It says it’s bad… Next question please!
Nah, only joking. This requires a bit of explanation.
Short Answer
Homosexuality does not mean the same thing today as it did a couple thousand years ago. Which is great!
Being in a loving same-sex relationship is absolutely fine.
In fact, the Bible doesn’t really deal in ‘just fine’. It deals in black and white right or wrong. So, if it’s not wrong, then it must be…
Longer Answer
The idea of homosexuality meaning man-on-man or two ladies together is very modern – within a couple of centuries.
Before that, being interested in same sex relations was just a thing you do. There was no straight and gay, just people. People responded to beauty. If they found it in the opposite or matching gender, it didn’t matter a jot. As it didn’t matter in the slightest, there was no word for it.
Translating Hebrew to English is tricky and it seemed that our best word to describe what was considered sinful was unfortunately ‘homosexuality’.
What the Bible is actually describing as sinful is the rape of young boys by men or the use of male slaves as sex toys by their masters, a common practise back then, which was clearly morally questionable by any standards.
The other thing to remember is that the Bible teaches that we are all created as equals – man and woman, black and white, Jew or gentile. Though it doesn’t say it explicitly, this must include gay and straight, because as we know: homosexuality isn’t a choice, it’s something you are born with.
So the truth of it all is, that the Bible never once mentions homosexuality as we now recognise its meaning – probably because there is nothing to mention.
The Bible Quotes
As there aren’t many passages at all that seem to touch on the subject, we can take a look at some individually.
Leviticus 20:13 ESV If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
That’s pretty damning… my whole reasoning is gone…
Oh! No wait. Leviticus is in the Old Testament. Christianity is based in the New Testament. Laws from the Old only hold true if they are quoted or restated. There’s a whole heap of old rules that we don’t follow any more. (Like the sin of bacon.)
If this really is a straight line about gay love, then it doesn’t hold if we don’t see it again in the New Testament.
You can also see that being gay carries the death penalty. Jesus was dead against the death penalty. This whole quote is outdated.
1 Corinthians 6:9 ESV Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
1 Timothy 1:10 ESV The sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
Mentioned already: this New Testament stuff says the word ‘homosexuality’, which does not mean what it means today.
Romans 1:26-28 ESVFor this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
This one is New Testament and does seem to describe homosexual relations without using the word that has been mistranslated.
But, in this we can see that people chose to have ‘unnatural relations’.
We all know that being gay or lesbian is not a choice. These people who are doing something unnatural to themselves are choosing to do so. It’s sexual immorality because it is losing the importance of keeping sex between loving partners. It’s like everyone went mad and had a shameless orgy.
One Last Thing
Just in case I’m wrong on this one… just in case… with that slightest possibility… probably not… but just in case…
Possibly the biggest rule of the faith is to ‘Love thy neighbour’.
Tack on ‘Judge not lest ye be judged’ and ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone’.
It’s not up to you to judge someone else for what they do and definitely not to condemn and persecute them.
Gay people can be spiritual just as anyone else so if they live good lives and aren’t hurting anyone, then leave them alone.
If being gay is a sin, it’s no worse than various other sins that heterosexual people get up to.
Jesus taught peace and love, so don’t be trying to spread hate.
