Is Homosexuality Immoral?

Given that a loving, committed, monogamous relationship between a heterosexual couple is moral. Is the same true for a loving, committed, monogamous relationship between a homosexual couple? To answer this question we need to first take these things into account: how is sexual orientation determined, how have attitudes changed on the subject of homosexuality, and why is homosexuality seen as immoral by most conservative Christians? It is my intention to use the answers to these questions to prove that homosexuality is no more immoral than heterosexuality.

Sexual orientation is not genetically or environmentally determined, but genetics and environment seem to be an influence. A study of Twins revealed that if one identical twin was gay then there was a 52% chance that the other twin was also gay, 22% for fraternal twins, and 11% for adoptive brothers (Tom Terry, 1). This numbers proves that environment and genetics must play a part in determining sexual orientation. No one knows what determines sexuality, but most experts agree that sexual orientation is set at a very early age, around 5 years-old (How is Sexuality Determined, 1). Science has still been unable to locate a "homosexuality gene", though research continues and is now focusing on the Xq28 region of the x chromosome (the x chromosome, 1). The Xq28 region consists of 4 million base pairs and contains over a hundred genes, it will be a while before a "homosexuality gene" is found.

Despite the lack of solid evidence proving where or not sexuality is innate, homosexuality seems to be a deeply ingrained trait in about two percent of the American population. Homosexuality is present in every known culture in the world, and throughout the animal kingdom. There are, in America, 22 million people who are openly and predominately gay. About 46% of men and 26% of women in the united states have had sex with a member of the same sex (Common Misconceptions and beliefs about lesbians and gays, 1).

Attitudes about homosexuality have been changing since 1969 when the Stonewall Rebellion gave the gay liberation movement worldwide recognition (Our Times, 500). In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. In 1989 Danish law was changed to permit homosexual couples to marry. On January 1, 1995 Sweden did like-wise and in march 1996 the 1750-member Central Conference of American Rabbis became the first major group of Jewish leaders to oppose government bands on same-sex marriages.

Homosexuality seems to be an innate and deeply ingrained characteristic in some people. With changing attitudes toward homosexuals world-wide and homosexuality appearing throughout the animal kingdom in animals who, like man, are God’s creation why do most conservative Christians view homosexuality as immoral?

The Bible that the conservative Christians consult for moral guidance is a translation from the original Hebrew and Greek texts and reflects the world view, beliefs, and mind sets of its translators because the bible deals with long dead customs and contains words which are not easily translated in to English. The translation when dealing with homosexuality are often not accurate to the intended meaning, example: Qadesh means a male temple prostitute who engages in ritual sex, but is often translated as sodomite or homosexual. To'ebah which means a condemned, foreign, pagan, religious, cult practice is often translated as an abomination. Similar problems occur when the word homosexuals or even sodomites, the word sodomy came from the story of Sodom, appear because such words didn’t exist when the bible was being written.

What does the bible really say about homosexuality? The first story thought to relate to homosexuality is the story of Sodom:

Genesis chapter 19

1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was
sitting in the gate of Sodom.  When Lot saw them, he rose
to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.
2 And he said, "Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into
your servant's house, and spend the night, and wash your
feet; then you may rise early and go on your way."  They
said however, "No, but we shall spend the night in the
square."
3 Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and
entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and
baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom,
surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from
every quarter;
5 and they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who
came with you tonight?  Bring them out to us that we may know
them."
6 But Lot went out to them at the door way, and shut the door
behind him,
7 and said, "Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.
8 "Now behold, I have two daughters who have not known man;
please let me bring them out to you, and do with them whatever
you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have
come under the shadow of my roof.
9 But they said, "Stand aside."  Furthermore, they said, "This
one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a
judge; now we will treat you worse than them."  So they now
pressed hard against lot and came near to break the door.
10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the
house with them, and shut the door.
11 And they struck the men at the doorway of the house with
blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied
themselves trying to find the doorway.
12 Then the men said to Lot, "Whom else have you here?  A son-in-
law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have
in the city, bring them out of this place;
13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their out cry
has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us
to destroy it." (New American Standard Bible, 15)

Many conservative Christians believed that god destroyed Sodom because the angry mob wanted to homosexually rape the angles. In the context of the story it seems more likely that the mob wished to physically harm the angles. When the story of the sin of Sodom's citizens is referred to later in the bible homosexuality is not mention as one of their sins, but greed, malice, and inhospitality are so one would come to the conclusion that the story of Sodom is not a condemnation of homosexuality, but in fact uncharitable and abusiveness to strangers.

The next passage to appear in the bible dealing with homosexuality is Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13:

Leviticus

18:22   'You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female;
it is an abomination.  (New American Standard Bible, 111)

20:13   'If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with
a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they
shall surely be put to death.  Their bloodguiltiness is upon
them.  (New American Standard Bible, 112)

These two are the most direct passages in the Bible that relate to homosexuality. Two arguments for this passage have been made: first, this passage refers only to male-male sex in a temple cult environment as the appropriate translation of abomination -- condemned, foreign, pagan, religious, cult practice -- would lead one to believe. However, the stronger argument being that this is part of the holiness code outlined in Leviticus 17:1 - 26:46 and consists of 614 ethical and ritual laws which were to be followed by the ancient Israelites. Of the 614 laws described 612 are no longer practiced and only the one thought to relate to homosexuality is widely taught. The other taught by Seventh Day Adventists is that the Sabbath is to be held on Saturday. The holiness codes also call for the execution of a child if he/she curses his/her parent:

20:9    'If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he
shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his
mother, his bloodguiltiness is upon him.  (New American
Standard Bible, 112)

All persons guilty of adultery to be killed (Leviticus, 20:10) and prohibits shaving or getting a hair cut (19:27) and tattoos (19:28). If all other rules have been abandoned then there is no reason the on dealing with homosexuality should still be considered valid in today’s society.>

Romans chapter 1

25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature rather than the
Creator, who is blessed forever.  Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading
passions; for their women exchanged the natural
function for that which is unnatural,
27 and in the same way also the men abandoned abandoned
the natural function of women and burned in their
desire toward one another, men with men committing 
indecent acts and receiving in their own persons due
penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see it fit to acknowledge God
any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to 
do things which are not proper,
29 being filled with all unrightousness, wickedness, greed,
evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice;
they are gossips,
30 slanders, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful,
inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;
32 and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those
who practice such things are worthy of death, they not
only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who
practice them. (New American Standard Bible, 1082)

Paul’s main point in the passage seems to deal with the dangers of pagan worship, of which one of the intrinsic elements was ritual sex in the temple cult environment. Unnatural is a mistranslation from the Greek phrase para physin which means "that which is beyond the ordinary and unusual" unconventional would have been a better translation. This passage refers to homosexual orgies in a temple cult environment, a common practice during Greek and Roman time, not a two person committed monogamous relationship and therefore does not apply to committed same-sex relationships.

1 Corinthians

6:9      Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived; neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,
nor homosexuals.

The word homosexual did not exist when this passage was written so we must look at the original Hebrew to find the original meaning. Malakoi - means soft it could also be translated into effeminate its multiplicity makes it very ambiguous. Malakoi arsenokoitia has been translated to homosexual, but arsenokoitia’s meaning has been lost. Some sources in the early church interpret the phrase as referring to people with soft morals i.e., unethical, that may be the correct meaning. None of the Greek homoerotic literature that has survived contains the word arsenokoitia, so it is very doubtful that homosexual is the correct translation of this word. With out knowing what the words mean one can not draw any moral guidance from this passage.

Timothy chapter 1

9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous
man, but for those that are lawless and rebellious, for
the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for
those that kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers
10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars
and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound
teaching.

Depending on the translation of the bible one reads Timothy 1:9 - 10 may or may not seem to relate to homosexuality the New International Version, a favorite among conservative Christians, doesn’t mention homosexuality most likely because the translation is that of the phrase malakoi arsenokoitia.

In the Bible their is no condemnation of homosexual relationships in a committed, monogamous relationship. Mistranslation of the Bible make for misinterpretations. With the acceptance of homosexuality world-wide, possible genetic factors influencing homosexuality, and with the Bible silent on committed homosexual relationships there is no reason to believe that homosexuality is anymore immoral than heterosexuality. As one anonymous source said, "…God created us each with a sexual orientation. To attempt to change it is in effect, telling God that he created us wrong. The creation does not have the right to ‘re-create’ itself."