Originally posted by Thoughtful Monk
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Paul gives a pretty good clue in Rom 1 as to why he says what he says. To read the clues fully, it's useful to look at something like Gagnon's book on 1st Cent attitudes to homosexuality. (You presumably realize that Gagnon is a conservative.) He says that Jews considered it something among pagans, when normal sex had lost its attraction. That's exactly the context of Rom 1. Paul is explicitly talking about pagans. He also talks about giving up natural intercourse. So this is talking about Roman sexual practices that liberals would also regard as degraded.
The other reference in Paul, and 1 Tim, are limited to one or two words whose meanings aren't entirely clear, so it's safest to assume it means the same thing as Rom 1. Particularly since 1 Cor 6:9 is also referring to behavior of pagans.
Paul simply doesn't deal with our situation. That leaves us with Jesus' general principles of treating others right.
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