Homosexual christians? I'm confused.?

Question

How does this work? I mean, I've tried to think this through on my own.. I'm cool with homosexuals and all - love thy neighbor, hate the sin but love the sinner; all that, you know?

I honestly haven't found any anti-homosexual expressions in the Bible that can't, with very reasonable evidence, be interpreted as having nothing to do with homosexuality.

However, there is one thing I can't wrap my head around: Leviticus 18:22.
"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." or something along those lines.

I've read somewhere that this is specifically for Pagan rituals only - that a man may not perform with another man as he would with a woman, or something.

Anyway, if anyone can provide insight (whether it be against or for homosexuality), throw it out there. Just don't spam "OMG **** DIE," or "GTFO BREEDER."
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Thanks.

Answer 1

since you put so much stock in that ONE passage from Leviticus...how about putting the same amound of stock with the REST of Leviticus:

When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

Answer 2

You're going to get a lot of people's opinions on this - some with more reason than others. But what you have to think about is what your heart tells you. If you don't feel it is a choice, if it's something you fought against being, but clearly is impossible to deny, can it really be a sin? One might say it's temptation that you need to overcome, but in any other case where people mention temptation, it's knowing something is wrong and still wanting to do it. In this case, you are told it's wrong, but you don't feel it is. I am not exactly sure how to explain this, but it's not the same as wanting to steal something but knowing it's wrong and not doing it. It doesn't make sense to think about your sexual interests as right and wrong, because logically, who does it hurt? The church says God. But can they answer how in a way that isn't a circular argument? Many things in the old testament are now forgotten, especially in leviticus. People like to choose what to take from it and pin it on others. I just don't get why Christians take the gay thing as so threatening, of ALL things they find sinful. Basically, it would not be fair of God to give you an overwhelming feeling that you are attracted to women if you weren't. While someone may be "confused" about this in one instance, it doesn't make sense to recurringly like your own sex and not the opposite. My suggestion to you is to wait until you're older to come out, if you so choose. Do some research on Christian groups that don't believe being gay is a sin, and search for some logical arguments for and against it. Which one strikes true for you? Which one feels right? Living a lie will not make you happy, and I think it's pretty universally accepted that God doesn't like dishonesty. I wish you luck.

Answer 3

Well, to be honest, we know that a man is not made for a man.There's no reproduction stage. And there is the term, "You can love somebody for all the wrong reasons." Compassion plays an integral part in it too. I like the finer things in life, and well some might find it "Homosexual." or femine quality. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be with a man because I have an eye for good things no matter who says what. Maybe I got better taste than you. Maybe all you see is the rough exterior, and I can see both. I think it's a quality that even can make a woman jealous. I mean, "This?!? From a caveman?!? (Or dog...) type thing. And when you have feelings for someone, it doesn't mean "You wanna sleep with them." It just means there's a moment of clarity. Or a feeling where you both can relate in the most kindest way. Compassion. Nowadays we even take our emotions for granted.

Answer 4

Ooh... complicated question. I may not be able to give a satisfactory answer but how about this viewpoint?

God made man and woman for love and to multiply and populate the earth. In nature, homosexuality is not rampant.
If God made for you to be with a man, why would He make you a man as well if He wanted you to be blessed and multiply? Also, quite frankly, I'm sorry but biologically the "parts" don't quite fit.
Also, careful study of the Levitical law will show you that a lot of things there are actually healthier if you apply them (i.e. the food laws. Yes, it's strict. No, you won't go to hell for eating pork but it sure is healthier not to).

The thing is, on the other hand, homosexuality is a complicated issue because it is rooted deep in the human heart. If gays were honest, they'd tell you it's complicated. Anything of the human heart is. What you will find, however, is that the common factors in many are sexual abuse, lack of a proper father figure, etc, in short, it's more likely to come out of some pain or imperfection than not.
Being there once before, I can tell you it was true for me.

In the end, remember sin is not doing wrong. It's missing the mark. If in God's perfect plan, man is to be with woman, then in that vein, homosexuality and telling a white lie are on the same level.

Check this site if you want another perspective.
God bless you in your quest for truth.

Answer 5

Revelation 14:1-4 talks about "The hundred and forty and four thousand ... which were not defiled with women"
Are the 144,000 men that are "not defiled by women" homosexuals? Are only gay men to be saved?

Hey, look at all the bad stuff about women, how they have to bring animals for a burnt offering after giving birth and after their period. Women are always being cast out, beaten, ripped open, used as sex objects and as slaves. So I'd say homosexuals are a pretty big notch above women in the Bible. I can't even find where it says for sure women even go to heaven.

If homosexuality was really a sin, like childbirth, there'd be more said about it, don't you think?

Answer 6

I'm an atheist and I'm not sure if you want my point of view or not...since you quoted the bible. But just in case....most atheists believe that homosexuality has been, and will always be, a naturally occurring phenomenon on this planet. About 10% of humans are naturally homosexual. The same thing, in approximately the same proportions, occurrs in other species of animals. There is no "sin" here. It is a part of nature. There is no choice involved in being homosexual. No more than people "choose" to be heterosexual. The stigma attached to homosexuals is unjust and unfair. I'll gets some "thumbs down" for this answer because many people still believe a 2000 year old text should dictate social norms. I leave it up to you. It's another way of seeing things without having to prop up a god who imposes unrealistic "morals."

Answer 7

First, Leviticus is the law for the Levites, and it's not talking about homosexuals. Second, you need to read the original texts, which have nothing against homosexuality.

The infamous verse Leviticus 20:13, often used to condemn homosexuality, is about a married-man with another male, in the "marriage-bed" as with his wife. See the Latinized Greek for Leviticus 20:13 below: "Kai hos an koimEthE meta arsenos koitEn gunaikos, bdelugma epoiEsan amphoteroi; thanatousthwsan, enoichoi eisin." [Lev 20:13 in Greek Septuagint LXX].

The translation of the Greek term 'gunaikos' is interpreted to mean: wife. Hence, the verse actually forbids male-male adultery, pertaining only to a married man.

Similarly, for Leviticus 18:22, the wording of the original Hebrew is very different from the KJV form: "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." [Leviticus 18:22, King James Version]

However, the original Hebrew for Leviticus 18:22 reveals a different 3rd meaning: "We-et-zakar lo' tishkav mishkevey 'ishshah" [Lev 18:22 Hebrew, Latinized] ("And-with a-male NOT lie-down in beds-of a-woman") [Lev 18:22 literal translation]

So, the Hebrew Leviticus 18:22 mentions: someone + a male + a woman; hence, a forbidden 3-way.

Those 2 infamous Leviticus verses actually mention other women or wives, rather than male-male relationships, as is often the misinterpretation & mistranslation.

Answer 8

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 9

I am told time and again that Christians are not bound by the laws found in the Old Testament. Given that, why worry about what it says in Leviticus? I mean, if you're going to zero in on that example of an abomination, please don't forget that eating shellfish is an abomination as well.

As for Leviticus 18:22, it is a commandment against a certain ACTION, not homosexuality as a whole.

Answer 10

The simple fact is, sexual sins of many kinds are prohibited by both the now-expired old testament laws AND the present-day government of the new covenant universal church.

There's no reason homosexuals can't be Christian.

Anyone who commits a sexual sin, whether homo or hetero, is called to apologize to God and truly repent, in order to receive forgiveness, and avoid eternal punishment.

Homosexuals have a bigger problem, and likely commit an even more serious sin, because they seem to have the need to publicly flaunt their abominable and sinful practices, in the hope of getting others to accept them, and this seems to rule out any possibility of true repentance, making forgiveness virtually impossible.

At least many heterosexual sinners have the decency to be ashamed of their sinful behavior, and try to keep it private.

But ... "Judge not, lest ye be judged." certainly applies here ... for everyone.

Answer 11

Being a homosexual of the true sense will not keep you out of the kingdom of God and the prospect of living forever on paradise Earth. Homosexuality itself is not the crime so to speak but the acting on homosexual desires are.
If a man lies with another man (have sex) then that in Jehovah's God's eyes is a terrible sin, as it is unnatural to his purpose of sex between a man and a woman (who are under the laws of legal marriage).
But there are true Christians who are homosexual but abstain from acting on their orientation. They live chaste lives and of that which is pleasing to the God because even though through imperfection since birth they are homosexuals they recognise that God is the decider on what is good and bad and wish to follow God's counsel and be loyal to Him rather than indulge in their own fleshly desires.
Yes it is possible to be homosexal and a true and acceptable person to God. Jehovah gives ALL people the opportunity to salvation on the basis of His Son Jesus Christ's sacrifice.