The Morality of Homosexuality | Teen Ink

The Morality of Homosexuality

March 19, 2009
By Anonymous

I figure that it would be good for me to discuss my opinions on homosexuality. This is something that I think about a whole lot because it is something I feel strongly about. I think that I have well developed opinions on the matter, but I generally have trouble putting my arguments and feeling into words. Hopefully, writing this and trying to organize what I think will be helpful for my own thoughts.
The whole issue about the morality of homosexuality makes me very, very angry. I feel this way because as far as I'm concerned, there is no issue. There is absolutely nothing wrong with two consenting people of the same gender having sex, end of story. My morals are far from black and white'I don't dismiss lying and cheating as inherently wrong, and I still can't find a view on abortion that makes me feel entirely comfortable. However, my opinions on homosexuality are very strongly one-sided. There is simply no way homosexual relations can be justified as being wrong. This position cannot be supported by anything rational. Arguments against homosexuality can come only from a source that is entirely irrational.
Religion is what makes people think homosexuality is wrong. In America, the great majority of people are Christian, and I myself know a lot about Christianity from my past experiences, so I'll just talk about the Christian view. I realize that there are people that believe that just the passive trait of being gay is a horrible sin, but these people are simply crazy, and any argument against that position is pretty unnecessary. Therefore, I will talk about the more common stance: It's okay to be gay because God makes people that way sometimes, but it's not okay for gay people to have sex, because that's a sin. It says it right there in the Bible, Leviticus 20:13: 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.' There are some logical problems with this idea. For example: why would God purposefully make people gay and then say they should be chaste? But the real problem lies in the way this quote is used to rationalize positions against homosexuality. To Christians, the Bible is the word of God, so, if it says that gay sex is bad in the Bible, then that's how it is. However, the Bible also says that children should be put to death for being disobedient (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), that working on the Sabbath is an offense punishable by death (Exodus 35:2), and of course that wearing clothes made of two types of material (Leviticus 19:19) or trimming your beard (Leviticus 19:27) is detestable. Nobody believes those other examples are the word of God, so why the one about homosexuality? There is nothing special about the passage on homosexuality. It is simply just another entry in a big list of 'no-nos', but it is regarded as truth while the others are dismissed as exaggerations or outdated laws. You can't pick and choose. How can someone decide what parts of the Bible are the words of God and which ones aren't? The bottom line is that you can't pick and choose you're your god thinks is right and wrong based on what you think. Those passages discredit the entire book, including the parts about homosexuality. The whole situation is a mess, and it makes me glad that I no longer believe in a god or are forced to reconcile religious beliefs with logic and sensible morality.

The only argument against homosexuality is the Bible. Once the Bible is made a void argument, there is nothing. I can't think of any way conventional morals can show gay sex to be wrong. The way I see it, what is right and wrong has little to do with the action itself and everything to do with the consequences. When two people have gay sex, nobody is hurt in any way. Even the Biblical passages give no reason as to why what they condemn is wrong, but people agree simply by default.
I know from personal experience that it is easy to use the Bible as a substitute for a brain. I used to think homosexuality was wrong because of what my parents told me about my religious views. Then I started thinking and I realized how wrong I was. This is why I don't hold anything against people that have a moral problem with homosexuality and oppose gay rights. I have nothing but contempt for their opinions, but the opinions aren't really their own; they are those of old homophobes that lived thousands of years ago and wrote things that somehow managed to have an affect on the world in the present time. Religion catches people and sweeps them away into believing in identical values. When people are told what is irrefutably right and wrong at a young age, they have no reason to question what they see as the right answers. I have a feeling that if there was no religion and people had to come up with their own morals, very few would be against homosexuality, because I honestly cannot think of any situation in which critical thinking and logic could point to the immorality of the practice of homosexuality. Hopefully, people will come to realize this someday.


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This article has 83 comments.


wooldhoot GOLD said...
on Oct. 26 2014 at 1:19 pm
wooldhoot GOLD, Longmont, Colorado
11 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Read any good books lately?&quot;<br /> ~Linlee<br /> <br /> &quot;:D&quot;<br /> ~Owen

Why do you get to decide how other people lead their lives? If they choose to marry or love a person of the same gender, how does that affect you in any way? Is the world going to blow up if my best friend marries another girl? Keep in mind that not everybody shares your beliefs. I personally believe in the theory of evolution, and you telling me that my beliefs are wrong hurts. Would you like it if I told you that your creationist views were completely illogical and the mere idea of a God is stupid?    Also, please work on your grammar. It's atrocious.

on Oct. 19 2014 at 9:35 am
LaRomanichelle BRONZE, Howell, Michigan
2 articles 49 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
I solemnly swear that I am up to no good

It is worth mentioning that the Bible has been translated and rewritten dozens, if not hundreds of times. I've read "versions" of it that don't even include half of Leviticus. Human error as eroded and replaced the mission sections, so how could you really be sure that God instended for homosexuality is a sin? None of it was written verbatim in the first place, before all the translations.  There are sixty six books in the Bible, written over a span of 1000 years. And at no point was any of this written in English. It had to be translated. And the English language has changed a lot since the Bible was first translated. Anyone who is bilingual knows English is a very strange language that changes more than most. Also, while there are a lot of congantes and direct translations, there are still idiomatic expressions and words that we have no version of that don't translate. In French, if I wanted to ask something, I'd use the verd demander. Je demande means I ask, not I demand. So then there are false cognates (which I realize people have taken all this into account, but I still think it should be mentioned) And that's between French and English. Greek and English are even less simalear.  I believe over-arching themes in the Bible are intanct. Love your neighbor and Trinity and etc, but when I look at those small details I just think of someone trying to put their own opinions in. The KJV even admits to adding verses in. -This is quite long and I do apologize for that-

EscapeRope said...
on Oct. 19 2014 at 9:27 am
EscapeRope, Cavite, Other
0 articles 0 photos 36 comments
You have a point, but please write properly.

n017 said...
on Oct. 15 2014 at 7:24 pm
Nommoc I agree with you. Everyone has their own tests and challenges that they face. You just have to keep strong and keep believing.

Navya14 said...
on Sep. 3 2014 at 11:23 am
I get it that you believe in god. But seriously you shouldnt hate yourself for who you are.Homosexuality is not a sin. If you truly believe in God you should have realised by now that god made you like this.
You should be proud of who you are.
That is my opinion.
 

EttieGH GOLD said...
on Aug. 11 2014 at 10:46 am
EttieGH GOLD, Mbabane, Other
15 articles 2 photos 46 comments
I know this is an old post, but, i just wanted to point out something about the scriptures you quoted. First, the sabath was made non-devoid when Jesus replaced it with The Passover, you know his last night on Earth. So, nobody who is a christian needs to keep up with that anymore. Plus, the laws they had back then had to do with their surroundings. That scripture in Levitacus says they musnt shave their heads in a CERTAIN way, that was because they didn't want to be accidentally identified as one of another religion, a pagan religion. And the rule about the clothing was about the israelites not forgetting that they were gods people and they were not to mix with the other nations and stuff. There were many reminders for them. The bible is a large, complex book that took years to fully write, so to start using it as a foundation for your argument, yu should really do your research. If you took into account the whole bible for your argument then you would see that it does actually condemn homosexuality. I'm not going to air my views on the subject, but, i thought it would be good to point that all out for you.

Nommoc said...
on Jan. 14 2014 at 8:54 pm
Just because I accept it doesn't mean I'm okay with it or should be content with it. I think it's like someone calling themselves an alcoholic when they have an addiction to alcohol. They're admitting they have a problem. That's what I'm doing when I say I'm gay.

on Jan. 6 2014 at 5:41 pm
Ms.Alice BRONZE, Barrie, Other
1 article 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
Resistance- because if we fight we might lose; but if we don&#039;t fight we&#039;ve already lost.

Do you think that by accepting yourself for being gay, your desrespecting your religion? 

kt1411 said...
on Dec. 5 2013 at 10:02 am
Hi, everyone First of all I would just like to mention FREEDOM OF SPEECH! okay and secondly there are alot of hypocrites here alot of you are giving out because christians are slandering homosexuals when in fact you have been slandering them.  To be honest I'm not a hundred percent sure if I believe in god or not but i do know everyone has the right to believe inn what ever they want and i get why people believe in god for many reasons and i also get why some people do not believe in god. The whole thing here is people not understanding, like those of you slandering christians because you do not understand their reasoning for believeing and the christians for slandering gays because you do not understand that it is okay. Because God forgives all sins and loves evenly and dont forget he made us all in his image and homosexuals are gods children to. And I would also like to mention that now a days its no longer religion forcing itself down our throats when in actual fact it is athieism that is forced upon the young minds today and if anybody watches the news here a while back there were many priests in which stood outside with sins apologising to the homosexual community for their harshness and they looked for forgivness from the community but also from god for unjustly casting away his children because it didnt suit their norms,. And lastly a dear friend of mie was gay and was harrassed for a long time over it by christians and so was pushed to commit a sin in which was taking his own life. He was a religous man he prayed for his family friends and for him self he attended church he didntr have anyting but his lord and i do not appreciate the fact that christians are still gossiping about him now saying he will not be allowed enter heaven and will be sent to purge in hell. this is not true he is in heaven and god loves him just as much as the rest of you. P.S apologies for any speeling mistakes and sorry if anyone finds anything I may have said offencive but this is my opinion.

Nommoc GOLD said...
on Nov. 27 2013 at 9:52 pm
Nommoc GOLD, Jackson, Tennessee
19 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
Roses are red. Violets are blue. An original poem is long overdue.

I don't want to be mean because some of these comments are quite hurtful, but I disagree with your opinion. I am a homosexual. I really truly hate myself for it. I'm a strong Christian and I believe that God loves me no matter what. I believe that it' same temptation in my life and that homosexuality is wrong and a sin. It's a struggle I face everyday. Different people struggle with different things and homosexuality is the burden that I carry. That's my opinion. Take it or leave it.

kristy@ said...
on May. 15 2013 at 6:14 pm
Muslims believed that everything took placed on the Holy Qur'an are created in the Holiness and Mercifulness of ALLAH. And as a muslim, it is quite hard to see other people having relationships with the same sex. Maybe, I need to be open-minded because people walks in different ways but i just can't convince my mind and heart to deal with it simply because I am a Muslim and I strongly believed in ALLAH'S words.

Ellodan BRONZE said...
on May. 15 2013 at 4:34 pm
Ellodan BRONZE, Tifton, Georgia
3 articles 0 photos 8 comments
It is so very wrong, morally and just.....it's wrong. Nuff said.

on Feb. 2 2013 at 1:46 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

Wow, way to represent the Christians. As a christian myself, i say thank you moron.

on Feb. 2 2013 at 1:44 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

sorry, *purpose* not person, and I am aware of my many typos. I'm not a religious imbecile, I am a human being, and you probably understand what i'm trying to say, anyway.

on Feb. 2 2013 at 1:43 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

There are many scientific THEORIES out there, but the fact is that we weren't there when the universe was created (excuse me, happened), and it's okay for someone to belief that there life has a person beyond the grave. It's something to strive for, I guess.

elain said...
on Nov. 14 2012 at 10:00 am
the funny thing is that many ppl say christians are narrow minded but at the same tym this ppl only beliv what they think is right to them.........e.g giving an objective view of the topic is quite hard for a christian or any other person.....coz we are shaped by our values, beliefs n principals......science does not explain everything......n christians who are tryin to  look liberal n eazy....you guyz we can try lookin like we love the world and its sin.......but jus rem any tym u ar contradicting scripture by agreeing wid any sin and tryin to look good to the unbelieverz....ua actually denieing Christ..........one day u will be asnwerable and i dont need you to love me....if u cant take my oppinion jus chill.........by the way  u cant denie science.......hahahaahh lol......same science said the avarage black person has the intelwectual ability of a white six year old......that jus tells u as long as behind science we have human beings results n conclusions will always be tempered wid our values..........so jus cut that part n think for a second.....am a christian n a scientist too so pliz i know wat am talkin a bout.

to cool#1 said...
on Nov. 6 2012 at 7:48 pm
I think homosexuality is not wrong. I am one myself, people like who they want to like.

Beyourself#1 said...
on Apr. 2 2012 at 10:04 am
I strongly believe in God but there's nothing wrong with Homosexuality.

shikamaru said...
on Feb. 13 2012 at 11:08 pm
it would not..:(

bignobodaddy said...
on Jan. 13 2012 at 6:15 pm
Unfortunately, if you believe in a god and believe that explains how things came into existence then all we can say is that you believe many things, other prefer to know instead and seek that knowledge in science. The very system that it made possible for you to type your idiotic comment.