This essay addresses the current debate in our country over gay rights. He briefly talks about my limited knowledge of the Bible before discussing specific quotes and passages from the Bible that religious activists often use in their arguments against gay rights. It examines what people around the world have to say on this issue. I will join the conversation by using the information gathered to argue that what people believe about the Bible condemning homosexuality is false. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayMy uncertainty with religionMy knowledge of the Bible comes from the Sundays I spent in church and the summers I spent at Catholic camp. It is important to mention at the outset that my parents, on the contrary, would fall somewhere in the agnostic or atheist categories. We went to a Unitarian Universalist church when I was younger, perhaps because they wanted me to have a broader worldview. As for the Catholic camp? It was entirely my own choice; and all because my best friend went there. Growing up, I loved musicals like Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar. I think we can all agree that the idea of ​​Jesus is nice. He was a man whose philosophy of life spread peace and love; and this is how he lived. As I grew up, I began to see a disconnect with Jesus, his teachings and those who called themselves Catholic. I personally believe that the Jesus I knew growing up would be disgusted by groups like the Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for its "God Hates Fags" slogan. Same-sex marriage has been a defining feature of elections in recent years, but we see a consistent backlash from religious leaders and religious groups who claim homosexuality is a sin. “Sexual issues are tearing our churches apart today like never before. The issue of homosexuality threatens to shatter entire faiths, as the issue of slavery did one hundred and fifty years ago. We naturally look to the Bible for guidance and find ourselves mired in interpretive quicksand. Is the Bible able to speak to our confusion on this issue? (Wink, n.d.). In my own experience, people are quick to say that yes, the Bible condemns homosexuality, but are not sure where exactly it says it. I set out to find out exactly which passages are often cited to argue against same-sex marriage and what scholars have said about them. “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moveth upon the earth. » (Genesis 1):28, English Standard Version). Therefore, all sexual activity must lead to procreation. If this standard is widely applied, many people will now be in trouble. “This means any postmenopausal woman, any infertile woman, any infertile man or woman, any pregnant woman (she will not become pregnant again), anyone who chooses to use contraception…” (Dickens, 2009). Procreation is dangerous. . As the world becomes extremely overpopulated at such a rapid rate; 3,000 babies are born around the world every 20 minutes. (World Population Awareness, 2012). Let us be fruitful and multiply in other ways. Increase access to health care, birth control, education and student loans.Let's advocate for the adoption of children who do not have a home. We must abandon the idea of ​​procreation before it is too late. Obviously, procreation has nothing to do with the world we live in. “And the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man, he made into a woman, and brought her unto the man. » (Genesis 2:22, English Standard Version). “Then the man said, “This is finally bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she will be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.' (Genesis 2:23, English Standard Version). Most commonly used in arguments against same-sex marriage. In this passage, Adam, now alone, asks God for a companion. God creates all these animals, looking for the one suitable for Adam. None of them suit him, so God takes one of Adam's ribs and creates Eve to be his "helper." The Hebrew expression ezer kenegdo is often translated as help when in reality it means corresponding help. “An assistant like him, an assistant who is a mirror image. A corresponding force... Someone who reflects back to the earthling their own humanity. Someone with whom this earthling can feel complete, can feel whole. It does not mean servant or slave... It is most often used to describe God. God is our help... My help is from the Lord. (Dickens, 2009). It seems to me that if God wants each of his creations to find its ezer kenegdo, its corresponding help... And it is the human who chooses who this help will be. Why would we prohibit or restrict gays and lesbians from finding someone with whom they feel complete? Genesis 19:1-29 - Sodom and Gomorrah “Three angels visited Abraham, God's chosen founder of his chosen nation, Israel. They came disguised as men, travelers on the road. Two of them went down to Sodom and Gomorrah to observe first-hand the wickedness that reigned in those cities..." (Zavada, nd). It is from this story that we find the term sodomy. "...two (male) angels come to Sodom, and Lot, Abraham's nephew, makes them his guests. Later, the men of Sodom want to have sex with the guests, but Lot resists harder and their offers his two virgin daughters instead” (Oto Via). “Some passages that have been put forward as relevant to the issue of homosexuality are in fact irrelevant. One of them is the attempted rape. collective in Sodom (Genesis 19:1-29). "The two angels, however, struck the strangers." men of Sodom and saved Lot, his wife and his daughters before the The Lord rained destruction on Sodom” (Oto Via). is transformed into a pillar of salt. The rest of the family continues and hides in the mountains. It is then that the two girls realize that they will not be able to have children because they know what happens to strangers when they. enter a new city. “The next day the elder said to the younger, “Behold, I slept last night with my father. Let's make him drink some wine tonight too. Then go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.' » (Genesis 19:24, English Standard Version). “Many believe that the texts of Genesis and the rest of the Bible clearly indicate that Sodom was punished because of the violent, abusive, inhospitable, greedy, and unsympathetic behavior of its citizens toward visitors, widows, the poor, and other disadvantaged people. . Liberals often interpret Genesis 19 as condemning homosexual rape simply because it is rape. (Robinson, 2012). In our society we teach to.