It has been said that the two most powerful drives in a human, besides the
practical need for food and shelter, are sex and religion. The sexual urge is
strong in nearly everyone, as advertisers of everything from chocolates to cars
can tell you, and the urge to worship the divine (by whatever name) is also
strongly present in many. In early religions and Neo-Paganism, sex was
celebrated as an affirmation of life. It was felt to be a foundational part of
the order of the world and of human nature. Therefore, separating it from
religion was unthinkable and a kind of contradiction in terms. Many who followed
the teachings of Jesus were converts from Pagan religions that used heterosexual
and homosexual activities as a means of worship. Religious Fundamentalists argue
that sexual acts outside a marriage are immoral-even then sex is only to be used
as a means for procreation and is not meant to be thoroughly enjoyed.
Homosexuality, according to them, is an abomination that has always been
condemned in the Bible. Fundamentalists are so devout in their religions they
become blinded to any other interpretation of the Bible other than the literal
views they believe. If this were not so, they might be more open to the fact
that the words “homosexual” and “homosexuality” were not part of the
Hebrew or Greek languages, because they were not coined until the 19th century.
Therefore, it is impossible that the original scriptures contained words
pertaining to something that did not exist. Such narrow-minded and hypocritical
convictions cause the Fundamentalists to show a hardness of heart to love,
compassion and service towards others—aspects that other religions embrace as
their highest priorities. Reverend Peter Gomes strives to teach groups like
Fundamentalists not to interpret the Bible literally—especially when abusing
passages to condemn issues such as homosexuality. He asks of people, when
reading the Bible, to ask not only what it says, but, “what did this mean when
it was written,” and “what does it mean now?” because not many people
realize that the Bible was written by hundreds of people at different time
periods in languages that may no longer be used. It’s groups such as the
Fundamentalists who are quick to condemn homosexuals as sinners. Because they
take passages so literally, it’s easy for them to discriminate against, and
persecute gays and lesbians. Careful study will show that while the Bible does
condemn homosexual and heterosexual prostitution, it says nothing about loving,
committed homosexual relationships. Jesus himself never commented on
homosexuality, which makes one wonder whose concern it really was.
Unfortunately, many bible passages are taken out of context, or interpreted
without consideration for the cultural aspects associated with the time period
in which they were written. Also, there are many versions of the Bible that
reflect limited scientific knowledge, personal beliefs of the interpreters and
social beliefs of the times they were written. Personal biases and societies
prejudices have most certainly distorted the Bible’s many translations. For
example: People use the passage about Sodom to condemn homosexuality as a sin
because the townsmen wanted to rape two angels visiting Lot. By looking closer,
one can see the men were not punished for homosexuality, but indeed for the sins
of pride, greed, and idolatry of Babylonian and Canaanite gods. Nothing about
homosexuality is mentioned—in fact, Lot offered the men his own two
daughters—indicating that the men were heterosexuals wanting to inflict
punishment in the form of rape upon the angels. In fact, homosexual rape was a
common form of punishment when men wanted to prove their dominance or influence
in any given situation. Also, passages from Leviticus are commonly used to
denounce homosexuals even though the word homosexual doesn’t appear anywhere.
This was actually a code of Holiness used as a ritual manual for Islamic
priests. Christians are not bound by these rules and rituals, and if they insist
on using these passages to attack homosexuals they are also bound by the other
rules and rituals therein described. It forbids: - Sexual intercourse with a
woman during her menstrual cycle - Tattoos - Eating certain kinds of meats -
Wearing clothing made of more than one cotton blend - Men cutting their hair or
shaving their beards This code also endorses polygamy and requires Saturday to
be the holy day. Obviously it is unfair to condemn homosexuality, while ignoring
the fact that most Christians do not follow the rest of the rules outlined in
the Holiness Code of Leviticus. Although there’s a lot of negative feedback
because of negative images of sex in the Bible, Episcopalians have been
ordaining gay and lesbian priests since the 1970s, Presbyterians and Catholics
are now adopting moderate views on homosexuality and many other mainstream
religions are becoming aware of changes needed in their preaching due to the
continuous sexual revolution. I’m aware that some may think that all
homosexuals are bound for Hell, but I’m hoping some day people will be able to
live their lives without being judged for their actions of love.

BibliographyThe Bible. Sects, Cults, & Alternative Religions-David V. Barrett. Sex
and Morality in the U.S.- aLBERT d. kLASSEN, Colin J. Williams, and Eugene E.
Lewis.