Common Biblical Misinterpretations
References to Sodom and Gomorrah and the Holiness Code in Leviticus are common, so I will address them briefly to illustrate that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality in and of itself.
All Biblical quotes are from the King James (Authorized) Version.
"And there came two angels to Sodom...and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground..." (Genesis 19:1) and was hospitable to the heaven's hosts. The other men of the city, however, were rude and lascivious; they "compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 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 19:4-5)
After this, the Lord called it quits and burned the town down.
This event proves homosexuality is a sin, right? Wrong. It is inhospitality to guests that is evil, especially when those guests are angels. Still not convinced? Imagine the angels took the form of women, instead of men; the city's inhabitants would be trying to rape "female" angels. Would that have been a sin? What if the guests weren't angels at all - weren't even men - but human women? An entire city's men turning out to rape two women travelers would still be condemned by God.
But is inhospitality really reason enough for the Lord to destroy a city? Deuteronomy includes references to inhospitality that is non-sexual, and involves humans, not angels; still it is condemned by the Lord.
The Lord's
disciples were told by Him that "in whatsoever city ye enter,
and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of
the same, and say,
"Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe
off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the
kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
But I say unto you,that
it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom
than for that city." (Deuteronomy 23:3-12)
The above excerpt illustrates the sin of inhospitality; there was no hanky-panky of any kind - homosexual or heterosexual - yet the Lord was prepared to punish the offenders, even more severely than he punished the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The example of Sodom and Gomorrah has been used out of context - used INCORRECTLY - to condemn homosexuality.
"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." (Leviticus 18:22) "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13)
Wow. What could be more clear than that? Included in Leviticus, of course, are other abominations. I'd wager that nearly everyone you know - if not every one - is breaking AT LEAST one code: "Ye shalt not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard." (19:27)
In Leviticus we are also told that wearing clothing of mixed materials is forbidden, as is planting mixed seeds together. Even mothers are not spared from strange edicts: "...If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days....And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.
"But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks...and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days." (12:2,4-5)
Yet all of this had a specific purpose: to stop the desert people from worshipping the idol Molech, and to separate them from all their customs.
Of course, none of this matters; the Leviticus codes were rendered obselete by the Coming of Christ Our Lord. "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Galatians 3:23-25)
If we are to believe the Bible is the Word of God, we, in our imperfect knowledge, cannot pick and choose from its pages what we will believe and what we will cast out. The Bible says Leviticus Holiness Codes should no longer be obeyed.
In the Bible, followers of God are instructed to love God, themselves, and their fellow human beings. Loyalty and love is encouraged, while lies and lust are sins. In distilling the multitude of Biblical pages, we rediscover the simple truth of the Golden Rule.
For those who need further guidance into the rights and wrongs of the human heart, go to 1Corinthians 13; Godspeed.