Actually...
Now you're muddling the issue. Where's LGBT there?
First you make an LGBT thread and freely mention the bible when it suits you. When I counter your biblical arguments, you make this LGBT-religion thread and tell us to move all LBGT biblical arguments here.
Then when I counter your biblical arguments on this thread, you shift to secular arguments. Now that you're back to the bible, you now shift from LGBT issues to opposite-sex issues of polygamy, concubinage, etc.
Why don't you just explain how you jumped to the conclusion that the centurion and his male servant had a sexual relationship simply because the centurion wanted a "highly valued" servant saved from death.
P.S. I haven't pointed this out but I find it amusing barrister thinks *his* interpretation of the Bible is more accurate. There are lots of interpretations of the Bible, a book that's thousands of years old and translated hundreds of times.
In other words, this is what you're saying ---- The bible has many interpretations and translations; therefore, my interpretation of the bible is wrong.
That's an illogical non-sequitur.
That depends on your interpretation of the relationship between David & Jonathan and Ruth & Naomi.
Six reasons why the Bible is not anti-gay.
David and Jonathan had a deep friendship, but there is no evidence that their relationship was sexual.
After Jonathan's death, David said this about him:
25 How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. 26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. Jonathan’s love was selfless and heroic, but not sexual. Even though he was in line to be the next king of Israel, he recognized that David would step into that role. Jonathan laid down his rights so his friend could be promoted. He opposed his father's selfish ambition and instead affirmed that David should be the true king.
David’s comment that his friend’s love was "more wonderful than the love of women" was not a comparison of sexual prowess; he was referring to the greatness of his sacrifice for a friend.
Ruth and Naomi had a strong family relationship, because Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi.
Naomi lost her husband, and later her two sons. Ruth and Orpah were Naomi's daughters-in-law and they also lost their husbands, who were Naomi's sons. Since women during that time found it difficult to earn a living, and all of them were widows, they needed each other's support for survival.
Naomi told Ruth and Orpah to travel to Bethlehem to find work and to leave her in Moab. But Ruth refused to leave Naomi to starve, and held on to Naomi ("claved") while urging her to come along.
This simple act of "cleaving" in an emotional, non-sexual moment is deliberately misinterpreted to be the same as the marital sexual intercourse between Adam and Eve to promote the gay agenda.
The Hebrew word for cleave is "dâbaq" (to cling), used many times in the Old Testment primarily as a non-sexual verb: Deut. 10:20, 11:22, 13:4, 13:17, 28:21, 28:60, 30:20; Jos. 22:5, 23:8; 2 Sam. 20:2, 23:10; 2 Kings 3:3, 5:27, 18:6; Job 19:20, 29:10, 31:7, 38:38; Ps. 22:15, 44:25, 101:3, 102.5, 119:25, 137:6; Jer. 13:11; Lam. 4:4, and Ezek. 3:26.
In fact, dâbaq is often used in the Bible to refer to a tongue that is "stuck" or "cleaved" to the roof of someone's mouth, as in the expression "to hold your tongue," and it is also used as a command for Israelites to "cleave" with the Lord or "unite" with the Lord.
In 1 Chronicles 10:2, the word dâbaq is used to mean "to follow closely" or "to pursue closely" ---
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistines followed hard (dâbaq, Strong's No. 1692
) after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. Here, dâbaq means the Philistines were pursing Saul in battle. It definitely does not mean that the Philistines had a marital sexual relationship with Saul during a war battle.
Proof that it is not correct to assume that the word can only be used with a sexual meaning.