Sexuality

• Background on homosexuality and the church

  Until the end of the 1950's, Churches of all regarded homosexuality as a sin. Homosexual acts were illegal. However, by 1967, homosexuality was made legal
• Contemporary responses


  As homosexuality became legal and socially acceptable, the question was raised on how the Church would adapt. Some say that you can be gay, but choose not to act upon it and remain celibate. In Catholicism homosexual tendencies themselves are not sinful, but homosexual acts go against Natural Moral Law.
• Representing tradition


  A large problem in Christianity stems from Biblical texts that seem to condemn homosexuality. However, Jesus accepted all people in the Bible, even social outcasts. People's interpretation have other influences, such as experiences and social norms.
• The idea of God being creator and humans being made in God's image links in with the fact that God created all people, including LGBTQ+ people
• However, versus such as Leviticus 18:22 - 'Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; it is detestable'
• New Testament passages against homosexuality 


  1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - '... Nor men who have sex with men [...] will inherit the kingdom of God'

  Romans 1:28 - 'Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion'
• New Testament passages for homosexuality

  Romans 2:1 - 'You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things'
• Transgender issues


  The Bible does not specifically mention transgender people because of its context
• Arguments for against change of gender

  If all are created by God, God doesn't make mistakes and therefore everyone should be happy with their gender. The early church strongly opposed surgery that tampered with ones gender. Men who were castrated were not permitted to be ordained as priests. If a transgender man sleeps with a man, it is the same as two men engaging in a homosexual act, so it is condemned
• Arguments in favour of allowing change of gender

  God's created mankind in his own image - ...'male and female He created them' - changing gender would just emphasise one aspects of God's image over another. Galatians 3:28 does not mention changing gender, suggesting gender identity has no importance. God may have created people with the nature of one gender but the body of another, so gave them the responsibility to choose