homosexuality, the bible, and right-wing bigots

I have only the highest respect for any person as a person, because with humanity comes dignity. I respect homosexuals as human beings; I have no desire to dehumanize anyone. However, I will not blindly accept words and ideas without critical thought. Within critical thought, I will use my moral core - which includes my religious beliefs - to discern right from wrong. My rights and wrongs may be different than that of mainstream society, from leftist thought or from rightist thought.

That said, homosexuality and Christianity are incompatible. I am a Christian and condoning homosexual behavior compromises my moral identity. For that matter, condoning adultery, fornication, masturbation, prostitution and pornography would be equally grievous. I condone none of the above. I came to these conclusions not through blind acceptance of what I've been told, but by asking questions and researching the subjects. I am not writing this entry to address the others because the "hot topic" at present is homosexuality and homosexual marriage. What do you expect? There's a presidential election in less than a year.

"Love not in the person his error, but the person; for the person God made, the error the person himself made" - St. Augustine

Recently, a friend and I got into an argument over homosexuality and Christianity. The person couldn't understand the difference between "loving a sinner but not the sin" and discrimination against homosexuals. Like I said previously, I disagree with adultery, fornication, masturbation, prostitution and pornography. I don't hate the adulterer, the fornicator, the masturbator, prostitute or pornographer. I just don't agree with what they do. I respect them as human beings, and the least I can do for them, based on my views, is to explain my view. They may or may not listen. They have the free will to choose whether or not to heed my advice. I cannot in good conscience condone their actions. This is one reason I can't condone same-sex marriage: it promotes erroneous behavior when viewed in light of Christianity.

I tried to explain this. People don't seem to understand the distinction between a homosexual and homosexual actions. This baffles me - but that's another subject. I just don't like being labeled a right-wing bigot when I'm neither. Being against homosexuality does not make me a brainless zombie.

"Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved." (CCC 2357).

"The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition." (CCC 2358).

Accepting someone as a person does not mean accepting or tolerating their behavior. The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that people are to be respected, but that such a lifestyle is not to be condoned. It's not a difficult distinction to make or to understand.

As far as the Bible goes...

Stop arguing that the sin of Sodom was the sin of inhospitality. These people wanted to know the angels in an intimate way; that is to say, homosexual rape. At least concede to this fact. Don't hide the fact that homosexuals can commit other crimes and sins as well. Everyone is imperfect.

Stop arguing that one of the words for homosexuals in the Bible (arsenkoite in Greek) means anything other than homosexuals. In the Septuagint, in Leviticus, the words "arsen" and "koite" are together in the phrases translated as sex with men. In one of these, they are directly together, although not in a compound word, in one of these instances as "arsen koite". It is not unreasonable to conjecture that Paul may have made a compound word out of the phrase.

Furthermore, Romans 1:26-27 are fairly explicit about this.

"For this cause God gave them up into vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet" (Romans 1:26-27).

No argument for "loving homosexual relationships" holds water when compared to sound Biblical exegesis, including in the original Greek text. Pro-gay apologists need to stop attempting to use the Bible in a wrong way.