GENESIS 1:28: "Be fruitful and multiply"

Implications for homosexuality and same-sex marriage (SSM):
Three points of view

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Quotations:

Note:

As is our policy, we do not simply describe a single point of view about Genesis 1:28. Rather, we describe three typical beliefs: that of some conservative Christians, some liberal Christians and some religious skeptics.

Hopefully, you will see an accurate description of your own belief here. You will also see conflicting beliefs of others. You might find the latter disturbing.

A common conservative Protestant Christian viewpoint:

Historical Christianity has taught that the entire Pentateuch -- the five books from Genesis to Deuteronomy -- was written by Moses under the inspiration of God. The text is therefore inerrant -- free of error. It is the Word of God. Most conservative Christians continue to follow these beliefs.

It is important to interpret biblical passages in context. In the verse previous to Genesis 1:28, God is recorded as saying that he created Adam and Eve in his own image as "male and female."  In Genesis 1:28, having created them male and female  and thus capable of procreation. he blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply so that there would be sufficient humans on earth to subdue it.

Most Bible translations precisely copy the King James Version (KJV) of 1611 CE by rendering verse 28 as "Be fruitful and multiply." That may be because the phrase had become so popular that subsequent versions of the Bible simply duplicated the KJV text.

There is some variation in translation among various Bible versions:

The meaning is quite clear, and needs little elaboration. God created two humans of different sexes so that they could reproduce. He ordered them to have children and start to populate the world with more humans. There is obviously a limit to the number of children that Eve could give birth to. One might safely assume that God's instruction to Adam and Eve were also binding to their children, grandchildren, even down to the present generation.

The only family/marriage structure that allows procreation by the spouses is made up of one or more men and one or more women. Two women cannot procreate together. Two men cannot have children. God's intent therefore is for marriage to be limited to opposite sexes. God did not initially create one man and multiple women, or one women and multiple men, or multiple men and women. God's intent therefore was to have opposite-sex pairs of humans marry and create families consisting of one man and one woman. There is no room in God's plan for same-sex marriage (SSM). SSM should therefore not be legalized as they have been by rogue courts and legislatures in the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and the state of Massachusetts.

Some religious conservatives use the memorable phrase: "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." Although it was intended as a catchy slogan, it points to the prohibition of SSM within Genesis, and God's intent that each msn and womsn should pair off in marriage, and produce children by merging the husband's sperm with the wife's ova.

A common liberal Christian viewpoint:

Understanding biblical text today is a three step process:

In conclusion: Genesis 1:28 was derived from an earlier Pagan Babylonian document. It is a myth that does not reflect the actions of God. This passage cannot be used to argue for or against same-sex marriage. It has been contradicted by Paul in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament). The verse is not useful for guidance of Christians or Jews.

A religiously skeptical viewpoint:

Most liberal and mainline theologians and skeptics accept the Documentary Hypothesis: that the Pentateuch was written by a number of anonymous Hebrew authors who followed four different religious traditions. The Hypothesis asserts that the author of the creation story seen in the first verses of the Bible was an anonymous 6th Century BCE writer or group of writers of the priestly tradition (often referred to as "P"). "P" based his creation story on an earlier Pagan myth written by an anonymous writer in Babylon. This Babylonian creation myth is generally called by its first two words "Enuma Elish." According to archaeologists, it was originally written circa 1120 BCE. This was perhaps five centuries before Genesis was written. A surviving copy was only discovered in 1875 CE.

When comparing the Babylonian Pagan creation myth with Genesis 1:1 to 2:3, we see the same events in the same order:

The points of similarity are so many and so precise that the only reasonable explanation is that "P" copied the earlier Babylonian story, making certain substitutions -- e.g. changing polytheistic references to the "Gods" into mention of the single deity, Yahweh.

The author of the Babylonian myth clearly lived in a pre-scientific era. So did the Hebrew copyist "P." However, human sexuality was not seriously studied until the late 19th century CE. The term "homosexual" was first used by a Karoly M. Kertbeny in private correspondence in 1868. It is only in the past half century that human sexuality researchers and mental health therapists have determined that homosexuality is an unchosen, unchangeable sexual orientation that is normal and natural for a minority of adults. It doesn't make a lot of sense for 21st century humans to blindly follow an ancient creation myth created over 3100 years ago and give it the status of divine revelation.

Equal rights for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals -- including the right to marry -- are a human rights issue. In the U.S., with its tradition of separation of church and state, we cannot allow a three millennial old Pagan myth to dictate public policy.

Copyright © 2005 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2005-JAN-16
Author: B.A. Robinson.