PAULS' VIEWS --
ROMANS


    SUMMARY

Some people use Chapter 1 of the Biblical book of
Romans to say that homosexuality and homosexuals
are bad.  However, the facts are as follows:

In Romans Chapter 1, Paul shows what happened to
people who refused to glorify God.  Their thinking
became foolish (distorted) and they honored and served
created things (including idols) rather than God the
Creator.  Therefore God allowed them to follow their
own lustful choices and dishonor their bodies.  Women
and men changed from having male-female sex and
had female-female sex and male-male sex instead.

Paul criticizes the act of sex between women by
calling it unnatural.  He also criticizes an extreme
form of sex between men by saying that the men are
utterly consumed in their lust for one another and men
act shamefully with men.  Although Paul calls both these
forms of sex degrading passions (shameful lusts) and
unclean, he is only using them to illustrate his argument
and does not say don’t do it.

Paul’s criticism of sex between women seems to be
based on how women’s sex roles were seen in the
Greek-Roman and Jewish cultures of Biblical times
(women should be passive, not active, in sex).  As the
criticism is culturally based and as Paul does not say
don’t do it, the criticism does not apply today.  More
details  However sex between women should
comply with the no-harm test.

His criticism of sex between men refers only to  
penetrative sex (anal intercourse), not to other forms of
sex between men.


Although Paul criticizes penetrative sex between men,
he does not actually say don’t do it.

The criticism of penetrative sex between men does
not apply to straight, bisexual and gay men today
because it applied only to the Greek-Roman culture of
Paul’s time.  For those who don’t accept this culture
argument, the criticism of male-male penetration does
not apply when no one is harmed, directly or indirectly.  
See details of the no-harm argument.




    SEX BETWEEN FEMALES

  • What form of sexual activity is described in verse
    26?

  • What points favor verse 26 referring to sex
    between females and what points favor a
    reference to male-female anal sex?

  • What does Paul mean by “nature” in verse 26 and
    what is the meaning of “natural relations” and
    “unnatural relations”?

  • What does the criticism of sex between females
    mean for women who are attracted to, or have sex
    with, other women?

    SEX BETWEEN MALES

  • What form of male sexual activity is described in
    verse 27?

  • What did Paul think of same-sex behavior?

  • What was the Roman attitude to sexual relations
    between males?

  • Is Paul criticizing same-sex activity wherever it
    occurs or just same-sex activity when people
    worship idols?

  • What is meant by “receiving the due penalty for
    their error” in verse 27?

  • What does the criticism of male-male penetration
    mean for men who are attracted to, or have sex
    with, other men?

    GENERAL

  • False views or misconceptions about verses 26
    and 27

  • Other interpretations and papers