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 | Three stories of loving, same-sex relationships in the Bible involving David, Ruth and Daniel. But there is no indication that any of the three involved sexual activity. | ||||||||||||||||
| A dozen or so oft-quoted passages
about homosexual behavior in the Bible. Because conservative and liberal
Christians interpreted the Bible very
differently, they reach totally different
conclusions about their meaning:
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| One of the very few beliefs on which conservative and liberal Christians agree is that there are no definitive statements in the Bible which deal directly with same-sex marriages (aka domestic partnerships, civil unions, holy unions, etc.) |
The books in the Christian Scriptures were all written before 100 CE (according to most conservative Christians) or 150 CE (according to most liberal Christians). The concept of homosexuality as a sexual orientation that could lead to a committed, long term relationship was not developed until the late 19th century. Thus, one can not expect to find biblical references to same-sex marriage. There are no references to planes, trains or automobiles, either.
There are two sources that we can use to infer Christian perspectives on same-sex marriage:
| Bible passages which deal with principles of love, sex, and marriage. Conservative and liberal approaches are described below. They come to opposite conclusions. |
| Direct assessment of the will of God through prayer. Unfortunately, according to a pilot study of some visitors to this web site, this path does not seem to be available. |
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Topics covered in this section:
Two Christian views of same-sex marriage:
| Two negative views, by conservative Christians
(with liberal rebuttals) |
| A positive view, typical of liberal Christians
(with a conservative rebuttal) |
An alternative approach:
| Attempting to assessing the will of God on same-sex marriage |
A related essay on this web site:
| Eight types of marriages and families in the Bible... |
|
Home page > "Hot" topics > Homosexuality > Religious impact > here |
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or Home page > Christianity > Bible themes > here |
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or Home page > "Hot" topics > Homosexuality > Marriage > here |
Copyright © 2001 to 2005 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2001-JUN-7
Latest update: 2005-JAN-16
Author: B.A. Robinson
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