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March 3rd, 2011
01:25 PM ET
My Take: The Bible really does condemn homosexualityBy Robert A. J. Gagnon, Special to CNN
In her recent CNN Belief Blog post “The Bible’s surprisingly mixed messages on sexuality,” Jennifer Wright Knust claims that Christians can’t appeal to the Bible to justify opposition to homosexual practice because the Bible provides no clear witness on the subject and is too flawed to serve as a moral guide. As a scholar who has written books and articles on the Bible and homosexual practice, I can say that the reality is the opposite of her claim. It’s shocking that in her editorial and even her book, "Unprotected Texts," Knust ignores a mountain of evidence against her positions. It raises a serious question: does the Left read significant works that disagree with pro-gay interpretations of Scripture and choose to simply ignore them? Owing to space limitations I will focus on her two key arguments: the ideal of gender-neutral humanity and slavery arguments. Knust's lead argument is that sexual differentiation in Genesis, Jesus and Paul is nothing more than an "afterthought" because "God's original intention for humanity was androgyny." It’s true that Genesis presents the first human (Hebrew adam, from adamah, ground: “earthling”) as originally sexually undifferentiated. But what Knust misses is that once something is “taken from” the human to form a woman, the human, now differentiated as a man, finds his sexual other half in that missing element, a woman. That’s why Genesis speaks of the woman as a “counterpart” or “complement,” using a Hebrew expression neged, which means both “corresponding to” and “opposite.” She is similar as regards humanity but different in terms of gender. If sexual relations are to be had, they are to be had with a sexual counterpart or complement. Knust cites the apostle Paul’s remark about “no ‘male and female’” in Galatians. Yet Paul applies this dictum to establishing the equal worth of men and women before God, not to eliminating a male-female prerequisite for sex. Applied to sexual relations, the phrase means “no sex,” not “acceptance of homosexual practice,” as is evident both from the consensus of the earliest interpreters of this phrase and from Jesus' own sayings about marriage in this age and the next. All the earliest interpreters agreed that "no 'male and female,'" applied to sexual relations, meant "no sex." That included Paul and the ascetic believers at Corinth in the mid-first century; and the church fathers and gnostics of the second to fourth centuries. Where they disagreed is over whether to postpone mandatory celibacy until the resurrection (the orthodox view) or to begin insisting on it now (the heretical view). Jesus’ view According to Jesus, “when (people) rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels” (Mark 12:25). Sexual relations and differentiation had only penultimate significance. The unmediated access to God that resurrection bodies bring would make sex look dull by comparison. At the same time Jesus regarded the male-female paradigm as essential if sexual relations were to be had in this present age. In rejecting a revolving door of divorce-and-remarriage and, implicitly, polygamy Jesus cited Genesis: “From the beginning of creation, ‘male and female he made them.’ ‘For this reason a man …will be joined to his woman and the two shall become one flesh’” (Mark 10:2-12; Matthew 19:3-12). Jesus’ point was that God’s limiting of persons in a sexual union to two is evident in his creation of two (and only two) primary sexes: male and female, man and woman. The union of male and female completes the sexual spectrum, rendering a third partner both unnecessary and undesirable. The sectarian Jewish group known as the Essenes similarly rejected polygamy on the grounds that God made us “male and female,” two sexual complements designed for a union consisting only of two. Knust insinuates that Jesus wouldn’t have opposed homosexual relationships. Yet Jesus’ interpretation of Genesis demonstrates that he regarded a male-female prerequisite for marriage as the foundation on which other sexual standards could be predicated, including monogamy. Obviously the foundation is more important than anything predicated on it. Jesus developed a principle of interpretation that Knust ignores: God’s “from the beginning” creation of “male and female” trumps some sexual behaviors permitted in the Old Testament. So there’s nothing unorthodox about recognizing change in Scripture’s sexual ethics. But note the direction of the change: toward less sexual license and greater conformity to the logic of the male-female requirement in Genesis. Knust is traveling in the opposite direction. Knust’s slavery analogy and avoidance of closer analogies Knust argues that an appeal to the Bible for opposing homosexual practice is as morally unjustifiable as pre-Civil War appeals to the Bible for supporting slavery. The analogy is a bad one. The best analogy will be the comparison that shares the most points of substantive correspondence with the item being compared. How much does the Bible’s treatment of slavery resemble its treatment of homosexual practice? Very little. Scripture shows no vested interest in preserving the institution of slavery but it does show a strong vested interest from Genesis to Revelation in preserving a male-female prerequisite. Unlike its treatment of the institution of slavery, Scripture treats a male-female prerequisite for sex as a pre-Fall structure. The Bible accommodates to social systems where sometimes the only alternative to starvation is enslavement. But it clearly shows a critical edge by specifying mandatory release dates and the right of kinship buyback; requiring that Israelites not be treated as slaves; and reminding Israelites that God had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt. Paul urged enslaved believers to use an opportunity for freedom to maximize service to God and encouraged a Christian master (Philemon) to free his slave (Onesimus). How can changing up on the Bible’s male-female prerequisite for sex be analogous to the church’s revision of the slavery issue if the Bible encourages critique of slavery but discourages critique of a male-female paradigm for sex? Much closer analogies to the Bible’s rejection of homosexual practice are the Bible’s rejection of incest and the New Testament’s rejection of polyamory (polygamy). Homosexual practice, incest, and polyamory are all (1) forms of sexual behavior (2) able to be conducted as adult-committed relationships but (3) strongly proscribed because (4) they violate creation structures or natural law. Like same-sex intercourse, incest is sex between persons too much structurally alike, here as regards kinship rather than gender. Polyamory is a violation of the foundational “twoness” of the sexes. The fact that Knust chooses a distant analogue (slavery) over more proximate analogues (incest, polyamory) shows that her analogical reasoning is driven more by ideological biases than by fair use of analogies. Knust’s other arguments are riddled with holes. In claiming that David and Jonathan had a homosexual relationship she confuses kinship affection with erotic love. Her claim that “from the perspective of the New Testament” the Sodom story was about “the near rape of angels, not sex between men” makes an "either-or" out of Jude 7’s "both-and." Her canard that only a few Bible texts reject homosexual practice overlooks other relevant texts and the fact that infrequent mention is often a sign of significance. It is disturbing to read what passes nowadays for expert “liberal” reflections on what the Bible says about homosexual practice. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Robert A. J. Gagnon. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor’s Note: 
Good thing I'm not Christian. Wicca doesn't discriminate and I expect the same from my government.
bible=fiction
As with almost everything in the Bible there are conflicting texts.. it is hard to know which to focus on.. PLUS every denomination interprets the bible slightly differnt. Who is to say in reality what is correct?
I say (paraphrasing the Bible) if you sincerly pray to God for the truth to be known to you, you will have your answer.. but really.. no one will know until we are dead.
I do believe this though... JUDGE NOT.... LEST YE BE JUDGED!
What conflicting Text? maybe I can explain them for you..You may have been refering to the Qur'an. and actually you are suppose to hold your Christian brothers and sisters accountable to scripture 1 corithians.
I can't imagine God would have willingly created a book that would cause this much debate. With each passing day, it seems to divide humanity more and more. Seems more like something man would create. Hmm...
It is SIN and our human flaws that cause the friction and angst in the world. If we would wake up and just help each other instead of living to one-up the next person noone would fight another. The biggest issue in the world is humankind has always fought those that are different or have different VIEWS... we feel it is a threat to us... it is dumb but part of our sinful flawed nature... why God gave us CHOICE... ask for forgiveness!!!
'God' made Adam, Eve and Steve...
FICTION
JESUS IS ABOUT LOVE. Shame on this 'smart guy' for using his fancy words and interpretations to spread more hate. He's even worse than those whack-jobs picketing our fallen soldier's funerals -disguising bigotry as scholarly findings... How insidious.
I'm sure you believe the earth is flat too. Join the (enlightened) 21st century, moron.
I'm going to start a new Religion based on the Lord of the Rings. Who would like to join? We'll make sure it gets a tax free status but still has all the benefits of those that pay taxes, just like the Bibliophile Christians. My theory is that TLoR was written by one author in less than a human lifetime. I think this lends congruency impossible in a text written by men over many generations. There are clearly good and evil beings in Tolkien's trilogy, just like the Bible. In the end, good triumphs evil and I find solice in that. Biblical messages are so darn confusing...the good beings spend so much time subjecting their followers to threats and torturous punishment for the oddest things. Therefore it's impossible for me to learn much about right and wrong from the Bible. Thats why we need a Religion thats easy to understand. So, if you want to join my Religion, drop me a line.......
@SoJax, don't mean to burst your bubble, but Tolkien by most accounts was a Christian and good friend of C.S. Lewis.
"POP" Actually new that. Doesn't mean I can't start a Religion based on his book!
who cares about the bible!! is just a book created to control humankind – nothing wrong with being gay
You have the right to be anything you want to be... and Christians and others do not have the right to JUDGE you (unless you are breaking the LAW)... but ask your self one question... If all of us were gay how soon would humankind cease to exist? Think about it!!! Humans were created (by GOD) to procreate... or should we just let the Dolphins take over (before we ruin the oceans)?
I was going to read this article about how my God disapproves of something he made, but then I remembered that a piece of parchment in Washington D.C. says that my religion has no legal value in America and that any value of mine that comes directly from my religion DOES NOT MATTER. Get over this BS!!! In America, everyone has the freedom to live as they choose! I know this is difficult to understand for all of us that have been living in a democracy for the past 200 years. One day, the religious zealots of this nation will figure out that forcing people to live by God's laws will never convince them to repent of their "sins". Force is no way to convert someone, and thats a lesson every religious person in America needs to learn.
Thank you for the right on commentary. Your argument is supported with facts. Very well done. And I agree 100%.
Which means you support prejudice, that fuels hatred and bigotry in our society. A panel of experts have shown that being gay is not a mental disorder, it's not a choice and it can't be voluntarily changed. They also proved that all the past reports on the subject were done by prejudice and bigoted people.
BIBLE=FICTION= BOOK
This exercise in interpretation is like trying to find meaning in a justin beiber song. Give me a break. The bible is a cultural artifact that represents a time and place that no longer exist. Why try to justify current morality based upon it? do Norse myths rules our live? The classical myths of ancient greece or rome? These texts are all the same: The represent the human desire to understand their place in a cosmos that makes them look insignificant. Taking them literally is an excercise in futility and stupidity.
it is interesting that so many of you are all about bashing Christianity and the bible. It is the only thing that has lasted. No government, no peoples, no organization; no other ideas shaped the world like Christianity.
He forgot one major detail: Who cares what the bible says?
BIBLE=FICTION= JUST A CONTROLING BOOK
People like him. They can use the Bible and surrounding controversies to try and keep themselves and their careers relevant a bit longer. Going after the easy targets, gays and women, and appealing to the haters will always get some book deals, speaking fees -especially if you've got the Divine Creator backing you up.
The vast majority of the WORLD does... what does that make YOU? Misinformed or delusional? Look up the definition of someone who thinks millions are wrong and only they are right!!!
Steve, You mean people like Copernicus?
if one believes in a God, a creator, then one should believe that he has given us his word, the Bible, as a way to tell us his purpose and standards for us to live by; and why should one not believe in God?
Thanks to him we all are here today, are able to move, talk, think. Just meditating for example in the way we are created, our human body and how extrordinary it is, there is no doubth there is a God! This God not only exists, but its a God with a personality and great qualities. By observing the creation and reading his word, the Bible, we all have the ability to draw close to God and get to know him. His word is a word that benefit us all, young or old, man or women in our daily lives. If everyone would follow and guide their lives through what the Bible says, the world would be completely the opposite as what we see today. Thousands of Biblical standards such as "love your neighnbor as you love yourself" show that the Biblie comes from a divine source.
If only we could all apply these in our lives, what a much better place this world would be. I am 22 years old, and i have proved in my young live, not what someone told me, a pastor or some blog writer, but personal experience, that i can tell you, God exists and the Bible is his word! Its something i am convinced about and i can tell you that there is nothing better in live to serve God. I welcome everyone to take that invitation to learn more about our creator, his purpose to this earth and mankind, and you can be sure that he will bless you now and also in the long tem future!
@Dan
The burden of proof is not on people who do not believe. If there is no proof for the existence of something then why do we need to prove it does not exist?
The burden is on you to prove he is real.
Prove YOU are real and all you are experiencing is REAL... you just accept what you experience is real... so how much of a leap is it to do that if you are a believer in Biblical truths?
Lest we forget – the bible was written by a bunch of narrow-minded, probably ignorant, old men just slightly removed from the stone age. It was also rushed to meet a date set by a Roman emperor.
I don't think anyone should use the Bible to promote one's political or moral views. In the mean time believers and non-believers alike should respect one another. Many of these hate-filled comments are nothing more than a waste of energy. We all lose.
And here, Robert just makes all points of Jennifer even stronger just by showing us how open and full of holes is the Bible to personal interpretation. Robert fails in his interpretations from my point of view, as does Jennifer from Roberts point of view. As I see this, Robert keeps in his traditional conservative point of view, poorly trying to debunk fresh and new valid ideas about the Bible (at least for the open mind). What a waste of time!
Pleasee cite examples rather than make genrealizations. Back up your assertions! You obviously have not really read the Bible or studied it ... especially older versions.
Are you kidding, CNN? You're a news Web site, and this opinion piece is promoted off your front page as one of the few "Don't Miss" pieces of the day. Are you that desperate for clicks? Is this Beliefblog new, and you're searching for something controversial to draw people to your new shiny toy? Keep the opinion pieces where they belong and keep bringing me the nonbiased news I come to your site for. There's a reason I don't go to Fox News.
In journalism there is something called OPINION. When you take a position that is usually your own and make a case for it. Are you asserting that CNN never have OPINION articles? I am a FOX News AND CNN fan... so I can hear BOTH sides ... CNN is always a liberal slant and Fox of course is the opposite. I am a retired USAF vet and am glad I fought for free speech... and it is being exercised here. I imagine YOU want to only read articles that support YOUR thoughts... how narrow minded!!!
Who cares what a work of fiction says?
Prove that it is false. Facts should be based of something then mere opinion.
Prove that Leprechauns don't exist. Doesn't mean it's very likely.
the bible is a fiction book.- nothing else- a pice of nothing
@Dan: That's not how it works. You want the bible to be taken as a work of non-fiction, you have to provide evidence to support that claim.
Lol, everything's true unless you can prove that it isn't. Aliens abducted me last night. Prove that they didn't or it's true. What a backwards race of beings we are.
Most would agree that written history for 2000+ years is accurate enough to use as fodder for teaching in schools and colleges. I assume you have to think teaching history based on written text is wise... so why not ask you to PROVE that the Bible is fiction as you say? Proof is hard when you ahve nothign to back it up. As I wrote earlier... prove YOU exist!!!
What so many people miss is that we are supposed to believe by faith. Many people quote that Bible was written by illiterate men. Maybe it was, but you weren't there, you are just quoting what a book or college professor in a 100 level class told you. You believe that it is true out of faith. No matter what anyone says, we all live by faith in one respect or another. The main difference is that some people have come to the end of themselves and understand that they can't get to God on their own steam. They're enslaved in a bondage that they can't see or touch. They need their debt to be paid by someone who does not owe the debt. That's what is all about. Although it happens, I don't think Christians should try to legislate morals, it only gives people a false sense of security. They should just tell people about the most important thing in their lives and make sure other people get the same opportunity they did to hear the good news...that Jesus paid the debt we owed and could never pay.
Evolution is stated as a fact, yet it can not be reproduced, and in science in order for something to become a law it must be reproduced. Yet textbooks, and so called "intellectuals" of our time say that it is fact. To prove the Bible as being, there is the overwhelming historical evidence and consistency throughout out it, not to mention prophecies which have taken place.
I cannot help but feel sympathy for those people who are hung up on obedience to the words of 2000-years-dead desert lunatics.
Wow, it is amazing how people continue to reject Christ's teachings and replace their own carnal desire for truth. Unfortunately a child of God has had the "scales" removed from our eyes and can see so clearly what many want to understand but cannot because of the refusal to obey. Just remember the scripture that says "One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord", it will be almost funny to watch and see how "liberals" try to justify that. Praise God for sending His Spirit of understanding and truth to those that know Him.
@David Wow, it's amazing how much of your comment reads like a fairy tale.
R'amen
BIBLE=FICTION BIBLE=FICTION
Dave, the fact that you throw in the term "liberal" to describe someone that doesn't believe in the Bible, as if left/right politics and religion have something inherently in common, suggests to me you are just a brainwashed person who has been trained to spout off whatever you're told. Sad.
Dave, you do realize Jesus would today be considered a 'liberal' right? And that he would not approve of these Christian mega churches or hate groups rallying for Muslims to leave this country. It's funny how rarely WWJD is actually adhered to.
It makes me sad that the vast majority of responses to this article come from atheists, agnostics, and those that are "turned off" by the Bible, most spewing hatred and foul comments against the Bible, God, Jesus, and basically, anything Christian.
It's not a wonder this country is declining fast. If you use the percentage of those making comments in correlation with the US population, no wonder there is no hope, no happiness, and the country is in moral decline.
God help us!
@Ty it's because Christians are spewing hatred about a minority group and blocking their civil rights. A panel of experts has proven that being gay is not a mental disorder, it is not a choice and it can't be voluntarily changed. Christians continue to point at this group saying they are sinners and don't deserve equal rights. That is why you are seeing people commenting on this forum. Our country is in decline because it is blocking the rights of a minority group because those voting are using their religious beliefs to back up their prejudices.
phxaz88
if one believes in a God, a creator, then one should believe that he has given us his word, the Bible, as a way to tell us his purpose and standards for us to live by; and why should one not believe in God?
Thanks to him we all are here today, are able to move, talk, think. Just meditating for example in the way we are created, our human body and how extrordinary it is, there is no doubth there is a God! This God not only exists, but its a God with a personality and great qualities. By observing the creation and reading his word, the Bible, we all have the ability to draw close to God and get to know him. His word is a word that benefit us all, young or old, man or women in our daily lives. If everyone would follow and guide their lives through what the Bible says, the world would be completely the opposite as what we see today. Thousands of Biblical standards such as "love your neighnbor as you love yourself" show that the Biblie comes from a divine source.
If only we could all apply these in our lives, what a much better place this world would be. I am 22 years old, and i have proved in my young life, not what someone told me, a pastor or some blog writer, but personal experience, that i can tell you, God exists and the Bible is his word! Its something i am convinced about and i can tell you that there is nothing better in life to serve God. I welcome everyone to take that invitation to learn more about our creator, his purpose to this earth and mankind, and you can be sure that he will bless you now and also in the long teRm future!