Religion and Homosexuality
I think about these subjects every time I see a post or op-ed from a homosexual that praises god. I have been in numerous confrontations with religious people on this subject and while the bible is very clear on its stance on anything other than straight (Man and Woman) sex. As a straight person myself, I just find it terribly hard to take a Gay Christian seriously. If I am wrong, please help me understand. If you are gay and a christian why do you find that being a christian is “right”.
One of my most recent confrontations was with someone in the Church of Christ and someone I know personally. We’ve never had any discussions about religion in person, but we’ve had a number of discussions online. She had posted the Leviticus 18:22 verse about man shall not lie with another man…. Let’s get into some definitions before we get started with this part. The definition of “Church of Christ” taken from the wiki page is:
- One of several New Testament designations for local group of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ; the term is plural, only the plural form is found in the Bible (e.g., Romans 16:16)
Why someone from a New Testament church is posting something from the Old Testament to back up her hatred of non-straight people is really the foundation of ignorance. This woman bounds on the opportunity of her hate to oppress people with an Old Testament scripture while holding true to her New Testament vows. I find this interesting. So, I posted something about mixed fabrics and shellfish. Can you guess what her reply was? No answer from her, but a friend of hers responded with the 1 Romans text. Ok, fine. Also you have to remember that the Church of Christ does NOT use the NIV bible. The only bible that is accepted in the Church of Christ is the King James Version. Any other version is considered heresy within the ranks. If you want to refute this argument, fine but you will have to be correct in your assumptions as I find it hard to believe otherwise.
Well, another response is “How are babies created if homosexuals are allowed to have sex?” I don’t know if these people checked the World’s Population meter lately but we are pushing maximum density here. 7.2 billion people and by 2025 it’s projected to be at a staggering 10 billion. Yes, Procreation is part of sex… or is it? Well, why does Sex feel good? Why do people have sex all the time and not make babies? Birth Control maybe? This is a reason that birth control is frowned upon, esp. in the Church of Christ areas. If a woman/girl is taking birth control, she is looked down upon as a harlot because she is controlling her body to not have babies and to have sex willy-nilly with anyone she chooses so as not to bear children. How dare a woman take control of her body and whore around like that! Also what I find amusing is that although this same person shunned another’s family for unwed pregnancy, turns out her granddaughter was pregnant before marriage too! But it’s ok because her God will cover those sins and how dare you shun her granddaughter. My how the tables turn when it happens to you. Anyways, back to the discussion.
I brought up how we can now genetically engineer cancer out of our children if they have that sort of defect. I asked her if she had to choose between curing her child with something that her religion specifically states is wrong or not, what would she choose? She goes on to say that she has had a child die as if this makes it all better! Also, by saying that genetic modification is not a guarantee of life and still diverting from my original question. Every question I threw at her she dodged it with wit, sarcasm and ignorance. It seems all three are the ways she uses to compensate for her willful ignorance.
She believes that being gay is a personal choice, like accepting Jesus as your savior a personal choice. Never mind the numerous science behind it, being gay is not a choice. I myself am straight, I don’t just choose to sleep with a man and say “been there, done that”. No, it doesn’t work that way. I’m sorry, a Gay person doesn’t wake up in the morning and say “I think I will have sex with a woman today”, no they are mentally geared for the same-sex.
Then, as the discussion is wrapping up, one of her friends is saying why she is having a debate with someone obviously not christ-centered. I have to LOL really hard on this one because this is a prime excuse to bow out of any debate, regardless of if they are wrong or not. In my discussion, I wasn’t being hateful but I was just trying to get her to affirm her stance that if she posts an old testament law, that she herself is subjected to the other levitical laws as well, which is obviously not true. LOL. Anyways, she totally did not get the point of the exercise and if she wants to affirm her position, she must instead post New Testament scripture to back up her hatred of Gay people. That’s harder to do, because in the New Testament, they don’t point out “Homosexuality” in clear text but instead they opt for a more rounded approach and lump it into two words, “Sexual Immorality”.
Merriam-Webster dictionary does not have the proper definition of “Sexual Immorality” listed which I find rather odd. I’m not able to find a clear definition of what entails sexual immorality, however in the original texts of the New Testament, the word ‘Porneia’ is used and the translation to English is ‘Sexual Immorality’ so let’s take a look at ‘Porneia’.
The Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament reveals that ‘Porneia’ is “prostitution, unchastity, fornication,” and is used “of every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse” (BAGD s.v.). . . . Since in Rom. 1:26f. Paul clearly alludes to homosexuality as sexual immorality, PORNEAI can also refer to homosexuality as sexual immorality . . .
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament states that it has a broad meaning and includes “adultery, fornication, licentiousness, and homosexuality.” Harper’s Bible Dictionary states that PORNEIA also includes “beastiality”.
From these two, we can surmise that Gay Marriage, according to the New Testament, is a sin. However it is a sin that can be repented upon if you wish to ‘straight’en up from this day forward. So with all of this in mind, What do you think, with all the evidence in front of you? Do you still feel that aligning yourself as a Christian and being Gay is O.K. with Jesus? I’d like to hear from you on why you Choose Jesus and are Gay as well.
2 Replies to “Religion and Homosexuality”
I’m no Christian, but I used to be. I studied my bible and found it to be little more than fairy tales and folklore intended to incite fear and used to control the masses. It is pure propaganda, IMHO. That said, it seems to me that the people who are the least Christ-like, such as your friend and her friend, are the ones who proclaim to be the most Christ-centered. Jesus never said one single word about homosexuality. If Christians want to live a Christ-centered life, they should embrace homosexuals, prostitutes, thieves, the sick, and the poor. They should be the exact opposite of what your friend and her friend demonstrated in their discussion with you about Christianity and homosexuality. Personally, I think that if there is a so called war on Christianity, it is the very people who proclaim to be Christians who are launching the attack. I know you wanted to hear from Christians who are gay, and honestly, so do I, so I’ll step back now and await some enlightening comments to help me understand how there can be such vast differences between schools of thought and philosophy within Christianity.
I enjoyed reading this because it touched on something that I have often wondered about myself. I, personally, have trouble understanding the concept behind “gay Christian”; however, I believe in love. To me, “God” IS love. Unfortunately, the bible was “inspired by God”; but, it was “written by man (and woman, depends on what you ‘believe’)”. I don’t think the ideals are meant to be handled by “sin now, forgive later”; therefore, in order for a “Christian” to be gay… well, the person in question needs to make a decision. I think Marcus Aurelius said it best when he said, “Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”