The full story of the destroyed city of Sodom. The
scripture and the deceptions by the church we don’t seem to see or we are not
shown by the church itself or by the better educated people in Bible verse.
A comment from my previous post said I had
left out the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, actually I did and I didn’t. I quoted the relevant place to find it i.e.
“Gn 19:1-11” I just didn’t quote the actual written text or comment on it. One reason was because I knew it was a long
passage and the other was to do the passage justice I would have to spend a lot
of time on this text. However, I have
decided to comment on it because I need to as this text is used quite often to
damn gay people and the text is actually taken out of context. What I didn’t realise I would discover is how
many lives have been killed because of that passage. The further I looked the more disgusted I
became. The more ashamed I became that I
call myself a Christian. I am not
exaggerating how this has shaken the very foundation of what I believe. It now past 2am in the morning and I should
be asleep but I can’t sleep, because of the story and its destruction through
the middle ages and beyond. I had posted this as a comment but I am about to
turn this into its own post because this is a story that seldom gets told and
it needs to be told and it needs to be spread.
So if this post seems long, I apologise for that, but please try to get
through to the end or at least start from “This
Bible passage explains why Sodom was destroyed” and continue to the end. So here is the truth.
We never hear the
real story and the real story has more than one story line to it, but we just
don’t see them, all we are shown are the wicked acts of the men of Sodom and
these acts are said to be male to male sexual intercourse and that is why Sodom
and Gomorrah were destroyed. The real reason these cities were destroyed
is more than what is told in Genesis, but you are never shown the real reasons
by the people with their anti-Gay agenda, but I will and so will the Bible.
This is the text that is always quoted by those
against gay men.
Genesis 19:1-11 KJV: And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of
Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his
face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you,
into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye
shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide
in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in
unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake
unleavened bread, and they did eat. But before they lay down, the men of the
city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all
the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him,
Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us,
that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the
door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now,
I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them
out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do
nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. And they said,
Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he
will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And
they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But
the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut
to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with
blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the
door.
Now there is the story line that the men of
Sodom are wicked and they wanted to have their way with the new men in
town. But I don’t know why many people
seem to overlook the fact that Lot was about to give up his daughters to these
wicked men so that the men could have their way with them i.e. rape them. If these girls were to be raped they would
lose their virginity and find it difficult to find a male partner ever again
and they actually had two men who they were due to marry, but those men in
those times would not have married them after being raped due to the girl’s
disgrace. Quite frankly it is possible
that after being raped they may have been stoned to death.
So the real story is the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah, plus the story of Lot
But the story of Lot is never pointed out by
those with a different agenda. The story of Lot is very significant as far as a
teaching from the Bible. Lot chose to
live near Sodom for selfish reasons and always chose the easiest course of
action generally at the expense of doing the right thing. Lot mainly thought of himself when he made
decisions. By trying to be accepted by
the people of his adopted homeland Sodom, he was prepared to sacrifice his two
daughters. The result of Lot’s
selfishness and greed was the ruin of his family and the loss of his
fortune. He witnessed his wife’s death
for her disobedience to God, a disobedience Lot had modeled for her. His daughter’s followed Lot’s example too. They used drunkenness, seduction and incest
with their father, the quickest and easiest means available to overcome their
lonely childless state brought on by their father’s actions.
The lessons from the full text are:
If we live for comfort and wealth, they will
come between us and our families.
We must take care of our responsibilities to
God and people if we want our lives to be successful.
Mistakes made by parents often lead to
similar mistakes by their children.
When we put our desires for wealth and
comfort before obedience to God, the results will be destructive.
For the story of Lot in this context you
need to read:
Genesis
13
Genesis
14
Genesis
18: 16 – 33
Genesis
19
This
Bible passage explains why Sodom was destroyed:
God is disgusted by the unfaithful of
Jerusalem and compares Jerusalem to Sodom.
Ezekiel 16: 49 – 50. KJV. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom,
pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her
daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they
were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away
as I saw good.
Ezekiel 16: 44 – 58. NIV " 'Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this
proverb about you: "Like mother, like daughter." You are a true
daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her children; and you are
a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children.
Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. Your older sister was
Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger
sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom. You not
only walked in their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all
your ways you soon became more depraved than they. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and
her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
Now
this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant,
overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were
haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as
you have seen. Samaria did not
commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they,
and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done.
Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters.
Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than
you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters
appear righteous.
'However, I will restore the fortunes
of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes
along with them, so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you
have done in giving them comfort. And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters
and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you
and your daughters will return to what you were before. You would not even
mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, before your wickedness was
uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom and all her
neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise
you. You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable
practices, declares the LORD.
The full chapter can be found here
As
you can see the reason that Sodom was destroyed was for many reasons and not
just actions related to “Men knowing each other” and at one point in time Jerusalem’s actions were
even seen in God’s eyes as worse than the city of Sodom.
Sodom is also mentioned in other contexts as
well, as an example to others for not listening to the words of Jesus and his
disciples. These towns or homes were
considered worse than the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Matthew 10:12-15 NIV.
As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let
your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone
will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when
you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for
Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
Matthew
11:20-24 NIV. Then Jesus began to denounce the cities
in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.
"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were
performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented
long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for
Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgement than for you. And you, Capernaum, will
you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the
miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have
remained to this day. But I tell you
that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for
you."
I
believe a huge injustice has been done to gay men in this case, because
generally the destruction of Sodom has been largely blamed on “men knowing each
other”. I am not an expert of the Bible
but I bet the Christians who throw the Sodom and Gomorrah story around, know
about these other pieces of scripture in the bible, but they choose not to bring
it to our attention.
The scripture from Ezekiel
is not an easy piece to find as I don’t think Ezekiel is a well quoted book of
the Bible, I could be wrong, but it isn’t a book which immediately springs to
mind when one thinks of the Bible. It
shows how strong the association with Sodom and male gay sex is when the name
given to anal sex and other ‘immoral’ sex acts is sodomy i.e. “sin of
Sodom”. But in reality there were many sins of Sodom.
But
it gets worse when we look at how the meaning of the scripture from Ezekiel becomes distorted through the ages and we see the
ramifications.
The
thirteenth-century Jewish scholar Nachmanides wrote this in regards to the
destruction of Sodom, “According to our sages, they were notorious for every
evil, but their fate was sealed for
their persistence in not supporting the poor and the needy.” His
contemporary Rabbenu Yonah expresses the same view: “Scripture attributes their annihilation to their failure to
practice tzedakah [charity or justice].” (Source)
The Book
of Wisdom, which is included in the Bible by Orthodox and Roman
Catholics, but excluded by modern Jews, Protestants, and other Christian
denominations, makes reference to the story of Sodom, further emphasizing that
their sin had been failing to practice hospitability:
Wisdom 19:13 14 KJV. And punishments came upon the sinners not without former signs by
the force of thunders: for they suffered justly according to their own wickedness, insomuch as they
used a more hard and hateful behaviour toward strangers. For the Sodomites did not receive
those, whom they knew not when they came: but these brought friends into bondage, that had
well deserved of them.
Here
is where it starts to go down hill. I am
totally disgusted by this.
The primarily sexual meaning of the word sodomia
for Christians did not evolve before the 500s AD. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I,
in his novels no. 77 and no. 141 amended to his Corpus iuris civilis, was the first to declare that Sodom's sin had been specifically same-sex
activities and desire for them in order to create homosexual scapegoats for
recent earthquakes and other disasters of his time (535-536CE).
NOVEL
71
…since
certain men, seized by diabolical incitement practice among themselves the most
disgraceful lusts, and act contrary to nature: we enjoin them to take to heart
the fear of God and the judgment to come, and to abstain from suchlike
diabolical and unlawful lusts, so that they may not be visited by the just
wrath of God on account of these impious acts, with the result that cities
perish with all their inhabitants. For
we are taught by the Holy Scriptures that because of like impious conduct
cities have indeed perish, together with all the men in them.
#1: …For because of such crimes [not clear if this means just blasphemies or
homosexual practices as well] there
are famines, earthquakes, and pestilences; wherefore we admonish men to abstain
from the aforesaid unlawful acts, that they may not loose their souls. But
if, after this our admonition any are found persisting in such offenses, first
they render themselves unworthy of the mercy of God, and then they are
subjugated to the punishment enjoined by law…………….
NOVEL
141
#1: For,
instructed by the Holy Scriptures, we know that God brought a just judgment
upon those who lived in Sodom, on account of this very madness of intercourse,
so that to this very day that lands burns with inextinguishable fire……………………. (Source)
Benedictus Levita and the ''Pseudo-Isidore
Justinian's interpretation of the story of
Sodom would be forgotten today (as it had been along with his law
novellizations regarding homosexual behavior immediately after his death) had
it not been made use of in fake
Charlemagnian capitularies, fabricated by a Frankish monk using the pseudonym
Benedictus Levita ("Benedict the Levite") around 850 CE. Benedict's
three capitularies particularly dealing with Justinian's interpretation of the
story of Sodom were:
''XXI. De diversis malorum flagitiis.'' ("No.
21: On manifold disgraceful wrongs")
''CXLIII. De sceleribus nefandis ob quae regna percussa sunt, ut penitus
caveantur.'' ("No. 143: On sinful vices due to which empires have
crumbled, so that we shall do our best to beware of them")
''CLX. De patratoribus diversorum
malorum.'' ("No. 160: On the perpetrators of manifold evil deeds")
The first two documents warned that homosexuality imperiled the existence of the kingdom and
the church. Because of sins against
nature, cities had been consumed by heavenly fire and 40, 000 Benjamites put to
sword. The third document construed the Saracen invasion as God’s punishment
for sin; it called for the Roman penalty of burning at the stake to be returned
for cases of sodomy. These fake capitularies
turned ‘sodomites’ and other violators
of Christian sexual moral behaviour into traitors who bring on invasions and
threaten the survival of the Kingdom and no penalty could be too severe.
Benedict broadened the meaning for
''sodomy'' to all sexual acts not related to procreation that were therefore
deemed ''counter nature'' (so for instance, even solitary masturbation and anal
intercourse between a male and a female were covered), while among these he
still emphasized all interpersonal acts not taking place between human men and
women, especially homosexuality.
Benedict's rationale was that the punishment
of such acts was in order to protect all Christianity from divine punishments
such as natural disasters for carnal sins committed by individuals, but also
for heresy, superstition and heathenry.
(Source
1) and (Source
2 pg 253 and 254)
So where did all of this eventually
lead? This rational lead to the Medieval
Inquistion, herecticism and the hunting of witches. This lead to genocide on a grand and tortuous
level, all of this from one piece of scripture which was possibly manipulated
in interpretation and by exclusion of the full text.
The use of the Charlemagnian capitularies
were slow to take off. One reason was
because such capital punishment had never been heard of before in Roman
Catholic Church history. As the Charlemagnian capitularies seemed to go against
the humane Christian concept of forgiveness and mercy, it took several
centuries before Benedict's demands for legal reform began to take tangible
shape within larger ecclesiastical initiatives.
But in the end the humane Christian concept
was cast aside and so began the Medieval Inquisition in 1184. A convenient
target were the Cathars and Waldensians , and these ‘heretics’
were not only persecuted for alleged satanism but hence increasingly accused of
fornication and sodomy. The Cathars and
Waldensians had their foundings in Christianity but they had a different point
of view than the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and they were seen as a threat.
Plague and the consequent decline in
population was seen to be caused by homosexuality. Homosexuality, bestiality
and ‘unnatural’ sexual intercourse were linked to starvation, pestilence, and
other natural disasters. By the mid 13th
century sodomites and heretics were both the target of the inquisition and seen
as threats to Christian society.
Once the Cathars and the Waldensians where
eliminated the RCC needed a new target and so began the Witch Hunts. It has been argued that the witch hunts and
the persecution of homosexuals was based on morality. However in the years when
there were no plague witches and homosexual men were sent to trial less often
than in years of plague. Also the
numbers sent to trial were far more for witches than homosexuals for example in
non—plague years witches were tried in 46% of those years and in the same years
homosexual men only 15%. It appears that
during the times of the witch hunts women were more likely to be the scapegoats
as opposed to ‘sexual deviant’ men. (The
Path of the Devil early: Modern Witch Hunts page 162 - 164)
A demonstration of the RCC link between
heresy and sodomy is the term “buggery”.
Buggery is a corruption of bourrerie
a reference to the Albigensians whose religious sect called the Bogomiles
were said to have come from Bulgeria and this sect was persecuted by the RCC as
a sect of heretics. (Literary
Visions of Homosexuality pg 116).
Ever wondered where the word “fagot” a
derogatory name given to homosexuals is derived from? Fagot is the name of the collection of sticks
that were piled up beneath and around the heretic’s feet and legs and then set
on fire as the victim slowly burnt a slow agonising death.
Eymeric, who had been the inquisitor General
in Catalonia wrote his manual in 1376.
It became a standard guide for procedure throughout the 16th
and 17th centuries and made sweeping claims for papal authority. In
questions of morals all people were subject to the judgement of the church and
the power of the pope extended over all men.
It was said that the pope had the ability to punish any heathen
violating natural law. The proof
according to Eymeric was God punishing the people of Sodom who sinned against
natural law (Gen 19). He went on to say, “Now the judgments of our God are our
examples! Consequently why should the
pope not proceed if he has the means, as God proceeds!” This assertion claimed papal power of life
and death over sodomites, not only in Christian Europe but in lands of other
faith not yet discovered. Eymeric justified
the sanctions based on the story of Sodom.
The papacy did not always see fit to
exercise its theoretical right to try sodomites through its inquisitors. Sometimes the task was delegated and other
times it was not. In Spain in1505 a
decree was granted to try sodomites as part of the inquisition. In 1524 a heresy charge was unable to stick
to the grandson of a converted Jew whose name was Sancho, so the inquisition
tribunal charged him with sodomy and sought permission from Pope Clement VII to
try Sancho for sodomy and the permission was granted. Three tribunals in different regions were
given permission to charge sodomites.
Clement then associated sodomy with the Moors claiming the horrendous
crime of sodomy had begun to spread through this group of people. The precedent was well and truly set, there
were campaigns against Jews, relapsed Moorish converts, and Protestant heretics
and if they couldn’t try them for heresy they were tried for sodomy. In 1571 the Saragrossa tribunal was told, “In
sodomy trials prisoners should not be promised mercy.” The hint was understood
and the arrests increased. The charge of
bestiality was also included as a charge with the same ramifications as sodomy. The next year 12 men were burned at the stake
simultaneously three for sodomy and the others for bestiality. Going by Old Testament law the ‘guilty’
beasts were also burnt. The Holy
officers found it difficult to find enough wood to burn them all
simultaneously.
In the period 1570 to 1630
execution for sodomy in the crown of Aragon outnumbered those for heresy. All
told about 400 men were tried in three districts and 70 were executed for
sodomy. The Spanish Inquisition was probably responsible for executing 100 men
for sodomy in this region. The civil
courts also executed a similar number under laws inspired by religion. In the 16th and 17th
century in Spain it appears that the number of men burnt for homosexuality
outnumbered the number of protestant heretics. The number of men who endured
harsh treatment due to claims of sodomy exceeds those actually executed by
about 4 or 5 times. This period is one
of the worst periods in RCC history. The
secular justice was also severe during this time, but the significant
difference is how the RCC used the executions (Autos) as a form of calculated
terror of its citizens. Autos were huge spectaculars,
with mass audiences almost like a sporting event. To reinforce the real aim of these Autos we
have the following extract, which was approved by Pope Gregory XIII, “We must
remember that the chief purpose of the trial and the death sentence is not to
save the soul of the accused but to promote the public good and to terrorize
the people [ut alli terreantyr]” From 1540 to 1700 there were 44, 000 trials. (Homosexuality
& Civilization pg 294 – 299)
The association of
''sodomy'' with hereticism, satanism, and witchcraft was supported by the
Inquisition trials. The resulting infamity of sodomy motivated a continuing
discrimination and persecution of homosexuals and sexual deviants in general
long after the Medieval period had ended.
In Europe, Spain was the fiercest foe against
homosexuality followed by, France and Italy and it was rare in England but laws
did exist. Countries such as Denmark,
Russia, and Sweden were virtually lacking any law or discrimination against “sodomites’.
Denmark had its first prosecution in 1744. In Sweden there were none before
1600 and very few after. Russia was
quite open about male/male relationships in the 1600 and 1700s, and did not
have a sodomy law until 1832.
England lived in a state of
denial, “Not in our country” and the name of the act was not even spoken. In 1628 John Harris preached about the fall
of Sodom before the House of Commons but made only the briefest hint of sodomy,
Harris assured his listeners that the sin not fit to be named had been kept out
of England by the hand of God. Those
familiar with the court of James I who had died three years earlier must have
been smiling to themselves. So for two
centuries the denial of the unspoken sin would not be a cause for concern as it
was un-British. There were no records of
sodomy trials in England in the 14th and 15th
century. In 1533 Henry VIII introduced
the “buggery” law which was punishable by hanging. (Homosexuality
& Civilisation pg 361 362)
The law was
amended in 1828 to be a prison sentence and dropped as a crime if the act was
between two consenting adults in 1967.
So that is the
history of the early church persecution of homosexuals. It is not nice, it is an abomination! If we look at the verse from Ezekiel
16: 49 – 50
'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and
her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor
and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me.
There are a
number of reasons Sodom was destroyed the last one being they did detestable
things which we can interpret as immoral sex acts based on the quote from
Genesis. However there are a number of interpretations
which have said the main reason for Sodam’s destruction was due to their
persistence in not supporting the poor and the needy. Now even if that interpretation is
not accurate, then we know for sure that Sodom was destroyed because they were
arrogant, overfed, and selfish, didn’t help the poor and needy and did immoral
acts. Now I don’t see anyone being
killed or persecuted for any of those other acts, just one. In fact I will be so bold to
say, very often we couldn’t care a less if people are not doing all of those
other good deeds, the deeds which I
believed was part of being a Christian.
But you know what given the amount of time and energy and hatred put
into persecuting LGBT people and other minorities I obviously have got Christianity
totally screwed up. There is a passage 1 John 4: 7-21 titled “God’s Love and Ours”, well you could have fooled me
that is what Christianity is all about.
Lately all I see is hatred, bigotry, selfishness, and people more
worried about other people’s business than sorting their own crap out.
I am absolutely
appalled that Christians quote that Sodom and Gomorrah quote in Genesis with
only one reason and that is to discriminate against gay people, they NEVER also
say, “Hey but wait there is more, there is a passage that actually explains why
God destroyed Sodom. Oh and by the way there
are some references in Matthew as well, which have got nothing to do with
sodomy.”
Today we don’t
burn gay people at the stake, but we are just as discriminatory and we use our
Bible as our weapon.
Some Churches are
definitely homophobic despite what they say to the contrary.
Homosexual issues
came in as number 4 in the top 10 list of concerns/news – Christian Post.
What are Christians
so afraid of if they allow open gay people into their church or have a marriage
ceremony. Do we really believe just like
in medieval times that famine, drought, hurricanes and climate change are ALL
to do with giving people Gay Rights?
As for the Catholic
Church well this is what it has to say in its “Catechism of the Catholic
Church”:
2358 The number
of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible.
This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them
a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every
sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons
are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to
unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter
from their condition.
Well except for
the ‘disordered’ part it sounds very nice, if only it were true.
So this is part
of Pope Benedict XVI main
message of Peace on the World Day of Peace:
"Whoever, even unknowingly, circumvents the
institution of the family undermines peace in the entire community, national
and international, since he weakens what is in effect the primary agency of
peace," Benedict said Tuesday, quoting from his annual peace message to
world leaders.
Yes well thank
you for your inclusive message of peace and we know who one of the ‘whoever’s are and to say
that people wanting the entitlement to have a same sex marriage or even legal
rights for same sex de-facto relationships are a threat to world peace is an
outrageous thing to say. Two people want
to have a loving committed relationship and they are a threat to world peace!
So as you can
guess I am angry. I am angry at the fact
that a church used a piece of scripture to kill torture and terrorise countless
people. Yes that was the past but it is
still happening just in a more covert way.
I am angry that I was never told about that piece of scripture in Ezekiel that should be noted in some way when the Sodom scripture in
Genesis is read. Yes I have read the
entire Bible, twice in fact but not recently so I would have forgotten that
important quote, but I have heard the Sodom quote more times than I could ever
remember. I am angry that people use
that piece of scripture from Genesis and never say anymore except the hell and
damnation and abomination part they like to add on.
This
is what the younger
generation are saying:
Young Americans today are more skeptical and
resistant to Christianity than were people of the same age just a decade ago,
claimed a new study this year.
Negative perceptions toward the Christian
faith have outweighed the positive as a growing percentage of younger Americans
associate with a faith outside Christianity.
Only 16 percent of non-Christians aged 16 to
29 years old said they have a "good impression" of Christianity,
according to a report released in September by The Barna Group. A decade ago,
the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people,
felt favorably toward Christianity’s role in society.
Criticism, furthermore, was not limited to
young people outside the Christian faith. Half of young churchgoers said they
perceive Christianity to be judgmental, hypocritical and too political. Also,
one-third said it was old-fashioned and out of touch with reality.
Among other common impressions, 23 percent
of young non-Christians said "Christianity is changed from what it used to
be" and "Christianity in today's society no longer looks like
Jesus." Young born-again Christians were just as likely to say the same
(22 percent).
Young Christians largely criticized the
church, saying it has made homosexuality a "bigger sin" than anything
else and that the church has not helped them apply the biblical teaching on homosexuality
to their friendships with gays and lesbians.
"I think for a long time, the church
just hasn't known how to talk about homosexuality," commented Scott Davis
director of Exodus Youth, part of the evangelical ministry Exodus International
that deals with the issue of homosexuality. "They've been very
uncomfortable with the topic.”
"So when they do talk about it, they
tend to talk about just the moral side of whether it's right or wrong without
any real understanding of where people are coming from – so it comes across as
very harsh," he explained.
AMEN
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This issue is a very serious issue and it needs to be addressed in Africa.