The main review sat without any response for weeks and then Larry responded and we had a little exchange on the Vulgate and Coptic, above.

I would first like to say thank you for sharing what are certainly deeply personal matters, and thank you for the compliments which you paid to me and my post.

Your personal example of "justification" does indeed seem closer to the original context of meaning than that used in modern churches. In particular, some Protestant denominations are obsessed with the concept, but to quote The Princess Bride: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means" (addressed to them, not to you).

Regarding your question about the "larger concern about reversion to paganism", many of the mystery religions did have a sacred sexual ritual as part of their rites, but I'm not aware that any of them were homosexual in nature. The idea of the "slippery slope back to paganism", though, seems to be very much the concern. The proposed antidote was a very radical notion of chastity, sobriety and rejection of all worldly possessions that people found bearable because they expected Christ to return shortly (see the end of the Gospel of John as to one of the reasons - the "beloved disciple" was supposedly going to live long enough to see the Second Coming).

As to whether you're a Christian, I can only give you my own personal opinion. I would consider you to be a Christian based on what you said. You are trying to follow the message of Jesus even though you have doubts about whether or not God exists - that pretty much sums up anyone who is being intellectually and spiritually honest with himself and calls himself a Christian. If you were to start making up affirmative beliefs that conflict with Christian doctrine (like saying God is an alien, or that Jesus preached in North America, or that poor and defenseless people should be lit on fire for fun), I would have some issues with that, but due to the fact that you are claiming an affirmative belief that is inconsistent with Christianity.