The scriptures

The point of my first post, at least for Quakers is that we have in fact subjected clear and specific instructions in scripture to examination in the Spirit of the message of Christ and other scripture references which have some bearing on the question and concluded that those specific instructions should not apply, whether because we believe that they must have been instructions specific to a particular situation in Corinth at the time or for some other reason.  This is consistent with long held Quaker practice of giving the Spirit the same priority that scripture itself does (i.e. John 14:16-17 "16"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.") and with the emphasis in NWYM Faith and Practice that the authority of scripture is "as interpreted by the Spirit."

The question then is how that concept may be appropriate to our examination of scripture in regard to homosexuality.  The scriptures that to my knowledge speak specifically about same-sex actions are:
Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13, 1 Cor 6:9-11, Rom 1:26-27, 1 Tim 1:10 and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen 19.  An examination of the context of all of the references, with the possible exception of Lev 20:13* will show that the condemnation is in regard to profligate or anti-social behavior in general, so the question may be asked as to the intent of the passages: whether they are about the actual acts in themselves or about the nature of the contact in terms of exploitation as opposed to relationship.


*The reference is in a lng list os specific prohibitions which is followed by the note: "‘Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I will drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them" makes me wonder if it is not about religious observations or customs.