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KEY BIBLICAL CITATIONS
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Genesis 1:27-28; Genesis 2:18-25.
The creation of Adam and Eve and the blessing of
their sexual relationship shows the the high status of marriage and ordered sexuality in
God's providential scheme. Jesus certainly endorses this special status of the marital union
between a man and a woman when he cites these passages in Matthew 19:4-6 when talking about
divorce. There is no corresponding endorsement of homosexual unions in the Bible. Of course
close friendship between males is positively portrayed in the Bible, but there is no suggestion or
implication that such relationships involved homosexual acts.
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Genesis 19.
This is the well-known story of Sodom and Gomorrah. References to the
incident in 2 Peter 2:7-10 and Jude 7 make it clear that licentiousness, "indulging in
unnatural lust" and the "lust of defiling passions" were the primary sins of the cities of the
plain, not inhospitality or homosexual rape.
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Leviticus 18:22-30; Leviticus 20.
The prohibition against men laying with men as with women in the Mosaic Law was a moral prohibition
and not merely a ceremonial rule. The latter rules were held not binding on Christians
(c.f., Mark 7:19 and Hebrews 10:8-10), whereas the Mosaic law of sexual morality was
upheld if not strengthened under the new covenant by both Jesus and the apostles and was never
abrogated (c.f., Mark 7:20-23 -- note that Jesus condemns both fornication and adultery,
i.e., all sex outside of marriage; Matthew 5:27 and 28; Acts 15:20). Moreover, there
was a difference even in the old law between ceremonial and dietary prohibitions on the one
hand and moral prohibitions on the other -- the former merely rendered one unclean but the latter
merited death (c.f., Leviticus 11:24 versus Leviticus 20).
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Romans 1:26-27.
St. Paul sees homosexual acts as unnatural. This cannot simply mean a condemnation of homosexual
activity by heterosexuals. Paul says that "God gave them up to dishonorable passions", which is
to say that the passions were involuntary and therefore must have been deeply held -- the same
situation as experienced by many with same sex attraction today. Note also the condemnation of
lesbian sexual activity.
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1 Corinthians 6:9.
Since the list of those condemned uses words descriptive of people
who have committed the acts described in the name, St. Paul clearly is condemning homosexual
acts rather than those with the mere inclination. Thus such acts are mortal sins, and those
committing such without repentance and absolution will not inherit the kingdom of God.
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1 Timothy 1:10.
St. Paul says that the law is for the correction of sinners, including
sodomites. Clearly Paul did not see the moral law as having been overturned in the new dispensation.
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Matthew 5:8.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
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Matthew 5:17-19.
Jesus says he did not come to overturn the law, but to fulfill it.
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Matthew 19:12.
Jesus seems to be using the term "eunuch" as indicating a state of
celibacy. The broader context of the discussion implies that Jesus views only marriage or
chastity as the legitimate options in life as regards sexuality.
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