1. Religion and Homosexuality

2. Politics and Gay Rights Obama on gay marriage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gX8g_cA_Jg McCain on Gay Marriage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7addd1-SY8&feature=related Obama and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd31FVdv93g&feature=channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTTaM-2ID20&feature=channel

3. Christianity (mainstream US Religion) Some Christians condemn “homosexual” acts as sinful while others regard it as a natural, acceptable alternative. The debate centers on how the Bible ought to be interpreted in light of textual criticism (i.e., historical context, meaning of words, etc.), modern sensibilities and modern science.

4. Sodomy: anal or oral copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex; also: copulation with an animal (Merriam-Webster) Origin of sodomy: Middle English, from Anglo-French sodomie, from Late Latin Sodoma Sodom; from the homosexual proclivities of the men of the city in Genesis 19:1–11 First Known Use: 13th century

5. (Genesis 19) Sodom and Gomorrah King James Version: “4: But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 6: And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7: And said, I pray you, brethren, do not be so wickedly. 8: Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=KjvGene.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=19&division=div1 New International Version: “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” 6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.” www.biblegateway.com 24: Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomor'rah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25: and he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. (KJV)

6. Response to Sodom & Gomorrah http://www.whosoever.org/I2sodom.html This story does not describe consensual acts of same-sex love/desire. It tells the story of city that is set for destruction and is filled with rape and violence.

7. Leviticus 18 (International Version) 6 “‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD. 19“‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period. 20 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her. 22 “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable. KJV: 22: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23“‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. KJV: “23: Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.” 29 “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.’”

8. Leviticus 20 (International version) 9“Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head. 10“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. 11“If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. 13“‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. (KJV): 13If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal. 16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. 18 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people. 27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’”

9. Slavery (Leviticus 25:44-46) KJV: 44Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. 45Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. 46And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour. NIV: 44 “Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

10. Shelled Fish an abomination? (Leviticus 11: 9-12) God Hates Shrimp? http://www.godhatesshrimp.com/ Leviticus discussion: http://www.lionking.org/~kovu/bible/section05.html KJV: 10 : And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: 11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcasses in abomination. 12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. 9 NIV: Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. 10 But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean. 11 And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean. 12 Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.

11. Women (1 Timothy 2:9 & 11-15) KJV: 9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 11Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

12. Women-NIV 8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 11 A woman[a] should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;[b] she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women[c] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. Footnotes: 1 Timothy 2:11 Or wife; also in verse 12 1 Timothy 2:12 Or over her husband 1 Timothy 2:15 Greek she

13. Lesbians? Romans 1:26 KJV: 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature. NIV: 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

14. 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 KJV: 9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. NIV: 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men[a]10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. [1 Corinthians 6:9 The words men who have sex with men translate two Greek words that refer to the passive and active participants in homosexual acts.]

15. Intimate same-sex relationships in the biblehttp://www.whosoever.org/I2ocrt.html Ruth 1:16 and 2:10-11 describe a deeply intimate relationship between Ruth and Naomi which may or may not have had a sexual component. NIV: 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. 1 Samuel 18:1-4 and 20:41-42 and 2 Samuel 1:25-26 describe a deeply intimate relationship between David and Jonathan which may or may not have had a sexual component. 2 Samuel 1:26: I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women. Some interpretations believe that the Hebrew Scriptures condemn homosexual rape and temple prostitution, but do not disapprove of gay and lesbian relationships.

16. Homosexuality and Modern Christianityhttp://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/christianity.htm

17. Adventism The Seventh-day Adventist Church is opposed to homosexual practices and relationships on the grounds that "sexual intimacy belongs only within the marital relationship of a man and a woman." It believes the Bible consistently affirms the pattern of heteromonogamy, and all sexual relations outside the scope of spousal intimacy are contrary to God's original plan.

18. Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is divided over the issue of homosexuality. Generally the provinces of North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and southern Africa, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, hold the view that there are no grounds to condemn homosexuality as sinful in the Bible. Other provinces, such as the majority of Africa and the West Indies, as well as evangelical groups within Anglicanism, hold the view that homosexuality is a sin and believe there are biblical grounds for its condemnation. The latter have threatened schism if their counterparts continue their current practice on the subject.

19. Baptists The Southern Baptist Convention, the entity that represents the autonomous Southern Baptist Churches and the largest Protestant group in the U.S., considers homosexual behavior to be sinful. Relations outside lawful marriage are also considered deviant. The general consensus is that homosexuals can in fact choose chastity and eventually recover their heterosexual preference. Southern Baptist clergy generally do not accept or participate in same-sex unions. To this date this denomination has never appointed a minister whom they knew to be homosexual. On the other hand, there are a number of churches, particularly in the American Baptist Churches in the USA and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, that have more liberal views. The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, a small group of some 50 churches and organizations, is committed to the full inclusion of homosexuals in their churches.

20. Christian Reformed Church in North America The Christian Reformed Church (CRC) has maintained the stance since the 1970's that homosexuality is the direct result of a sinful world much like any other sin. Homosexuality should be discouraged and the Church should show compassion for homosexuals like they would for any other sinner. Further, the Church should do everything in its power to help homosexuals see "the error of their ways" and to help repair the brokeness of sin. However, homosexuals should not be denied any right granted to heterosexuals. They have the right to maintain office and be an active member in a congregation as their gifts can still be used to glorify God. The view is generally derived from the compassion Jesus showed for the sinners of his day (prostitutes and other notable sinners). As such, any homosexual who repents the sin of homosexuality is entirely forgiven.

21. Roman Catholicism The Roman Catholic Church describes the homosexual orientation as "an objective disorder" (On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, 1986). The Catechism of the Catholic Church recognizes that homosexuality is not necessarily a matter of choice, but that such persons must nevertheless refrain from homosexual acts.

22. Unitarian Universalism Unitarian Universalists do not believe homosexuality to be a sin. They ordain gay and lesbian ministers, and welcome gay people into their congregations both informally and formally. (The Unitarian Universalist Association itself has stated that it is no longer a part of Christianity, although many Unitarian Universalists claim to be Christian even though by definition they deny the Christian doctrine of the Trinity.)

23. Quakers The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) is deeply divided on this issue. The more conservative Friends United Meeting and Friends Evangelical Church considers homosexuality sinful; but other Friends, such as those in the Friends General Conference, strongly support equal rights for homosexuals.

24. Mormons The Mormon Church is firm on its position condemning homosexuality as sinful behavior. One of the tenets of Mormon doctrine is the Law of Chastity. It permits sexual relations only between a husband and wife who are legally married. Marriage is a very important part of Mormon doctrine too. In the Mormon temple a couple can be married for eternity. This is part of living worthy to inherit the kingdom of God. “The Mormon Church will not bow to popular opinion that asserts because 'they were born that way', gays and lesbians should be permitted to live a homosexual lifestyle. The Mormon Church does not accept biological determination for same-sex attraction.” http://www.whatmormonsbelieve.org/homosexuality.html

25. Judaism Traditional Judaism considers homosexual acts as a violation of Jewish law (halakha). More progressive movements of Judaism believe homosexuality today was not understood when the Bible was written so the Biblical prohibition of homosexual acts needs to be adapted. The Torah is the primary source for Jewish views on homosexuality. It states that: "[A man] shall not lie with another man as [he would] with a woman, it is a to'eva" (Leviticus 18:22). The term to'eva is usually translated as "abomination". However, because the word is used twice in regards to homosexuality, its second use has been understood by the Talmud to be a contraction of the words to'ehhuva, meaning "He is deviating from what is natural." (literally "He is wandering with it [from the natural way of the world]" since the Hebrew word to'e means "He is wandering", va "with it") According to the rabbis, the prohibition is a part of the Noachide Laws, and thus applies to Gentiles as well as Jews. In both, very little is said about female homosexuality (known as mesoleloth).

26. Santeria Homosexuality is acceptable and homosexuals are allowed to participate and be leaders in all religious activities.

27. Online Sources http://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/index.htm