Is homosexuality a sin? This question is at the forefront of a debate in our religious world that focuses on whether to accept or shun gays. According to fundamentalist ministers like Fred Phelps and the late Jerry Falwell, tolerance of gays has brought the vengeful hand of an angry god down upon us to yield all sorts of calamities and disasters. Yet according to more liberal ministers like Mel White, homosexuality is not sinful or at odds with Christianity at all. But what does the bible itself say about homosexuality? This article will consider the statements of scripture, the moral implications of said statements, and briefly touch on the politics of same-sex rights.

I. The Unpleasant Truth

A clearer denouncement of homosexuality I'm not sure one could find. Proponents of a gay-tolerant bible often put all kinds of twists onto this passage to make it seem like it doesn't say what it quite literally says. I have read some opinions that try to explain the subject of Leviticus 20:13 to be temple prostitution, but the verse offers no real grounds for such an interpretation, and the surrounding context only deals with other sexual immoralities, like sleeping with your daughter-in-law or marrying a woman and her mother. This passage condemns homosexual interaction and the price that is placed on it is death.

Once again, it seems resoundingly clear that the Judeo-Christian god considers homosexuality "unnatural" and a "perversion". There is no alternative interpretation to Paul's tirade here that will magically make it less intolerant. A few verses later, Paul goes on to note that although "they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them" (Rom. 1:32).

Some have observed the fact that homosexuality is typically denounced in conjunction with other sins of sexual immorality in the bible, and although sin is an offense against God, it will not keep you out of heaven so long as you believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In other words, gays will be making it through the pearly gates. However, our good friend Paul has a different view on this idea:

At least gays will not be the only ones kept out of heaven for their sin. To be fair, Paul continues, saying "that is what some of you were... [but] you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11). Perhaps in some inexplicable way accepting Jesus as savior makes "homosexual offenders" no longer homosexual? Or perhaps Paul thinks that in order to be saved, you have to renounce your sexual orientation that so displeases God. Either way, this is yet another example of the unpleasant truth that the bible openly condemns homosexuality.

II. An Immoral Judge

One might wonder why we don't see more anti-gay fundamentalist preachers calling for homosexuals to be put to death, as per the instruction in Leviticus 20:13. I suspect that this is because demands for execution could more easily reveal the absurdity and insanity of their position, not to mention the gross immorality of it. The irony is that while the bible god brands homosexuals as immoral and calls for their death, he also calls for the death of adulterers (Lev. 20:10), the death of rebellious children (Deut. 21:18-21), and the death of those who don't respect the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-36), to name a few examples. Is this behavior not immoral? Would such a being really be trustworthy in its own moral judgments?

The only real attempt made in the bible to justify homosexuality being an immoral practice is in Paul's discussion of it as an unnatural perversion. Today we know that this argument holds no weight, however, since homosexuality has been found to be quite common in the animal kingdom [1]. Even under a creationist viewpoint that denies our animal nature, why would God allow homosexuality among chimps, lions, and dolphins, yet not human beings? The designer has funny double standards. But furthermore, why should unnatural equate to immoral? In the bible, God seems to have no problem with barren women, eunuchs or celibate worshipers, all of whom could certainly be considered 'unnatural'.

The moral code that rails against homosexuals is fraught with immorality itself, and its weak defense crumbles upon first examination.

III. Rights Versus Doctrine & Outrage

The bible is not a valid basis for judicial decisions under any legal system. Upholding the bible as the rule of law would be virtually indistinguishable from Islamic sharia law, with rape victims being forced to marry their rapists (Deut. 22:28-29), acceptance of slavery - even selling your daughter into it (Exodus 21:7-8) - and capitol punishment as an option for dealing with disobedient children (Deut. 21:18-21). If the bible may be used to deny rights to gays, it can also be used to defend parents who murder their children, slave traders, and other colorful characters. Neither the bible nor moral outrage are sufficient grounds to repeal the rights of humankind.

A great deal is often made about whether homosexuality is a choice or a circumstance of birth as unalterable as race or gender. This argument is irrelevant to the nature of rights, however. Anti-gay Christians must remember that their religion is a choice they have made, and the law protects them for it. Even if someone is fervently convinced that homosexuality is a choice, our free choice is guaranteed by the Constitution, as well as our right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". What two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home does not harm anyone else and should not be anyone else's business.

Homosexuality may be viciously attacked in the bible, but does this necessarily mean that Christianity is anti-gay or that Christians should push to block gay rights? The bible is not a moral manifesto, it is a theological text whose stated purpose is to inform people about God and bring them into a relationship with him. There are many passages that seem anti-woman too, yet the majority of believers now accept those portions as antiquated values and do not seek to enforce them via legislation, or use them to criticize women. Isn't it time we realized the more important truth: that all human beings are worthy of equal rights, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation? A god who would have things any other way cannot rightly be called benevolent or moral.

1. (2006) 1,500 animal species practice homosexuality. Medical News. Retrieved Oct. 16, 2010.