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Christianity and Homosexuality
In the article, “A Christian Perspective on Homosexuality” strives to answer the question of whether the lifestyle of homosexuality is immoral. The author begins the article by pointing out that the church has been placed into the position that this is such an important matter that regulates millions of Christian lives that they are unable to avoid it. Another reason why this matter has become unavoidable is due to people are being killed over it on a daily basis, such as Matthew Shepard, the student from Wyoming, or a host of Catholic priests being convicted for sex and pedophile crimes. In addition, the Christians who might not agree with the homosexual lifestyle usually are perceived as homophobic, while other religious groups like the Evangelicals support the gay lifestyle and their practicing gay leaders. One of the major reasons behind the support is the conflicting belief that the Bible supports homosexuality and lesbians.
Therefore, the author of the article wants to know who are we, as human beings to judge these types of people, while making the determination of knowing what is morally right and wrong; we first must make certain that these two choices actually exist. But to understand and make the proper choice, Christians need to look towards God and his values which consist of holiness, patience, love and being righteous.
Although this is the way Christians perceive moral decisions in general, the rest of the world do not make their decisions based on the qualities of God, but instead on their own exclusive tastes and this is how a person would fail and become morally unfulfilled. The author wondered if God did not exist, then no moral judgement would either, or the choice of right or wrong, but this is not the case.
Furthermore, in this article, the author is attempting to challenge many of the common beliefs on homosexuality and Christianity, while agreeing with the notion that the Bible and God’s teachings forbids it. There are four main points that the author wants the reader to understand. The first main point is that human beings have an obligation to do God’s will. The second main point is that the will of God is expressed throughout the Bible. The third main point is that God do not allow homosexual behavior and finally, it is against God’s will and it is wrong.
The Label of Homosexual vs. The Behavior
One important distinction a Christian must be able to decipher is whether the Bible prevents homosexuality, in addition to the actual behavior in itself. Some individuals might engage in the behavior, while they still may identify as heterosexual. As the author mentions, [being homosexual is a state, or an orientation and that a person whom lives of the homosexual orientation may not express this within their actions. And therefore, the Bible condemns the actions in itself, and not the actual orientation, or the label] (Craig).
The argument to this is there are six different and direct times throughout the Bible that this is forbidden and there is no excuse for this type of behavior. For instance, in Leviticus 18:22, it states the following, “it is an abomination for a man to lay with another man and as with a woman (Craig). There are many homosexual advocates that believe that if homosexuals just become married, then they would not be committing a sin against the Bible. However, the author wants the reader to understand that anyone who supports this behavior is confused and that God intended marriage for a man and a woman only, not a man and a man, or a woman and a woman.
Another opposing viewpoint of this article is that the author discusses how homosexual advocates believe that Jesus Christ does not say too much about the issue of homosexuality and although, this may have some truth to it, it does not necessarily mean he approved of it either. This could be witnessed in the Biblical verse of Mark 10: 6-8 “From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason alone, a man’s duty is to leave his father and mother and the two shall become one flesh” (Craig). Therefore, if a man decided to become one flesh with another man, then this is a violation of God’s law and his order for mankind. One of the most important themes of this article, however is the author’s opinion that homosexuality is one of the most destructive behaviors anyone could engage in and it is a dangerous lifestyle that Hollywood tends to glamourize in the movies and television. But this is very deceptive and morally wrong.
Conclusion
The reading, “Christian views on homosexuality” compares both the Catholic church and the Protestant church to one another, or the Biblical verses that warn against such immoral behavior from a historical perspective. The viewpoints of the Catholic Church changes at times. For instance, the Catholic church emphasizes in the year of 1986 that the inclination of a homosexual person is not a sin, whereas in the year of 1991, the Catholic Church believes heterosexual marriage is morally acceptable. “While forty-eight percent of ministers within the Protestant church believes that homosexuality is not a sin” ("Christian Views On Homosexuality"). This proves that different churches or religious backgrounds have different standpoints on the issue of homosexuality.
In conclusion, the article gives opposing viewpoints and challenges the reader on their perception of homosexuality, while the reading backs up those claims from the author of the article, and disagrees with it too. The author of the article stays consistent with his ideology and throughout the reading, the church contradicts itself over the course of the years. Regardless of mankind’s perceptions, or various religions, God and his laws for morality stay consistent on the topic of homosexuality forever. When an individual decides not to follow these instructions for life, then he or she would face the consequences the Bible warns us Christians about and that is eternal damnation.
Works Cited
"Christian Views On Homosexuality". Christian Views. N.p., 2016. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.
Craig, William. "A Christian Perspective On Homosexuality | Reasonable Faith". ReasonableFaith.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.
