Put simply the church is loath to endorse behavior specifically seen as problematic in the Bible. A practicising thief, liar, whatever, will not be ordained. Homosexuality shows up in those contexts in the Bible.
Fair answer. I can see that if your holy book specifically outlaws behaviour accepted in the wider culture as at very least legal, if not exactly popular, you're bound to experience conflicts... which won't readily be resolved. You either pick and choose, or re-interpret, or accept whole... or leave that religion for one which suits you better...
I think so long as the restrictions apply to a particular group in a private function, that is tolerable. The group is self-selecting, not compulsory, and effectively should be allowed to admit or bar who it wishes. It isn't affecting others. If people don't like its rules, they can leave; and if they have some belief that conflicts with a key tenet, then I'd say they're probably not in the right religion. If enough people feel strongly that the interpretation is wrong, then of course the religion itself may splinter - as most have, many times, to accommodate disagreements.
It's if such a restricted group then tries to apply its internally accepted restrictions upon wider society that I protest. And, of course, if that group accepts state funding (for, say, education or charity), it should not be allowed to impose its restrictions on users of its services any more than the state would. |
