Q: I’m non-denominational, essentially Baptist. I’m “Asking a Priest” because in my experience, Catholics are the most against LGBTQ out of all the denominations (Thank you!). I was reading about LGBTQ because I go to a public school and get bombarded with it all day, so I kind of need to go back to the Bible constantly to stay strong in my faith. I saw a lot of websites that claim how the Bible doesn’t really say that LGBTQ is wrong. But I have this problem — I am absurdly gullible. Really gullible. Remaining in my faith in this world is a full-time job. What does the Bible say in the original language about LGBTQ? I’ve heard like Leviticus is “just an old list of laws they don’t follow today.” One site says that in 1 Corinthians 6:9, “The original words [could be] translated to ‘softy’ and ‘lust’ and didn’t mean homosexuality.” What does the original Latin say? Sorry, I’m pretty sure this is a bit less professional than most of your questions. Thanks. – M.B.
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC
A: You raise fine questions, and it’s great that you sent them.
If I may go back a step in your biblical questions, it would be good to focus on Genesis 1:27-28, which says:
“God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply ….”
So, Our Lord’s plan for intercourse was for procreation. The Catholic Church also understands that physical intimacy has a unitive dimension for a husband and wife that enhances their complementarity — all within the lifelong commitment of marriage.
The basic problem with homosexual activity is that it is inherently sterile and doesn’t reflect the complementarity that God designed into the bodies of men and women. It’s a pleasure-seeking activity without regard for God’s plan.
Now, the Book of Leviticus, written in Hebrew, has no ambiguities about homosexual activity.
Verse 20:13, for instance, says, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, they have committed an abomination; the two of them shall be put to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.” There is no doubt about the meaning.
(True, the death penalty for homosexual activity doesn’t apply today, at least in most places. It was, however, a crime in most of the U.S. until relatively recently.)
The opposition to homosexual behavior persisted into the New Testament.
Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 6:9, which was written originally in Greek, not Latin. A key word in this passage is arsenokoitai.
Arsen means man or masculine. Koite or koitas or koitai — depending on a verb or a noun — means bed. It can also refer to actual intercourse (hence, coitus).
The word, which St. Paul composed, means men who sleep with men. That’s the bottom line.
(By the way, the concept of LGBTQ would have been unthinkable to biblical writers.)
I guess people can reinterpret words all they want. Nevertheless, both traditional Judaism and Catholicism have always understood homosexuality to be a grave sin.
Sexual practices outside of a man-woman marriage are distortions of the biblical notion of love, and even if there is no explicit condemnation of LGBTQ forms, it is obvious from the nature of love that they cannot be acceptable.
This understanding requires a theology of love. A few books that expand on this are Faith, Hope, Love, by Josef Pieper, and various Theology of the Body volumes. Also helpful might be Male, Female, Other?, by Jason Evert.
A clarification if I may: You mention that Catholics are the ones most against LGBTQ. We aren’t against any people; we are against the sin.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives this overview, under the heading “Chastity and homosexuality”:
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. They do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is 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.
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. [end quoted material]
Notice that the Church believes people with same-sex attraction can achieve holiness if they lead lives of purity and have a strong prayer life and sacramental life.
This in contrast to the world, with its debased view of sex, which is content to let people wallow in their lusts.
The Catholic Church believes that people have a higher calling. With the grace of God, we can all become saints. But we need to do our part.
I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers.
