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Summary of this page
OVERVIEW OF THIS PAGE
Male-male penetration (anal sex) is okay if no direct or
indirect harm is caused.
SEX AND SLAVERY
The Biblical arguments now used to condemn male-male
penetration are the same types of arguments as those
used in the past to justify slavery. In fact the authors
(Moses and Paul) of the Biblical books which condemn
or criticize male-male penetration* also say that owning
slaves is okay**. Therefore people who argue that male-
male penetration is bad because the Bible says so and
what the Bible says is true, those people must recognize
that the Bible also says that owning slaves is okay. If they
don’t agree with slavery, they can’t condemn male-male
penetration just on the basis of the Biblical condemnation
or criticism of such sex.
*Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13, Rom 1:26-7, 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim I:10
**Lev 25:44–46 and 1 Cor 7:21, Eph 6:5, I Tim 6:1
Main pro- and anti-slavery arguments
BIBLICAL NO-HARM TEST
The Bible provides a test to decide whether sex between
men (including male-male penetration) and sex between
women is good or bad. It is the no-harm test.
You ask Does the activity cause harm or not? This test
is based on Romans 13:9-10, summarized as If you love
(act for the welfare of) your neighbor, including not
harming your neighbor, you then fulfill (meet all the
requirements of) the Old Testament commandments*.
* See also Galatians 5:14 For the entire [Old Testament] law is fulfilled in
keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” NIV
A more positive expression of no-harm is to say that
people should act with caring love. However the concept
of caring love is a rather fuzzy one because love can
have a number of meanings, ranging from friendship to
erotic love. It therefore seems clearer to say and require
do not cause any harm.
Your neighbor is any person you come into contact with.
In a sexual relations context, your neighbor means the
person you are having sex with and any third party, e.g.
the partner of that person. Of course, as well as not
harming your neighbor, you should not harm yourself.
The no-harm test is supported by the Golden Rule, i.e.
Treat people the same way you want them to treat you
(Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). If you do this, you will not
harm others.
The no-harm test is also supported by Paul’s teaching
that we can do anything provided that what we do is
beneficial or helpful (to ourselves and others) and that we
are not enslaved by what we do (I Corinthians 6:12).
It is considered that sex between men (including
male-male penetration) and sex between women
pass the no-harm test in circumstances where no
one is harmed by the activity.
It is acknowledged that a man’s penetrating actions
contravene the non-penetration command (Leviticus 18:
22 and 20:13) and its cultural bases (the main purpose of
sex is to have children, and men should not act like
women when having sex). Nevertheless, the penetrating
actions still meet the underlying and continuing
requirements of the non-penetration command, ie. no
harm to the participants or to the community (except for
its cultural basis). So, if a man does not harm himself,
the other man or any third party (e.g., a partner),
then male-male penetration is okay.
If there is no harm (physical, emotional, mental or
relational), the no male-male penetration texts can
be set aside as no longer applying; just as the pro-
slavery texts have been set aside as no longer
applying because slavery harms people.
As the New Testament criticisms of male-male
penetration (Romans 1:27, 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1
Timothy 1:10) are based on the Old Testament non-
penetration command, the New Testament criticisms
can also be set aside as no longer applying.
Some people might argue that this test is illogical
because it allows clear biblical requirements to be
ignored. However the same test was used by Jesus in
relation to working on the Sabbath. One of the 10
Commandments says that people shall not do any work
on every 7th day (the Sabbath) 1. However Jesus healed
sick people and picked grain (which counted as work) on
the Sabbath. He set aside and ignored the Sabbath
commandment when no harm (and good) was done 2.
Similarly he declared all foods clean (contrary to the Old
Testament law) because no harm was done by them 3.
These actions of Jesus validate the use of the test. (Note
that in each case the command still exists – Jesus said
that he did not come to change the Old Testament law 4 –
it’s just that we don’t always need to follow it if no harm is
done. This applies to other commands also, e.g. those
covering not planting mixed crops 5 and not charging
interest on loans 6.)
1 Exodus 20:8-11 2 Matthew 12:1-14 Luke 13:10-16
3 Mark 7:18-19 4 Matthew 5:17-20
5 Leviticus 19:19 6 Exodus 22:25 Leviticus 25:36,37
The no-harm test applies also to male-female
penetration (straight sex) and non-sexual activities too.
For example, the system of slavery fails the no-harm test.
Some people might argue that incest would be allowed
by using this test. But this wouldn’t be so because incest
causes harm. In Old Testament times, a woman (mother,
daughter, etc) was considered to be the property of a
man (father, uncle, etc). Therefore a man having
incestuous sex with her would be defiling someone else’s
property. While these property views are not held today,
harm would still be caused if there was emotional or
physical abuse (from one person having power over the
other) or if inbreeding led to birth defects. Even
consensual adult incest with protection against
insemination causes emotional harm because the
relationships of the family members have been
sexualized. A brother and sister, or a father and
daughter, can never see each other again in the usual
non-sexual way.
We don’t know why the biblical no-harm test was not
applied in Paul’s time to the no male-male penetration
texts and the pro-slavery texts other than to say that it
would not have been practicable to allow male-male
penetration or to stop slavery in the culture of the day or
for some time after. It was finally possible to stop most
open forms of slavery in the 19th Century and the attitude
to male-male penetration is currently slowly changing.
Therefore despite the Biblical prohibition and criticisms,
if a man wishes to indulge in penetration (anal
intercourse) with another man, he can do so with a
clear conscience provided that he does not harm
himself, the other man or any third party (e.g. a partner),
physically, emotionally*, mentally or relationally, directly or
indirectly.
Further, this test applies to men having any form of
sex with men and also applies to sex between
women. The participants pass the test if they act with
caring love and do not cause any harm.
* Emotional harm would include, among other things, harm to a
person’s honor or rights.
The Love Commandments
There are 2 Love Commandments.
1. Love God totally.
2. Love other people as you love yourself.
These commandments were first stated in the Old
Testament:
1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your being and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Leviticus
19:18)
These commandments were repeated by Jesus:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your being and with all your mind and with all your
strength [and] love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew
22:37-9, Mark 12:30-1, Luke 10:27)
Here love means self-giving or selfless love, which seeks
the other person’s welfare.
How do you love God? Jesus (who was God in human
form) gave the answer as If you love me, you will keep
my commandments (John 14:15; compare 14:21 & 15:
10).
Jesus said that on the commandments to love God and
your neighbor depend (or hang) the whole Old Testament
Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40). Paul later adds
that the person who loves his or her neighbor has fulfilled
(or carried out) the Old Testament law (Romans 13:8 &
Galatians 5:14). Therefore loving your neighbor as
yourself can result in you keeping the entire Old
Testament law.
And how do you love (act for the welfare of) your
neighbor as yourself? By not harming your
neighbor (Romans 13:10). In practice you would only do
to other people what you would want them to do to you.
This would include both you and the other person fully
consenting to what is done or proposed, and treating
each other fairly. It would also avoid deception, force and
injury.
As Joe Orton (a gay British author) said, You must do
whatever you like, as long as you enjoy it and don’t hurt
anyone else, that’s all that matters.
In legal terms, you must take reasonable care to avoid
acts or omissions which you can reasonably foresee
would be likely to injure your neighbor. (Lord Atkin,
Donoghue v Stevenson).
And who is your neighbor? Any person you come into
contact with (See the story of the Good Samaritan in
Luke 10:29-37). In a sexual relations context, your
neighbor means the person you are having sex with and
any third party, e.g. the partner of that person.
The Golden Rule
You follow the Golden Rule for living by doing to others
what you would want them to do to you. Jesus expressed
this as Treat people the same way you want them to
treat you (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). This would
include treating other people with kindness and honor
and not harming them. Similar expressions were stated
by Confucius, Aristotle, Socrates, the Jewish Talmud
(Shabbat 31a) and J S Mill. The Golden Rule sums up,
and is the basis of, the Old Testament Law and Prophets
(Matthew 7:12).
Following this Rule helps to ensure that no harm is done
to other people.
No sex outside marriage
Some people claim that the Bible allows sexual
intercourse only within a male-female marriage.
Reasons why the view of “no sex outside male-female
marriage” can be ignored
- The Bible presents male-female marriage as the
usual pattern and implies that this is the best place
for sex. But the Bible nowhere says that all sex
outside male-female marriage is wrong. It simply
says that certain kinds of sexual intercourse (incest,
adultery, bestiality, prostitution and male-male sex)
are wrong *.
- The Creation story explains why men and women
get married and have sex (Genesis 1:28 and 2:
24). The story does not state or imply that
marriage is compulsory, or that all sex must be
between males and females, or that all sex outside
male-female marriage is wrong.
- In Jesus’ comments on divorce in Matthew 19:4-6,
he quoted the Creation story simply to show that
male-female marriage should be permanent. He
did not state or imply that sexual intercourse should
be restricted to male-female marriage only.
- It seems likely that the early church (including Peter
and Paul) thought that sexual immorality (porneia)
comprised those sexual activities prohibited in the
Old Testament. But the many references to sexual
immorality in the Bible still make perfect sense if
they are restricted to incest, adultery, bestiality,
and/or prostitution. Note that the Bible does not
prohibit a sexual relationship between an
unmarried man and an unmarried woman except
where incest is involved.
- * Bible references are:
Incest Leviticus 18:6-18; 20:11-12, 14, 17, 19-21
Adultery Exodus 20:14 Leviticus 18:20; 20:10
Bestiality Leviticus 18:23; 20:15-16
Prostitution 1 Corinthians 6:15-16
Male-male sex Leviticus 18: 22; 20:13 Romans 1:26-27 1
Corinthians 6:9 1 Timothy 1:10
Male-male penetration, slavery and culture
Some people say that the Bible’s acceptance of slavery
does not apply to all cultures at all times because slavery
was part of the Israelite economic culture. In contrast,
they say that the Biblical prohibition and criticism of male-
male penetration is not restricted to the Israelite culture
and applies to all cultures at all times.
They are wrong. In fact, the Biblical prohibition and
criticism of male-male penetration was mainly written for
cultural reasons. See how this conclusion has been
arrived at. Therefore the Bible’s prohibition and criticism
of male-male penetration applied only to the ancient
Israelite and Greek-Roman cultures and so does not
apply to men today.
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Author: Colin Smith