Most people living in sin reject the parts of the Bible that condemns their sin. That is very common.
You're entirely right here. There's plenty of evidence of it in this thread. People justifying doing exactly what Jesus condemned the Pharisees for doing on the basis that it's "Christian love" and "compassion" to condemn others for supposed sins that the condemners are not even tempted to. Some of the justifications for this behavior sound like Orwell's "Newspeak" where every word means its exact opposite.
Yet they are quick to point out the "feel good" aspects of Christianity. For example, they all love the "don't judge" passages, and the "love everyone" passages. There's never disagreement on them.
So you can pick and choose the passages you prefer, as some have accused others of doing? The "don't judge" and "love everyone" passages somehow don't apply if you're a conservative evangelical? I think that's absurd.
On the other hand, I do consider that there is a point to some of the arguments here. Matthew 7:1-2 is 'monitory' not 'prohibitive' -- that is, it counsels against behavior on the basis of the consequences of that behavior, rather than being a divine prohibition of the behavior. Put another way (and out of character for how He taught), Jesus is saying, "Okay, go ahead and judge others, but be warned: how you judge them is how you too will be judged."
When He commands to judge righteous judgments and warns that one's righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees, that goes right along with this warning. Do not forget that the "judge not" passage is followed almost immediately by the Golden Rule. A righteous judgment is not, as Nadiine seems to be suggesting if I'm reading her posts correctly, one that staunchly refuses to countenance sin -- it's one that itself conforms to God's commandments -- and Jesus makes clear what the key commandments are. If you hold another to a precise following of all Biblical commandments, or at least the ones you haven't invented a rationalization to avoid following, with no room for charity, compassion or forgiveness, then you too will be judged by hat same harsh standard -- without charity, compassion, or forgiveness. The parable of the unjust steward makes that quite clear. For one's righteousness to exceed that of the Pharisees (who, remember, kept the tenets of the Law), one must love one's neighbor as oneself, doing unto him as you would have him do unto you, remembering that at the last judgment, Christ will take how one has dealt with each other person as how one has dealt with Him.
Now, notice the thread title. This was not supposed to be Thread DCCXVII on how "homosexuality is condemned in the Bible" -- there's a specific question asked. And in my opinion the enforcing of one's opinion of what the Bible calls for by act of civil law is the sort of thing the Pharisees did, not what Jesus would do. And in any case there are going to be some very surprised self-proclaimed Christians at the judgment, when God asks them why they were living in sin, and they proclaim they were married, and He points out where they judged others' marriages invalid, and sought to prohibit them legally -- and He warned, as you judge so you will be judged.
I might also point out that as a man married to the same woman for 33 years and shooting for lifelong, I could give a rat's patootie about these passages as involves my own sexual conduct -- but it's my duty as a Christian to stand by people whom the world condemns -- and a lot of that world are carnal wolves dressed in the clothing of the Good Shepherd's sheep. I am convinced that God did not set out to condemn specific sexual behaviors but rather abuses of people by other people for either selfish lusts or false gods.
And I'm flat-out disgusted at the behavior of some "Christians" -- not meaning permissiveness but rather being Mrs. Grundy minding the neighbors' business. If I were not already someone who has encountered Christ and made Him Lord of my life, some of the attitudes I've seen held up as 'true Christianity' would have turned me away.
