Quote Originally Posted by GiGi View Post
The Church has the authority to interpret scripture for those who believe in the Church. There are other authorities and other interpretations.
It was only after much disagreement, editing, and probably some re-writing that the Church was able to settle on what Scripture is. What it means is still debated, even among authorities.
The problem for you is the failure of authorities to substantiate that ****sexuality is unacceptable.
Not that any of this has any bearing. Fortunately, the Church is no longer in charge. The issues of slavery, civil rights, abortion, and same-sex marriage are matters for secular courts to decide, and those decisions are made without consulting religious authorities.
We can not legally own slaves, no matter what the bible says. Civil rights are protected, even those of the decendents of Ham. Christians use birth control and abortion services. Soon same-sex marriage will recognized in every state. All of this is accomplished without religious sanction. That your god approves or disapproves is relevent only inside the walls of your church. When the service is over, members will return to a free society where they are protected by secular laws.
Unfortunately, I am not a Protestant. Your competing authorities are your problem, the Catholic and Orthodox Church has established positions, despite rogue priests who have to be corrected by canon law.

Secular authorities are not always in keeping with God's authority, and so it is not my concern to consult popular opinion since it is like a reed shaken every which way it ****s. It is not consistent with the teachings of the Church. While I am a citizen and vote my conscience, the realm I am focusing on is the orthodoxy of Christianity and not the secular governance. What the Church is in charge of, that is what is important to reflect on. A professing Christian who rationalizes their position as though God is alright with something with no precidence is a person whose claims are based on an idealization of the gospel being a social advancement of the secular society. Christ's kingdom is not of this world, so the Gospel is not about social advancement of the kingdom of Man.

As such, I can give you the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I can quote the p***ages in Scripture as it was determined by Sacred Tradition from the influential council of Carthage that was reviewed at Trullo and ratified at an ecumenical council, and later restipulated at the Council of Trent. If you want to appeal to the number of Christians in the world, the Catholic faith is the largest and the Eastern Orthodox right behind it. However, I am not appealing to numbers... but to that which all Christians from every denomination rooted in historical continuity--as most Reformers would understand a continuation of its own "traditions" being consistent with Christian historicity. They would quote Augustine of Hippo to substantiate a continuity of Christian doctrine and morals because there was no other Church from which they started their reforms in their own time.