You could move. ~Abigail Van Buren, "Dear Abby," in response to a reader who complained that a gay couple was moving in across the street and wanted to know what he could do to improve the quality of the neighborhood
I am a Christian, I believe God exists. The following blog is a paper I wrote for my religion class, because I wanted to find in the Bible where it stated homosexuality was a sin. As a Christian I stand by everything I write in that paper and I feel it's time we stop hiding our prejudice behind religion. I am a racist, but it's not because of the Bible, it's because white people are really dumb (joke).
* This is pasted and copied from an unedited version of my paper.
Christian morality is based primarily on what has been established as their word of God, the Bible. Those who have established themselves according to these laws are considered virtuous morally and spiritually. Those who have stepped out of these guidelines have established themselves as morally bankrupt. Those who have most recently been placed under scrutiny for their lifestyle are homosexuals both spiritually and politically by the Christian people. A Christian in the documentary “For the Bible Tells Me So” states homosexuality is a sin because the Bible says so. According to the Pew Research Center nearly 49% of the American Public believe homosexual behavior is morally wrong, while 9% believe it is morally acceptable and 39% believe this is not a moral issue. More than three-quarters of white evangelical Protestants (77%) and two thirds of black Protestants (66%) oppose same-sex marriage, as do half of white mainline Protestants (50%). Catholics are evenly divided on the issue, with 45% favoring same sex marriage and 43% opposing it. Most of those unaffiliated with any particular religion support same-sex marriage (60%).2 Research will indicate Biblical guidelines are ambiguous and Christians are manipulating scripture to justify oppression in order to promote their own ideas of spirituality and politics.
According to scripture, the Lord would declare judgment upon the sinful nature of Sodom and Gomorrah. His angels would destroy the cities if at least ten righteous people were found inhabiting them. Lot would be the first to come upon these angels and offer them hospitality that was customary to people of the times. According to Genesis 19, all people from every quarter would come to surround his house “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where [are] the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.” In an attempt to spare these angels, Lot would offer his own daughters in their place. This would cause God not to relent in his judgment and after Lot and his family escape he would turn the cities in to dust. Christian belief states this destruction was created by the Sodomites attempt at homosexual acts since the phrase “that they may know them” is to have sex with. In accordance with the term “to know” there is evidence elsewhere in the scripture that states a broader term could have been used, meaning checking credentials rather than only the possibility of a sexual act. In accordance with scripture God had placed his judgment prior to these acts of attempted rape on the angels. It is Abraham who appeals to the Lord in an attempt to save the possible righteous in the city and none are found. Ezekiel 16:49-50 states, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw [good].” (BIBLE) Sodom is a town plagued by such sin as over abundance of goods, worshiping idols and also failing to meet the needs of the poor. Lot would give his daughter in disgust over the complete lack hospitality shown to the
visitors coming to their town. Scripture also states Jesus as stating those who are inhospitable to his disciples will receive worse judgment than the town of Sodom that had previously been destroyed. There is no direct evidence that suggests this destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was based on homosexuality.
Genesis 1:28 makes a declaration we should be fruitful and multiply. According to religious beliefs homosexuality is against nature with the couple’s inability to reproduce. The Old Testament describes the story of Onan who chose to spill his seed on the ground rather than impregnate the widow of his dead brother and was then slain by God. Scripture states that all acts of coitus interruptus should involve immediate death. In order to directly follow this word of God no Christian will have the ability to have sex for pleasure under any circumstance including self-gratification. They must also avoid all forms of birth control and divorce upon the realization that they are not procreating as a couple. In accordance with the U.S. Census Bureau the world population is approximately made up of 6,885,796,515 people. The world is facing a crisis due to overpopulation, lack of resources and overall concern about the growth in population. During the times in which the Bible was written there was legitimate concern about the population of the earth including the need to create a population of Armies for protection, but this is no longer a consideration.This is no longer a valid argument considering “humankind has separated sex from mere reproduction.”
There is one piece of scripture from Leviticus that makes if difficult to deny the Bible’s views on homosexuality, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” There is no denying the reading of this scripture and the rules in which mankind should follow. Homosexuality is a sin, therefore should not be committed. According to popular Christian belief this statement should be followed
because you either believe in the entire Bible or none of the Bible. Therefore, there are several other rules that Christians should be following as well. Don' t wear clothes made of more than one fabric (Leviticus 19:19). Don' t cut your hair nor shave. (Leviticus19:27) If a man cheats on his wife, or vise versa, both the man and the woman must die. (Leviticus 20:10). If a man sleeps with his wife and her mother they are all to be burnt to death. (Leviticus 20:14) If a man has sex with a woman on her period, they are both to be "cut off from their people" (Leviticus 20:18) Psychics, wizards, and so on are to be stoned to death. (Leviticus 20:27) If a priest' s daughter is a whore, she is to be burnt at the stake. (Leviticus 21:9) People who have flat noses, or is blind or lame, cannot go to an altar of God. (Leviticus 21:17-18) Anyone who curses or blasphemes God, should be stoned to death by the community. (Leviticus 24:14-16) Any person, who curseth his mother or father , must be killed. (Leviticus 20:9) As Jesus states, “let the person who is without sin cast the first stone.”
While, the issue of homosexuality appears to be a vice created solely by Christians and religion, it appears as if this opinion has been brought in to the politics of many Americans. According to the 1st amendment to the Constitution, the government is prohibited to make any law respecting an establishment of religion.14 Currently, there are only six states that allow same sex marriages and President Obama has previously stated that he believed homosexual couples should only have the opportunity for Civil Unions. These are religious views that are having an effect on attitudes towards Same-Sex Marriages and also Homosexuality in general. According to past politics, homosexuality is not the only issue that has been influenced by scripture. According to a past Theologian James Henley Thornwell slavery was justified through Bible, therefore no person could possible condemn it unless they were atheists.15 According to some Christians including Thornwell, it was believed Ham was the ancestor of the black race. There is no mention of darker skin in scripture, but it is believed Ham’s father Abraham cursed him and all Caanites that would come because he had seen the nakedness of Abraham. There is question on what this truly meant, but the possibilities have included deviancy of a sexual nature. This curse is the justification for slavery and the result of sin. Currently, slavery is an issue not accepted by the mainstream population including Christians. While, politicians insist religion is not a factor in policy it appears as though this is an incorrect statement.
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