Last edited Sat Jul 1, 2023, 06:35 AM - Edit history (3)
Jesus said Whosever shall divorce his wife, except for adultery and marry another, shall commit adultery...."His disciples said unto him, "If that be the case, it is better not to marry." But Jesus said unto them, "This teaching does not apply to everyone....for there are some who were born eunuchs...and some were made eunuchs by men... and some have made themselves eunuchs." So even back then, some people were born with genitalia/identities that were not clearly male or female. Actually, ancient Greek scholars also mentioned this phenomenon.
Also, there is Matthew 25: 34-40:
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory....then shall all nations be gathered before him, and he shall separate them into two groups....Then shall the King say to those on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of th world, For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you took me in; I was naked, and you gave me clothing; I was sick, and you helped me; I was in prison, and you visited me." These people will say, "What are you talking about? When did we ever see you before?" And the King shall answer them, "When you helped the people suffering in these ways, you were really helping my brethren, so you were really helping me."
Also, there is John 13:34:
"A new commandment I give unto you all: "Love one another, as I have loved you."
And, oh yes, poor misunderstood Paul in Ephesians 4:32:
"Be ye kind to one another, and tenderhearted, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you..." Paul did mean well. He was just one of those very decisive, forthright, legalistic people.
While I am at it, I must clear Paul of one false accusation. He DID NOT speak contemptuously of women or say that men should marry only because it is better to marry "than to burn" with desire. In fact, it was primarily a woman whose question was being answered here, as he urged her to think very carefully about marriage, because she would lose a lot of freedom if she married. Actually, the passage that is often quoted here (Corinthians 7:25-39) urges both men and women to be very cautious about getting married, because everyone loses a lot of freedom in marriage and undertakes obligations to please one's husband or wife.