The Jews also have the Mishnah and another book which name escapes me at the moment. Not having read them, I can't say what exactly the changes are. But think about it for a second: the old testament Jews weren't endlessly expanding, seeking to bring the whole world under Judaism. They were given a specific piece of land to call their own. They fought to get it. Their belief is that they are the chosen people. That means that there was no point in trying to convert others. If you were chosen, you'd figure it out and convert. In 1948, when they were given the land they now live in, they had already built a 30,000 man army, before even being a nation, simply for the purpose of protecting Jews and their interests in the region. When they became a nation again, they were attacked by a coalition of other nations, who couldn't even put together an army as big as the Jews had. They of course quickly fought off the attack and remained in their land. They've had to fight 2-3 wars since to regain land that falls under the promised land. Today, they still possess a powerful army that has been put to use numerous times to defend attacks, free captives, and defend Jewish interests in the region.
So, yeah, the stereotypical Jew like Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, etc, may not strike us as tough guy warrior types, but not all Jews were of the warrior set back in OT days. But when you look at Israel, they only exist today because of a strong warrior class. They fought to regain and keep control of their land, they don't seek to expand. They may still be living under the OT law (which I think they might be, just expanded with a whole set of extra laws detailing the minutiae of daily life), but that wouldn't lead to constant war and killing unbelievers.
The New Testament does still proclaim homosexuality to be a sin, however, unlike the whack jobs at WBC, nowhere does it say the gays are automatically hell bound, any more so at least than the man who commits adultery, steals a loaf of bread, or lusts after a beautiful woman would be. Look in your quote from Romans. It says pretty specifically that the men burning with lust for each was not the right way and they were given over to their reprobate minds to receive the recompense for their error. It's not uncommon for God to try to point out someone's sin and show them the right way, only to have them ignore him. In these cases, He tends to say, alright, figure it out on your own! Look at Pharaoh in Exodus, God sent plague after plague to convince him of His power, yet Pharaoh ignored it, and God hardened his heart.
I've said it before that every group has whack jobs. WBC is ours. Considering their choice of venues for making their stand, I almost wish we had mad bombers instead. Disrespecting our soldiers, sailors and Marines at their funerals is despicable. In the Koran there are numerous passages calling for war against the infidels, fighting the enemies of Allah, killing those who won't convert. But like I said, are those passages still relevant to the beliefs and practices of "true" Islam today? I don't necessarily mean the commonly practiced form either. Today, it's fairly common that people use the Bible to hate gays just as it's gotten fairly common to ignore the Bible on gays and say there's absolutely nothing wrong with them and allowing gays to be in leadership positions. Mysticism has become more commonplace as well, as has the whole idea that it's perfectly fine and normal to sit at home and watch "church" on TV without having to actually go anywhere or be with other believers. However, these things don't represent what the Bible says and can't be considered "true" Christianity.
eace:
