Is Christianity homophobic?

[AgnosticBoy]

Christians are often accused of being homophobic. So then I question why do people call themselves Christians in this day and age. I've searched the internet for a response. Of course, there are those Christians that try to make a case that homosexuality is not condemned by the Bible. But in this thread, I want to focus on those Christians that believe that being homosexual or engaging in same-sex behavior is wrong.

Here's one perspective I've found:

By Oxford Languages’ definition, homophobia can be as simple as a dislike for or as strong as a prejudice toward LGBT+ community members. While the word “phobia” implies a fear, homophobia has been used to describe everything from refusing to make a cake for a homosexual wedding to death penalties for homosexuals.

Christians are often accused of homophobia, often specifically because we stand for God’s holy design of sexual relations: one man and one woman united in marriage. It is never wrong for Christians to make a stand for biblical principle

However, true homophobia––prejudice against or hatred of homosexuals––is also sin. Prejudice is never biblical. We are never called to hatred but to love others as Christ loved us. Christians should not condone the homosexual lifestyle, but they should also not hate, degrade or condescend to those who identify as homosexual.

Source: https://www.collegianonline.com/2021/03 ... omophobic/

If I'm understanding correctly, it seems the author is trying to make a distinction between disagreeing with homosexuality and "prejudice and hatred of homosexuals". In another place, the author also refers to homophobia as a "fear".

For debate:
1. Is the author's distinction correct? Does 'homophobia' involve any type of belief or action (e.g. simply saying that it is wrong) that goes against homosexuality? Or does it just involve "hatred and prejudice"?

2. Is it even possible to believe that homosexuality is wrong but not to hate it or be prejudiced towards it?

[boatsnguitars]

Hate is required to be all loving.

And again, we have a Christian claiming words mean the opposite...

I suppose one needs to be All-Just to be All-Merciful, too. They have to be Most High to be Most Low. They have to be most Sinful to be Most Righteous. All-Knowing to be All-Ignorant.

I sincerely get the impression, as I've said before, that Christians know they are lying straight to our faces (because of in-group psychology. But really, they are the guy holding up the sign that says, "GET A BRAIN, MORANS!" - and laughing because they think they're pwning us.

Do you love murderers and liars or do you hate them?

I hate them. But I'm not All Loving.

Doh! That didn't go the way you thought it would, is it?

[boatsnguitars]

The answer to the OP is yes.

And, if you read the Bible and ask almost every Christian Apologist, they will say two things:

1. Homosexuality is bad. It damages/undermines society. Is anti-life. Is "of Satan." Is sinful. Is to be feared (don't teach it to your children, don't teach it in school, don't show it in books or movies, don't sing about it, etc.).
2. Christianity isn't homophobic.

We simply can't expect Christians to ever give a coherent answer on moral values because they are trying to justify the truth of Bronze Age moral values in the context of contemporary moral values. They know the Bible is against homosexuality, but they know they will be called 'bigots' if they support the Bible - and they don't want to believe the Bible is bigoted.

So they invent clever phrases: "hate the sin, not the sinner" - because this depersonalizes it. It makes them able to hate a dehumanized thing: The Homosexuality itself. But, they get to still harbor hatred for the gay person because they call homosexuality a choice, and they blame the person for choosing homosexuality.

They never contemplate alternatives.

Yes, Christianity is homophobic. It is one of a few religions that teaches to hate and fear homosexuality. However, (luckily) many Christians are poor adherents and choose to be better than their Bible. This is usually where you get the stark contradiction.

However, there are many Apologists who feel they always need to defend both 1 & 2: They feel the Bible is perfect and there are no contradictions or errors, or anything wrong with it - so they will only say good things about it. Like a rabid fan of a sport team: even if they've never won the "The Big Game," the fan still thinks their team is best by other measures. Or, like someone feels about their favorite band.

It's an identity and they can't say anything bad about it. If you point out something wrong, they'll either say you don't understand, or that that flaw is actually - lo and behold - a good thing!

Yes, Christianity is homophobic. You just won't getting Christians to admit to it.

[Wootah]

[Replying to boatsnguitars in post #81]

It did.

No all loving being can love them.

To be all loving and love evil is to be evil and not loving.

So if 'all loving' is to have meaning it has to exclude sin.

Put more colloquially if something is 'all apple' then it has no trace of orange.

[boatsnguitars]

[Replying to Wootah in post #83]

Are you a Universalist?

[Wootah]

[Replying to boatsnguitars in post #84]

Not at all.

[boatsnguitars]

[Replying to boatsnguitars in post #84]

Not at all.

Do you believe that loving someone includes accepting their faults?

[Wootah]

[Replying to boatsnguitars in post #84]

Not at all.

Do you believe that loving someone includes accepting their faults?

No way. Who believes that?

[boatsnguitars]

[Replying to boatsnguitars in post #84]

Not at all.

Do you believe that loving someone includes accepting their faults?

No way. Who believes that?

You only love perfect people?

[Wootah]

[Replying to boatsnguitars in post #84]

Not at all.

Do you believe that loving someone includes accepting their faults?

No way. Who believes that?

You only love perfect people?

This is getting sillier.

Loving someone means not accepting their faults. I can love you and disagree with you.

If you love someone 'warts and all' you love them not at all.

[boatsnguitars]

[Replying to boatsnguitars in post #84]

Not at all.

Do you believe that loving someone includes accepting their faults?

No way. Who believes that?

You only love perfect people?

This is getting sillier.

Loving someone means not accepting their faults. I can love you and disagree with you.

If you love someone 'warts and all' you love them not at all.

So, you love someone, but not their faults? For example, a mother would love her son - even if he's a murderer. She would disagree with the murder?

And, I suppose that means she's still want him to go to prison for the murder.

And, extending the analogy, she would want him to burn for eternity in writhing agony, or simply cease to be (whatever flavor of Hell you like) - because while she loves the person, she can't stand the act of murder he committed. And even though that act of murder was momentary, he is - what? - stained by it so that he's not himself, and he can't atone?

Then you might say, "kinda. He is stained by sin, and needs to be washed by the blood of the lamb to free himself of its stench. And only through Jesus can he remove the scarlet letter of sin."

But, if he finds it hard to atone - perhaps he truly feels remorseful and doesn't feel he ought to be forgiven, or is not Christian (so he wouldn't know to ask Jesus) - God would say, "You didn't sign the right forms, so to Hell you go! Love ya!"

I suppose at this point, we have to ask what a Christian means by "Love"?