_of_Jesus

'..Jesus' praise for those who have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven has, for many centuries, been interpreted by Christian theologians as a metaphor for celibacy, since the term "eunuch" normally referred to a castrated man.[1] Some Christians (including, according to a few sources, Origen) went farther than this by interpreting Jesus' words literally and hence physically castrating themselves as an act of devotion.[2] The early Church Father Tertullian, who wrote that Jesus himself lived as a eunuch,[3] likewise encouraged people to adopt this practice.[4]..'

According to the commentery with my NRSV translation, in the time and the original language Paul's words that have been interpreted as refering to homosexuality would likley have been taken coloquialy to mean all sexual excess. Further, the belief was common in the times that sex weakened the body. Paul may not have been directly speaking about homosexuality in Romans.

show_no_mercy

It would have been scandalous for Jews to abstain from marriage in the 1st century, unless they were doing some sort of Nazirite vow. But even then, that's temporary.

Well yeah, the word Paul uses is porneias (where we get "porn" from) which is basically sexual immorality. Matt uses the same word in 19:9, and no one claims that he's talking about homosexuality in that passage.

DancesWithCoffeeCups

Moving to BC&H.