Homosexuality in the Bible

Most dialogue on homosexuality misses several important points:

The Bible says nothing against men loving men or women loving women. One MIGHT be able to make a case that certain texts disapprove of anal intercourse (at least in Old Testament times) but not all gays practice this and seemingly few lesbians [do so].

Cases of men loving men are common in the Bible; the [most] obvious example [is] of Jonathan who, on meeting David, was "knit to the soul of David and loved him as his own soul" (1 Sam 18:3), and whom David loved and said "your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women" (2 Sam 1:26). Moreover Jesus himself especially loved and had an intimate relationship with the disciple John (who is simply call the disciple whom he loved--didn't he love them all?). In fact, when they ate, John used to recline in Jesus' lap (John 13.23). Jesus would get kicked out of most Churches today if he behaved in this way!

Men kissing and sleeping together is also mentioned. The Bible says nothing negative or positive regarding oral sex (homosexual or heterosexual), with the possible exception of the Song of Songs, where it is celebrated. The Bible also says nothing against men forming intimate bonds or lifelong unions with each other.

The thing I find amazing about this whole discussion is that this whole issue gets very little air time in the Bible, yet it's one of the major platforms of the fundamentalist movement. Jesus never mentions the issue in any of his preaching and neither Paul nor Peter ever point it out as being a sin in their public preaching (even in Athens, where erotic same-sex relations were celebrated, though anal intercourse was considered wrong between freemen by the Greeks).

The only places where the issue (that is, anal intercourse) MIGHT be discussed in the NT is in a couple of Paul's letters, and in these cases the significance is not clear. In two cases, the term used, arsenokoites, is unclear in its meaning; it may mean male prostitute, as St. Jerome thought, or those who have anal intercourse, or something else. It certainly is not talking about a loving and committed relationship between two men. Anal intercourse [also] may be alluded to in Romans 1 ("men in men," GK: arsenes en arsenes), but the activity is described in the context of a pagan orgy and seems to be talking about heterosexuals who get so caught up in the frenzy they betray their own nature. In any case, clearly Romans 1 [is not referring to] an instant of two same sex individuals in a committed and loving relationship. (Don't forget that Paul also says that it is unnatural for men to have long hair, and I don't hear this being made a political issue--how hypocritical!)

There are all kinds of gay people--some celibate, some sluts, and a whole lot in between. Many are very decent people and some are not. Some are Christian, some not. The blanket claim that God hates all fags is irresponsible and biblically false. The MOST one can conclude [from the Bible] is that anal intercourse may be a sin (at least in the Old Testament--along with eating shrimp and wearing polyester suits).

Reprinted with author's permission.