| About this site |
| About us |
| Our beliefs |
| Your first visit? |
| Contact us |
| External links |
| Good books |
| Visitor essays |
| Our forum |
| New essays |
| Other site features |
| Buy a CD |
| Vital notes |
| Spiritual/ethics |
| Spirituality |
| Morality/ethics |
| Absolute truth |
| Peace/conflict |
| Attaining peace |
| Religious tolerance |
| Religious hatred |
| Religious conflict |
| Religious violence |
| Laws and news |
| Religious laws |
| Religious news |
|
|
 | Celibacy: The Bible generally promotes celibacy, for the minority of humans who can experience a complete, fulfilled life without sex. |
| Sexually active singles: The Hebrew Scriptures contains very severe penalties, including burning alive and stoning and for sexually active single women. Some passages in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures condemn sexual behavior by both single men and single women. |
| Committed relationships are strongly supported throughout the Bible, from the Song of Solomon to Paul's epistles. Although not specifically mentioned in the Bible, same-sex permanent relationships would seem to be as beneficial and holy for a gay couple as they are to a heterosexual couple. It benefits society as well, in terms of lessened promiscuity and greater social stability. As of mid-2001, only gays and lesbians who are residents of the Netherlands can actually marry. Americans and Canadians can only register a civil union in Vermont, U.S. or as a domestic partnership in Nova Scotia, Canada. This situation is bound to change in the future. |
A religious liberal might thus conclude that gays and lesbians are called by God to either remain celibate or to enter into committed, loving, supported relationships -- exactly the same lifestyles as God expects of heterosexuals.
Critique of the above liberal analysis:
A conservative Christian might make the following points in rebuttal:
|
Re: "What the Bible says..." The Bible is a complete document. It is a full guide to all aspects of life. We must follow what it says about homosexual behavior. |
|
All of the twelve or so biblical passages about homosexual behavior are negative. One even calls for the death penalty for homosexual offenders. One says that homosexuals cannot go to heaven. The passages about Sodom in Genesis clearly refer to sodomy; that is how we got the term. Leviticus clearly refers to all forms of gay and lesbian behavior. The condemnations of Romans and 1 Corinthians clearly refer to homosexual behavior. |
|
Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible; the Bible itself says so repeatedly. |
|
God created the institution of heterosexual marriage in Genesis 2. The concept of homosexual marriage is nowhere mentioned in the Bible. |
|
There is no biblical passage in which God directly states his approval of any of the other seven forms of marriage. |
|
Celibacy, or conversion to heterosexuality are the only moral choices for homosexuals. |
|
If homosexual behavior is sufficient to call for the death penalty and to prevent a person from going to Heaven, then it is inconceivable that God would approve of same-sex marriage. |
Copyright © 2002 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2001-JUL-1
Latest update: 2002-MAY-4
Author: B.A. Robinson
|
|
|
Page Translator: