The Religious Element Of Homosexuality

The Religious Element of Homosexuality

After careful study of many Scriptures over the years I have come to the conclusion that the homosexual movement manifesting in our culture is no different than 20^th century B.C. Sodom, or 7^th century B.C Judah or 1^st century A.D. Corinth. It manifests itself similarity because it is the same spirit. Which is why Jesus said in Luke 17:28-30 the manifestations would be similar. The similar manifestation we will look at today is the religious manifestation.

In Isaiah 1:10-20 we have this prophetic utterance by Isaiah.

“Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beast; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make your clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relive the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

Some may ask, “But didn’t Isaiah live over a thousand years after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah?” Yes he did, but I am led to believe that this prophetic utterance was originally delivered to the leaders of Sodom and Gomorrah not long before the invasion of the Mesopotamian kings in Genesis 14, but because during Isaiah ministry, Jerusalem had begun engaging in the same sexual practices as Sodom, the prophetic utterance was repeated to the leaders of Jerusalem. In the passage from Isaiah we see that Sodom and Gomorrah had “a multitude” of sacrifices. They had their “solemn meeting”, their “calling of assemblies”, and they said “many prayers”. But all their religious ceremonies were in God’s eyes and in his words, “abomination” and “iniquity”. Yet with all the condemnation from the Lord for their behavior, the only sins listed in this particular passage are in verse 17, “Learn to do well; seek judgment; relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow”, and verse 15, with the phrase, “your hands are full of blood”. This passage in Isaiah is only one piece of the picture that shows its vain religious ceremony. Another piece is given in Jude 7 in the New Testament.

“Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

    

The Greek word for “going”, according to Zodiates Word Study Dictionary, is aperchomaiand it means “to go after someone, to follow as companions or disciples.”^[i] The Greek word for “after”, from the same source is opiso and it means “following as a disciple or otherwise.”^[ii] We can see that Jude was using the same terminology. The “cities of the plain” were religious disciples of perversion and their destruction by God was designed to be viewed as “an example” of God’s hatred toward that behavior.

Just as there was a religious element to Sodom’s homosexuality, there was a religious element to ancient Canaan’s homosexual movement; just as Israel was about to enter Canaan God warned Israel not to engage in heterosexual or homosexual prostitution. In Deuteronomy 23:17, 18 Moses writes:

 “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.”

Unger’s Bible Dictionary says of the term “sodomite” “They were not inhabitants of Sodom or their descendants; but men consecrated to the unnatural vice of Sodom as a religious rite.”^[iii] According to Strongs Concordance a sodomite was “a (quasi) sacred person, i.e. (technically) a (male) devotee (by prostitution) to licentious idolatry:-- sodomite, unclean.”

Four hundred years prior to this, during Abraham’s time, it appears that homosexuality was confined to the cities of the plain, but even after God destroyed those cities, when Israel was about to enter Canaan four hundred years later, homosexuality had spread to all the Canaanite nations and included a number of other sexually immoral practices including incest and bestiality.

Leviticus 18:22-25 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.

An interesting element concerning the legal and cultural aspects of the individual nation of Egypt and the 7 nations within Canaan  is these nations institutionalized their sexual immorality into their legislation. Notice the use of the word “ordinances” in this passage.

Leviticus 18:1-4 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.

After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.

Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.

The same Hebrew word is used in this passage in describing the “ordinances” of Egypt and Canaan or the “ordinances” of the LORD. It is clear these nations legislated their immorality completely opposite of God legislating his morality. Now where have I heard that before? Let me see, I’ve heard that somewhere. Oh, yeah, 10 years ago in Lawrence v. Texas, the Supreme Court struck down all state laws prohibiting homosexuality, creating a constitutional right to practice homosexuality. Not to mention that same Court is thinking about legislating the constitutional right for homosexuals to get married

. Just as there was a religious element to Sodom’s and the Canaanite nations homosexuality, there was a religious element to Israel’s homosexuality as they descended into apostasy. We find that in the use of the same Hebrew word for sodomite used in Deuteronomy 23, it is also used in at least two more occasions. One is 1 Kings 14:24,

“And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.”

The time period of 1 Kings 14 was about 930 B.C., during the beginning of Rehoboam’s reign as king of Judah. This verse gives us a couple facts; these homosexuals were not only in the land of Israel but they also engaged in every behavior the Canaanites engaged in previous to the LORD kicking them out which included a religious element to Canaanite homosexuality. About 300 years after Rehoboam, Josiah became king of Judah. Josiah was no doubt the greatest king of Judah. During his reign he implemented godly reforms, one of which was he destroyed the places where homosexuals engaged in their behavior. This is the other use of the Hebrew word translated “sodomite” 2 Kings 23:7 says,

“And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.”

300 years previous they were just “in the land”, now during Josiah’s time they “were by the house of the LORD”. In fact the New American Standard Version says of this verse, they “were IN the house of the LORD”. These “houses” according to Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon were nothing more than “a moveable house, a tent”.^[iv] If they were in the temple or next to the temple is open to debate, but a couple facts remain. There was a religious element to ancient Israel’s homosexuality, and in the 300 years between Rehoboam and Josiah, Judah’s spiritual culture had degenerated to the degree they allowed homosexuality to infiltrate the temple worship. Just as it was a gradual change in Judah’s spiritual culture, it was a gradual change in other cultures as well, including Sodom’s. No one can deny the gradual change in our culture. In 1961, Illinois was the first state to decriminalize homosexuality. In 1986 the Supreme Court upheld state laws forbidding homosexuality and in 2003, the Supreme Court struck down all state laws forbidding homosexual conduct.

Today in 2013, to say there is a religious element to homosexuality is a no brainer, considering there are whole denominations in turmoil over homosexuality. In the late 1970’s, incidents in the news concerning homosexuality and Christianity were a trickle. In the 1980’s, the number and frequency increased and continued to increase into the 1990’s. As we entered the 21^stcentury, and thanks to the internet, the news events about homosexuality and Christianity are nonstop. In the Episcopal Church in 2003, Gene Robinson was elected the first unrepentant practicing homosexual Bishop in the Episcopal Church of America. In December of 2008 the Episcopal Church in America split over the issue and others may follow suit. There is even a homosexual denomination, called the Metropolitan Community Church. Here we are in 2013 and the very institution of marriage, established by God in Genesis 2:21-24 is under attack not only from outside the church, but also from within the church, from pretending Christians and apostates. We must remember that all of this has transpired in a gradual change in the last 50 years. It did not happen overnight. Homosexuals practiced counterfeit religion in Sodom! Homosexuals practiced counterfeit religion in Judah!  And homosexuals practice counterfeit Christianity today all confirming the prophetic word of Jesus. To further establish the accuracy of Jesus and the entire Scripture I am including a prayer written by Kittredge Cherry, a lesbian. The prayer is entitled Rainbow Christ and posted on her website.  http://jesusinlove.blogspot.com/2012/06/rainbow-christ-prayer-lgbt-flag-reveals.html

Rainbow Christ, you embody all the colors of the world. Rainbows serve as bridges between different realms: heaven and earth, east and west, queer and non-queer. Inspire us to remember the values expressed in the rainbow flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.
Red is for life, the root of spirit. Living and Self-Loving Christ, you are our Root. Free us from shame and grant us the grace of healthy pride so we can follow our own inner light. With the red stripe in the rainbow, we give thanks that God created us just the way we are.

Orange is for sexuality, the fire of spirit. Erotic Christ, you are our Fire, the Word made flesh. Free us from exploitation and grant us the grace of mutual relationships. With the orange stripe in the rainbow, kindle a fire of passion in us.

Yellow is for self-esteem, the core of spirit. Out Christ, you are our Core. Free us from closets of secrecy and give us the guts and grace to come out. With the yellow stripe in the rainbow, build our confidence.

Green is for love, the heart of spirit. Transgressive Outlaw Christ, you are our Heart, breaking rules out of love. In a world obsessed with purity, you touch the sick and eat with outcasts. Free us from conformity and grant us the grace of deviance. With the green stripe in the rainbow, fill our hearts with untamed compassion for all beings.

Blue is for self-expression, the voice of spirit. Liberator Christ, you are our Voice, speaking out against all forms of oppression. Free us from apathy and grant us the grace of activism. With the blue stripe in the rainbow, motivate us to call for justice.

Violet is for vision, the wisdom of spirit. Interconnected Christ, you are our Wisdom, creating and sustaining the universe. Free us from isolation and grant us the grace of interdependence. With the violet stripe in the rainbow, connect us with others and with the whole creation.

Rainbow colors come together to make one light, the crown of universal consciousness. Hybrid and All-Encompassing Christ, you are our Crown, both human and divine. Free us from rigid categories and grant us the grace of interwoven identities. With the rainbow, lead us beyond black-and-white thinking to experience the whole spectrum of life.
Rainbow Christ, you light up the world. You make rainbows as a promise to support all life on earth. In the rainbow space, we can see all the hidden connections between sexualities, genders and races. Like the rainbow, may we embody all the colors of the world! Amen.

Yes homosexuality in 21^st century A.D. America is exactly the same as 20^th century B.C. Sodom, or 7^th century B.C. Judah. Just like Jesus said it would.