Homosexuality

I.         Discussions of homosexuality have been occupying prominent places in the news

            A.        Many arguments that the rights of those practicing homosexual relationships need to be protected.

            B.        Arguments that homosexual relationships are normal and should be taught in public schools as acceptable alternatives.

            C.        Annoucements of new studies attempting to find the cause of homosexuality.

            D.        One medical talk show host often wonders why people are so set against the idea that homosexuality has a genetic cause. He supposes that the feeling is that if it were proven that homosexuality is biological, then religious people would be on shaky ground condemning homosexuality as a sin.

II.        In the beginning

            A.        Gen. 1:26-27 - God created us as male and female

            B.        Gen. 2:18 - After creating the man only, it was not good. Hence the female was created.

            C.        Gen. 2:22-24 - Men leave their parents to marry their wives.

            D.        No provisions are made for men marrying men or women marrying women.

            E.        Marriage is for male and female - Mt. 19:4-5

III.       Sex outside of marriage is wrong

            A.        All homosexual relationships take place outside of marriage, though there is active work in attempts to redefine marriage civially to include homosexual marriages. However, God’s definition still stands.

            B.        Even if there is a “marriage”, the homosexual community has different ideas about adultery than you and I.

            C.        Charles Silverstein, an author of a book on homosexual sex:

The word “promiscuity is usally used pejoratively, in such loaded statements as “The AIDS crisis is a direct result of promiscuity in the gay community.” It’s not a neutral description but a moral condemnation, and is used against gays by any group that condemns homosexuality. What constitutes promiscuity depends upon the speaker and his value system. One person will call a man who has two sexual partners promiscuous; another will reserve this condemnation for a regular frequenter of brothels. As a rule, gay men call someone promiscuous if he has a lot of sex with a lot of different guys.

            D.        Sexual relationships with multiple partners in not condemned in the homosexual community and is even looked upon as a potentially postive experience. (Larry Burtoft, Ph.D, Setting the Record Straight, A Focus on the Family Report).

            E.        Survey of those involved with lifetime partner: 57% report having sex with 30 or more people; 35% report having sex with 100 or more people. That is 92% with a large number of multiple sex partners while in a “lifetime commitment”!

            F.        All sexual imorality is condemned. Example: Gal. 5:19-21.

IV.      Does the Bible actually condemn homosexual relationships?

            A.        Lev. 18:22 - God finds it to be an abomination.

            B.        Lev. 20:13 - It carried the death penalty under the Old Law.

            C.        Rom. 1:26-27 - It is against nature. The act carries its own penalties. The average homosexual only lives to 42. Those who contract AIDS average lifespan is only 36.

            D.        I Cor. 6:9-10 - Cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

            E.        Sodom and Gomorrah

                        1.         Gen. 18:20 - very greivous sin

                        2.         Gen. 19:5 - Angels staying a Lot’s house are threatened with “knowing them carnally” - homosexual rape.

                                    a.         Some say their sin was “gang rape”

                                    b.         But condemnation was prior to this instance.

                        3.         Jude 7 - Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities had given themselves over to sexual immorality and “strange flesh”. Strange flesh: not normal sexual relations, other types of sexual relations, homosexuality.

V.        Is Homosexuality Genetic?

            A.        Despite the many articles, it has not been proven. At best there is a suspicion of that genetics leads to a tendency towards homosexuality.

            B.        Behavioral traits can have four causes

                        1.         Genetic - inherited from ancestors

                        2.         Innate - caused by physical events in the womb

                        3.         Biological - caused by physiological factors

                        4.         Environment - family or social factors

            C.        People use to believe it was totally environment, but they could not prove it sufficently so they looked for other causes.

            D.        Read highlights from page 10 to 14 in Setting the Record Straight.

            E.        The conclusion is that it is too complex to say there is a single cause.

            F.        There is an overriding assumption that there is a cause to homosexuality.

                        1.         Something made me the way I am. It is not my fault. You can’t condemn it.

                        2.         Ignores the most simple answer: it was a choice.