God condemns homosexuality

page type::article thing type::claim



About
It is often claimed, especially by religious extremists, that God condemns homosexuality.

Conclusions
In order to establish that God actually does condemn homosexuality and that we, as humans, should similarly condemn it, there are a number of hurdles to overcome and missing pieces of information to fill in; see /counterpoints.

Even examining the question purely within a scriptural framework, it is far from clear that God views homosexuality with disfavor.

It does seem clear, from both of these points, that those who claim that God unequivocally condemns homosexuality are either engaging in fearmongery or have themselves been deceived by such.

Christianity
Christians who oppose homosexuality usually support this argument with various passages in the Bible:
 * Leviticus:
 * Leviticus 18:22: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." All of Leviticus 18 seems to concern laws regarding sexual relationships.
 * Leviticus 20:13: "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
 * Neither of these quotes say anything regarding lesbianism, however.
 * I have been told, however, that the Levitican laws are not to be taken as current law as they are "unfulfilled". Obviously not everyone agrees with that... --Woozle 16:08, 15 April 2007 (EDT)
 * 1 Corinthians 6:9,10: "...Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men... will inherit God's kingdom."
 * Romans 1:26 - For this reason, God delivered them to degrading passions as their females exchanged their natural sexual function for one that is unnatural. This can arguably be interpreted as condemning lesbianism, in much the same way that a cloud can be interpreted as a bunny-rabbit. To me, it sounds more like a condemnation of artificial insemination or uterine replicators (which, as of this writing, have not yet been developed -- but presumably God knew we would get around to it eventually, and wanted to make sure that we knew well in advance that it was wicked). Either way, it doesn't explain what the problem is; the equivalence of "unnatural=bad" is assumed, and opens up the question of whether the many other unnatural things we do (e.g. modern health care, driving cars, wearing clothes) are also bad (and if so, why aren't they condemned as well?).
 * Westboro Baptist Church quotes "Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have in them that do them." apparently as justification for killing homosexuals, presumably in reference to verse 27: "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet."

Islam
Islam is particularly harsh against homosexuality, which carries the death penalty under Islamic law.

It is ironic that the religious right is so harsh on Islam, which shares their views on homosexuality much more than do other varieties of Christianity.

Counterpoints

 * rational
 * doctrinal

Reference

 * Wikipedia: The Bible and homosexuality
 * information on homosexuality and the Bible