The Truth About Homosexuality

 

The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans 16:16)

 

In recent years the so-called "Gay-Liberation" movement has sought to gain acceptability and approval for homosexuality as an "alternate life style."

However, homosexuality is not new. It is as old as the Bible. It was one of the sins that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 13:13; 19:5-11).

What is new is the popularity, publicity, and political clout which homosexuals enjoy in America. Homosexual groups have succeeded in winning passage of legislation granting them protected class status in 5 states and more than 90 cities across America. Former President Clinton touched off a political firestorm with his proposals to end the ban on gays from serving in the U.S. military.

In the 1992 election, voters in Colorado approved Amendment 2 which prohibited special status for homosexuals; the result has been a high profile boycott bringing intense pressure against the state led by several Hollywood personalities.

Years ago, a 1000 member "Gay" church in Dallas -- the Metropolitan Community Church -- dedicated a new $3 million Cathedral (Metropolitan Community Churches are a national network of homosexual churches). Nationwide there are probably more than 500 exclusively homosexual churches. Special Panels in the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have recommended new guidelines which condone homosexual relationships and allow the ordination of practicing homosexuals.

Many have been confused by the Rhetoric! Not long ago an active church member, who has served as a leader in a congregation in another state, shocked me by saying: "I used to be hard against this homosexual business -- but now I don't know... It seems like they can't really help it and I've been wrong to oppose it."

Many of our children are being systematically indoctrinated in our public schools. They are taught that homosexuality is as normal as having brown eyes or blue. Many communities have already adopted a program called "One In Ten" or "Project 10" designed to teach students that "gay is good." (One in ten comes from the homosexual assertion that 10% of our society is gay.) Dr. Jocelyn Elders, President Clinton's former Surgeon General has been actively involved in efforts to introduce this program into Arkansas schools.

A speaker at a recent Christian College lectureship told of a large congregation in the South where the preacher presented a lesson on homosexuality to a teen group. Two boys reacted angrily, declaring that they were gay and proud of it! In the ensuing discussion, it turned out that not a single teen in the class thought homosexuality was wrong!

Clearly a great deal of teaching is needed!

MYTHS

Today in America, homosexuals have succeeded in veiling their activities in a smoke screen of favorable propaganda which has left many people confused.

They have created a favorable image in the media - due in part to the large number of publishers, editors, producers, directors, etc. who are involved in the homosexual culture. They have succeeded in selling the following myths to key political figures, educators and officials in many denominational churches.

1. "Ten percent of the population is homosexual."

The "Gay" subculture has attempted to gain respectability and influence by picturing itself as being much larger than it really is. The "One in Ten" program has tried to sell this idea to the Educational establishment. Homosexual activist Bruce Voeller admits that he has preached the 10% figure for years in order to persuade people that "we are everywhere" so that it will appear that homosexuality is "normal." (Focus on the Family Citizen, April 20, 1992, p. 3.)

The truth is that the number of homosexuals is much smaller than their power and influence would indicate. In part, this impossibly high figure is the result of unreliable studies done by pioneer sex researcher Alfred C. Kinsey. He relied heavily on data gleaned from criminals - including sex offenders - and projected his findings on the general public. One of Kinsey's research assistants, Wardell Pomeroy, acknowledged in 1972 that Kinsey's subjects were "coached" to give answers to suit a hypothesis.

Numerous recent studies (such as the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control) have all pointed out that the incidence of homosexual behavior is less than 3%. A study by the University of Chicago in 1990 found that only 1% of Americans identify themselves as homosexual. A 1989 study in Science magazine found that 1.6-2 % of the male population had engaged in homosexual activity in the previous 12 months (Protestants Relax Church Stance About Homosexual Relationships, Morning News, Springdale, AR, Apr. 6, 1991).

2. "Homosexuals have stable, loving families just like heterosexuals."

The effort is underway to force this viewpoint into schoolbooks and classroom discussions. Gay activists wish to promote the idea of gay families because of economic benefits which our society makes available to families: tax exemptions, social security benefits, etc. Homosexuals want to be able to go through some semblance of a marriage ceremony and wish to be able to adopt children, etc.

The reality: A 1981 study showed that only 2% of homosexuals have relationships that are even semi-stable (which for the purposes of the study was defined as having fewer than 10 lifetime partners!) The average homosexual has 500 (mostly anonymous) lifetime partners. Thirty percent of homosexuals will have more than 1000 sexual partners in their lifetime.

3. "Homosexuals are a persecuted minority."

Homosexuals have tried to gain sympathy by comparing the Gay Liberation movement to the Civil Rights Movement. Homosexuals like to picture themselves as victims of unreasonable prejudice who are persecuted by bigots and religious extremists. They are fond of referring to anyone who opposes the gay life-style as "homophobic" - which once meant those who feared homosexuals but now means those who condemn the homosexual life-style.

Studies show that homosexuals are far from being persecuted (The Arkansas Citizen, Aug. 1990, p. 1). Homosexuals have an average annual household income of $55,430 as compared to $32,144 for the general population and $12,166 for disadvantaged African-American households. Homosexuals are three times more likely to be college graduates as average Americans (60% vs. 18%). Homosexuals are three times more likely to hold professional or managerial jobs as other Americans (49% vs. 16%). Almost two-thirds of homosexuals (65.8%) are overseas travelers; that is four times the average for other Americans (14%)!

4. "Laws should be passed to give homosexuals the same civil rights as other Americans."

Homosexuals already enjoy the same rights as others; they want special privileges. Homosexuals will not settle for tolerance; they want public endorsement. The Gay Teacher's Association's bill of rights calls for the affirmation of "the beauty and legitimacy of our life-styles." Homosexual leaders demand that schools offer special courses to teach acceptance of homosexuality as an alternative life-style and that school libraries be stocked with books extolling homosexuality. In some key areas it appears homosexuals already enjoy a greater degree of freedom than any other group in this country. This is true, for example, with regard to the way the AIDS disease has been treated in America. It is still true that as many as 80% of AIDS sufferers are homosexuals. But because of the power and influence of the homosexual community, AIDS is treated differently from any other serious disease in this country! Normal public health procedures have been disregarded. In effect, AIDS is the first "politically protected" fatal plague in history.

Another example of the unusual freedom enjoyed by homosexuals is that they have escaped prosecution for vandalizing public office buildings, interrupting church services, desecrating church buildings and attacking public officials. No arrests were made following the 1990 and 1991 Gay and Lesbian Pride Parades in San Francisco in spite of the fact that videotape records exist of public nudity, indecency and homosexual acts. No arrests were made in Wisconsin after homosexual demonstrators invaded the State Capitol and used black markers to write on the marble floors. Clearly, homosexuals enjoy a level of freedom -- some might say license -- which few others ever experience.

5. "Homosexuality may be a sin, but it should not be treated as a crime."

There are many sins which are also crimes. Rape, incest, child abuse, murder, prostitution, etc. are illegal because they impact on other people. Historically, most Western nations have outlawed the act of sodomy. There are still 24 states which outlaw sodomy, with penalties ranging from a minimum fine of $200 to a maximum jail sentence of 20 years. The Supreme Court, as recently as 1986, upheld the constitutionality of these laws. Thomas Jefferson, in his revision of the criminal code of Virginia, prescribed the same penalty for sodomy as for rape.

Society has the right to legislate against sodomy because of its victims. Though homosexuals represent only 1 or 2% of population, they commit as many as half of all child molestations. 79% of all recorded cases of teacher/pupil sex involves homosexuals. Homosexuals are 20 times more likely to molest children than heterosexuals (Michael Downs, "Homosexuality: The 'Gay' Myth," Rosemont Reminder, Ft. Worth, TX, Oct, 4, 1992, p. 2).

Several homosexual organizations actively promote sex with children, including the Rene Guyon Society, the Childhood Sensuality Circle and the North American Man-Boy Love Association. In the past 17 years over half (some studies say 65%) of all mass murders were committed by homosexuals -- who comprise less than 2% of the population. Sodomy laws seek to curtail behavior that is destructive to homosexuals themselves.

6. "Homosexuals can't help being what they are."

Many attempts have been made to find some genetic basis for homosexuality. One study claimed to find a difference between the brains of homosexual men and heterosexual men. The study was too flawed to be taken seriously because it involved only a hand-full of cases (19) and lacked scientific controls. The results were statistically insignificant.

The truth is that no one has ever found a single genetic, hormonal or chemical difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals (Brad Haydon & John Eldredge, "Homosexual Rights: What's Wrong?" Focus on the Family Citizen, Mar. 18, 1991, p.7). Masters and Johnson reported a 71.6% success rate in helping men to discontinue their homosexual life-style (Wall Street Journal, Jul. 18, 1991). The implication is clear: Homosexuals can control their behavior.

The Bible insists that homosexuality is not sickness; it is not a genetic condition; it is simply sin! This is both encouraging and hopeful!!! It means that homosexuals (like every other sinner) can be responsible for their lives. They can repent and be saved -- just like liars, fornicators, or blasphemers.

Verses From Both Old and New Testaments

Genesis 19:4-11 indicates that homosexuality was the sin which caused God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah in fire and brimstone. The name of the city Sodom is preserved in the word "Sodomite" which is used to refer to a homosexual.

Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 note that under Old Testament Law those who lay "with a male as one lies with a female" were stoned to death! God called homosexuality an "abomination."

Deuteronomy 23:17-18 specifies: "None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute (Sodomite/KJV; perverted one/NKJV). You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog (male prostitute) into the house of the Lord your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God." Cf. Revelation 22:15 - In Biblical times the worship of idols involved terrible sexual immorality. There were both male and female priestesses who served at the shrines of Baal and Asherah. Those involved in such abominable practices had no part in the worship of the living God. It was unthinkable that those who serve Jehovah could so pervert themselves as to be involved in homosexual practices. So God decreed that He would accept no offering from either a male (homosexual) or female cult prostitute.

Judges 19 & 20 describe Sodom-like homosexual behavior among the men of the tribe of Benjamin in the city of Gibeah. At the command of God the entire tribe was almost wiped out -- 25,000 men were killed -- because they tolerated homosexuality and other sins in their midst. It is obvious from these scriptures that homosexuality was regarded as an intolerable perversion not to be countenanced by the people of God.

1 Kings 14:24 says "And there were Sodomites (male cult prostitutes/NASB) in the land and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel." (KJV.) Here as in other places in the Old Testament, homosexuality is associated with pagan idolatry. The word used here for homosexuals is qadesh which is translated "sodomite" in KJV, and literally refers to those who engaged in homosexual acts in the name of religion. The Bible simply takes for granted that homosexuality cannot exist where people love God and respect His word.

In Romans 1, Paul describes people whom God gave up on! (vss. 24, 26, 28) He pictures homosexuality as an outgrowth of a reprobate mind which was unnatural and deserving of death (Romans 1:26-27). Homosexuality was widespread in 1st Century Roman society. It was practiced even by Roman Emperors like Nero who underwent a public homosexual marriage ceremony. Though it was popular, God called it perversion! He said it was (1) a degrading passion, (2) against nature; (3) unseemly; (4) an error deserving punishment.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 asks "Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." Paul uses two words which refer to homosexuality. The word "effeminate" (malakos) here refers to catamites -- those who assume the passive role in a homosexual relationship. The word for homosexuals is arsenokoites which is defined as "one who lies with a male as a female; sodomite; homosexual." Paul says that this sin will keep one out of the Kingdom of God and notes that some who had once been involved in homosexuality had repented of the practice, given up the homosexual life - style and surrendered to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 1:9-10 ranks homosexuality with such sins as murder, kidnapping and prostitution. These words are used to describe such acts: "lawless, rebellious, ungodly, sinful, unholy, profane and contrary to sound teaching."

Jude 7 compared certain people to the men of Sodom and Gomorrah who "indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh," subjecting themselves to eternal fire. Homosexuality cannot exist where people love God and respect His word. Rejection of God is the root; homosexuality is the fruit!

Biblical Conclusions About Homosexuality

1. Homosexuality is a perversion of God's intentions in creation.

It is a sin against nature; contrary to nature. "Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." "And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. And the man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man. "For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:18, 22--24).

Because it was not good for man to be alone, God created woman as a suitable companion for him. That was God's creative purpose from the beginning. In Matthew 19:8, Jesus takes us back to that original intention, saying that it had always been God's plan for one man and one woman to come together as one flesh for life. Male and female are so created that in a sense in coming together they rejoin. Woman was taken out of man; woman and man are rejoined in the sexual relationship. Homosexuality is an attempt by Satan to take what is natural and to twist, pervert, distort and disrupt what God intended from the beginning.

2. Homosexuality is a clear violation of the laws of God.

A great deal of ingenuity has gone into attempts to explain away the clear teaching of the Bible. It is said, for example, that the sin of Sodom was inhospitality! The Bible says that ignoring God's standards of conduct will cause us to be lost. There are some things which do not become the saints and ought not to be named among them. Those who do such things have taken a road which leads only to destruction. "Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 5:6).

3. Homosexuality is a choice, not a genetic condition.

Homosexuals are not born; they are willingly or unwillingly recruited. Ultimately, they consent to be what they are. With proper motivation and assistance they can change. They can repent and be forgiven of their sin. Cleansing is available. "And such WERE some of you..."(1 Corinthians 6:11). People can be changed by Christ.

4. Homosexuality must be confronted with truth mingled with compassion.

We must hate the sin while loving the sinner. We must declare the whole counsel of God without compromise. We must continue to hold out the Gospel of Christ as the only hope of the world. We must guard ourselves from a Pharisaical, holier-than-thou attitude which cries out against one sin while winking at another’s which may be in our own lives.

Conclusion

The Bible is the only safe standard in dealing with every moral question. My preferences or your preferences or anyone else's will not change Biblical truth! Biblical standards of right and wrong are intended to make us holy as God is holy. God is eternal and unchanging; neither do His principles of righteous living change! The Bible requires that Christians keep themselves pure (1 Timothy 5:22). Pure religion demands that we keep ourselves unspotted from the world (James 1:27).

We can choose to be Christians or we can choose not to be Christians; We CANNOT choose to have Christ while embracing immorality! God offers grace greater than any sin. But we must repent of sin and surrender to God's grace through obedience before it becomes a reality in our lives.

Return To: Homosexuality


Return To Home Page