Christianity and homosexuality

Whether homosexuality is a sin has become a topic of hot theological debate among Christians in the half century since World War II. Many liberal Christians are moving towards a view that no longer considers homosexuality to be a sin, while many others retain the traditional Christian view, which holds that homosexuality is a grave sin. Among protestants, this traditional view is generally strongest in the US, while American Catholics are typically more liberal than Catholics elsewhere.

Prior to the twentieth century, most Christian teaching has held that homosexual behavior is a sin, based on such Biblical passages as Leviticus 18:22 ("You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination."). Leviticus also condemns many other things that modern Christians do, including eating shellfish, wearing fabrics made from two different fibers (e.g., wool/cotton blends), and planting two crops in a single field. These prohibitions are no longer considered to apply because (...). However, (some? most? all?) Christians consider the Levitical condemnation of homosexuality to remain in force because (...).

Romans chapter 1, and the Ten Commandments prohibition on adultery, and other verses have traditionally been understood to prohibit any sexual activity that is not between husband and wife (see Fornication).

The Christian theological arguments against homosexual acts rest chiefly on the specific verses held to prohibit the act, as well as the general restriction of all sexual activity to that between husband and wife.

Many traditionalists view homosexual behavior as a freely made choice, and believe that it is possible and desirable to transition to heterosexuality. This view is strongly rejected by most psychologists.

Liberal Christian theologians who do not believe homosexuality to be a sin argue that the traditionalists have misinterpreted the pertinent Bible passages or quoted them selectively. For example, they consider the original Hebrew in Leviticus to be ambiguous as to whether "male" means adult man or boy. The fact that Leviticus prohibits several activities that are nowadays accepted, such as shaving, is also sometimes presented as a counter-argument. Similar critiques are made of other verses.

Rather than interpreting the term "adultery" in the Ten Commandments to mean any sex outside of marriage, they interpret it to mean sex with somebody else's spouse, which then makes it irrelevant to sex between unmarried persons, including sex between unmarried homosexuals.

Modernists generally argue that homosexual desires are present in a person at birth (a position for which scientific research has provided mixed evidence) or in early childhood. They further argue that to deny people the right to express romantic love with another human being in the manner that God endowed them with is not an act of compassionate love. Many theologically liberal Christians agree and believe that God wishes the person to fulfill these inborn desires.

Positions of specific churches

The Roman Catholic Church considers homosexual behavior a sin, but has clearly stated that homosexual desire itself is not.

The Episcopalian bishop John Spong, has argued extensively in favor of the view that homosexual behavior is not a sin, in disagreement with much of the Anglican Communion, both domestically and abroad. Some bishops have openly disregarded the viewpoints of church leaders, ordaining homosexual rectors within their diocese, causing debate within the church.

The Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints considers homosexual behavior to be sinful, as are any sexual relations outside a lawful marriage. Homosexual desire itself (if not acted upon) is not viewed as sinful and is sometimes referred to as same-sex attraction (SSA) rather than homosexuality. The church has actively opposed efforts to legalize same-sex marriage, although it has not taken any formal position on other political matters affecting legal rights for gays.

The United Methodist Church officially considers "the practice of homosexuality (to be) incompatible with Christian teaching" and states that "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" cannot be ordained as ministers. However, some local congregations have defied the church leadership on this issue and are fighting the policy in church courts. Politically, the church has supported civil rights for gays, although it is unclear whether that support extends to same-sex marriage.

The Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest U.S. Presbyterian body, is sharply divided over the issue of homosexuality. Although gays are welcome to become members of the church, denominational policy prohibits noncelibate homosexuals (or unmarried people who are sexually active) from serving as ministers or on key church boards. After rancorous debate, that policy was upheld in a vote of presbyteries in 2002. It is uncertain how those on the losing side will react; some observers believe that congregations could break away from the denomination over that issue.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church condemns homosexual relations as "obvious perversions of God's original plan."

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.

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