Romans 1:26-27

Interpretation by religious liberals

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Additional interpretations of Romans 1 are listed elsewhere on this web site.

The passage refers to child sexual abuse:

Some interpret the "men...with other men" clause to be a translation of the original Greek word for "pederasty" which was commonly practiced at the time by adult males with male children (often slaves). Thus Paul might have been criticizing child sexual abuse.

The passage condemns non-procreative sex:

From Paul's era, until today, many people have believed that the only natural, normal sexual activity was between one man and one woman for the purpose of procreation. Thus "unnatural" sex would include:

Perhaps Paul's use of the phrase "para physin" (unnatural) simply meant that when the people engaged in same-sex practices, there was no procreative function to the behavior. Thus, it was unnatural.

The passage refers to dominant/submissive relationships:

Writer Richard Summerbell suggests that this passage may refer to men who are predominantly heterosexual, but who are involved in:

"... dominant/submissive relationships or casual sex with younger men or older teens...Most of the men taking up such relations are married and actively heterosexual at the same time. The male-male relationships are diversions or, when taken up by single men, substitutes for heterosexuality.  It became clear to me that surrogate heterosexuality, a type of male- male sex which in our societies is common in prisons but nowhere else (it is sometimes referred to as "prison homosexuality") can become so common in some societies that its practitioners greatly outnumber and also influence the behavior of those who are actually of a homosexual orientation." ₁

Thus, St. Paul may be writing of men involved in dominant/submissive relationships and/or of heterosexuals involved in sex with male youths. Neither has any connection to consensual, committed same-sex adult relationships.

Paul condemns homosexual behavior out of ignorance:

Some religious liberals suggest that Paul is here declaring his own opinion: that all homosexual behavior is sinful and unnatural. Many liberals study each biblical passage in detail to determine if it covers all cultures during all eras, or whether it only refers to a single culture or a single time period in history. Using this method, they have rejected many biblical teachings. For example, passages that:

Religious liberals have evolved towards a new understanding of human rights, treating both sexes and people of all sexual orientations, religions, cultures, etc. with equality. Modern-day liberal Christians are aided by recent findings of human sexuality research to which Paul did not have access. Thus, Romans 1 may accurately reflect Paul's beliefs; but they are beliefs that now have to be largely abandoned, as we have already abandoned slavery, dictatorships, theocracies, the oppression of women, religious intolerance, and many more practices found in the Bible.

A Roman Catholic view:

The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, " added footnote 18 to their 1975 declaration "Persona Humana" ₂ which includes a very different rendering of Romans 1:26-27:

"...why their women have turned from natural intercourse to unnatural practices and why their menfolk have given up natural intercourse to be consumed with passion for each other, men doing shameless things with men and getting an appropriate reward for their perversion"

Most versions of the Bible start Verse 27 with an expression like: "In the same way" (NIV, NRSV, NAS) or "in like manner" (Rhiems New Testament). or "The men also turned" (KJV). Since the men were engaging in homosexual activities, the "in the same way" phrase would imply that the women were engaging in lesbian sex.

However, the version that the Pope quoted omits the phrase. This gives a completely different slant to the entire passage. The men are still having homosexual relationships, but the women could be merely engaging in some unspecified "unnatural practices". One can speculate whether these practices were simply non-traditional, and/or non-procreative heterosexual activities such as heterosexual oral or anal sex, masturbation, sex with multiple men, sex using contraceptives, etc. They might not have been involved in same-sex practices at all. Thus, one could argue that the entire Bible may be totally silent on lesbianism.

"Pope Paul VI approved this Declaration... confirmed it and ordered its publication." ₂

References:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. Richard Summerbell, "Homosexuality and the Integrity of Scripture," at: http://members.aol.com/
2. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, "Persona Humana: Declaration on certain questions concerning sexual ethics," 1975-DEC-29, at: http://www.newadvent.org

Copyright © 1996 to 2007 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2007-APR-22
Author: B.A. Robinson