Why do so many Christians think being gay or lesbian is a sin?

Question

You all seem to think being gay is a choice and its not. One of my moms college friends was gay, and he didnt want to be. Saying that being gay is a sin is like saying its a sin to be black. I really really dont think that God would condemn an innocent person to eternal damnation for something they couldnt control. Also, how do you know being gay is a chioce in the first place? The bible doesnt ever say that, so where did that ever come from? And the bible has been misinterpreted tons of times throughout the ages, and the part about homosexuality being a sin is very vague.

Also, if you give a really good argument for either side I will still give you the best answer.

pretty much all of the people that ansered on the anti-gay side have just completely proved me right. you all give the same exact answers. I guess you were trained not have your own opinions on the bible...

Answer 1

Homosexuality is a choice because human beings have free will. They may hate their choice but they still make it. They may have a compulsion from their hormones etc; but they must still do the act themselves voluntarily.

That being said, that choice is influenced by the fact that we have a tendancy as human beings to sin, all of us. Whether it is one sin or another we all end up the same way for it. The homosexual is no worse off than the person who tells lies (who may well argue they don't have a choice). The thief is no better off than the murderer. All of them have to stand before God and be held accountable for what they have done. And we are born into it, the Bible says we have the nature to sin from birth, we are selfish by nature and act on our selfish desires. So homosexuals, theives, liars, murderers, adulterers, idolaters, the greedy, and the unloving can all make the same claim- that something not entirely under their control is pushing at them to make the choices they made. But they still made the choices. And God, being creator, and having created humanity without the need to sin, and Jesus having lived while enduring temptation without sinning, have the right to hold us accounatble for missing the mark. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

But the story isn't over there. When Jesus died for our sins and rose again, He set us free from the power of sin, if we believe He is who He said He is and did what He said He did, and surrender to Him. Jesus said "Whoever sins is a slave to sin." (John 8:34). Jesus came to set those captive to sin free.

My challenge to you is to go read Galatians 5:13-26. Pay special attention to verses 16, 17, and 24. Even if someone has something biological in them that pushes them towards homosexuality, or any other behavior, this is no excuse because IT CAN BE OVERCOME. God has given us everything we need to overcome it through His Word and His Spirit. The Spirit overrides the selfish desires of the flesh so that we control our flesh, and it does not control us. We don't have to be slaves to our cravings!!!!

I hope this helps you! God bless you!

PS- The references to homosexuality in the Bible are not vague. Some might be, like Sodom and Gomorrah, but the ones in Leviticus and Romans are not, they are very precise and explicit.

PSS to MountainGirl- Although some things may be lost in translation sometimes, that is why we have the Bible in the original languages. I can pop out my Greek or Hebrew interlinears and check what the original said and use my lexicons to get a better undestanding of the original word. And I am hardly the only one who can/does do this. Your whisper down the lane annalogy is not accurate in this case.

Answer 2

I know where this comes from. Many Christians, myself included, were taught to take the Bible completely literally. And the Bible does say that it's a sin. So someone who believes that the Bible is the word of God, and that they should follow it's teachings will believe that homosexuality is a sin. Like someone said, we didn't decide what's a sin and what's not. We simply follow the examples in the Bible because we respect and believe what's written in it. And following their religious beliefs doesn't make anyone a bad person.

Personally, I'm torn here. I'm a Christian, and I feel like the Bible is mostly straight fact with a bit of symbolism here and there. I believe that the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, but I know a lot of great gay people, some of which are quite religious and good Christian people. I don't think God is going to deny them entrance into heaven because they were gay.

I suppose I just see it like any other forgivable sin. For example, getting drunk, smoking, and driving way too fast are also sins because they hurt or could hurt our bodies, which we are supposed to treat with respect (your body is a temple). Lying is another, but Christians and non-Christians alike do it all the time.

Answer 3

The Bible consistently tells us that homosexual activity is a sin (Genesis 19:1-13; Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9). Romans 1:26-27 teaches specifically that homosexuality is a result of denying and disobeying God. When a person continues in sin and disbelief, the Bible tells us that God “gives them over” to even more wicked and depraved sin in order to show them the futility and hopelessness of life apart from God. 1 Corinthians 6:9 proclaims that homosexual “offenders” will not inherit the kingdom of God.



God does not create a person with homosexual desires. The Bible tells us that a person becomes a homosexual because of sin (Romans 1:24-27), and ultimately because of their own choice. A person may be born with a greater susceptibility to homosexuality, just as people are born with a tendency to violence and other sins. That does not excuse the person choosing to sin by giving into their sinful desires. If a person is born with a greater susceptibility to anger / rage, does that make it right for then to give into those desires? Of course not! The same is true for homosexuality.



However, the Bible does not describe homosexuality as a “greater” sin than any other. All sin is offensive to God. Homosexuality is just one of the many things listed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that will keep a person from the kingdom of God. According to the Bible, God’s forgiveness is just as available to a homosexual as it is to an adulterer, idol worshipper, murderer, thief, etc. God also promises the strength for victory over sin, including homosexuality, to all those who will believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Answer 4

Because several times in the bible, God says that any sexual activity other than between a man and a woman within a marriage relationship is a sin.

I believe there is a possibility that homosexuality is a genetic anomaly (it would have to be an anomaly because homosexuals don't reproduce). I don't believe that everyone who calls himself/herself gay has this gene. But that isn't the question. Just as those of us who are straight are called to "keep the marriage bed undefiled" (not sleep with anyone), homosexuals are called to the same thing. Whether you are gay or straight, you still must make the choice about your lifestyle; whether you will stay sexually pure or not. The sin comes in having a physical relationship with someone outside a marriage relationship, as marriage is defined in the bible.

Answer 5

Christians believe that being gay is wrong because they believe the bible is the word of "God," and that at some point, someone(human) was able to translate the word of god and stand in a church on Sunday and tell you, in their opinion, what the last person they heard talking about the bible believed the bible was saying. It's like that game whisper down the lane...only thousands of years in progress. I think some things were lost in translation and if everyone who lives by the words of Jesus could see that he, who I do believe was trying to express that we are all children of God, but not in the way they interpret it, was an open, loving, accepting, manifestation of enlightenment, they would know that the real message he was trying to express was to love each other unconditionally. God, in my concept, is greater than anything we can fathom. God is not a "being" but a state of being...Pure Love, and acceptance. It's not a human condition. It's not for us to figure out, just let go. Be you, you are loved.

Answer 6

Most Christians base their arguments for sinfulness of homosexuality either on the Bible or some authorities interpretation of the Bible. Now in the Bible there is not sentence that implicitly states that homosexuality is a sin, but there are passages where homosexual activities are mentioned, and those who are engaged in these activities are generally punished, or some misfortune befalls them. Whether or not these passages in the Bible are to be taken literally, or it was a moral parable that the Early Church Fathers wanted to include, that is not something that most Christians care to discuss, but I believe it's rather crucial.

Answer 7

So you say being gay is a part of nature in certain people? Well that is totally in agreement with scripture. The Bible teaches we have a sinful NATURE, it is our desire and common trait to take sinful paths. We may be "born" with sinful desires, but we are all obliged to turn away from it and seek a righteous path. He doesn't matter how common or "built into" us it is to sin, we still have to fight it and be sanctified.

Answer 8

The Bible staes it is an abomination to lie with the same sex. I have saw where some people who were supposedly born gay asked God to deliver them from the desire to be this way and were set free and living a straight life.

Answer 9

Being gay is not the sin. The act of homosexuality is. God says its a sin, not Christians

Answer 10

Leviticus 18 is a really good chapter if you really want to know what is acceptable to God as far as our relationships.

Leviticus 18:22:

22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.