Here’s something: the question surrounding homosexuality and Christianity is complicated. The difficulty is down to Biblical literalism, Natural Law leanings, and fear!
To start with, saying the Bible says so is, to say the least, problematic. The most commonly quoted verse in Leviticus, chapter 18, verse 22, which says: 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable’. However, when we look at the verse three of that same chapter, with an eye to historical local culture, it reads: ‘You must not do as they do in Egypt… as they do in the land of Canaan… Do not follow their practices’. We need to be aware that this reading was actually stopping followers from participating in pagan worship, which featured different sexual acts (including sex with children, animals, incest-ual acts), in order to ‘please the gods' (also, we must read the chapter to see the full context). Christianity believes in a God of love who made humanity to His image and wants us to love Him and everyone with compassion and respect. Doing something to ensure His happiness is not on His agenda. Using sex as a tool is not what sex is about, either.
Another point to underline: Do we have a pick and mix attitude to the Bible and our religion? Do we emphasis some parts of the Good Book and leave off others is adapting God to our needs, rather than seeking the fullness of God, in whatever way, to understand and follow the mission of individual and collective masses? This needs to be reflected upon always.
To use the Natural Law argument, is troublesome, too. Natural Law being 'a theory that posits the existence of a law whose content is set by nature and that therefore has validity everywhere'. As being homosexual is not normally a ‘lifestyle choice’, then, by definition, this might be termed as ‘natural’. You could have a long argument about sex and procreation, yet you could take love out of making love. Our understanding of what is ‘natural’ in humanity and nature is constantly developing; to be rigid on such a subject is not a way to express wisdom.
Fear must be part of some people’s foundation towards homosexuality. Being different, especially with sexuality, makes many people uncomfortable. I have been the only practising Christian/man/under 50 year old/over 21 year old/married person (delete as appropriate) in many settings. The feeling of not fitting-in can be horrible. Having that feeling about your intimate life, with the expectation of bullying, must be horrendous. To believe that God’s unconditional and far-reaching love and grace can be ‘turned off’ due to issues of sexuality (which is Divinely given) seems to shrink Him.
This is a sensitive topic, which we need to keep on talking about, for the strengthening of the communion of Christ.
gillyk
I agree with you that this is a tricky, delicate and difficult subject. My own feeling is that the whole argument is not about sexual orientation at all - I'm not sure whether God cares particularly about that. What does make sense to me is that God calls us all to holiness - whoa, what an un-PC concept in a society where we should all be able to do exactly as we want, as if freedom comes vacuum-packed and has no bearing on anything else in life! But just because people think that doesn't make it wrong. So whatever our orientation, it is about learning to be more holy with the help of the Spirit, to live a purer life, 'to keep ourselves unspotted from the world' etc etc - how hard is that when 'sin clings so closely'!
This of course does not solve any of the arguments, because people differ on what 'holiness' means. But I still think that fundamentally this is a debate betweena Christian understanding of holiness and an individualist, secular understanding of freedom.