When will religion get it right when it comes to homosexuality?

Question

Why are so many church leaders (not to mention Orthodox Jewish and Muslim leaders) persisting in their view that homosexuality is wrong despite a growing stream of scientific evidence that is likely to become a torrent in the coming years? The answer is found in Leviticus 18. "You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination."


As a former "the Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it" kind of guy, I am sympathetic with any Christian who accepts the Bible at face value. But here's the catch. Leviticus is filled with laws imposing the death penalty for everything from eating catfish to sassing your parents. If you accept one as the absolute, unequivocal word of God, you must accept them all.

An article on Yahoo that makes sense:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20061120/cm_usatoday/whenreligionlosesitscredibility

Some really good answers both coming from the religious point of view, as well as a 'scientific rationale'. I suggest everyone read the article, as it not only talk about homosexuality, but other moral questions that religions tackle.

The article, and the subsequent book, is written by a Baptist Minister.

Turning to the New Testament, the writings of the Apostle Paul at first lend credence to the notion that homosexuality is a sin, until you consider that Paul most likely is referring to the Roman practice of pederasty, a form of pedophilia common in the ancient world. Successful older men often took boys into their homes as concubines, lovers or sexual slaves. Today, such sexual exploitation of minors is no longer tolerated. The point is that the sort of long-term, committed, same-sex relationships that are being debated today are not addressed in the New Testament. It distorts the biblical witness to apply verses written in one historical context (i.e. sexual exploitation of children) to contemporary situations between two monogamous partners of the same sex. Sexual promiscuity is condemned by the Bible whether it's between gays or straights. Sexual fidelity is not.

For those who have lingering doubts, dust off your Bibles and take a few hours to reacquaint yourself with the teachings of Jesus. You won't find a single reference to homosexuality. There are teachings on money, lust, revenge, divorce, fasting and a thousand other subjects, but there is nothing on homosexuality. Strange, don't you think, if being gay were such a moral threat?


On the other hand, Jesus spent a lot of time talking about how we should treat others. First, he made clear it is not our role to judge. It is God's. ("Judge not lest you be judged." Matthew 7:1) And, second, he commanded us to love other people as we love ourselves.

So, I ask you. Would you want to be discriminated against? Would you want to lose your job, housing or benefits because of something over which you had no control? Better yet, would you like it if society told you that you couldn't visit your lifelong partner in the hospital or file a claim on his behalf if he were murdered?

Answer 1

I can't understand how some folks who claim to be Christians believe that the religion consists of doing the opposite of what Jesus said to do. For example:

Don't judge others

In all things, do to others as you would have them do to you

Love your neighbor as you love yourself

These things seem a lot more straight forward than quoting bits of the laws for the Levites out of context. The gospels don't quote Jesus as saying anything about homosexuality, but there is a verse that should be read to every gay person because it sure seems to apply. In Matthew ch 5, Jesus said

Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manor of evil against you falsely in my name. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. They persecuted the prophets in the very same way.

Answer 2

And what if you do accept everything in the Bible as the unequivocal word of G-d?
Except that when you consider it, that not everything is applicable at every given time.
So, to take your example, the death penalty in the Bible has very specific requirements. One of the requirements (among many) is that the temple in Jerusalem must be standing in order for capital punishment to be rendered. Since this hasn't been the case in almost 2000 years, the discussion is academic.
Also, for the record, as a religious Jew, no, I do not eat catfish but that is not a capital offense in the Bible. (And also for the record, the Bible was given to the Jews and thus the laws of kosher only apply to Jews. Thus, Christians are allowed to eat catfish.)
I think one of the keys to the discussion is the realization that the Bible does not say anything about homosexuals. In fact, there is no such identity at all in the Bible. Rather, it discusses homosexual behaviour. And as is the case, one of the one things that remain constant through the millenia rgardless of society, technological advances, or scientific discovery is human nature.

Answer 3

There are seven recognized sexual orientations:

Attraction to the Opposite Sex;
Attraction to the Same Sex;
Attraction to Both Sexes;
Attraction to Animals;
Attraction to the Dead;
Attraction to young Children; and
No sexual attraction at all.

The designation of the attraction to children was established in the same manner as that for homosexuals in the 70s, through a vote by the American Psychological Assoc. The APA voted on the change at their San Diego conference in 2000.

So, the question is, if one non-heterosexual orientation deserves equal rights, why not all the others? If not, does this mean that homosexuals are as bias as heterosexuals? Also, who decides what sexual orientations deserve equal rights and which don't? If homosexuals cannot modify their behavior, than how do we expect the others to?

I'm not for blanket equal rights for all sexual orientations, but the question does need to be asked for the day may come when it will be asked.

Answer 4

Accept Romans 1:18-28 or 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 at "face value"... These are not part of the mosaic law. The so called scientific proof is pretty lame.

How about if I told you that I have a genetic weakness involving alchohol??? (Science has proven that some people have that genetic weakness) Would it be OK with everyone if I drive my car while I am drunk and under the influence of alchohol???? I have a genetic intolerance to alchohol so I guess it is OK?.....It simply is not ok.

The Homosexual must resist his desires like anyone else when those desires conflict with God's Word.

It is no different than pedofelia, or incest, or having sex with your girlfriend when you are not yet married to her.....it is all "Porniea" (the greek word for fornication) to the Creator.

It is going to be best for individuals to start thinking like God, not like men.

Answer 5

While that's true about Leviticus, that is NOT the only reference to homosexuality in the Bible. It's also mentioned several times in the New Testament.
Homosexuality in itself is not a sin. However, ACTING on it is a sin, according to the Bible.
I don't make the rules, I just tell the truth.

Answer 6

Scientology might go with it, but true religions never will. Sorry, but its true. Just because homosexuality is no longer closeted, doesn't mean its suddenly acceptable in religion. Christians are to refrain from sin, not openly admit it and continue to practice said sin, regardless of what that sin is. If I'm a kleptomaniac, it doesn't make being a thief acceptable. If I want salvation, I can't just try to change the bible or change religious values to say its okay to be a thief because its a mental disorder I have, I'd have to stop stealing. Sorry, but that's it. We can't change what is sin and what isn't, we don't make those rules, God does. It isn't convenient, and it isn't easy, but that's life. We all sin, but the trick to salvation is to try to not sin, not to try to change the rules so we'll fit within that religions standards. Religion is not a democracy. Luckily, none of us are Christ, we're not the judge of anyone, or of any sin, but on the other hand, none of us has to right to try to change His laws. As a christian, I'm not under the Levitican laws as to the dietary specifications, which I'm very glad of since I love crab legs, but I do have to pay attention to that pesky "go and sin nor more" thing, meaning He'll forgive me, but I gotta quit doing it.

Answer 7

Utlimately it opens a pandora's box.

A lot of it depends on how liberal you are and a majority of Christians are liberals, while Muslims are vastly more orthodox.

Open the door and you let a realm of possibilities you don't want to address occur.

For example, the NEXT group on the list will be the FORNICATORS who will want to know why the Christians franchised the Homosexuals but not the sexually active Heteros.

The fear it, Christianity will start looking like Paganism and Satanism.

Unforunately it already does to me when people get married in a Church have a baby six months later.

When people use no fault divorce to end a Christian marriage that has no adultery.

The Bible has no direct quotation about sexual orientation.

In fact God's laws regarding sex are limited to the concept of Adultery, which can be broadly defined as adulteration which goes beyond the meaning of cheating on a spouse.

God never said thou shalt not fornicate

God never said thou shalt not be homosexual

The Bibles examples and delinations center around SEX ACTS and ALL of them outside of marriage are wrong.

For Christians to sanctify homosexual marriages is for them to sanctify homosexual acts.

The Bible says those acts are wrong.

The furthests a reasonable Christian can go is acceptinig a person on face value and not sticking their noses into the bedrooms, which they basically do for Heterosexuals.

Does Christianity allow, for example, oral sex between married people. Is that an ACCEPTABLE pratise to God and Jesus. If any Christian is found to do this, should they be "excommunicated" or outted from the flock!

The extremist Christians do just they. They make it clear that, for example, only the Missionary Position is acceptable to the Church, Jesus and God. Anything else, even in marriage, is wrong.

More liberal Christians take the DON'T ASK and DON'T SAY approach.

Those are the Christians who are already accepting Homosexuals.

These Christians say, GOD WILL JUDGE and each member of the flock has to accept that THEY MAY NOT BE IN THE BOOK OF LIFE because of what they have done, even though they go to Church every sunday!

Christians don't just pick on homosexuals, they pick on all sexuals. The Bible clear defines this. In fact, a Good Christian, according to Paul's interpretation, is not even supposed to keep the company of unmarried people who engage in sex outside of marriage. It is a SIN just to sit and have coffee with them, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians.

Jesus said you have to LOVE your enemy the most.

Jesus, however, didn't say you had to LIKE them.

A Christian fullfills the bill by letting a Muslim or Atheist or Homosexual whose house has burned to the ground sleep in their garage or front room, but the Christian doesn't have to say a word to them or give them the time of day. The guesture of love and compassion satisifes things. If they don't like them, they would be lying to themselves by faining to like them.

They also can't hate them, because that goes against love.

They can dislike them, but they can't diss them.

One way to view things is cigarette smoking. A lot of people are now opposed to it and you can't light up in restaraunts, planes, you NEVER could do it in buses and you can't do it in peoples houses if they ask you not to.

They don't hate smokers, they dislike the concept of smoking.

Those who HATE smokers are scarey people and May God have Mercy on those of them who DRIVE CARS on the day GOVERNMENT makes the CAR out to be as bad as a cigarette and that day is coming!

These people get into their cars, dump -- literally -- a ton of smoke into the air, open their windows and point at cigarette smokers and say "EVIL!"

That is the mentality of the average person.

Answer 8

I accept the Old Testament is true. I also accept that in the New Testament that Jesus died for all sins. All sins are forgiven except one. That one sin has nothing to do with homosexuality. Yet, homosexuality is still a sin. It is equal to all the other sins. Yet I hear people use God's name in vain often and they are Christians. I see Christians smoke all the time. This judging is not up to us mere mortals. This is up to God. As far as I can see if you accept Christ all your sins are forgiven. God Bless.

Answer 9

You just want to justify your abnormal choice for a sexual partner. You want to bend the rules to your favor.
If you can defy the law of gravity or maybe turn Niagara Falls upstream, then do your thing.
The law is the law. And ignorance of the law is no excuse. But for this matter you are not ignorant of the law nor the laws of nature. Any warped thing you want to do, you are liable when the time comes..

Answer 10

Many religions leaders feel it is sin against God to be gay, but in God eyes a sin is a sin. SO if you kill, steal or lie it's all the same in God eyes if you were gay. I personally don't understand why people can't leave them alone and let the God judge them, it's not my place or anyone else.