Dignity Canada Dignité |
Bible Search Engine |
Topics covered in this page are:
In biblical times,
same-gender sexual interactions could take many forms. Some were:
- kings of conquered
tribes were sometimes raped by the invading army as the ultimate symbol of
defeat and humiliation.
- some non-Jewish
tribes in the area had male prostitutes in their temples that may have engaged
in same-sex activities; this horrified the ancient Israelites.
- it is reasonable to
assume that many loving gay and lesbian relationships existed, but these would
normally have been conducted in secret.
Only the third type
would have any similarity to today's gay and lesbian consensual, committed,
Many versions of the Bible
exist in the English language. Each reflects the world view, beliefs and mind
sets of its translators. Their personal biases distort their work. There is an
additional complexity facing translators: today's society is very different from
that of Biblical times. It is sometimes difficult to find a current English word
that matches a Hebrew or Greek term.
Many words have been
translated from the original Hebrew and Greek texts as "homosexual", "sodomite",
"homosexuality". However, most (perhaps all) of the references bear no
similarity to today's lesbian and gay partnerships. By carefully reading the
original texts and considering the societies in which they were written, one
comes to surprising conclusions:
- The Bible has a
lot to say about temple prostitution.
- It talks about
being kind to strangers in a way that has been incorrectly interpreted as
referring to homosexual acts
- It says almost
nothing about homosexual feelings;
- It says nothing
about sexual orientation. The writers of the Bible assumed that everyone was
heterosexual (or "straight"); the concept of sexual orientation was not
developed until the late 19th century.
The Bible does make
occasional references to activities which have
been translated as homosexuality:
- Genesis 19
describes how two angels visited Sodom and
were welcomed into Lot's house. The men of the city gathered around the
house and demanded that Lot send the visitors to the mob so that they might
know the angels. [The Hebrew verb yada (to know) is
ambiguous. It appears 943 times in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). In
only about a dozen of these cases does it refers to sexual activity; it is
not clear whether the mob wanted to rape the angels or to meet with them,
and perhaps attack them physically. From the context, it is obvious that
their mood was not friendly]. Lot refused, but offered his two
virgin daughters to be heterosexually raped if that would appease the mob.
The offer was declined. God decided to destroy the city because of the
wickedness of its inhabitants. The angels urged Lot and his family to flee
and to not look back. Unfortunately, Lot's wife looked the wrong way, so God
killed her because of her curiosity.
God was apparently not
critical of Lot for offering his two daughters to be raped. However, God was
angry at the other inhabitants of the town. He destroyed Sodom with fire and
brimstone (sulfur). He presumably killed all of the men in the mob, their wives
and other adults, as well as children, infants, newborns, etc. It is unclear
from these few verses whether God demolished the city because the citizens:
- were uncharitable
and abusive to strangers
- wanted to rape
- engaged in
The Church has
traditionally accepted the third explanation. In fact, the term sodomy
which means anal intercourse is derived from the name of the city, Sodom. As
recorded in Matthew 10:14-15 and Luke 10:7 to 16, Jesus implied that the sin of
the people of Sodom was to be inhospitable to strangers. In
God states clearly that Sodom's sins were
pride, idolatry and insensitivity to the poor; sexual activity is not even
We are faced with the
inescapable and rather amusing conclusion that the activities in Sodom had
nothing to do with sodomy.
- Leviticus 18:22
states: "Thou shall not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is
abomination." The term abomination (to'ebah) is a religious term,
usually reserved for use against idolatry; it does not mean a moral evil.
The verse seems to refer to temple prostitution, which was a common practice
in the rest of the Middle East at that time.
Qadesh referred to male religious prostitutes. (See the discussion of
Leviticus 20:13 states: "If a man also lie with mankind as he lieth
with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they should surely
be put to death....". The passage is surrounded by prohibitions against
incest, bestiality, adultery and intercourse during a woman's period. But
this verse is the only one in the series which uses the religious term
abomination; it seems also to be directed against temple prostitution.
These passages are part
of the Jewish Holiness Code which also:
sexual intercourse when a woman has her period,
- bans tattoos
eating rare meat
- bans wearing
clothes that are made from a blend of textiles
- bans sowing a
field with mixed seed
eating pigs, rabbits, or some forms of seafood
Saturday to be reserved as the Sabbath
abandoned the Holiness Code; it is no longer binding on modern-day Christians.
They can wear tattoos, eat shrimp, wear polyester-cotton blends and engage in
temple prostitution without violating this particular section of the Bible.
Although this code is obsolete for Christians, many clergy still focus on those
passages which deal with homosexuality.
- Deuteronomy 23:17
states (in the King James Version) "There shall be no whore of the
daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel
. This is an "error" by the authors of the KJV. The word
qadesh in the original text was mistranslated as sodomite. Quadesh
means "holy one" and is here used to refer to a man who engages in ritual
prostitution in the temple. There is little evidence that the prostitutes
engaged in sexual activities with men. Other Bible translations use accurate
terms such as shrine prostitute, temple prostitute, prostitute and
- Judges 19
describes an event much like that at Sodom. This time, an unnamed Levite
visited the town of Gibeah with his slaves and concubine. He met an old
farmer and was made welcome. A gang of men appeared and demanded that the
old man send out the Levite that they might homosexually rape or assault
him. (It is again not clear what the precise meaning of the verb to know
was). The old man argued that they should not abuse the visitor. He offered
to give them both the Levite's concubine and his own virgin daughter to be
heterosexually raped. The mob accepted the former, raped her all night and
finally killed her. The Levite sliced up her body into 12 pieces and sent
one to each of the tribes of Israel. This triggered a war between the
inhabitants of Gibeah and the Israelites during which tens of thousands
died. There was no condemnation against the Levite for sacrificing his
concubine, or for committing an indignity to a body. Judges 20:5 emphasizes
that the aim of the mob was to kill the stranger - the ultimate act of
inhospitality. It appears that these passages condemn abusive treatment of
visitors. If they actually refer to homosexual activity, then they condemn
homosexual rape; they have nothing at all to say about consentual
- 1 Kings 14:24 and 15:12
again refer to temple prostitution. The original
word qadesh is mistranslated as sodomite (homosexual) in the
King James Version, but as male prostitute, male cult prostitutes,
and male shrine prostitutes in more accurate versions. As mentioned
before, there is little evidence that homosexuality was involved. Again, the
text has nothing to say about consentual homosexual
- Romans 1:26 and 27,
at first glance, appears to condemn gay and lesbian activity. Paul
criticizes sexual activity which is against a person's nature or
disposition. But in Greek society of the time, homosexuality and bisexuality
was regarded as a natural activity for some people. Thus Paul might have
been criticizing heterosexuals who were engaged in homosexual activities
against their nature. He might not be referring to homosexuals or bisexuals
The verses preceding
26 might indicate that he was referring to sexual acts associated with idol
worship. The verse is too vague to be interpreted as a blanket prohibition of
all same-sex activities.
- I Cor 6:9
Paul lists a many activities that will prevent
people from inheriting the Kingdom of God. One has been variously translated
as effeminate, homosexuals, or sexual perverts. The original Greek text
reads malakoi arsenokoitai. The first word means soft; the
meaning of the second word has been lost. It was once used to refer to a
male temple prostitute (as in the verses from the Hebrew Scriptures/Old
Testament described above). The early Church interpreted the phrase as
referring to people of soft morals; i.e. unethical. From the time of
Martin Luther, it was interpreted as referring to masturbation
. More recently, it has been translated as referring to homosexuals
. Each Translator seem to take whatever activity that their society
particularly disapproves of and use it in this verse.
- 1 Tim 1:9
again refers to malakoi arsenokoitai which
has been variously translated as homosexuals, sexual perverts etc. Again,
the original meaning of the text as been lost.
- Jude 7 refers to
the people of Sodom as "giving themselves over to fornication and going
after strange flesh". Strange flesh has been variously translated as
perverted sensuality, unnatural lust, lust of men for other men, and
perversion. Again, it is unclear what is being referred to here. Some
biblical scholars interpret this as referring to an ancient Jewish legend
that the women of Sodom engaged in sexual intercourse with angels.
activity in the temple by male prostitutes is clearly prohibited by the
Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).
activity in general may have been prohibited at the time by the Holiness
Code, but that code is no longer binding on Christians today.
- St. Paul
considered at least some male and female homosexual acts to be forbidden,
but it is unclear precisely which acts are included. He may have been
referring to temple prostitution, or to people who are not innately gay,
lesbian or bisexual engaging in homosexual acts. One should note that Paul
also condemned women preaching (1 Cor 14:34) or wearing gold or pearls (1
Tim 2:11). He also accepted and did not condemn the institution of slavery.
Some Christians feel that his writings are not a useful guide for ethics and
morals in the 20th Century.
- Jesus made many
hundreds of statements regarding belief and behaviour. However He never
- There are two
Biblical same-sex relationships (one between two women, the other two men)
reported in the Bible in a positive light. They appear to have progressed
well beyond friendship. They were likely homosexual affairs, although not
necessarily sexually active relationships:
- Ruth 1:16,
2:10-11 between Ruth and Naomi
- 1 Samuel
18:1-4, 1 Samuel 20:41-42 and 2 Samuel 1:25-26 between David and Jonathan.
(Some translations of the Bible distort the original Hebrew text,
particularly of 1 Samuel 20)
- It is the subject
of endless debate whether St. Paul's prohibition of at least some homosexual
- for the people
in the vicinity of the Mediterranean during the 1st Century CE, or
- for all people,
One can argue that the
ancient Israelites were surrounded by warlike tribes. Their fertility was very
important if the group was to survive. The early Christian church was also
surrounded by enemies. Homosexuals tend to have few children; thus their
presence would be met with opposition. At the end of the 20th Century,
conditions are the exact opposite; we are threatened by our excessive fertility.
Perhaps Paul's criticism of homosexuality is no longer valid, like his various
prohibitions against women's behaviour.
This is a topic of
fierce debate among Christians. Churches currently hold different views:
- The Unitarian-Universalist
Church is believed to be the first religious organization in North America
to ignore sexual orientation in membership and leadership. A very few other
groups have followed their lead.
- The Metropolitan
Community Church was organized as a Gay and Lesbian positive religious
- Some liberal
churches allow non-practicing Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals to full
membership and eligibility to the ministry
- Some mainline and
conservative churches absolutely prohibit homosexuals as members or clergy.
One Evangelical church allows clergy who are guilty of murder, molesting
children or rape to return to their jobs after an interval of treatment, but
forever expels clergy that are "guilty" of having a loving, committed
Jewish groups tend
to mirror Christian denominations, ranging from liberal to conservative.
homosexuality, like heterosexuality can refer either to:
- feelings of
sexual attraction to another person, or to
- practices of a
When discussing sexual orientation, a
person may often switch between these two meanings. This causes much confusion
and misunderstanding. We recommend that the terms homosexual or
heterosexual never be used in isolation, but always followed by either
practices or suitable synonyms.
There are many different
beliefs. However, most people hold one of the following concepts:
as a Choice:
Homosexuality is an
evil, unnatural and sinful lifestyle. It is a matter of choice that can be
changed at any time. Keeping children ignorant of homosexuality will assure that
they will grow up heterosexual. To grant homosexuals the same protection under
law as is granted to other minorities is to give them
as a Fixed Orientation:
Homosexuality is a
natural orientation for a minority of people. Like other sexual orientations, it
is determined early in life, perhaps at conception. Most children grow up
heterosexuals; the orientation of their parents and friends have little
influence. Since Gays and Lesbians are extensively discriminated against, they
need the same protections as are granted to other minorities.
Some people believe
that there are only two sexual orientations (feelings of sexual attraction):
- Heterosexual - a
person who is sexually attracted only to members of the opposite gender, or
- Homosexual - a
person who is sexually attracted only to members of the same gender.
This is not a useful model,
because it ignores two minorities:
- Asexuals -
people who have no feelings of sexual attraction to neither gender
- Bisexuals -
people who are attracted (perhaps to different degrees) to both genders
Most researchers into human
sexuality look upon sexual orientation as a continuum:
- Those with solely
heterosexual feelings form one extreme; they are free to select celibacy, or
to seek sexual activity with members of the opposite sex.
- Those with solely
homosexual feelings form the other extreme; they can be celibate or enter
into relationships with members of their own gender
- In the middle are
bisexuals. Being sexually attracted to both genders they can choose:
- only homosexual
with both men and women
Most researchers believe
that one's orientation is fixed and unchangeable. Prayer, counselling,
psychotherapy, electric shocks, castration, frontal lobotomies, etc have all
been used to try to change a person's orientation. None have succeeded. These
"therapies" can persuade homosexuals to be celibate. They can persuade bisexuals
to confine their sexual activities to members of the opposite sex. But they
cannot change one's feelings (one's sexual orientation).
As described above,
there are two schools of thought:
- Orientation is a
decision made perhaps at puberty and can be changed at any time
- Orientation is fixed
early in childhood; perhaps before birth; perhaps at conception; the cause is
outside of a person's control.
The vast bulk of evidence
favors the second belief:
The root meaning of
the word homophobia is: fear of homosexuality. Its meaning has evolved; it is
now usually defined as fear, loathing and hatred of homosexuals and/or
homosexuality. Some reasons are:
- this is what some
of us have been taught as children
- some of us do not
personally know any openly gay or lesbian person and fear people who are
- one's religious
faith promotes homophobia
have a natural feeling of repulsion at the thought of engaging in same-sex
sexual activity. They recognize that homosexual behaviour is wrong for them.
Some generalize this feeling into the belief that homosexuality is wrong for
everyone. (Homosexuals, of course, have the same feelings of repulsion at
the thought of engaging in other-sex sexual activity).
A TIME/CNN poll in 1994
showed that 52% of US adults found the homosexual lifestyle to be acceptable;
this is an increase from 35% in 1978. An Angus-Reid poll in Canada showed that
68% of Roman Catholics, 59% of United Church members, 63% of Anglicans
(Episcopalians) and 38% of "conservative" churches favour legal protection from
discrimination for gays and lesbians.
There is general
agreement among researchers into human sexuality that one's sexual orientation
are unchangeable in adulthood. In terms of behaviour by sexually active
(over 90% of the adult population) can chose to enter into sexual
relationships with members of the opposite sex, or be celibate.
- Homosexuals (less
than 10%) can chose to become involved with members of the same gender or be
- Bisexuals (less
than 10%) can become involved with members of either gender or be celibate
Researchers have attempted
to change people's sexual orientation using counselling, psychotherapy, electric
shock treatments, castration and frontal lobotomies (cutting away of brain
tissue) without success.
Many Evangelical and
Fundamentalist Christians disagree. Some ministries specialize in attempting to
change homosexuals and bisexuals into heterosexuals. Their long-term successes
appear to be in two areas:
bisexuals to restrict their sexual activities to members of the opposite sex
homosexuals to be celibate.
As knowledge of sexual
orientation increases, it is expected that conservative Christians will change
their focus towards convincing homosexuals to abstain from sexual activity.
A booklet by John
Ankerberg & John Weldon, "The Facts on Homosexuality; Scientific Research
and Biblical Authority: Can Homosexuals Really Change?"
(Harvest House, 1994) is typical of the many conservative Christian books
which attack homosexuals. The entire book is based on a fallacy: that people
have either a homosexual or heterosexual orientation; bisexuals are ignored.
They use heavily biased phrases, such as:
homosexual" - implying that one can choose one's orientation
preference", again implying a choice
homosexuality", implying that feelings of sexual attraction can be
Some of their arguments are:
- Their preface and
introduction to the book mention homosexual child molesters and AIDS as two
reasons to oppose homosexuality. The authors ignore that facts that:
- the vast
majority of child molesters are heterosexual,
homosexuals (lesbians) have the lowest rate of AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases than do heterosexuals
- in the third
world, AIDS is primarily spread by heterosexual contact
They also imply that
homosexual lobby groups have immense political power. They overlook the fact
that (as of 1994) those groups had still not been able to change the laws in
almost half of the states in the US which still list homosexual behaviour as a
- Section 1
describes scientific studies which attempt to prove the biological origin of
sexual orientation. They reject Dr. LeVay's study of brain structure, Dr.'s
Bailey and Pillard study of identical twins, and Dr. Hamer's genetic
research. The authors seem to imply that since none of the studies prove
that all homosexual orientation is genetic, that therefore none of it is
determined before birth.
They cite many
researchers who believe that a genetic or biological basis for sexual
orientation has not yet been proven. The authors seem to imply that it never
will be. As of 1995, any absolute proof is still in the future; all we have to
go on now are many strong indicators that sexual orientation is determined
before puberty (and probably during or before early childhood).
The authors cite many
human sexuality specialists who believe that sexual orientation is a matter of
choice and can be easily changed. They have ignored the majority who hold the
opposite opinion. They cite instances where homosexuals have apparently changed
their sexual behaviour and implied that they have also changed their
orientation. They do not mention that many of these are bisexuals who are simply
choosing to develop relationships only with the opposite gender. Others have a
homosexual orientation and have desperately have tried to behave as
heterosexuals in order to be accepted. Such attempts inevitably fail. Whether
one is homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual, our feelings of sexual attraction
- Section 2
describes what the Bible has to say on sexual orientation. The authors
interpret Genesis, Chapter 1 & 2, Matthew 19:4-6 and other passages as
promoting heterosexual marriages. They state that if homosexual unions were
permissible then they would have been specifically condoned. One could say
with equal logic that because horses and chariots were mentioned often in
the Bible, but trains, plains and automobiles were ignored, we should not
use modern methods of transportation. The authors' views are based on their
belief that matters of ethics and morality are absolute and fixed for all
time. This is obviously false. Consider the matter of slavery; ownership of
another person was regarded as quite normal throughout the Bible. But is
regarded as a moral outrage in the 20th century. (It is also illegal
throughout the entire United States since the 13th Amendment to the
Constitution was ratified by Mississippi on 1995-March-21).
In fact, sexual orientation
was unknown in ancient times; thus, the authors of the bible could not have
written about it.
They analyze passages in
Genesis, Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Romans, II Peter, etc with a particularly
narrow, homophobic focus. These verses have been dealt with elsewhere in this
- In their
conclusion, they suggest that homosexuals recite a standard prayer to God
and cut off all contact with the homosexual community. The authors are a
little vague about the results to be expected. They state that "same sex
inclinations" will cease - either immediately or over time. They do not
state whether the reader will lose all sexual desire, or whether he/she will
develop heterosexual feelings. In practice, sexual feelings will not change.
Hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of devout Christian homosexuals
have each begged God (sometimes over many decades) to change their sexual
orientation. God's answer is always no. This is perhaps the best proof that
God does not condemn homosexuality.
- The American
Psychological Association released a Statement on Homosexuality in
1994-JULY. Their first two paragraphs are:
The research on
homosexuality is very clear. Homosexuality is neither mental illness nor
moral depravity. It is simply the way a minority of our population expresses
human love and sexuality. Study after study documents the mental health of
gay men and lesbians. Studies of judgment, stability, reliability, and
social and vocational adaptiveness all show that gay men and lesbians
function every bit as well as heterosexuals.
Nor is homosexuality
a matter of individual choice. Research suggests that the homosexual
orientation is in place very early in the life cycle, possibly even before
birth. It is found in about ten percent of the population, a figure which is
surprisingly constant across cultures, irrespective of the different moral
values and standards of a particular culture. Contrary to what some imply,
the incidence of homosexuality in a population does not appear to change
with new moral codes or social mores. Research findings suggest that efforts
to repair homosexuals are nothing more than social prejudice garbed in
In 1994-AUGUST, The APA sent
a proposal to one of its committees that would declare as unethical:
- attempts by a
psychologist to change a person's sexual orientation through therapy, or
- referral of a
patient to a therapist or organization who attempts to change people's
- The American
Medical Association (AMA) released a report in 1994-DEC which calls for "nonjudgmental
recognition of sexual orientation by physicians." They suggest that
psychotherapy be directed help homosexuals "become comfortable with their
- The American
Psychiatric Association took homosexuality off of its list of mental
illnesses many decades ago.
- There are
many Evangelical Christian organizations devoted to helping gays and
lesbians to become celibate, and helping bisexuals confine their
relationships to members of the opposite sex. Among these is the Roman
Catholic ministry Courage, who describe
themselves as "Spiritual support for Catholic men and women with same-sex
attractions who desire to live chaste lives in accordance with the teachings
of the Roman Catholic Church."
We of Dignity Canada Dignité do not wish to be confused
with so-called Catholic ministries who premise that we are objectively
disordered, intrinsically evil persons in need of conversion.
1995 by the
Ontario Centre for
Whole pages at this site may be
freely copied and disseminated. Acknowledgment of the source would be
enhanced and footnoted by
| Dignity Home Page
Cf. Gen 19:1-29
The two angels arrived at
Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he
saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.
"My lords," he said, "please
turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night
and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will
spend the night in the square."
But he insisted so strongly
that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them,
baking bread without yeast, and they ate.
Before they had gone to bed,
all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded
They called to Lot, "Where
are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have
sex with them."
Lot went outside to meet
them and shut the door behind him
and said, "No, my friends.
Don't do this wicked thing.
Look, I have two daughters
who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do
what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come
under the protection of my roof."
"Get out of our way," they
replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to
play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on
Lot and moved forward to break down the door.
But the men inside reached
out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door.
Then they struck the men who
were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could
not find the door.
The two men said to Lot, "Do
you have anyone else here--sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the
city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,
because we are going to
destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that
he has sent us to destroy it."
So Lot went out and spoke to
his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and
get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his
sons-in-law thought he was joking.
With the coming of dawn, the
angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are
here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished."
When he hesitated, the men
grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them
safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.
As soon as they had brought
them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't
stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!"
But Lot said to them, "No,
my lords, please!
Your servant has found favor
in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I
can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die.
Look, here is a town near
enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it--it is very small, isn't
it? Then my life will be spared."
He said to him, "Very well,
I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of.
But flee there quickly,
because I cannot do anything until you reach it." (That is why the town was
By the time Lot reached Zoar,
the sun had risen over the land.
Then the LORD rained down
burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah--from the LORD out of the heavens.
Thus he overthrew those
cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities--and also
the vegetation in the land.
But Lot's wife looked back,
and she became a pillar of salt.
Early the next morning
Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
He looked down toward Sodom
and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising
from the land, like smoke from a furnace.
So when God destroyed the
cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the
catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
Therefore God gave them over
in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of
their bodies with one another.
They exchanged the truth of
God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the
Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave
them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for
In the same way the men also
abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one
another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves
the due penalty for their perversion.
1 Cor 6:10
Do you not know that the
wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the
sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor
nor thieves nor the greedy
nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
note: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:8-10 list arsenokoitai
among those who will be excluded from the Reign of God. This obscure term has
been translated "homosexuals" but its exact meaning is debated.
1 Tim 1:10
We also know that law is
made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and
sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers,
for adulterers and perverts,
for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to
the sound doctrine
that conforms to the
glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
note: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:8-10 list arsenokoitai
among those who will be excluded from the Reign of God. This obscure term has
been translated "homosexuals" but its exact meaning is debated.
As surely as I live,
declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what
you and your daughters have done.
"`Now this was the sin of
your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned;
they did not help the poor and needy.
They were haughty and did
detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.
- 1 Kings 14:24
There were even male shrine
prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of
the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
- 1 Kings 15:12
He expelled the male shrine
prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made.