Religion and Homosexuality?
609309
It is simple a man and a man cannot reproduce children. A woman and a woman cannot reproduce children. If the whole world was gay there would be no one living in it. That is fact not religion.
357874
Actually, it says nothing about homosexuality, but it does have some vague passages that people interpret to mean homosexuality.\n\nIt's only okay to do it if you are a priest, preacher or church leader. If not, most god speakers forbid it.\n\nBut, who cares what they think?
129389
i think your real problem is the conflict between your sexuality and your religion. i personally think there is nothing wrong with being gay. it would be the best for you to accept yourself the way you are, but that would mean you'd have to alter your religious beliefs to understand that your sexuality does not change your faith.
971430
I think its been established that homosexuality is not a choice.  If it was, you wouldn't have gay guys committing suicide because they can't reconcile their religious beliefs with their sexual orientation.
1064859
Very aptly put of the "Some" in "some Christians...", anyway here goes:\n\nChristianity in its religious sense, not the faith, places homosexuality as a challenge to the individual, however unfair it may sound, to right him/herself. It is a challenge of faith. So yes, the religion is a challenge of faith. These are called facticities of life, something which has to be placed in order for human beings to exercise their god given free will. Otherwise, it was never free will if you were just spoonfed of a perfect world with no imperfections to right.\n\nAnd about homosexuality per se, Christianity does tolerate it, but what it does not tolerate is it's propagation or in more politically correct statement: It tolerates but discourages homosexuality.\n\nAlthough there is already a clear boundary between the law and the faith/church/religion, it is only a human right to express oneself, is that not correct? which also means if we have to talk about human rights:\n\nAs you  are free express your homosexuality so is the individuals and the representations of these christian indiviuals as a group or a religion to EXPRESS themselves against it. So long as it is both not trampling the human rights of the other, then it would be safe to say that the arguments are fair for both sides. How the government legislation acts based on these arguments is theirs(Your government) and not the fault of the church.\n\nScientifically, this is just basically a basis for the basic laws of evolution; survival. Homosexuality demotes reproduction. But that is not to say transexuality is the way to go. Remember that our DNAs must not be tampered with ARTIFICIALLY. You are playing god with our genetics if you did that. You could potentially wipe out the human race with that kind of bickering going around.\n\nI don't know about you, but I would never want that much weight on my conscience. Just think about it a while. Come on, there are also great lookers and nice people on the other side of the sexual divide, you never know, right?\n\nJust a thought.
141630
No, depends who you ask, and no.\n\nMental illness: As has already been answered, the APA ruled that homosexuality was not a mental illness in 1973. I have linked to the APA site for their current take on homosexuality.\n\nSickness: There is growing scientific evidence showing that sexual orientation is determined in the womb, probably due to a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Sexual orientation is more akin to handedness: sure a left-handed person can be trained to write with their right hand, but that doesn't make them a right-handed person. I have provided a link to some of the current research.\n\nAdditionally, biologists have reported homosexual activity in the animal kingdom, including pair bonding of males. Such things are unlikely to occur if homosexuality was a human choice or the result of an overbearing mother as is often theorized.\n\nSin: Depends who you ask. Sin is subjective and varies from religion to religion. Ask a Hindu if its a sin to eat a cow and they'll say yes. Ask a Catholic and they'll say no. Ask a Jew if its a sin to eat pork and they'll say yes. Ask a Christian and they'll say no.\n\nYet the odd thing about Jews and Christians is that much of their faiths are based on the same book: the Old Testament. The same chapter that denounces pork as a sin also denounces homosexuality. Yet Christians think pork is OK and homosexuality a sin. In fact, homosexuality is about the only item denounced in that chapter that Christians still believe. It may also interest you to note that the word "homosexual" didn't exist until the 1850's, so any Biblical translation that includes that word could be a mistranslation.\n\nSo it really becomes a question of belief. If you believe homosexuality is a sin, then it is. If you don't, then it isn't. The whole concept of sin is foreign to anyone who doesn't believe in God. Native Americans considered homosexuals as special beings who embodied both the masculine and the feminine, and often looked to them as shamans.\n\nYou'll just have to make up your own mind.
999531
Can I just point out that in here the only ones that say homosexuality is a sin are those that are Chrisitan, what if you are not Christian it is not a sin. And anyway where are the Muslims that also say its a sin - nowhere, they know when to accept other peoples choice in lifestyle and belief and dont critise it. I have never heard of a Muslim damming a homosexual that does not follow their religion, they know when to quit!
447925
Homosexuality is a major sin within the two major faith(Judaism in not one of thee three as it is the 14th largest religion of the world) and I am not sure about the Buddhist faith, so as far as the first two are concern I would have to say no how could someone of this nature objectively and accurately preach against something that desecrates him he would really have to skip anything on the Sodom and Gomorrah I mean how much more clear can Allah's position be on this subject when an entire city was destroyed because of this sin....
115115
Of course not. Religions have been trying for thousands of years without any success. \n\nWe need to respect people with different preferences the same way we want to be respected. Most gay people simple ARE that way, and simply don't want a heterosexual relationship.
483338
AS a gay and a Christian (yes, you can be oriented to both)-cannonized text has passsges that state gays will not inherit the kingdom of God. (II Corinthians) But what does that really mean? It doesnt say that they will burn in hell. Those two things are not equivalent at all. What I see in it, is that we do not have the perfect blessing of society and may not fit into all of God's sacred institutions such as having children, traditional marriage, etc. We also are not going to be appreciated in the eyes of family values (there are certain discretions others use that I must respect) However, the Bible does not say in any way that we are condemnable by that alone. To be gay is to be oriented to same-gender attraction. Gay does not equal promisciuty, infedility, debuachary (drug use, etc) in every gay person. The Bible clearly states that God judges and loves people holistically and since it is been proven that being gay is only a part of a person, than therefore it in itself does not make one destined to eternal destruction, which is what many biggots beleive.
844641
Homosexuals raising kids is not how God planed it. Also in reference to someone elses answer that sexuality is a gift from God... NORMAL sexuality is a gift form God. BUT God does not give sodomy as a gift to no one. God hates sodomy. He loves the ppl that fall into the devils trap of homosexuality, but he hates the sin.  THAT being said. I think that children need a Father (Male father) and Mother (Female Mother).  I don't much care about the statistics, but a child raised with homosexuals will have no morals, in a homosexual home, what are morals?? I think that if a child gows up thinking that its a normal way of life.. chances are thats the way they will choose as well.
1114555
Don't listen to those dumb bigots.  Not all religions or even all Christian denominations believe being gay is a sin.  After all, as long as you are following your true nature it shouldn't matter since God made you that way.\nThe whole "being gay is evil" thing is, as far as I can tell, based solely on ONE passage from a part of the Bible that is full of rules we don't follow anymore.  The truth is that the religion is just an excuse to be intolerant; the real reason is that people are afraid of those who are different from them.\n\nOh, and another note: can you believe these people??  Some of them I have to shake my head and go, Are they for real? because they're so ridiculous.  As someone else noted, we're all sinners, and as most religions agree all sins are equal so it shouldn't matter, they're just as much a sinner as you.  Besides, it's no one's place to judge except for God.
479332
Are we starting this again this morning? The entire Yahoo Answers seems to be obsessed with this topic this last week.\nLet me clarify once and for all:\n* homosexuality is something born with, not chosen (why \n  would anyone deliberately choose such a difficult life-\n  style in our society?)\n* The bible does condemn it.\n* how do I explain this paradox? I don't know. It just is. \n  not my fault, I didn't write the bible or create peoples\n  sexual tendencies.\n* why did God create something and then condemn it? I don't\n  know that either. Heck, maybe he didn't, and Satan got \n  his nose in there to mess with us. Or maybe one is not  born with it, but it's a  product of environment and   experiences. Maybe I'm wrong in\n  my previous statement. I DON'T KNOW, AND YOU DON'T EITHER.\n* Only God knows the answer to any of this, and apparently,\n  he ain't tellin'! For the time being, anyway. Maybe he \n  just threw in stuff like this to test how we would react, \n  hateful or tolerant.\n* The fact that the bible, in my interpretation, condemns something hardly  means\n  that I have to go around condemning or persecuting it, I\n  was not born to be the judge of the world. The bible tells\n  me to love my fellow man, sinners and saints alike, and\n  be a good example of Christianity, lest I steer others \n  from the faith by turning them off to religion by watch-\n  ing my sins. \n* In this case, that could include sins of \n  bigotry, hate, and abuse of all who don't belief exactly\n  what we think they should believe, if we Christians aren't\n  mindful, and fall into a trap. \n* besides, what if my interpretation of the bible is in-\n  correct? It could happen, you know, to all of us.\n* That said, and religion aside, it is still a hate crime in\n  this country to persecute others on the basis of their \n  sexual orientation. It is also not allowed in Yahoo \n  Answers.\n\nTo sum up, we don't understand why this is, but it doesn't matter either. Just live and let live.\nIMO.
55086
It was interesting hearing what you had to say because I'm currently taking a Biblical Ethics class, and I have decided to do my research paper on the Homosexual issue.  I will know better how to answer your question after the research, but for now, I'll just express my opinions.\n\nNot all religions view homosexuality the same way, and not even all Christians view it the same way.  It seems clear to me that the Bible clearly condemns male homosexual relations.  (Female homosexual relations are not mentioned at all in the Old Testament, but it was written by men, and mostly for male readers, so perhaps it is implied).\n\nThe Bible however did not come down from God in the way that traditionalists think.  It was written by different people in different times and places, and the different voices therein conflict.  So what we have in the Bible are different views of various people, and it is quite clear that some of those people were homophobic.  They called homosexual relations "an abomination before the Lord."  These people were just expressing their gut reaction to gays.  They were intolerant, they did not understand the phenomenon, and so they basically just said, "Yuck," and didn't think about it anymore.  They just assumed it was bad and evil.\n\nOf course, most Christians do not realize that the Bible is the word of men and not God.  They were raised to believe that it is the Word of God, usually by honest, good parents who do not otherwise lie.  Therefore they believe their parents.  Why wouldn't they?  Their parents seemed to be right about other things.  So they never come to realize that well-meaning people can be totally incorrect and they perpetuate the teaching that the Bible is the Word of God.  \n\nNow these people, in their heart of hearts, often have compassion for gay people and have a tendency towards tolerance for them.  However, the people are trained to NOT listen to their hearts!  They think their hearts are wrong, and go against their own consciences to follow the Bible.  They justify this by saying, "God knows better than me."  \n\nMy mom is just such a person.  I can tell that in her heart, she would like to be tolerant of LBGT people.  But she can't let go of her belief in the Bible.  So she just can't let herself live according to her own conscience on this matter.  It is a very complicated issue.  My mom is not stupid or heartless.  She has her reasons for believing in the Bible.  It is not as simple as saying, "People who believe in the Bible are just idiots."\n\nI am not a Christian, but I am a very religious person.  I support LBGT rights.  I would like to just point out these 2 things:  that not all religious people are anti-gay.  And that not everything about religion is BS.  True, there is BS in religions, but not everything in a religion is BS.  Our job as religious people is to be discerning about that.  We must be willing to let go of a religious belief if it is proven false.  We must not be attached to our religion.  Religion is merely a means to a goal, and too many of us won't let go of the religion to get to the goal!  \n\nBut there are certain religious practices that are very good.  Daily affirmations of what is good in life, time spent daily working on how to improve compassion within yourself, reading of certain Scriptures which teach wisdom and love, devotion and humility before other humans and God (for those who believe in God) -- these are all beneficial to someone (and the people around him/her).
773878
Wrote a few points in this group post I have.  I essentially argue for both sides on theological, philisophical, and practical point of view.  I don't think scientific point of view helps much.  Scientists are still looking for the 'gay' gene, and there are still no definite proof of homosexuality, in humans, that is.\n\n\nXR
761539
BOTH.\nBUT I THINK HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SPIRIT.\nAS IS MOST SEXUAL PERVERSIONS.\nI KNOW I WILL GET IN TROUBLE FOR THIS ONE .\nBUT I BELIEVE IT TO BE TRUTH.\nSO MANY HOMOSEXUALS SAY THEY ARE NOT HAPPY AS THEY ARE.AND GOD HAS DELIVERED MANY.\nJESUS LOVES THE SINNER NOT THE SIN.\nIF YOU SAY HOMOSEXUAL IS OK .\nYOU CALL GOD A LIAR\nREAD THE BOOK
867581
If we are going to invoke Leviticus to condemn homosexuality then we must also remember that the Bible calls for the execution of homosexuals. Not only that but it calls for the stoning of disobedient children and adulterers. I wish that fundamentalist/evangelical Christians would not be so selective in their application of scripture. And to the guy who says that 80% of homosexuals have AIDS? Where on earth did you get such a ridiculous statistic? I've never heard such rubbish in all my life.