July 5, 2009, Seminar to Christian Pastors in Kathmandu, Nepal

1. July 5, 2009, Seminar to Christian Pastors in Kathmandu, Nepal Other Sheep in Nepal

2. The Bible and . . . Homosexuality Other Sheep Seminar, Kathmandu, Nepal, July 5, 2009 Created by Rev. Stephen Parelli, Exec Direc of Other Sheep

3. Other Sheep asks: 1. 2. In what context is homosexuality condemned in the Bible? And does that context apply to same-sex loving couples today?

4. Bernard Ramm of The American Baptist Seminary of the West, an evangelical authority on biblical interpretation says: "The issues about Homosexuality are very complex and are not understood by most members of the Christian Church. To them, it is a vile form of sexual perversion condemned in both the Old and New Testaments."

5. For example, take the following Englishword: Sodomite(s) In the KJ Bible it is found once in Deuteronomy and fourtimes in First and Second Kings.

6. Yet, the word “sodomite” is an errant translation of the Hebrew word, and therefore confuses the general Bible reader who equates the sin of “sodomy” with “homosexuality” and “gay rights.” קדש

7. The English word “Sodomite” is used in the 1611 KJV in the Old Testament 5 times, but not once in the 1973 NIV. קדש קדש Now Then sodomite New International Version -1973 male cult prostitute King James Version -1611

8. THE KJV :There shall be no whore of the daughtersof Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. THE NIV :No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. Deuteronomy 23:17 First usage of the word “sodomite” Now Then

9. THE KJV :And there were also sodomites in the land:and they did according to all the abominations of thenations which the LORD cast out before the children ofIsrael. THE NIV :There were even male shrine prostitutes inthe land; the people engaged in all the detestable practicesof the nations the LORD had driven out before theIsraelites. Second usage of the word “sodomite” 1 Kings 14:24 Now Then

10. THE KJV :And he took away the sodomites out of theland, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. THE NIV :He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made. 1 Kings 15:12 Third usage of the word “sodomite” Now Then

11. THE KJV :And the remnant of the sodomites, whichremained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of theland. THE NIV :He rid the land of the rest of the maleshrine prostitutes who remained there even after the reignof his father Asa. 1 Kings 22:46 Forth usage of the word “sodomite” Then Now

12. THE KJV :And he brake down the houses of thesodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where thewomen wove hangings for the grove. THE NIV :He also tore down the quarters of the maleshrine prostitutes, which were in the temple of the LORD and where women did weaving for Asherah 2 Kings 23:7 Fifth usage of the word “sodomite” Then Now

13. THE KJV :There shall be no whore of the daughtersof Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. THE NIV :No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. Deuteronomy 23:17 Let’s take a closer look at the difference between the KJV and the NIV in their translation of Deuteronomy 23:17

14. THE KJV :There shall be no whore of the daughtersof Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. THE NIV : No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. Deuteronomy 23:17 Question: How can the NIV translate both “whore” and “sodomite” as “shrine prostitute?”

15. THE KJV :There shall be no whore of the daughtersof Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. KJVHEBREWwhoreקדשהsodomiteקדש Deuteronomy 23:17 kedeshah (f) kadesh (m) Female / Male Cult Prostitute לא־תהיה קדשה מבנות ישראל ולא־יהיה קדש מבני ישראל ׃

16. Analytical:There shall not be a cult prostitute (f.) of the daughtersof Israel, nor a cult prostitute (m.) of the sons of Israel. KJVHEBREWwhoreקדשהsodomiteקדש Deuteronomy 23:17 What is the Hebrew word for Sodom? סדם לא־תהיה קדשה מבנות ישראל ולא־יהיה קדש מבני ישראל ׃

17. KJVHEBREWwhoreקדשהsodomiteקדש “There is no Hebrew derivative of the word ‘Sodom’ in this passage;  the King James Bible supplied it erroneously.” -Ralph Blair Deuteronomy 23:17 What is the Hebrew word for Sodom? סדם לא־תהיה קדשה מבנות ישראל ולא־יהיה קדש מבני ישראל ׃

18. KJVHEBREWwhoreקדשהsod miteקדש “The Hebrew words here are references to the "holy" female and eunuch priest-prostitutes of the Canaanite fertility cults, of which Israel was to have no part.” - Ralph Blair Deuteronomy 23:17 What is the Hebrew word for Sodom? סדם לא־תהיה קדשה מבנות ישראל ולא־יהיה קדש מבני ישראל ׃

19. The Good News . . . Most English Bible Versions Today translate kadesh in Deuteronomy 23:7 as “shrine prostitute” or “cult prostitute” or “temple prostitute”

20. As Calvin Theological Seminary Old Testament scholar Marten H. Woudstra says: "There is nothing in the Old Testament that corresponds to Homosexuality as we understand it today" קדש Now Then sodomite

21. Other Sheep asks: • In what context is homosexuality condemned in the foregoing 5 OT verses? Homosexuality is not referred to in these verses. “Sodomite” is an incorrect rendering of the Hebrew.

22. Other Sheep asks: 2. Does the context apply to same-sex loving couples today? Same-sex relationships are not condemned