Examine and comment on Christian beliefs about homosexuality.
“If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn’t worship that God.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu- BBC Radio 4 Broadcast 18th November 2007[1]
Homosexual- a homosexual is a person who is sexually attracted to someone of the same sex. (The Oxford study dictionary 1991)
It is only common sense to recognize that if every citizen of the earth were homosexual then that would result in the end of mankind. When we examine various pieces of religious text it is easy to assume religious beliefs have remained the same through the ages, as a brief look would suggest religious texts are timeless and will not change through the different societies and situations caused by the societies. As soon as you start to examine the texts further you can become more aware of how various followers of different dominations interpret evidence between one age and the next. (The Bible, The Church and Homosexuality, Nicholas Coulton, 2005)
Society did not always accept homosexuality; in the early 20th century UK law stated that if you acted within homosexual acts, you were committing a crime, and homosexuality was seen as a mental illness. (Sexuality Issues, Craig Donnellan, 2001)
In medieval times homosexuals were burnt at the stake. [2]
In the 1950s, the Church of England’s moral welfare council was one of the major influences that led to the setting up of the Wolfenden commission, supporting its recommendations to abolish the law against male homosexuality. The Church of England between 1970 and 1987 produced three reports on homosexuality. [3]
The mind of the church has been expressed formally on two occasions. On the 11th November 1987, the general synod passed by 403 votes to 8, “That this synod affirms that the Biblical and traditional teaching on chastity and fidelity in personal relationships in a response to, and expression of, God’s Love for each one of us, and in particular affirms: that sexual...