Christianity and homosexuality

Within Christianity, there are a variety of views on sexual orientation and homosexuality. The view that various Bible passages speak of homosexuality as immoral or sinful emerged in the fourteenth century Before the Current Era,^[1] ^[2] and has since become entrenched in many Christian denominations through church doctrine and the wording of various translations of the Bible.^[3]^[4]

In the present day, there are a wide variety of views within Christianity on homosexuality and sexual orientation, with some scholars of Christianity contesting the notion that scripture speaks explicitly of homosexuality as a sin against God.^[4]^: 42 Within a Christian denomination, individual believers and the groups they belong to may hold different views, and not all members of a denomination necessarily support their church's views on homosexuality. Most denominations teach that homosexual behavior and acts are sinful.^[4] The Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches officially condemn homosexual activity as sin. Various mainline Protestant denominations have taken a stance towards accepting homosexual people and even unions or marriages between same-sex couples while others have not.

^ "Levitical Law". Christian Research Institute.
^ "Leviticus Date". Bible Gateway.
^ Gnuse, Robert K. (May 2015). "Seven Gay Texts: Biblical Passages Used to Condemn Homosexuality" (PDF). Biblical Theology Bulletin. 45 (2). SAGE Publications on behalf of Biblical Theology Bulletin Inc.: 75. doi:10.1177/0146107915577097. ISSN 1945-7596. S2CID 170127256. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2021. [I]n later years some church fathers, such as Origen, St. Ambrose, and John Cassian, commented upon the sin of Sodom as crass inhospitality to strangers (Boswell: 98, 346). Not until the 4th century ce do church fathers consistently begin to clearly make the equation with homosexuality (Michaelson: 67).
^ ^a ^b ^c {{cite book|last1=Koenig|first1=Harold G.|last2=Dykman|first2=Jackson|title=Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry|year=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=9780521889520|pages=42–43|quote=The earliest interpretations of [the story of Sodom and Gomorrah] focused on the Sodomites' arrogance and rudeness to strangers; God killed them for incivility to his angels. The theme of sexuality [being the sin of Sodom] emerged full force in the first century BC writings of Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish historian. Rabbinical writings about Sodom generally did not mention homosexuality.

[1] "Levitical Law". Christian Research Institute.

[2] "Leviticus Date". Bible Gateway.

[Gnuse_2015-3] Gnuse, Robert K. (May 2015). "Seven Gay Texts: Biblical Passages Used to Condemn Homosexuality" (PDF). Biblical Theology Bulletin. 45 (2). SAGE Publications on behalf of Biblical Theology Bulletin Inc.: 75. doi:10.1177/0146107915577097. ISSN 1945-7596. S2CID 170127256. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2021. [I]n later years some church fathers, such as Origen, St. Ambrose, and John Cassian, commented upon the sin of Sodom as crass inhospitality to strangers (Boswell: 98, 346). Not until the 4th century ce do church fathers consistently begin to clearly make the equation with homosexuality (Michaelson: 67).

[religion_spirituality_psychiatry-4] {{cite book|last1=Koenig|first1=Harold G.|last2=Dykman|first2=Jackson|title=Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry|year=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=9780521889520|pages=42–43|quote=The earliest interpretations of [the story of Sodom and Gomorrah] focused on the Sodomites' arrogance and rudeness to strangers; God killed them for incivility to his angels. The theme of sexuality [being the sin of Sodom] emerged full force in the first century BC writings of Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish historian. Rabbinical writings about Sodom generally did not mention homosexuality.

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