Table of Contents. INTRODICTION... 1 SODOM AND GOMORRAH 1 (Most Simplistic) SODOM AND GOMORRAH 2 (deeper Look)... 3

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2 Table of Contents INTRODICTION SODOM AND GOMORRAH 1 (Most Simplistic) Sodomy Jewish Law SODOM AND GOMORRAH 2 (deeper Look) Sodom Inhospitality SODOM AND GOMORRAH 3 (Deepest Look) Genesis 18 When did God decide to exterminate the people of the four cities? Genesis 19:4 Who was in the mob? Genesis 19:5 What does ya,da mean? Genesis 19:8 Lot s offer to have his daughters gang raped: Why Did God Exterminate All The Men, Women and Children of Sodom? Accessing other biblical passages to understand Genesis 19: Who, exactly, are today s sodomites? Conclusions Leviticus What Does Leviticus Mean? LEVITICUS 18: HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES Overview of Leviticus 18: Which is the correct translation? English translations of this Leviticus 18:22: Various groups interpretations of this verse: BOOKS OF DEUTERONOMY, JUDGES, KINGS Analysis of Deuteronomy 23: Some Bible translations of this Deuteronomy 23:17 are: Various interpretations: Judges 19: Various interpretations of Judges 19:14-29: Kings 14:24, 15:12 and 22:46; 2 Kings 23: Various interpretations: Conclusions: EZEKIEL DEUTERRONOMY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, JESUS EXPANDED THE DEFINITION OF ADULTERY: The Old Testament & Homosexuality ii

3 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK CHAPTER LEVITICUS A COMMAND TO ENSLAVE PEOPLE OF OTHER RACES, CREEDS AND COLORS DEUTERONOMY KILL WITHOUT MERCY! DEUTERONOMY MOSES SOLUTION TO JUVENILE DELINQUENCY! DEUTERONOMY REFERENCES Index of Biblical Usage Symbols 1 Kings 14: ii, 16, 19 1 Kings 14:24, 15:12 and 22: ii, 16, 19 2 Kings 23: ii, 16, 19 2 Peter D DEUTERONOMY ii, iii, 16, 21, 22 Deuteronomy 22: Deuteronomy 23: ii, 16 DEUTERRONOMY ii, 20 E Ezekeiel 16: Ezekeiel 16: EZEKIEL ii, 20 Ezekiel 16:49-50, NIV G Galatians 3:23-25, NIV Genesis ii, 2, 5 Genesis 18: Genesis ii, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19 Genesis 19: ii, 3, 5 Genesis 19:4-9, NIV Genesis 19: ii, 1, 6 Genesis 19: ii, 6 Genesis 19 to 1898 BCE I Isaiah The Old Testament & Homosexuality iii

4 J L M N P S T James 2:10, NIV Jeremiah 23: Jeremiah 49: Jude Jude, Verse Judges ii, 3, 4, 17, 19 Judges 19: ii, 17, 19 Judges 19:25-26, NIV Judges 19 to 1406 BCE Judges , 18, 19 Judges 20: Judges 20:35-37, NIV LEVITICUS ii, iii, 10, 11, 21 Leviticus 18: Leviticus 18: Leviticus 18:20 in the KJV Leviticus 18: ii, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15 LEVITICUS 18: ii, 11 Leviticus 18:22 and 20: , 10 Leviticus 18:22 and also in Leviticus 20: Leviticus 18:22, NIV Leviticus 18: Leviticus 19: Leviticus 19: Leviticus 20:13, NIV Luke 10: MARK See THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK CHAPTER 10 Matthew 10:11-15, NIV Matthew 10: Matthew 25:35, 38 and Numbers 31: Peter Sanhedrin 109a THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK CHAPTER iii, 20 The Old Testament & Homosexuality iv

5 INTRODICTION There are many Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, Transgendered, and Questioning youth and adults who have a strong Christian Faith, but who struggle to deal with what seem to be messages in Scriptures condemning who they are. There are also many Christians who use Scripture as a Weapon to attack GBLT people, and as justification for Bigotry (Discriination & Hate) against GBLT people. The purpose of this paper is to: 1) Help Homosexual and Bisexual Christians reconcile their FAITH to their Sexual Orientation; 2) Educate Christians about the and correct translations of Scripture; and 3) To be use to counter attacks by Christains who use Scripture as a weapon. After reading this paper, it is my hope that your Faith and your Sexual Orientation can coexist in Harmony. My intent is to shine the light of truth on the passages in the Oew Testament that are used to attack homosexuality, to see what they really say when translated in historical and language contexts. Christianity and Islam account for almost all of the hate and bigotry against homosexuals in the history of mankind. Yet the scriptures themselves, when examined in the light of truth, do not support the attack on homosexuality. Hate comes from People, not Christ, or God. There is now considerable evidence that you are born Gay, as I will show in another paper. Homosexuals have existed since the dawn of man. Homosexuality also exists in the animal kingdom, so it must be part of God s plan. Please note that I am not a Christian, nor of any other Religious Faith. I do not believe in a God you would recognize, nor in a Heaven or Hell, but I am a Spiritual man in my own way. I choose to be a good person without the threat of a Hell nor the reward of a Heaven. I do so because it is the Right thing to do. I have studied Christian Theology over the years, as well as Comparative Theology. Statue of Moses by Michelangelo SODOM AND GOMORRAH 1 (Most Simplistic) I am going to present Three approaches. Each actually has some overlap, but they also offer additional information, otherwise it would be overkill. but this story is central to the attack on gays, along with Leviticus, which is up next after Sodom. The vast majority of Biblical Scholars, historical scholars and biblical archeologists say that Sodom and Gomorrah has nothing to do with homosexuality in specific, and everything to do with inhospitality. It was all about the phrase: 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. Genesis 19:5 Christians interpret bring them out unto us as the city men wanting to have sex with lot s sons. Good grief, even Jewish law never saw it that way. As always, hate mongers will hold onto any excuse to hate. This is just a taste of reality. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 1

6 Sodomy The word, Sodomy which first appeared in the 17th century King James Bible was then used simply to mean wickedness. A minority of modern scholars in favor of the homosexuality theory have interpreted to know as a Biblical term for sexual behavior in this context, though most disagree, noting that while the word appears nearly 1,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, approximately 1% of those references have sexual connotation. They also point out that Lot s response to the demands of the crowd was to offer them his two daughters instead, but the people refused. But keep in mind the ENTIRE TOWN, men and women and children surround Lot s house: When they had not yet retired, and the people of the city, the people of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, the entire populace from every end [of the city]. Was the entire town to commit sodomy on the visitors protected by Lot? Jewish Law Jewish law, teaching, traditions [the original authors] never saw Sodom and Gomorrah as being about Homosexuality. Even the Christian church did not see it this way at first. Classical Jewish texts stress the attitude of the inhabitants of Sodom for their cruelty and lack of hospitality to the Stranger. The people of Sodom were seen as guilty of many other significant sins. Rabbinic writings affirm that the Sodomites also committed economic crimes, blasphemy and bloodshed. One of the worst was to give money or even gold ingots to beggars, after inscribing their names on them, and then subsequently refusing to sell them food. The unfortunate stranger would end up starving and after his death, the people who gave him the money would reclaim it. A rabbinic tradition, described in the Mishnah, postulates that the sin of Sodom was related to property: Sodomites believed that, What is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours [Abot], which is interpreted as a lack of compassion. Another rabbinic tradition is that these two wealthy cities treated visitors in a sadistic fashion. One major crime done to strangers was almost identical to that of Procrustes in Greek mythology. This would be the story of the bed that guests to Sodom were forced to sleep in: if they were too short they were stretched to fit it, and if they were too tall, they were cut up. In another incident, Eliezer, Abraham s servant, went to visit Lot in Sodom and got in a dispute with a Sodomite over a beggar, and was hit in the forehead with a stone, making him bleed. The Sodomite demanded Eliezer pay him for the service of bloodletting, and a Sodomite judge sided with the Sodomite. Eliezer then struck the judge in the forehead with a stone and asked the judge to pay the Sodomite. The Talmud and the book of Jasher also recount two incidents of a young girl (one involved Lot s daughter Paltith) who gave some bread to a poor man who had entered the city. When the townspeople discovered their acts of kindness, they burned Paltith and smeared the other girl s body with honey and hung her from the city wall until she was eaten by bees. (Sanhedrin 109a) It is this gruesome event, and her scream in particular, the Talmud concludes, that are alluded to in the verse that heralds the city s destruction: So Hashem said, Because the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and because their sin has been very grave, I will descend and see... (Genesis 18:20-21). The Old Testament & Homosexuality 2

7 Flavius Josephus, a Romano-Jewish historian, wrote something along the lines of: Now, about this time the Sodomites, overwhelmingly proud of their numbers and the extent of their wealth, showed themselves insolent to men and impious to the divinity, insomuch that they no more remembered the benefits that they had received from him, hated foreigners and avoided any contact with others. Indignant at this conduct, God accordingly resolved to chastise them for their arrogance, and not only to uproot their city, but to blast their land so completely that it should yield neither plant nor fruit whatsoever from that time forward. THE EVIDENCE IS OVERWHELMING THAT IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HOMOSEXUALITY. It was cooked up my Christian Bigots. SODOM AND GOMORRAH 2 (deeper Look) Sodom In most people s minds, the town of Sodom is closely associated with homosexuality. The story of Sodom is found in Genesis Chapter 19. Two angels visit Sodom, and are welcomed into Lot s home as his guests. The townspeople are angered by this and attempt to rape the visitors. Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom-both young and old-surrounded the house. 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. (Genesis 19:4-9, NIV) It is clear from this passage, particularly verse 9 ( We ll treat you worse than them ) that the townspeople wanted to harm the visitors. They wanted to rape them. Rape is a terrible crime, and it is the attempted rape of the visitors that should shock us, not the gender of the intended victims. In Judges 19, a woman is raped by a group of men in the town of Gibeah, in the region of Benjamin. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight. (Judges 19:25-26, NIV) Torah The Old Testament & Homosexuality 3

8 God destroyed Sodom because of its wickedness. He also destroyed Gibeah, this time using the army of Israel rather than fire and brimstone as used to destroy Sodom. The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten. Now the men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah. The men who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword. (Judges 20:35-37, NIV) The story of the destruction of Gibeah in Judges does not teach that consensual heterosexual sex is wrong. The story of the destruction of Sodom does not teach that consensual homosexual sex is wrong. Judges 19 is completely silent about the morality of consensual heterosexual sex. Genesis 19 is completely silent about the morality of consensual homosexual sex. Inhospitality The men of Sodom tried to rape two angels who were visiting the town. Some people think that the rape attempt was the sin of Sodom. Others think that the men sinned because they attempted to have gay sex with the visitors. According to Ezekiel, neither was the sin of Sodom. 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. (Ezekiel 16:49-50, NIV) The people of Sodom did not love their neighbours as themselves. That was what they did wrong. Like the people of Gibeah, they were inhospitable. Their attempted rape was merely a manifestation of that inhospitality. In the 21st Century Western World, visitors to strange cities are a mere credit card away from a safe and comfortable night s rest. Two, three, and four thousand years ago, it was not that simple. Travellers depended on hospitality. Who could be more poor and needy than a traveller with no place to stay? What could be more detestable than raping them instead of helping them? It is not just Ezekiel that associates Sodom with inhospitality. When Christ mentions Sodom, it is in the context of inhospitality. Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town. (Matthew 10:11-15, NIV) A town that did not welcome the people Christ sent out-an inhospitable town-is worse than Sodom or Gomorrah. This comparison only makes sense if the defining sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was inhospitality. In the Bible, Sodom is associated with inhospitality and unkindness, not sexual immorality. There is no scriptural reason to take the story of Sodom and use it as evidence that all same-sex relationships are wrong and if there is, then you have to take the story of Gibeah and use it as evidence that all opposite-sex relationships are wrong. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 4

9 SODOM AND GOMORRAH 3 (Deepest Look) Many feel that Genesis 19 is unrelated to consensual same-sex behavior. It may be related to homosexual rape which is as abhorrent as heterosexual rape. Here are some comments on this passage by liberal Christian pastors and academics: Genesis 18 When did God decide to exterminate the people of the four cities? Apparently, we can gather from the account of Abraham s bartering, that God had already decided to kill all of the residents of the four cities before the angels arrived in Sodom unless of course a few righteous people could be found. Religious liberals commonly point out that the conflict between Lot and the men of the town obviously was not the reason why God destroyed the cities. The conflict had not yet happened when God made his decision. Conservative Christians might counter with the argument that God knows the past, present and future. He knew of the men s homosexual intentions before they happened, and made his decision accordingly. Genesis 19:4 Who was in the mob? According to the King James Version of the Bible, Genesis 19:4 says:...the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter. (KJV) The New International Version translates the same verse:...all the men from every part of the city of Sodom both young and old surrounded the house. (NIV) The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (painting byjohn Martin) The KJV translation is ambiguous. The first part of the verse talks about the men of Sodom, that is, a male group. The second part talks about all the people, presumably men, women, and children. The NIV implies that Lot was faced by an all-male mob consisting of every man and boy in Sodom; no females of any age were in view. The ambiguity appears to be due the phrase in the original Hebrew that is transliterated as anshei ha ir, anshei S dom. It can have two meanings. It can mean men of the city, even the men of Sodom. But it can also mean the people of the city, the people of Sodom. It appears that the KJV and NIV translators, perhaps influenced by their homophobia, chose a translation that would make the mob all male. The original Hebrew text may well have said that everyone in Sodom men, women and children were there. The National Gay Pentecostal Alliance comments: This alone tells us that the traditionalists were wrong about the intent of this mob: If you are planning a homosexual orgy, you don t invite the wife and kids! The Old Testament & Homosexuality 5

10 Genesis 19:5 What does ya,da mean? Yada, Yada, Yada is a phrase popularized on the Jerry Seinfeld show to imply sexual activity among unmarried persons. It may be related to the ay,ad which appears in Genesis 19:5. According to the King James Version of the Bible, Genesis 19:5 says: 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. (KJV) The New International Version translates the same verse: 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. Ya,da is a Hebrew verb which is commonly translated as know. Its meaning is ambiguous. It appears 943 times elsewhere in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). Usually it means to know a fact. In only about a dozen of these cases does it refers to sexual activity; in these instances, the sexual meaning is always obvious. The text generally talks about a man knowing a woman and of her conceiving a child as a result of the knowing. All such references involve heterosexual relationships. It is not clear whether the mob wanted to: The Sodomites Are Smitten with Blindness (Illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible) Gang rape the angels: This was a common technique by which men, particularly enemies, were humiliated in that society. Engage in consensual homosexual sex with the angels: This may the interpretation of the NIV translators. They wrote very clearly that the intent was to have sex with them. Interrogate them: They may have been concerned that the strangers were spies who were sent to the city to determine its defensive fortifications. Sodom was a tiny fortress in the barren wasteland south of the Dead Sea. The only strangers that the people of Sodom ever saw were enemy tribes who wanted to destroy and take over their valuable fortress and the trade routes that it protected. As noted above, the city had just recently survived just such an attack, and may have been on high alert. Attack them physically. Genesis 19:8 Lot s offer to have his daughters gang raped: From the context, it is obvious that the mood of the mob was not friendly. Lot may have assessed that they had sex on their minds, because he offered his virgin daughters as an attempt to placate the mob. Some The Old Testament & Homosexuality 6

11 Christian interpreters maintain that all of the men in the city were present in the mob, and that all were homosexual. Lot would certainly have know of this, for he was a resident of the city. If they were all gay, then he would hardly have made a gift of his daughters to be raped; the mob would have had no sexual interest in women. Instead, he would have given the mob a gift of his two future sons-in-law. His daughters were both engaged to men from Sodom. In their culture, engagement was a binding arrangement, with many of the properties of marriage. It gave Lot authority over his future sons-in-law, much as he had control of his daughters. So he would have been able to sacrifice his daughters fiancées. But he didn t. Thus, we can conclude that most or all of the men of Sodom were not gay. Other indications that all of the men of Sodom were not gay are: A number of biblical references which emphasize that one of the serious sins of Sodom was their neglect of orphans and widows. If all male Sodomites were gay then there would be few or no marriages and thus few or no widows and orphans. As mentioned above, Lot s daughters were engaged to two male residents of the city. If they were gay, they would have had no interest in marrying women. God was apparently not critical of Lot for offering his two daughters to be raped. If he were, he might have decided to not save Lot and his family. Why Did God Exterminate All The Men, Women and Children of Sodom? The text of Genesis 19 implies that God approved of Lot s behavior, even though he made an offer of his virgin daughters to be raped. This approval would have been extended to Lot s family as well. But God had a fierce anger directed at the other inhabitants of the town. He destroyed Sodom with fire and brimstone (sulfur) dumped from above. He presumably killed all of the men and Women of Sodom, as well as all the innocent children, infants, newborns, etc. who lived in the city. It is unclear from this brief passage in Genesis whether God demolished the city because the citizens habitually: Engaged in consensual homosexual acts a same-sex orgy in this case. This is the belief of most conservative Christians. Were uncharitable and abusive to strangers, the poor, sick, and disadvantaged. In that society, a person had a very strong obligation to protect any guests in their home. Many liberal Christians believe that this is the meaning behind the story of the destruction of Sodom. Humiliated their visitors by engaging in An act of sexual degradation and male rape... These are acts of violence that are committed by parties seeking to show their hatred for those they are degrading. It is not an act of love or of caring. Perhaps the sin of Sodom was the threat of mass rape. Wanted to engage in bestiality having sex with a member of another species. The mob may have wanted to rape the angels; angels are not human beings; they are of a different species. This would be consistent with the quotation in Jude about the men of Sodom going after other flesh. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 7

12 Accessing other biblical passages to understand Genesis 19: A common procedure in biblical apologetics is to let the Bible interpret the Bible. Looking elsewhere in the Bible for references to Sodom may help us determine which of the four above interpretations is correct. The interpretation of Genesis 19 as referring to a homosexual sin appears to have been created in the 11th century by the Italian ascetic St. Peter Damian. 7 Christian theologians generally accepted this explanation until recently. In fact, the English word sodomy, which popularly means either homosexual or heterosexual anal intercourse, was derived from the name of the city. The term sodomy is also used in some ancient laws to refer to a variety of sexual behaviors in addition to heterosexual intercourse. Some of these laws are still on the books although the U.S. Supreme Court declared them unconstitutional in 2003-JUN. Jael and Sisera (Bartsch 107 iii). Opinion among most liberal and mainline Christian and Jewish Engraving, Lucas van Leyden, 1600 theologians has now reverted to the original Christian belief that Genesis 19 refers to a lack of charity and to ill treatment of strangers. Consider: In ancient Jewish literature, such as the Ethics of the Fathers and the Talmud, there are many references to Sodom. The phrase middat Sdom was used. It may be translated as the way the people of Sodom thought. It meant a lack of charity and hospitality towards others; ignoring the needs of the poor, etc. In the Middle East, a person s survival could depend upon the charity of strangers. To help strangers was a solemn religious duty of paramount importance. See Leviticus 19:33-34 and Matthew 25:35, 38 and 43. Isaiah 1: The entire first chapter is an utter condemnation of Judah. They are repeatedly compared with Sodom and Gomorra in their evildoing and depravity. Throughout the chapter, the Prophet lists many sins of the people: rebelling against God, lacking in knowledge, deserting the Lord, idolatry, engaging in meaningless religious ritual, being unjust and oppressive to others, being insensitive to the needs of widows and orphans, committing murder, accepting bribes, etc. There is no reference to homosexuality or to any other sexual activities at all. Jeremiah 23:14:...among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah. Jeremiah compares the actions of the prophets with the adultery, lying and evil of the people of Sodom. Homosexual activity is not mentioned. Ezekeiel 16:49-50: 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. God states clearly that he destroyed Sodom s sins because of their pride, their excess of food while the poor and needy suffered; sexual activity is not even mentioned. Matthew 10:14-15: Jesus implied that the sin of the people of Sodom was to be inhospitable to strangers. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 8

13 Luke 10:7-16: This is parallel passage to the verses from Matthew. 2 Peter 6-8: Peter mentions that God destroyed the adults and children of Sodom because the former were ungodly, unprincipled and lawless. Jude, Verse 7: Jude disagreed with Jesus and Ezekeiel; he wrote that Sodom s sins were sexual in nature. Various biblical translations of this passage in Jude describe the sin as: Fornication, going after strange flesh, sexual immorality, perverted sensuality, homosexuality, lust of every kind, immoral acts and unnatural lust. It looks as if the translators were unclear of the meaning of the verse in its original Greek, and simply selected their favorite sin to attack. The original Greek is transliterated as: sarkos heaters. This can be translated as other flesh. Ironically, our English word heterosexual comes from heaters. A likely interpretation is that the author of Jude 8 criticized the men of Sodom for wanting to engage in sexual activities with angels. Angels are considered to be a species of created beings who were different from homo sapiens. The sin of the people of Sodom would be that of bestiality. Another possibility is that the other flesh refers to cannibalism, which was a practice associated with early Canaanite culture. On the other hand there are some passages which might imply that the sin of Sodom was homosexuality: Jeremiah 49:18: Some conservative theologians have interpreted this verse as criticizing the inhabitants of Jerusalem for their sexual sins, and implying that they were like the men of Sodom. Ezekeiel 16:50: Although the preceding verse describes Sodom s sins as pride, laziness, insensitivity to the needs of the poor, and haughtiness, verse 50 refers to the citizens of Sodom as having committed abomination. The Hebrew word to ebah, translated here as abomination, was used throughout the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) to refer to various condemned behaviors, such as Hebrews and Egyptians eating together, Hebrews eating lobster, shrimp, or snakes, sacrificing an animal in the temple which had a blemish, women wearing men s clothing (e.g. pants), a man remarrying his former wife, etc. It was also used in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 to condemn same-sex activity between two males. It is not known which abomination(s) occurred in Sodom, but it could have been gay sex. Who, exactly, are today s sodomites? To most religious and social conservatives, the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was homosexuality specifically men who wanted to engage in sexual behavior with other men. The term is widely used in conservative Christian circles as a derogatory term. In some cases, conservative Christians have even proposed the death penalty for sodomites. Jim Rudd, a commentator who writes for The Covenant News, suggested in an article titled Put Homosexuals to the Sword: The word of God commands that sodomites are to be executed, and God gives our civil officials the sword to do the job. Until our civil officials turn from their wicked way by administering Justice, we can only be judged with the most depraved pagan nations in history. However, there is another definition for sodomite that is being occasionally used by religious liberals and others. They interpret Genesis 19 and other biblical references to the city of Sodom as teaching that the true sin of the people of Sodom was maltreatment, rejection and lack of caring for the oppressed, exposed, poor and sick. The people of Sodom are criticized through the Bible for their treatment of strangers, widows, children, the poor, etc. If we consider homosexuals to be oppressed, then perhaps the term sodomite can legitimately be used to refer to their oppressors some religious and social conservatives. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 9

14 Conclusions Many believe that texts in Genesis and the rest of the Bible make it clear that Sodom was punished because of the violent, abusive, inhospitable, greedy, and unsympathetic behavior of its citizens towards visitors, widows, the poor and other disadvantaged persons. Liberals often interpret Genesis 19 as condemning homosexual rape simply because it is rape. It would then be consistent with Deuteronomy 22:25-29 which condemns heterosexual rape. The passage does not impact on consensual homosexual activities between consenting adults, and is totally unrelated to loving, committed, same-sex relationships, civil unions and marriages. Most religious liberals are faced with the inescapable and rather surprising conclusion that the condemned activities in Sodom probably had nothing to do with sodomy i.e. anal sex. As one Christian editor wrote: To suggest that Sodom and Gomorra is about homosexual sex is an analysis of about as much worth as suggesting that the story of Jonah and the whale is a treatise on fishing. LEVITICUS Two verses in Leviticus (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13) seem to prohibit male homosexual sex, although we will see later that the meaning of the verses is actually very restricted. But are these regulations binding to Christians? The answer is no. Christians are not under the Law of Moses. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. (Galatians 3:23-25, NIV) But could it be that we are bound by the moral parts of the Law of Moses, and faith only releases us from the ritual parts? Again the answer is no. You are bound by all of the Law, or by none of it. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10, NIV) The prohibitions against male-male sex come from the same part of the law that prohibits sex with a menstruating woman (Leviticus 18:19) and paying a hired man monthly rather than daily (Leviticus 19:13). If, contrary to Galatians 2:23-25, we are still bound by the moral aspects of the law, then these regulations, clearly moral rather than ritual, should still be binding. No Christian feels that way. No Christian believes that we are still under the law of Moses. What Does Leviticus Mean? We still have to think about what Leviticus actually means. Although the law of Moses is not binding on us today, it was binding on the people of God between Moses and Christ. Understanding Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 is important when looking for Biblical affirmation of same-sex relationships in the Old Testament, and through the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 may have influenced Paul when he wrote 1st Corinthians and 1st Timothy. Understanding Leviticus can help us understand what Paul meant. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 10

15 Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable (Leviticus 18:22, NIV) 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. (Leviticus 20:13, NIV) In most English translations, these verses seem to utterly forbid all forms of male-male sex. However, the verses are not actually that general. If it was general, why is the phrase as one lies with a woman present in both verses? Why don t the verses just say You will not lie with a man, or You will not lie carnally with a man? (See Leviticus 18:20 in the KJV.) The Hebrew idiom used here, literally translated the lyings of a woman, is difficult to decipher. It is related to another phrase, the lyings of a man (see Numbers 31:18). In the Babylonian Talmud, lyings of a man is contrasted with other forms of sexual activity between men, indicating that it is not a blanket reference to all sexual activity. The lyings of a man is restricted in meaning, and so the lyings of a woman is also restricted in meaning. The evidence indicates that it means anal sex, an activity that even today is not a feature of all male-male sexual relationships. LEVITICUS 18:22 HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES Overview of Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. This is a passage from the Mosaic Code that is often used to condemn homosexual behavior in general. In transliterated Hebrew, the verse is written: V et zachar lo tishkav mishk vey eeshah toeyvah eh. The first part of this verse is literally translated as And with a male you shall not lay lyings of a woman Many, probably most, theologians, Bible translations and biblical commentators agree that the verse is directed at men who engage in at least some form of anal sex with other men. But they do not agree on the full scope of the forbidden activities. For example: The Living Bible greatly widens the scope of the original Hebrew to include all homosexual acts by both men and women. They confuse the matter further by not differentiating between homosexual orientation and homosexual behavior. They render the first part of this verse as: Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden. On the other hand, many religious liberals have interpreted the beginning of this verse as referring only to sexual activities between two males during a Pagan temple ritual. If there were a liberal translation of the Bible, it might say, Ritual anal sex between two men in a Pagan temple is forbidden. The second part of this verse explains what type of sin this transgression falls under. There are two types of sin in the Mosaic Code: Moral Sin is produced by rebellion against God. This seems to be the interpretation of most biblical translations imply when they translate the Hebrew toeyvah into English words such as abomination, enormous sin, or detestable. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 11

16 Ceremonial Uncleanliness is caused by contact with a forbidden object or by engaging in a behavior which might be quite acceptable to non-hebrews, but which was forbidden to the Children of Israel. Eating birds of prey, eating shellfish, cross breeding livestock, picking up sticks on a Saturday, planting a mixture of seeds in a field, and wearing clothing that is a blend of two textiles are examples of acts of ritual impurity which made a Child of Israel unclean. These were not necessarily minor sins; some called for the death penalty. The verse is, unfortunately, incomplete. Its precise meaning is unclear. The phrase lay lyings has no obvious interpretation. Attempts have been made to make sense out of the original Hebrew by inserting a short phrase into the verse. For example: The Net Bible translation inserts two words to produce And with a male you shall not lay [as the] lyings of a woman. A man must not have sexual intercourse with another man as he would normally have with a woman. i.e. anal intercourse between two men is not permitted. From this literal, word for word translation, they produce a smoother English version: You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman. An alternative translation would insert a different pair of words to produce: And with a male you shall not lay [in the] lyings of a woman. That is, two men must not engage in sexual behavior on a woman s bed. Presumably, they must go elsewhere to have sex; a woman s bed was sacred and was to be reserved for heterosexual sex. Which is the correct translation? Obviously, it is important for a student of the Bible to resolve exactly what behavior is forbidden: is it: All homosexual behavior, by either men or women, or All sexual behavior between two men, or Only anal sex between two men, or Only anal sex in a Pagan temple ritual, or Sexual activity between two men in a woman s bed? Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the meaning of this verse. Many people tend to select that interpretation that most closely reinforces their initial beliefs about the Bible and homosexual behavior. English translations of this Leviticus 18:22: These are not a great deal of help. Bible publishers are under strong economic pressures to turn a profit. If a translation of Leviticus 18:22 were included that did not generally condemn at least male homosexual behavior, their sales would drop precipitously. They are unlikely to deviate from traditional interpretations, unless they were preparing a translation specifically for Christian and Jewish liberals. Some translations are: ESV: (English Standard Version): You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is abomination. KJV: (King James Version): Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 12

17 LB: (Living Bible): Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin Net Bible: You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman; it is a detestable act. NIV: (New International Version) Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. NLT: (New Living Translation): Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin. RSV: (Revised Standard Version): You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. The LB and NLT translations use the term homosexuality That is unusually deceptive for three reasons: The passage in the ancient Hebrew is clearly talking about male-male sex acts. By using the word homosexuality, the English translation appears to condemn lesbian activity as well. The latter behavior is definitely not mentioned in the original Hebrew text of this passage. In fact, lesbian behavior is not mentioned anywhere in the Hebrew Scriptures. The term homosexuality has two distinct meanings in English. Sometimes it refers to sexual behavior (what some people do). Sometimes it relates to sexual orientation (what some people are). One reader might conclude from an English translation that homosexual orientation is criticized in the Bible; others might assume that homosexual behavior is criticized. The word homosexual was first used in the very late in 19th century CE. There was no Hebrew word that meant homosexual. Thus, whenever the word is seen in an English translation of the Bible, one should be wary that the translators might be inserting their own prejudices into the text. Various groups interpretations of this verse: Typical Liberal Christian Interpretations: Some English translations of this passage condemn both gay and lesbian sexual relationships. This is a mistranslation. It refers only to male-male sexual behavior. This passage does not refer to gay sex generally, but only to a specific form of homosexual prostitution in Pagan temples. Much of Leviticus deals with the Holiness Code which outlined ways in which the ancient Hebrews were to be set apart to God. Some fertility worship practices found in nearly Pagan cultures were specifically prohibited; ritual same-sex behavior in Pagan temples was one such practice. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 13 Brazen Serpent that God sent to the Israelites by Tintoretto

18 The status of women in ancient Hebrew culture was very much lower than that of a man and barely above that of children and slaves. When a man engaged in sexual intercourse with a woman, he always took a dominant position, as a penetrator; the woman would take a submissive posture. When two men engage in sexual intercourse, one of the men, in effect, takes the role of a woman. When a man takes on the low status of a woman, the act makes both ritually impure. Many would regard abomination, enormous sin, etc. as particularly poor translations of the original Hebrew word which really means ritually unclean within an ancient Israelite era. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (circa 3rd century BCE) translated to ebah into Greek as bdelygma, which meant ritual impurity. If the writer(s) of Leviticus had wished to refer to a moral violation, a sin, he would have used the Hebrew word zimah. This verse says nothing about consensual same-sex activity today. It only condemns same-sex religious prostitution. Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches: This is a conservative Christian denomination with a special outreach to gays and lesbians. They enlarged on the condemnation of the ritual uncleanness of homosexual sexual behavior in Pagan temples: The seriousness of this idolatry in Hebrew eyes was compounded by the belief that to lie with a man as with a woman violated the dignity of the male sex. Women were [considered] property but men were the direct image of God. To treat a man the way a woman was treated was to reduce him to property and, thereby, to violate the image of God. The issue was idolatrous activity which failed to acknowledge God s creation. National Gay Pentecostal Alliance (NGPA) interpretation: The NGPA has analyzed the verse in great detail to produce a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew. In English, with minimal punctuation added, they rendered it as: And with a male thou shalt not lie down in beds of a woman; it is an abomination. That is, rather than forbidding male homosexuality, it simply restricts where it may occur. This may seem a strange prohibition to us today, but was quite consistent with other laws in Leviticus which involve improper mixing of things that should be kept separate. e.g. ancient Hebrews were not allowed to mix two crops in the same field, or make cloth out of two different raw materials, or plow a field with an ox and a donkey yoked together. A woman s bed was her own. Only her husband was permitted there, and then only under certain circumstances. Any other use of her bed would be a defilement. An argument against this interpretation is that it would not blend well with the next verse. Leviticus 18:23 discusses a man or a woman engaging in bestiality. The traditional translations would make a smoother text. However, in defense of the NGPA translation, there is already a break in topic between verses 21 and 22. So a second break between 22 and 23 is not unreasonable. Author Jacob Milgrom suggests that the two passages do not prohibit homosexual behavior generally, but only: for ancient Israelites, or to inhabitants of Israel, and who are engaging in anal intercourse, and who are men, not lesbians, and (perhaps ) who are of the same kinship connections that would prohibit heterosexual relations. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 14

19 Arthur Waskow, a writer and rabbi, points out that: The whole structure of sexuality in Torah assumes a dominant, male and a subordinate woman. In a male homosexual act of anal intercourse, one partner may be viewed as taking a passive role - that normally played by a woman. Thus anal intercourse between two gay men would be as improper in Biblical times as a workplace situation in which a woman supervised a man. Also, because woman were considered to play such an inferior role in society, sex between two lesbians are not condemned in the Old Testament. All women were of low status and thus neither would be seen as adopting a dominant or a subservient role during sexual encounters. Waskow cites two alternative meanings to the passage: Do not lie with a man as if it were the same thing as lying with a woman. That is, when two gay males have a sexual encounter, they should continuously be aware that it is different from a male-female coupling. It might be interpreted to mean: Set up a parallel set of institutions for dealing with this kind of sexual relationship, different from those that apply to sexual relationships between a man and a woman. Do not sleep with a man as it were with a woman. That is, if two males engage in a sexual act, neither should pretend that the passive partner is like a woman. They should be fully aware of their sexual orientation and maleness. i.e. they should come out of the closet and recognize their gayness. He concludes that if this passage condemns some forms of homosexual behavior, it may refer only to the ancient Israelites, not to North America today. Perhaps: at one time of human and Jewish history the path avoided gay male sexuality, and at a later time this avoidance might be null and void? Can the circle of the beloved community widen as we mature? Traditional Jewish and Christian belief is that God dictated the Torah to Moses. Thus every word was included for a specific reason. If God wished to ban all gay homosexual acts then it could be argued that the passage would have read You shall not lie with a male. The addition of the phrase as with a woman must have been included for a specific reason. Perhaps it was added to give the passage one of the above meanings. A second Jewish writer, Rabbi Gershon Caudill, is: not convinced that the biblical passages (here in Leviticus 18:22 and also in Leviticus 20:13) refer to homosexual activity that is within a monogamous, stable, and loving relationship. He suggests that the passages refer to sexual promiscuity, not to homosexual activity within a committed relationship: He notes that Leviticus 18:22 is located in a section of Leviticus that deals with incest and bestiality. It is not usual for a gay man to have sex with another man as if he the latter were a woman. If he were to do so, then he would be pretending that he was with a woman and not with another man. Thus, he would not be in a homosexual relationship at all. The passage actually refers to a heterosexual male who is forcing himself to fantasize that he is having sex with a woman in order to be able to complete the act. In modern terms, this would be considered as a male heterosexual violating his own sexual orientation. At the beginning of the chapter that includes this passage, Leviticus 18:3 states: After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Here, God is saying that the Hebrews are not to follow the practices of the Egyptians or of the Canaanites. Homosexual ritual sex in temples of both countries was common. Thus, one might assume that Leviticus 18:22 relates to temple same-sex rituals something that was ritually impure. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 15

20 BOOKS OF DEUTERONOMY, JUDGES, KINGS Analysis of Deuteronomy 23:17 This verse is controversial because of the many translations of the Hebrew word Qadesh. The same Hebrew word and same translational difficulties also appear in: 1 Kings 14:24, 15:12 and 22:46 2 Kings 23:7 Some Bible translations of Deuteronomy 23:17 are: ESV: (English Standard Version): None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. KJV: (King James Version): There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. LB: (Living Bible): No prostitutes are permitted in Israel, either men or women. NIV: (New International Version) No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. NLT: (New Living Translation): No Israelite man or woman may ever become a temple prostitute. RSV: (Revised Standard Version): There shall be no cult prostitutes of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a cult prostitute of the sons of Israel. Note that the King James Version refers here to a male sodomite. Back in the start of the 17th century CE, when this version of the Bible was translated, the term sodomite referred to a person who engaged in what were then called unnatural sexual acts of any type, including anal sex, oral sex, etc. Thus, the translators translated the Hebrew word qadesh into a generic term for what was then considered unnatural sex. It is interesting to note how the translators of the 21st Century King James Version handled this verse. The publishers claim that they updated the text of the original King James Version wherever word meanings have changed. The term sodomite in 21st century American has changed its meaning from 1611 CE. It is now a derisive term that refers only to male homosexuals. Yet, the translators preserved the verse from the King James Version without change. Adam & Eve in the Garden with the Serpent, Michelangelo c The Old Testament & Homosexuality 16

21 They might have feared economic repercussions if they upgraded the translation. People are used to sodomite appearing here. In other biblical translations listed above, one refers to a male prostitute, and three refer to a shrine, temple or cult prostitute that is a prostitute in a Pagan temple. It is obvious that at least some of these English translations of this verse are in error. Various interpretations: Conservative Christians: Many Evangelicals prefer the KJV to the NIV translation of this verse. It condemns all male homosexual activity, and is thus applicable to all male gays today, whether they are involved in casual sex or in a monogamous, consensual, committed relationship. The other translations refer to male prostitutes (whether they offer services to men, women or both) and to temple prostitutes, which are extremely rare in North America. Liberal Christians and homosexual support groups: The translators of the KJV made an error in this verse when they mistranslated the word qadesh in the original Hebrew as sodomite. One source speculates that the translators in 1611 CE believed that qadesh was in some way related to the sexual practices of Sodom as described in Genesis 19. Qadesh literally means holy one and is here used to refer to a man who engages in ritual prostitution in a Pagan temple. Among Pagan religions in the Middle East, worship often involved ritual sex in the temple, often with a sacred prostitute who was like a priest or priestess. This sacred sexual activity was believed to encourage the god(s) to bestow fertility on the earth and its creatures. There is no indication in the Bible, in other documents of the time, or in the archaeological record, that these male prostitutes serviced other males. When the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into the Greek Septuagint during the 3rd and 2nd century BCE, the translators used six different terms for the one Hebrew word. None would have suggested homosexuality to the theologians of the early [Christian] church. The Living Bible also contains an obvious translation error; they refer to prostitutes in general, rather than only those prostitutes who engage in ritual sex in a ritual Pagan temple setting. A particularly clear example of the effect of prejudice by translators is seen in the New King James Version which refers to a female ritual harlot and a male perverted one. Other Bible translations, including the NIV, use accurate terms such as shrine prostitute, temple prostitute, and cult prostitute. The term cult in this case means type of religious service, not an evil, mind-controlling religious group. The entire verse seems to condemn ritual prostitution in Pagan temples, whether by men or women. It has nothing to say about gay or lesbian sexual activity today, within either a casual or a committed relationship. A Jewish interpretation: Rabbi Gershon Caudill quotes the Talmud as concluding that this passage refers to homosexual ritual sex in the temple. But he refers to Targum Onkelos who concluded that the men provided sexual services to the female visitors to the idolatrous temples. Judges 19:14-29 An unnamed Levite visited the town of Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin, with his slaves and a concubine. He met an old farmer and was made welcome. A gang of men appeared and demanded that the old man send The Old Testament & Homosexuality 17

22 out the Levite that they might homosexually rape, or assault him, or find out whether he was a threat to the town. (As in the similar story about Sodom in Genesis 19, 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, and serially raped her all night. She was able to make it back to the house, where she collapsed at the front door and died. The Levite had not bothered to check on her during the night; he only found her, dead, when he resumed his trip. He sliced up her body into 12 pieces and sent one to each of the tribes of Israel. This triggered a civil war between the tribe of Benjamin, and an army of 400,000 soldiers, drawn from the remaining 11 tribes. (Judges 20). Tens of thousands died during the fighting. Apparently all of the Benjamin towns were burned and their women systematically exterminated during the battles. The event in Gibeah is similar to that that at Sodom. However, there are some differences between the two stories: Gibeah was a Hebrew town of the tribe of Benjamin whereas Sodom and Gomorrah were Canaanite. This time, the mob accepted the offer of a woman to rape in place of the visitor; the woman was killed by the mob. The people of Gibeah were not punished by God but were killed by fellow Hebrews. This war of genocide generated a major problem: The men of the remaining 11 tribes had earlier sworn an oath to not let any Benjamin man marry any of their daughters. Thus, the surviving Benjamin men had no way to obtain replacement wives. Since marriage to non-jews was prohibited, the tribe was destined to eventually die out. The remaining Hebrews were distressed that one entire tribe would be wiped off the face of the earth. They conspired to find wives for the Benjamin men in two ways: Because no men from Jabesh Gilead had assembled with the 11 tribes at Mizpah to prepare for the civil war, an army was sent there to kill every man, woman and child in the tribe, sparing only 400 young women who were lucky enough to be still virgins. The latter were kidnapped and given to the men of Benjamin. The oath was not broken, because none of the Jabesh Gilead fathers had given their daughters in marriage; all had been killed in the battle. The elders engaged in a conspiracy with the men of Benjamin to kidnap girls from Shiloh during their annual festival. Since the girls were to be taken against their will and against the will of their fathers, the oath was not broken; none of the fathers gave permission for their daughters to marry the Benjamites. Through much bloodshed and kidnapping, the surviving few hundred men of Benjamin were able to seize sufficient brides. Eventually, the tribe was rebuilt. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 18 David Slaying Goliath, Peter Rubens, c. 1616

23 Various interpretations of Judges 19:14-29: Conservative Christians: Most theologians would consider this event to be entirely separate in time and place from the story of Sodom in Genesis 19. The Schofield Bible dates Genesis 19 to 1898 BCE and Judges 19 to 1406 BCE almost a half millennium apart. Similarities between the two stories are simply coincidences. The citizens of the town were degenerate and sinful because they originally demanded to have homosexual sex with the male visitor. This was compounded by their rape and killing of the concubine. The passage condemns both homosexuality and the sexual assault of women. Liberal Christians: Most theologians would assume that this is simply a retelling of the original Genesis 19 story, in a different location and era. Either or both events were probably mythical. Surprisingly, there was no condemnation against the Levite for causing the death of his concubine, or for committing an indignity to her body by mutilating it. 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 would have condemned homosexual rape, which is a crime of power. Its purpose would have been to humiliate the strangers. It would have been unrelated to consensual homosexual activity. 1 Kings 14:24, 15:12 and 22:46; 2 Kings 23:7 These verses describe wiping out male prostitutes, either in the land or in houses of male prostitution around [or in] the Temple. The key Hebrew word qadesh is again translated (incorrectly) as sodomite in the King James Version, but (correctly) as male cult prostitutes, or male shrine prostitutes in some other versions of the Bible. The Living Bible mistranslates qadesh simply as homosexuality in 1 Kings 14:24. Various interpretations: This again condemns male prostitution in Pagan temple cult rituals. It is unclear whether the male prostitutes had male or female customers. The verses are unrelated to today s consensual homosexual activity. Conclusions: These Hebrew Scriptures refer repeatedly to punishment of prostitutes who engage in ritual sex in Pagan temples, and punishment of people who rape women. The Hebrew Scriptures are silent on same-gender sexual behavior, whether in the form of casual sex, or within committed, consensual, loving homosexual relationships. The Old Testament & Homosexuality 19 David by Michelangelo Buonarroti c 1504

24 In EZEKIEL, the Lord says that Jerusalem became more corrupt, in every way, than was the city of Sodom, and proceeds to specify the iniquities: EZEKIEL Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of illness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination (idolatry) before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. Sodom and Gomorrah were not destroyed because of homosexuality-quite the opposite. In the Lords own words, Sodom was destroyed because of pride, complacency, sloth, idolatry and a lack of charity; destroyed because, among all the inhabitants of the city, including men, women and children (GENESIS 18:23-33) ten righteous persons could not be found. Another passage of concern: DEUTERRONOMY There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. The reference to sodomy (The word Sodomy did not appear until the 17th Century King James Bible) could be applied to homosexuals, but in all probability, it was directed toward male and female relationships. After all, the ancient Hebrews were fighting tribes that lived and died in battle, with no thought of beating their swords into plowshares. They needed warriors. They needed a growing birthrate. And if prostitution were encouraged, births would decline. Similarly, sodomy practiced, as indeed it was, between men and women, would also limit the population. Moses, ever practical, would have none of it. He was first and foremost concerned with the survival and growth of his race. IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, JESUS EXPANDED THE DEFINITION OF ADULTERY: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK CHAPTER 10 The Question Of Divorce. 2 Then some Pharisees came up and as a test began to ask him whether it was permissible for a husband to divorce his wife. 3 In reply he said, What command did Moses give you? 4 They answered, Moses permitted divorce and the writing of a decree of divorce. 5 But Jesus told them; He wrote that commandment for you because of your stubbornness. 11 Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12 and the woman who divorces her husband and marries another commits adultery. According to the new testament, every divorced person who remarries commits adultery; and according to the old testament, each of these persons should be put to death. Few churches, however, continue to apply divorce restrictions, for what was once law is no longer considered reasonable in more enlightened times. He who would use the scriptures to condemn others, to ovoid his own eventual damnation, must surely abide by the scriptures, one and all! Such a person may encounter unanticipated problems: The Old Testament & Homosexuality 20

25 LEVITICUS 11:12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. 11:22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. 17:10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. The Lord, according to Moses, made it an abomination to eat shrimp, oysters, clams, lobster, or rare meat. Beetles and grasshoppers, however, were recommended. LEVITICUS 25:44 Both thy bondman, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids 25:45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they began in your land; and they shall be your possession. A COMMAND TO ENSLAVE PEOPLE OF OTHER RACES, CREEDS AND COLORS. DEUTERONOMY 20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: 20:17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. KILL WITHOUT MERCY! DEUTERONOMY 21:18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not harken unto them; 21:19 Then shall the father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 21:20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21:21 And all the men of the city shall stone him with stones, that he die; so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. The Sacrifice of Isaac, by Caravaggio c.1598 (First Version) The Old Testament & Homosexuality 21

26 MOSES SOLUTION TO JUVENILE DELINQUENCY! DEUTERONOMY 22:11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together. Your clothing may damn you! If not, there are other scriptures, things God told Moses they were supposed to do, but things we fortunately don t do anymore. Trying some of them would currently be considered immoral or even criminal. Few of us can afford to own slaves or really want to slaughter without mercy. We know God does not want us to stone to death a son with a drinking problem, nor put to death persons who are divorced and remarry. Similarly, for the exact same reasons, no one should feel a need to stone to death the millions of homosexuals in the world today. Old Abraham is intercepted in the act of slitting his son s throat by an admonishing angel who with his right hand prevents the sacrifice and with his left points to the substitute victim, the ram. Light directs the viewer to scan the scene from left to right as it picks out the angel s shoulder and left hand, the quizzical face of Abraham, the right shoulder and terrified face of Isaac and finally The Sacrifice of Isaac, by Caravaggio c.1603 (Second Version) the docile ram. A continuous movement links the back of the angel s neck to Isaac s profile. What kind of God demands that a Father Murder his Son, as a sign of obedience and Love? Why would anyone choose to worship such a tyrannical and evil God? REFERENCES The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships by Rev. Jeff Miner What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A. Helminiak Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century by John Boswell The Old Testament & Homosexuality 22

27 Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe by John Boswell Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality, Revised and Expanded Edition: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church by Jack Roberts The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality by Justin R. Cannon Taking a Chance on God: Liberating Theology for Gays, Lesbians, and Their Lovers, Families, and Friends by John J. McNeill Sex as God Intended by John J. McNeill New Testament and Homosexuality by Robin Scroggs Thou Shalt Not Love: What Evangelicals Really Say to Gays by Patrick M Chapman Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians by Candace Chellew-Hodge Gay by God: How to be Lesbian or Gay and Christian by Rev. Michael S. Piazza Living in Sin?: A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality by John Shelby Spong Openly Gay, Openly Christian: How the Bible Really Is Gay Friendly by Samuel Kader Steps to Recovery from Bible Abuse by Rembert Truluck WEB SITES The Bible & Homosexuality VERY EXTENTIVE, from the Ontario Center for Religious Tolerance What the Bible says and means about homosexuality - ReligiousTolerance.org What the Bible Says - And Doesn t Say - About Homosexuality by Rev. Mel White, co-founder of Soulforce Free Download of 24 Page Booklet here: The Old Testament & Homosexuality 23

28 The Bible and Homosexuality - Wikipedia Homosexuality and the Bible - GayChurch.org The Bible and Homosexuality - MCC (Metropolitan Community Churches) The Original Gay Church cfm&contentid=2074 The Bible, Christianity & Homosexuality What Does the Bible say about Homosexuality? LOOKS AT BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE Homosexuality and the Bible - by Bruce L. Gerig Saints Sergius and Bacchus - Wikipedia Christian saints, lovers and martyrs Sergius and Bacchus: the Gay Catholic Saints The Old Testament & Homosexuality 24