My personal definition is it is the social union/legal contract between a man and woman that creates kinship ... which should be intimate and sexual in nature.
Define "American" ...
You need to sleep during normal hours.
You have my address. Send me paychecks along with a schedule to keep. The highest bidder gets to tell me when to sleep.
An "American" can be understood in a manner similar to a "Christian."
A "Christian" is someone who follows Christ. An "American" is someone who has followed Amerigo Vespucci.
Mr. Smith, Left-wing Libber. Has kind of a nice ring to it.
When the bible says, "Thou shalt not", you need to look at the original Greek manuscripts. You'll find that when a predicate and a pronoun and an adverb, combined with a past participle, inverted through a subjective verb, are intersected with the word "Not", there is a Greek rule that actually makes a word mean the opposite. So when the bible says, "Thou shalt not commit fornication", the word "Not" means that you can't, NOT commit fornication, so in actuality, we're commanded to commit fornication. Not only is it not prohibited, it's commanded.
How's that for "Left-wing liberal"?
YA all keep talking like that and I'll have to go back to school.
YA all keep talking like that and I'll have to go back to school.
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If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8 KJV
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 KJV
We commonly use the word "fornication" to refer to sexual activity by single folks and "adultery" to refer to sexual activity by a married person with someone other than his/her partner. Or some times we define them as "pre-marital" and "extra-marital" relations.
Does the Bible define sexual activity this way?
Does the Bible say anywhere that sexual activity by someone who is not legally married with someone else who is not legally married is wrong? Where?
We live in a new day. One in which the very definition of morality is being rewritten. With that in mind, do you believe the traditional Christian view concerning premarital sex is old-fashioned and outdated?
I hear many educators and social physicians say that sex before marriage is a natural function of adolescence. Popular culture views premarital sex favorably. In fact, there is an EXPECTATION that kids will have sex before they're married.
What do you think? Do you believe premarital sex is okay? Is there any reason teens or unmarried adults should abstain?
Of course it's "natural". But the Bible still teaches that intimacy belongs between two married individuals. I'm sure that intimacy outside of marriage is just as common today as it was in Roman times. I'd recomend that unmarried couples consider marriage as they grow in the Lord. Eventually a time will come when they will be called to choose the Lord over their lifestyle.
One issue I do see though is how long we have people wait before marriage. In biblical times people married at 12 or 13 years of age. Today we expect them to wait until their mid 20's, or after their college education. No doubt, that stresses the human condition.
While I have no facts on this, I heard that early Christians often refused legal marriage in Rome. One reason is that the seal of the imperor (revered as a god) wasn't desirable on Christian relationships. It's like those who refuse to legally marry because they believe the Government has no say or hand in the matter.
However, in our culture, failure to marry leaves both parties open for much heart ache.
I was given a book by a minister that taught some very liberal views regarding intimacy between people. It presents the following:
Biblically forbidden sex practices appear to be:
Adultery Sexual activity outside of the marriage covenant.
Fornication Indiscriminant and promiscuous sexual activity.
Sodomy Homosexual rape, male temple prostitution
Incest Sexual activity with close relatives.
Rape Forced sexual activity with a woman.
Bestiality Sexual activity with animals.
Pedophilia Sexual activity with children.
Harlotry Sexual activity as a religious rite or for money.
Lust The desire to actually commit adultery.
The Bible appears to allow for the following sex practices:
Monogamy Marriage consisting of one man and one woman.
Polygamy Marriage consisting of one man and more than one woman.
Concubines Mistresses recognized within the marriage covenant.
War Brides Arranged marriage with female prisoners of war.
Levirate Marriage The marrying of a dead brothers first wife, even if the living brother was already married.
Servant Marriage The arrangement of marriage between servants.
Eunuchs Celibates who cannot (or choose not to) copulate with the opposite or same gender.
Erotic Literature & Poetry Writings of an erotic nature (Song of Solomon).
Erotic Entertainment Erotic dancing (exemplified by the Shulamite and her erotic dance before her countrymen).
Sexual Fantasy Sexual thoughts about another (exemplified by the Shulamite and her Lover).
The OT ethic on this subject is very interesting considering NT understanding. But the NT was written under the Roman Empire. In Rome things such as polygamy were illegal. So we don't see these issues in the first century. I can't help but wonder however, what if Rome hadn't prohibited the practices of the Jews? Would the NT be more like the OT?
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