Question:

I am curious about the Biblical explanation of homosexuals and omnisexuals
as advanced by Paul in Romans chapter 1. Paul claims that homosexuality is
a punishment for idolatry. However, homosexual behavior is exhibited in
over 1500 species of animals with roughly the same percentages as human
beings across the globe. If it caused by idolatry as Paul claims, are
these 1500 other species of animals guilty of it? (For example, in 2004,
two male penguins in the New York CIty zoo often copulated and even raised
an egg together, rather publicly). Some humans are born with 1 testicle
and 1 ovary. This is a fact. What is their gender? Whom are they “allowed”
to have sex with? Research has now shown numerous differences in
homosexual and heterosexual brains, such as homosexual men having a female
shaped suprapineal recess and corpus collosum. There are also differences
in the size of the individual testicles, with a larger left testicle
correlating more strongly to more feminine behaviors such as emotional
expresion and nurturing behavior. Genetic studies have further shown that
33 of 40 gay men have specific genetic markers absent in straight men. How
does this information fit with a literal reading of the Bible, since 2000
years ago, science did not exist and people thought “evil spirits” caused
people to be deaf, dumb and/or blind according the Gospels? Do hearing
aids and ocular surgery scare the evil spirits away?

Response:

Paul does not claim that homosexuality is a punishment for idolatry. That
is not good biblical interpretation. What it says is that because people
chose to worship created things rather than God, they became “darkened” in
their thinking. Because God gives us free will, when we reject knowledge
of him, he allows us to indulge our grossest sinful nature, including
sexual lust, greed, violence and so forth. The idea that a sin is a
punishment imposed by God is a gross misunderstanding of the God of the
Bible.

It is no more sin for an animal to have sexual behavior with another
animal of the same sex than it is for them to hunt prey and kill it in
order to eat. Animals are not made in the image of God and they certainly
do not have the ability to sin. The fact that certain animals exhibit
homosexual behavior is completely irrelevant to the human situation. We
have a soul, a spirit, a conscience, we are sentient beings.

Many “Christians” make a huge mistake by demonizing homosexuality. This
is very unfortunate and it is an ungodly behavior. Homosexuality is no
more sinful than adultery. Nor is it more sinful than materialism, greed,
selfishness and pride, sins which these self-righteous “Christians” are
very much prone to on a regular basis. Yes, of course homosexual behavior
is sinful, but then again, any sex with a person one is not married to is
equally sinful. I sense an anger in you about the “Christian” attitude
toward homosexuals. I share that frustration with such bigoted and
self-righteous behavior. Jesus would not have picketed gay pride
parades. He would have loved, reached out to and touched the lives of
homosexuals as much as anyone.

As to the proclivity of some toward homosexuality, I have been saying for
many years that it was only a matter of time before science began to find
an underlying genetic basis for at least a significant proportion of the
homosexual behavior of human beings. Some people are born with a greater
tendency toward pride, some are more tempted with greed, some with
out-of-control drug use, others with lust, and still others with lust
toward members of the same sex. We are all tempted, but some of us in
different ways than others. Nevertheless, the fact that I, for example,
am genetically more inclined toward violence or toward selfishness does
not give me an excuse. Sin is still sin. God understands our weakness.
He wants to forgive. He sent his son to die to accept the just penalty
for rebellion against God. However, willful indulgence in sin, whether it
is adultery (a pervasive sin in our society) or homosexuality (not as
common, but still a large problem), is rebellion against God. In order to
have a relationship restored with our God, we must repent of our sins.
Whether or not I have the genetic markers for alcoholism, I must repent of
drunkenness. The same can be said for those who have a proclivity toward
homosexuality.

So, I find bigotry and self-righteous behavior by heterosexual Christians
toward homosexuals to be unacceptable. However, sin is sin, and having a
genetic tendency is not an excuse for rebelling against God.

John Oakes, PhD