For my internet issue, I chose to do some research on same-sex marriage in the Bible. Those who identified as Christian believed that God had a specific plan for sexuality and marriage.

Genesis 2:24- Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh.

Genesis 1:27- And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Since there is no mention of God creating another man, Christians believe that homosexuality is unnatural. Christians believe that the union between male and female is godly, and couldn’t be recreated with two men or two women. They believe that God created Eve instead of another Adam because the so called “perfect partnership” requires a significant amount of difference between the two, but still has to share some similarities. Christians also mention that sex between a man and a woman is the normal method because that is the way that children are created. They argue that if God wanted homosexual marriages, he would make it so that men would be able to reproduce with men, and women would be able to reproduce with women.

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-f018.html

Alternatively, there are people that believe that the Bible is being misinterpreted, and that there is never anything said about homosexuality being a sin. One man, Adam Hamilton, a senior pastor at The United Methodist Church, uses the story of Sodom as his example. He explains that God doesn’t want to destroy Sodom because the men there are homosexual, but instead he wants to destroy it because the people are wicked. The men in Sodom do not want to rape the travelers because they are homosexual or for pleasure, they want to rape them for a sense of power, and to humiliate these foreign people.

Genesis 19:4-8- They had not yet lain down, when the townspeople, the men of Sodom, young and old-all the people to the last man-gathered about the house. And they shouted to Lot and said to him, “where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may be intimate with them.” So Lot went out to them to the entrance, shut the door behind him, and said, “I beg you, my friends, do not commit such a wrong. Look, I have two daughters wo have not konwn a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you please; but do not anything to these men, since they have come under the shelter of my roof.”

http://www.salon.com/2014/04/12stop_twisting_the_bible_there_is_no_message_against_same_sex_marriage/

I also found a Jewish opinion on same-sex marriage. He claims that there are two ways to look at the Bible. You can either look at the text literally which causes a lot of problems with contradictions in the Bible, or you can drastically reinterpret the Bible. The author states that people who believe that homosexuality is a sin are simply picking and choosing which parts of the Bible they believe. The Bible also says that all men should be circumcised, Jews should abstain from pork or prawns, and they shouldn’t wear clothing with wool and linen mixed. These are practices that are not typically practiced by all Jews, so why should strictly heterosexual relationships be practiced? The author of the article uses Genesis 1.27 to defend his point. God creates both males and females, but he also creates both heterosexuals and homosexuals. Heterosexuals and homosexuals alike were created by God as part of his divine plan.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/a-jewish-perspective-on-samesex-marriage-8203886.html

Alaina Ungarini

Internet Issue

Homosexuailty in the Bible

Passages in the Bible have often been used to prove a point of a certain group. In many strict Christian denominations such as Evangelicals and Fundamentalists, biblical passages are used to promote their beliefs on homosexuality. Perhaps the most well known passage is the story of Sodom.

“The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may have sex with them.” Genesis 19:1-38

As we have read, the story of Sodom ends with the city being destroyed. Certain Christian groups use this passage and the events that occur in it to their advantage proving the sinfulness of homosexuality. The Sodomites attempt to rape the male angels who they perceive as unwelcome guests that need to be punished. These groups believe that the city was destroyed by God because of the sinful acts of homosexuality between the Sodomites and guests of the city.

Another passage used to promote their beliefs can be found in Leviticus:

“Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.”

Leviticus 20:13

This straightforward passage plainly says that homosexual acts are detestable which can easily be used to the advantage of a person or group trying to portray homosexuality as sinful. There is no other interpretation that can be taken out of this short passage because there is no surrounding context. This is how Christian groups manipulate the Bible to their own advantage.

“And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Romans 1:27

This passage talks about procreating with women as natural and relations between men and other men are formed out of lust, which is also sinful.

Christian groups like Evangelicals use these and many other passages to prove the point that they believe homosexuality is sinful. These groups take the word of the Bible literally and don’t analyze other possible meanings that could be found when read into deeper. Even the sources that I found these passages from are bias by only showing a short excerpt of a passage and not the context of the book. Their strong opinions have possibly been based on false understanding of what the actual meaning of the passages are. By looking past what the words literally say, one can read into the real meaning that these passages are trying to convey.

http://www.openbible.info/topics/homosexuality

http://www.christianbiblereference.org/faq_homosexuality.htm

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Homosexuality/

Same-sex Marriage

1) In the article titled “What does the Bible say about same-sex marriage?” the author discusses specific passages found in the biblical text that provide reasoning to believe that God intended for man’s companion and reproductive partner to be a woman.

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

The author states that when God created a partner for Adam he created a female, not another male. The author states that this provides reason to believe God intended for humanity to be heterosexual.

This author also uses Romans 1:27, where the text states,

“And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

The author interprets this “error” as being homosexual behavior and the recompence to be STD’s based on the fact that homosexual intercourse leads to greater chance of contracting an STD.

Because the website is titled “Christian answers” I inferred that these passages are used for Christians. I also came to this conclusion by reading further where Jesus is discussed. Because Jews focus on the Old Testament I assumed that this information pertained more to Christians.

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-f018.html

2) What does the Bible say about gay marriage/same-sex marriage?

This article uses Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27 and First Corinthians 6:9 to state that although the Bible does mention homosexuality as an unnatural and immoral sin, it does not directly talk about same-sex marriage. However, the author of this piece goes onto infer that because the Bible does state that homosexuals will not inherit the Kingdom of God and that they are unrighteous, marrying the same sex goes against God’s will.

Next, this article then uses Genesis 2:24, Corinthians 7:2-16 and Ephesians 5:23-33 to explain that the biblical text shows that marriage is intended for man and woman and its purpose is to serve as a union that plans to reproduce and build a family.

This article again mentions directly that it is written by and for Christians.

http://www.gotquestions.org/gay-marriage.html

3) Christians proclaiming their belief in full LGBT equality

This article opposes the first two by stating that the Bible does NOT condemn homosexuality. This article takes a different approach by stating that the New Testament insists that humans are fair, equitable, loving and compassionate. Therefore these LGBT advocates claim that it would be more important in God’s perspective to love and treat someone equitably, even if they are homosexual. This source uses Romans 13:8-10, Colossians 3:11-13 and Matthew 23:23-24 to show that it is more important to act compassionately and caringly towards others because in the end we were born sinners.

http://notalllikethat.org/taking-god-at-his-word-the-bible-and-homosexuality/

Internet Issue

Marriage

Verses used: Genesis 2:18, 21-24

The Vatican

In a letter titled, Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan, the Catholic Bishops use these verses to suggest that Adam and Eve were literally made for each other. They say that man and woman have been made to come together in the union of marriage clinging together of husband and wife as one flesh. In the letter, its says that man and woman are both different, male and female, but the same as human persons who are uniquely suited to be partners or helpmates for each other. In addition, they say that marriage is a unique communion of persons. In their intimate union as male and female, the spouses are called to exist for each other. Just as Genesis describes Eve as a helper for Adam, we can see that in marriage, a husband and wife are meant to help each other through self-giving. “In the ‘unity of the two,‘ man and woman are called from the beginning not only to exist ‘side by side‘ or ‘together,‘ but they are also called to exist mutually one for the other.‟

Source: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/love-and-life/upload/pastoral-letter-marriage-love-and-life-in-the-divine-plan.pdf

Genesis 24:48-51, 58-67

Rev. Darren M. Henson, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas (Catholic)

Rev. Henson uses Genesis 24:48-51, 58-67 to illustrate that marriage is an act from God. In this section of the bible, Isaac’s mother dies and Abraham looks to give Isaac a wife. Henson says that this section at first appears to be a pre-arranged marriage but actually illustrates that marriage is made by God. In this verses, Abraham’s main intent is not to pick his son’s wife. Instead, he seeks the fulfillment of a promise made by God to give Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. Laban prays to be guided to the right young woman, to Henson, this prayer helps to verify that this process is done with God. In addition, Rebekah’s consent also helps verifies that she is participating in God’s will, not some coercive act. We also know that Isaac did not just accept her but he took her into his tent. He loved her, and they married.

Source: http://www.foryourmarriage.org/old-testament-readings/

 Genesis 2:18, 20, 22-25

Andreas J. Kostenberger is the Director of Ph.D. Studies and Professor of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

In her brochure, titled The Bible’s Teaching on Marriage and Family, Kostenberger says that marriage is a covenant, “a sacred bond between a man and a woman instituted by and publicly entered into before God and normally consummated by sexual intercourse.” She says that marriage covenant involves at least the following five vital principles: The permanence of marriage, the sacredness of marriage, the intimacy of marriage, the mutuality of marriage, and the exclusiveness of marriage.  These five principles are derived from the biblical verses. Which suggest that marriage is not only permanent, sacred, intimate, and mutual; it is also exclusive. This means that no other human relationship must interfere with the marriage commitment between husband and wife.

http://www.frc.org/brochure/the-bibles-teaching-on-marriage-and-family

Internet Issue: Abortion

Pro-Life
PristsforLife.org
http://www.priestsforlife.org/articles/4376-the-bibles-teaching-against-abortion

In this online post, Father Frank Pavone explains how the Bible explains that abortion is wrong. Pavone is an American Roman-Catholic priest who serves as the national director of the organization “Priests for Life” and has made a name for himself by adamantly opposing abortion. Within his argument, he cites several different passages from the bible that he believes backs his stance on abortion. I will discuss a few of his major points below.

Genesis 1:26-31; 2:4-25 “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” Pavone believes that since humans are created in God’s image he cherishes our lives more than other living things. Further, he believes that because humans are created in in God’s image human life is more sacred than we can even imagine and not something that should willingly be “disposed” of.

Psalm 127:3 “Truly children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Pavone believes that since God allows us to reproduce that it is sinful to interrupt this process.

“You have been my guide since I was first formed . . . from my mother’s womb you are my God” (Psalm 22:10-11). Pavone believes that God recognizes fetuses still within their Mother’s wombs as humans.

Pro-choice
Beliefnet.com
http://www.beliefnet.com/News/2003/01/The-Biblical-Basis-Forbeing-Pro-Choice.aspx

In this online post, Marjorie Brahms Signer explains why abortion is not opposed in the bible. Singer is the communications and policy director of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and is widely published author of pro-choice literature. Unfortunately, I was not able to find out what religious denomination Signer is, but the aforementioned organization she is a part of consists of more than 40 different religious denominations. Signer does not use as many explicit quotes from the bible as Pavone, but still does reference some biblical passages in her argument defending pro-choice. In fact, one of Signer’s arguments was that the Bible does not even mention abortion.

Genesis 1:26-31; 2:4-25 “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” In opposition to Pavone’s interpretation, Signer believes that because humans were created in God image, we are able to act in a morale manner. In addition, Pavone believes that since God has given humans free will we are able to treat our bodies in the way that will be most beneficial.

“God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Signer references this quote to further her point out how the bible does not explicitly mention how people are to properly reproduce and if there any stipulations regarding this process.

“When men fight, and one of them pushes a pregnant woman and a miscarriage results, but no other damage ensues, the one responsible shall be fined according as the woman’s husband may extract from him, the payment based on reckoning” (Exodus 21:22-23). Signer uses this biblical passage to discuss the inequality that exists between fetuses and people.