Commentary: People can try make the Bible say many things

The sacrifice of the many, for the sake of the few. What do Moses (Judaism), Jesus (Christianity), and Mohammed (Islam) know anyhow? I am a student of the Bible. I have been working with the Hebrew and Greek for over 40 years.

I am concerned about the movie "The Bible Tells Me So." You can make the Bible say almost anything you want. The more passionate one is or the more respected one is, the greater the chances that some or many will believe that what you say is what the Bible says.

I remember a few cult leaders in the 1960s who used Jesus' words in Luke 14:26 to convince people to totally leave their parents. Some believed those leaders. I had a couple justify their living together outside of marriage by quoting Matthew 1:25.

Satan is not opposed to using the Bible to tempt us. He used Psalm 91:11-12 to tempt Jesus to jump off the temple. Satan knows that using God's word can make people think that the people quoting the Bible are genuinely concerned about what the Bible says.

The title of the movie might have that effect on some.

Satan in his temptation omitted one phrase from those two verses of Psalm 91 that makes all the difference in the world.

The John 8:1-11 account of the woman caught in adultery is very relevant if looked at in its entirety. Jesus stood with her and by her. He loved her and assured her that she was forgiven.

But it doesn't end there. The last thing he said to her was "Go now and leave your life of sin." Jesus loves all people, all of us are sinners. He died on a cross so we could all be forgiven. He wants us to leave our lives of sin. He does not say to the woman, "What you have done is not really wrong, keep living that same way."

Why does the Bible prohibit the behavior of homosexualit —, not the orientation — but the behavior? It is unnatural, unhealthy and contrary to God's plan.

I would plead with PFLAG and others to consider what this effort to legitimize the behavior has on millions and millions of children of this generation and of generations to come.

Adolescence is a difficult enough time without the added confusion when same-sex behavior and transgender mentalities are put into the mix. It is not easy for those whose orientation has been altered, but neither is it easy for those who are made to wonder “what am I" or "what will I become?"

Another fact I heard recently is that 10 million to 12 million children lose one or both parents every year to AIDS. This effort would not fly well in Africa. Consider the millions of children here and around the world who are being sacrificed for the sake of a few.

Ronald Stehr is pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church.

Tags: opinion, commentary, ronald, stehr