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Homosexuality

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Homosexual sex Homosexuality refers to sexual intimacy intimate relationships between either two men or two womenpeople of the same gender. Few issues cause as much division in today's [[church]] as the issue of [[homosexual]] relationships and this relates in part to the deeper issue of Biblical Authority. Conservative Some conservative Christians argue that the [[Bible]] clearly states that God shows us that the only right place for a sexual relationship is in a [[marriage]] between a man and a woman, and that outside of this, it is a [[sin]] against [[God]]. Some [[ More liberal Christian]]s Christians deem that homosexual relationships are not wrong if they are between two loving partners. They argue that a 'trajectory' is outlined in Scripture, revealing God's ever expanding love and encompassing of what was once forbidden. The liberal argument also often involves complex translation and linguistic discrepancies between editions of the bible, as well as a [[symbolic reading]] of the text, while the conservative argument relies on a strict reading of the passages.
In the developed world, especially particularly North-Western [[Europe]] and [[North America]], some many church [[denominations]] have embraced the liberal viewpoint often , sometimes causing large splits in strife within congregations. One of the major developments in recent years has been in the [[Episcopal Church ]] of the USA]], in which an openly practicing homosexual man, [[Gene Robinson]] , was ordained as a bishop. This has caused enormous divide within the [[Anglican Communion]] , and resulted in 2008 , pressured by conservative congregation members, resulted in a conference ([[GAFCON]]) being called to rival challenge the ruling; however, the church ruled in favor of Gene Robinson. Homosexuality, in recent years, has become one of the most controversial issues in Christianity, if not the singularly most controversial, particularly due to western society's gradual acceptance of homosexuality, partly due to work in the once fields of psychology, sociology, biology and philosophy that are often in a decade [[Lambeth Conference]]opposition to the position of many conservative denominations. This may be leading Difficulties concerning homosexuality also arise due to a schismconflicting translations and conflict between passages directly remarking on homosexuality and other, more broad passages, that propose complex, semantic questions.
===Biblical passages===
There are a number of Biblical passage that teach against the practice of homsexulityrefer to homosexuality.
1 Timothy lumps briefly refers to homosexuality in with the context of a whole list of other sins including sexual immoralitythings, which he deems as sin, lies and slave-tradingthat he has seen.
: ''{{Bible verse|1 Timothy|1|8|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|1 Timothy|1|9|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|1 Timothy|1|10|lang=WEB}}''
:: - [[1 Timothy 1]]:[[Bible:1 Timothy 1:8|8]][[Bible:1 Timothy 1:9|-]][[Bible:1 Timothy 1:10|10]]
In Leviticus , God speaks through Moses of the unnatural nature of homosexuality in graphic terms:
: ''{{Bible verse|Leviticus|18|22|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|Leviticus|18|23|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|Leviticus|18|24|lang=WEB}}''
:: - [[Leviticus 18]]:[[Bible:Leviticus 18:22|22]][[Bible:Leviticus 18:23|-]][[Bible:Leviticus 18:24|24]]
:: - [[Bible:Leviticus 20:13|Leviticus 20:13]]
1 Corinthians, like Paul's letter to Timothy, also notes homosexuality within a list of other sins.:
: ''{{Bible verse|1 Corinthians|6|9|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|1 Corinthians|6|10|lang=WEB}}''
:: - [[Bible:1 Corinthians 6:9|1 Corinthians 6:9]],[[Bible:1 Corinthians 6:10|10]]
And in In Romans, Paul talks about again refers to homosexuality as going against the grain of nature. :
: ''{{Bible verse|Romans|1|26|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|Romans|1|27|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|Romans|1|28|lang=WEB}}''
:: - [[Romans 1]]:[[Bible:Romans 1:26|26]][[Bible:Romans 1:27|-]][[Bible:Romans 1:28|28]]
Other The writers of the [[New Testament writers ]] also speak about the wrong of occasionally note homosexuality. In Jude and 2 Peter homosexuality is again condemned.mentioned:
: ''{{Bible verse|Jude|1|7|lang=WEB}}''
:: - [[Bible:Jude 1:7|Jude 7]]
:: - [[Bible:2 Peter 2:6|2 Peter 2:6]]
===Views Throughout History===
Various civilizations ===Recent Views in the World and Christianity=== While world views regarding homosexuality have and do vary drastically from one location to another, the opinion of homosexuality in Western culture has changed dramatically in the past 50 years, as work in the fields of psychoanalysis, psychology, philosophy, biology and sociology have begun to address it more. Until 1976, the DSM-4 noted homosexuality as a philia, a compulsion related only to sexual interaction, but studies by the likes of Kinsey and others pressured its overturning; a political movement for equal rights by gays was occurring simultaneously in many parts of America and Europe, and also issued some pressure for the definition of homosexuality to be changed, which it eventually was. Since this time, a vast amount of research has been designated to the issue, the results of which, although occasionally marred by detractors, have embraced typically been conclusive in their findings in support of the 1976 overturning, which has caused the world view of homosexuality to slowly evolve, particularly with the newer generations. As such, many liberal Christians accuse conservative denominations of being "behind the times", while conservative Christians refer to the above-mentioned passages in the bible as support for a moral high ground. Many countries are slowly overturning laws or adding provisions to their constitutions to allow gay marriage, as have many states in America, although bills that mandate the acceptance of same sex marriage are often overturned; it is an issue that the Federal Supreme Court has delayed ruling on numerous times. However, a large portion of religious Americans and pederasty through recorded historyEuropeans still object to homosexuality or gay marriage, typically for moral reasons.
===Recent Views in the World and Christianity===
As ===Famous Religious Homosexuals in Rome and GreeceHistory=== Queen Anne (Monarch)Susan B. Anthony (Social Reformer)Saint Augustine (Priest, Western Civilization has been lenient or condemning of "other" sexual orientation when it has been affluent or struggling accordingly. In the 1920'sTheologian, Philosopher)Charles Baudelaire (Poet, Essayist)Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer)Benedict IX (Pope)George Washington Carver (Chemist, when Inventor)Catherine the economy was in a "bubble" of prosperityGreat (Tzar)Charles IX (Monarch)Donatello (Sculptor)Ralph Waldo Emmerson (Writer, homosexuality was all but openly tolerated. HoweverPhilosopher)Alexander Hamilton (Politician)George Friedrich Handel (Composer)Vladimir Horowitz (Pianist)Edward Irving (Theologian)James I (Monarch)John XXII (Pope)Janis Joplin (Singer)John Keynes (Economist)Leonardo da Vinci (Artist, when the U.S. stock market crashed in 1929Inventor, and the decadence gave way to DepressionGenius Savant)Louis XVIII (Monarch)Joseph McCarthy (Politician)Niccolo Machiavelli (Politician, the World and the Church returned to their previous mores. In wasn't until 1976Philosopher)Michelangelo (Artist)Isaac Newton (Physicist)Paul VI (Pope)Pius XII (Pope)Raphael (Artist)Richard I (Monarch)Sviatoslav Richter (Pianist)Arthur Schopenhauer (Philosopher)Franz Schubert (Composer)William Shakespeare (Writer)Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky (Composer)Walt Whitman (Poet)Ludwig Wittgenstein (Philosopher, in an unexpected turnMathematician, that the American Psychological Association reversed its previous determination that homosexuality was an aberration to calling it permissible.Genius Savant)
Since then, Western European culture has been in a whole sale melee to rewrite its definitions of love and marriage. At present, only Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, South Africa, Canada and Norway allow legal same-sex marriages, but it is a hot-button issue all around the globe. Many U.S. States' Supreme Courts have over-written legal precedences and permitted same-sex marriages to occur. Those who oppose it and call it "sin" are accused of hate-speech, and face growing marginalization. The future of this issue is unclear.
==Quotes==