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"God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve," Anon. |
Genesis 2:18-22:
God decided that Adam needed a "helper." Some translations use the term "companion," "helpmate" or "partner" here. God marched all of the animals past Adam, looking for a suitable helper, but none was found. So God put Adam to sleep, removed one of his ribs and created Eve from the bone. Although this implies a cloning operation, it obviously was not, because Adam, being a male, had XY sex chromosomes; Eve was a female with XX chromosomes.
Typical interpretation:
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Conservative Christians: God created Eve to be Adam's wife. He made a woman to be the companion of
Adam, a male. This indicates God's intent for humanity: that men and women are to pair
off, and form permanent, heterosexual relationships. |
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Liberal Christians: If either Adam or Eve were homosexual,
the human race would not have developed. Thus, God obviously needed to
create both Adam and Eve as heterosexuals, so that they could be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth with humans, even though that required their children to commit incest. God stated in Verse 18: "It is not good for the man to be alone" (NIV). This shows the importance that God gives to committed relationships. For a heterosexual, the only suitable companion is a person of the opposite gender. For a homosexual individual, the only suitable companion is a person of the same gender. To say that gays and lesbians should not form committed relationships is to say that it is good for people to remain alone. This is a direct contradiction of God's statement; it implies that God is a liar. More details |
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Genesis 2:23-24:
"The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh'...For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh."
Typical interpretation:
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Conservative Christians: God created Adam and Eve to be heterosexual, expecting them to be fertile and
to populate the world with humans. During the sexual act, their bodies unite, and
symbolically rejoin as "one flesh." That is God's plan: for people of opposite
genders to marry, raise children and have dominion over all the earth. Homosexual behavior is apart from God's plan, an attempt to
distort and pervert what God intended from the beginning. If gays and lesbians cannot
change (or do not wish to change) their sexual addiction, they must remain celibate in
order to fit into God's planned intent for humanity.
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Liberal Christians: The first creation story in the Bible is seen in Genesis 1:1 to 2:3. It
describes that God's stated plan was for humanity to "Be fruitful and increase in
number." (NIV, Genesis 1:28). The second creation story appears in Genesis 2:4 to
2:25. It states specifically that a man will unite with his wife. (NIV, Genesis 2:24).
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The above texts refer only to males and females. But three additional intersexual
genders exist. These are people who are neither male nor female, and thus not covered in
the simplistic view of Genesis. Dr. Fausto-Sterling of the Division of Biology and
Medicine at Brown University recognizes five biological groupings: male,
merm,
herm, ferm and female. 1 Approximately 3 to 10 million Americans are intersexual. Many
are operated upon shortly after birth to make them appear
like "normal" males or females.
- A significant portion of the population is sterile and thus cannot be fruitful and
multiply.
- Some people, for any number of reasons, remain celibate throughout life and never marry
or have children.
- Some women marry when they are beyond child-bearing age and are unable to conceive and
give birth.
- Some people carry serious genetic defects and choose to not conceive in order to avoid
creating a child who would have disastrous health problems.
- Gays or lesbians are, by definition, not attracted to members of the opposite gender,
and thus cannot form lasting opposite-sex relationships involving one man and one woman.
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The above texts refer only to males and females. But three additional intersexual
genders exist. These are people who are neither male nor female, and thus not covered in
the simplistic view of Genesis. Dr. Fausto-Sterling of the Division of Biology and
Medicine at Brown University recognizes five biological groupings: male,
merm,
herm, ferm and female. 1 Approximately 3 to 10 million Americans are intersexual. Many
are operated upon shortly after birth to make them appear
like "normal" males or females.
God's plan was for Adam and Eve to form a heterosexual relationship and have children. By implication, the plan expects the same behavior of at least some of Eve and Adam's descendants. But it would not necessarily apply to all individuals.
We are all God's children: male and female, black and white, lesbian, gay, bisexual and straight. Many of us, from all races, all genders and all sexual orientations, will want to form a committed sexual partnership with other person. Sexuality, in all its varieties, is a gift of God. It helps individuals of all sexual orientations to form partnerships with another person and become all that they are capable of becoming. The Genesis texts can thus refer only to a majority of individuals, not to everyone. It is a general plan for society, but not universally applicable to all.
Genesis 9:20-29:
This passage is rarely cited in connection with homosexuality. But there may possibly be a connection. The verses describe how Noah became intoxicated and lay naked in his tent. He had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japeth. Ham saw his father in the tent and apparently did some unspecified act, He told his two brothers. The Hebrew word for nakedness is here "ervah," which connotes a display of the genitals. Shem and Japeth then cover their father without looking at him. When Noah wakes up, he laid a verbal curse. It was not placed on Ham, the person responsible for the act. It was placed on Ham's son Canaan, and all of his descendants. He swore: "A curse upon the Canaanites...May they be the lowest of slaves."
Typical interpretation:
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Conservative Christians: Some theologians interpret this passage to mean that Ham's descendants were
cursed because Ham had observed his father naked. This would imply that nudity with a
family is forbidden behavior. Others interpret it to mean that Ham ridiculed his father's
nakedness and was being punished for his disrespect. That would be more in agreement with
Exodus 21:15 and Leviticus 20:9 which calls for a son to be punished if he curses or
shames his parent (the Hebrew word here has a dual meaning). Finally, Ham might have engaged in a sexual activity with his father. | ||||||
| Liberal Christians: The behavior of Noah seems strange, for a number of reasons:
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This passage of the Bible was widely used to condone human slavery up to the 19th century. Africans were assumed to be descendents of Ham. Thus it was a biblical mandate to enslave them and treat them as sub-human. Modern-day Christians of all persuasions can probably agree that the sin of Ham is unrelated to human slavery, that slavery is a profound evil, and that this passage remains a mystery.
Conclusions:
Various Christian groups interpret Bible passages in totally different ways, and reach mutually exclusive conclusions. For example:
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Conservative Christians: God created the institution of heterosexual
marriage as the only valid relationship for humans within which sexual activity is without
sin. Homosexual activity, even if it is done within a committed, loving,
relationship is outside of God's plan for humanity and is thus
inherently sinful. Gays and lesbians are called by God to either
change their sexual orientation or remain
celibate. |
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Liberal Christians: Sexual activity can certainly be sinful, when it is manipulative, unsafe, or not consensual. But if done within a committed heterosexual or homosexual relationship, it is not sinful. God said that it is not good for a man to be alone. Since a gay or lesbian can only develop a relationship with a person of the same gender, then it is obviously God's intention that they form such committed partnerships. |
References:
- William O. Beeman, "What Are You: Male, Merm, Herm, Ferm or Female?", available at: http://www.buddybuddy.com/beeman-1.html
- M.D. Jordan, "The Invention of Sodomy in Christian Theology," The Chicago series on Sexuality, History and Society. University of Chicago Press, (1997). Read reviews and/or order this book from Amazon.com on-line bookstore.
- Inge Anderson, "Sins of Sodom," at: http://glow.cc/isa/sodom.htm
- R.S. Truluck, "The six Bible passages used to condemn homosexuals," at: http://www.truluck.com/html/six_bible_passages.html
Copyright © 1996 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2011-SEP-20
Author: B.A. Robinson.
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