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HOMOSEXUALITY: A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
SCRIPTURE IS THE RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON HOW MAN IS TO CONDUCT HIMSELF
It is inerrant and without contradiction, having proved itself throughout the centuries as the one true source of information on Who God is and man's relationship and responsibilities to Him.*
Click here on the study entitled 'The Proper Approach To Scripture' and you will be provided with more detail on this matter.
So matters such as the right or wrong of homosexuality and same sex marriage can be determined unequivocally by carefully examining the Bible in the proper way, utilizing the built in rules of interpretation.*
SCRIPTURE MAINTAINS THAT HOMOSEXUALITY IS WRONG
[Lev 18:22]:
"You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination."
[Compare Lev 20:13]:
"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
So homosexuality is a sin. This viewpoint of God's has not changed over the centuries, nor was it instituted to preserve a particular population nor for any other reason other than what is plainly stated in the Bible: "It is an abomination." Since it was an abomination at that time such that it was presented as violating the Holiness of God; and since God's holiness does not change; then it is as detestable to God now as it was then.
Furthermore, one may say that since two wrongs do not make a right, then other sins reported in Scripture are likewise wrong. Furthermore, the fact that sin activity is reported in Scripture does not signify that God condones such activity. Doctrinal statements in the Bible on the subject make this very clear. Many sins are reported in God's Word as occurring in the past, present and are predicted to occur in the future. This does not condone the sin because it is reported in the Bible. For the Bible is simply reporting on the miserable condition of man and his despicable activities throughout history in spite of God's laws. So sins such as polygamy, fornication, adultery, bestiality as well as homosexuality are reported in Scripture as having been committed throughout the ages against the direction and will of God. The key is to keep God's Word in context. For clear statements are made by God in His Word that all of this misconduct is sin and not acceptable to God, the final authority, since He is Creator.
Furthermore, the detestability of homosexuality is repeated in the New Testament which applies to 'modern man' of the 90's. In the following passage, homosexual activity is described as "sinful", "sexual impurity", "degrading", a "shameful lust", "unnatural" "indecent", a "perversion":
[Ro 1:18-27]:
(v. 18) "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness
[So the subject is godlessness and God's wrath against it]
(v. 19) since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
(v. 20) For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
[So God has made Himself evident in His creation in order to direct man into righteous behavior and to worship Him - and this extends to the ways in which man is to conduct himself: the subject of this passage, (v. 18)]
(v. 21) For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
[This passage goes on to say that all humanity has rejected God and His way for man to behave, becoming instead, as the next verse states, fools]:
(v. 22) Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
(v. 23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
[So they even worshipped what God created instead of Him - ignoring Who it was that created them and the universe, insulting God by worshipping His creation instead of Him. This evil resulted in God turning mankind over to the self destruction of his own evil behavior]:
(v. 24) Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
[So God no longer strove to prevent behavior described as being a result of "sinful desires", "sexual impurity", and "degrading" because all mankind had turned from honoring and worshipping Him to what He created instead - an insult to Him. (After all He is Creator Who designed us to have fellowship with Him in unending joy)]:
(v. 25) They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - Who is forever praised. Amen.
[The next verse more specifically describes the "degrading" and "sinful" behavior of "sexual impurity"]:
(v. 26) Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their [the men's] women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones
(v. 27) In the same way [that women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones, (v. 26)] the men also abandoned natural relations with women ....
[So natural relations is herein defined as heterosexual - one man, one woman. Therefore same sex physical relationships are herein defined as "indecent" acts, each one of which is called a "perversion"]
(v. 27 cont) In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another [the "unnatural" "shameful", "sinful" way] Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."
In spite of all of this, objectors claim that individuals are born as homosexuals and should therefore be permitted to practice what they were born into.
But all individuals in this age are born with a sin nature which expresses itself in various abominable ways - is it ok to go ahead to do evil things because you claim to be born that way. What about serial killing:
[Jer 17:9]:
"The heart [of man] is more deceitful than all else. And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?"
(Ref. Ps 51:5; Ro 3:20; 6:20).
But that is no excuse. Just as one individual's sin nature has a tendency to sin in one way, such as to steal or even murder, so another's sin nature has a tendency toward homosexual behavior. The point that God makes in His Word however is that one's sin nature tendencies with which one is born are NOT to be exercised but 'KEPT UNDER WRAPS!', i.e., controlled. Just as one would not be justified in exercising one's sinful tendency to do physical harm to another, say raping someone or sexually abusing children, so one is not justified either in practicing homosexual behavior with anybody!!
SCRIPTURE MAINTAINS THAT MARRIAGE IS EXCLUSIVELY BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN, THUS SAME SEX MARRIAGES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE
Every passage on marriage in the Bible is couched in terms of one man to one woman in a permanent monogamous relationship out of which children are expected to be procreated. This connotation begins in Genesis chapter 2 when God created a suitable helpmate for man - not another man but a woman. Thus same sex marriages are not acceptable in Scripture.
Compare Gen 2:18-25; Mt 19:3-6; Mk 10:6-13; 12:18-26; 1 Cor 7:36; Dt 24:1-6; Lk 16:18; 1 Tim 3:2.
HISTORY PROVES OUT THAT MONOGAMOUS HETEROSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE BEST AND ONLY ALTERNATIVE FOR A SOCIETY TO SURVIVE
Otherwise lessening population not sufficient to survive threat of extinction or from other countries invasions.
Otherwise proliferation of venereal and other diseases
Otherwise broken families causing economic and emotional hardship for all, especially children.
So what is the solution to homosexuality?
The same as it is for any sinner - and we are all sinners under God's condemnation unto the Lake of Fire. None of us qualifies under our own auspices to make it to heaven's shores:
[Ro 3:10, 23]:
(v. 10) "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one."
(v. 23) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
The only way to receive forgiveness of one's transgressions against God is as it says in Acts 10:43:
[Acts 10:43]:
"Of Him [Jesus Christ, (v. 38)] all the prophets bear witness that through His name EVERYONE who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
This will absolutely insure anyone of an eternal destiny in heaven no matter what, (Compare Eph 1:13-14, Ro 8:1, 38-39; Jn 10:28). For our Lord died to pay the penalty for everyone's sins and those who accept this payment by faith alone in Him alone, (Eph 2:8-9), have full assurance of eternal destiny with God in heaven:
[1 Jn 2:2]:
"And He Himself is the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."
[1 Jn 5:13]:
"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life."
[Jn 10:28-29]:
(v. 28) "And I [Jesus Christ] give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.
(v. 29) My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand."
Now that ones eternal destiny is secured no matter what, there is still the matter of one's daily struggle to stay right with God in order to secure rewards in heaven and avoid God's discipline on earth. The answer is to study the Bible, accept and obey what it teaches about how to conduct your life, following the leading of God the Holy Spirit within you. God has provided His Word and Himself in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit within each individual believer as ones conscience, teacher and companion to enable the believer to walk righteously before Him.
First and foremost for every believer is to ceaselessly monitor one's standing before a Holy God, constantly confessing to Him what shortcomings there are in his life:
[1 Jn 1:9]:
"If we [believers, (v. 2:2) confess [lit. are continually confessing] our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us these sins [that we confess] and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness." [even the sins we did not confess]
Doing this - confession of known sins - puts the believer in a position of active fellowship with his Father in heaven so that He can work on that believer's walk with Him on a moment to moment basis.
This self awareness in comparison with God's standard, (as presented in the Bible), will go a long way for the believer to keep his walk consistent to the direction that God has uniquely set aside for that individual, established by God before the foundation of the universe, (Eph 2:10).
THERE'S NO PROOF HOMOSEXUALITY IS GENETIC
[Linda Bowles states, New American magazine, Aug 10, 1999]:
"A larger number of Americans, including the elected politicians who write laws and set policies, have been conned into believing that homosexuals are born that way and that what they do to and with each other is as American as motherhood and apple pie.
It is one thing for the ordinary American to embrace deviancy, having been deluded by lies, myths, propaganda and junk science: it is another thing for elected officials to spearhead a vicious, open assault on American society and some of its most cherished institutions based on such delusions.
As one of a hundred available examples to illustrate the point, the New Jersey Supreme Court has just ruled that the Boy Scouts of America broke the law when it threw out an openly homosexual scout leader. New Jersey has state antidiscrimination laws that specifically bar discrimination based on sexual preference.
What we are witnessing is a shameless and perverse use of government power. We need to understand why this is happening and what is the thinking that rationalizes it. This can be said: In a litany of lies about homosexuality, the most fundamental lie is the lie that homosexuals are born that way. It is a lie repeated over and over again because it has a basic appeal to the American sense of fairness and tolerance.
Let's begin with a desperately needed reality check: There is no scientific proof that homosexuality is genetic. There is no scientific basis for viewing homosexuality as anything other than an acquired sexual dysfunction.
The widely respected Dr. Joel Gelernter of Yale University was quoted in an article in Science as making this observation about various studies trying to link genes with complex human behavior: 'All were announced with great fanfare; all were greeted unskeptically in the popular press; all are now in disrepute.'
Among the studies in 'disrepute' is the study of the brains of 35 male cadavers by Salk Institute researcher Simon LeVay. He reported that the cluster of neurons called INAH3 in the hypothalamus was generally smaller in 19 known homosexuals than in 16 heterosexuals.
Unfortunately, there were glaring problems with this study: the sample was too small; the sexuality of the 16 subjects classified as heterosexuals is suspect - six of them died of AIDS. In advanced stages, AIDS itself is known to cause clinical insanity and might well affect brain structure; and finally, it has not been established that the area of the hypothalamus being studied has anything to do with sexual orientation.
Despite this lack of credibility, the media hailed it as a breakthrough in the quest to find a biological link with homosexual behavior.
In 1993, Dean Hamer of the National Cancer Institute studied 40 pairs of homosexual brothers, and found that 33 of the pairs had DNA markers in the same chromosome region called Xq28.
By happy chance, the study was released on the same day President Clinton was scheduled to lift the ban on homosexuals in the military. Surely, that had nothing to do with the unusual zeal with which the media jumped on the study and hyperventilated about it. As examples, Mutual News Radio reported that researchers 'have isolated a gene found only in gay males.' Newsweek published a cover story titled 'Gay Gene?' The Wall Street Journal posted the headline 'Research Points Toward a Gay Gene.' And numerous eminent newspapers announced new proof that homosexuals are born, not made.
Alas, the study has been totally discredited. The sample size was inadequate. There was no control group of heterosexuals where markers might or might not have been found. And finally, the study was later repeated by George Ebers of the University of Western Ontario, with findings that directly contradict Hamer's conclusions. Ebers used a much-larger sample than Hamer, and reported that if one of the twins was homosexual, the other was also homosexual 52 percent of the time.; This finding sheds light on the claim that being homosexual is like being black. Imagine what black parents would think if you told them that if they had identical twins and one of them was black, there was a 52 percent chance the other would also be black.
The bottom line is this: Homosexuals are made, and they can be unmade. This is the truth about themselves that they desperately do not want to hear - that they have the power to change. This is the truth that psychiatrists and psychologists need to acknowledge. This is the truth that the American people need to know and that politicians need to understand."
[Charley Reese, states New American magazine, Jan 29, 2001]:
"The homosexual lobby continues to push businesses, the United Way and local governments to withdraw funding or other support from the Boy Scouts of America.
Let's be clear about what this is: This is an attempt to coerce a private organization into lowering its moral standards. It is also an attempt to coerce a private organization into exposing its young boys to a greater danger of sexual abuse.
Oh, Boy, this flies in the face of the homosexual lobby's two big assertions: that homosexuality is normal, and that there is no connection between homosexuality and pedophilia and pederasty.
Wrong on both counts, and I suggest that before people buy this pink bilge, they do a little research. A good place to start is at http://www.narth.com. Narth is the National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. It is an organization of psychiatrists, psychologists and other professionals.
Here's what Narth says about the question of homosexuality being normal and biologically determined:
'There is no scientific research indicating a biological or genetic cause for homosexuality. Biological factors may play a role in the predisposition to homosexuality. [As it does in predispositions to serial killing, rape, road rage, sexual promiscuity, worry, etc., etc.] However, this is true of many other psychological conditions. Research indicates that social and psychological factors are strongly influential. Examples include problems in early family relationships, sexual seduction, and a sense of inadequacy with same-sex peers, with resulting disturbance in gender identity. Society can also influence a sexually questioning youth when it encourages gay self-labeling.'
Take note, please, of the role of sexual seduction. The homosexual lobby's attempt to separate homosexuality from pedophilia simply doesn't hold water. For example, a homosexual magazine did a survey and found that 21 percent of its 2,500 respondents admitted that an adult man committed a sexual act with them by the time they were 15.
The main lobbying effort to legalize sex with children is exclusively concerned with boys. A published book, Homosexualities by Alan Bell, reports that 25 percent of homosexual men admit to having had sex with boys who are 16 and under.
Findings published by the American Medical Association show that 50 percent of male AIDS victims reported having sex with an adult male by the age of 16; 20 percent of the male AIDS victims had sex with an adult male by age 10.
An abstract of a study in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy (Spring 1992) states: 'This suggests the resulting proportion of true pedophiles among persons with a homo erotic development is greater (my emphasis) than that in persons who develop heterosexually.'
Another abstract from the Archives of Sexual Behavior (October 2000) states: 'Results (of this study) also argue against a previous explanation of the high prevalence of homosexuality in pedophiles.' Note that it says the study offers a different explanation. The high prevalence of homosexuality in pedophiles is accepted as a given.
It's unfortunate that people are so easily duped by clever propaganda campaigns. Of course, none of this argues for persecution or unkind treatment of homosexuals. But putting a homosexual into a tent with a young boy is simply not a good idea. Today many Scouts come from broken homes, and pedophiles deliberately play on a boy's longing for affection, especially when his father is missing from his life. Let's promote healthy children, not sodomy and pederasty."