The biblical scriptures most often used to argue against homosexuality have been horribly and repeatedly misinterpreted, according to more than a few theologians and biblical scholars. How about we dissect the scriptural excuses for homophobia one by one? The part of the creation story most used to justify homophobia seems to be the part about it being “natural” for man and woman to come together and make babies. That apparently passes for justification — God says make babies, and gay couples can’t do it, therefore, they are unnatural right? Well. What about couples that are infertile? Are they unnatural? What about people who simply choose not to have kids? Are they unnatural? One really has no choice given the other possibilities but to take that line to mean “hey, sex is okay! It is natural to enjoy it, and to want it!”With Sodom and Gomorrah God wasn’t mad about them being gay, God was mad because of their arrogance, and because they didn’t share their wealth with the poor, but chose to hoard it all away (Republicans, anyone?) Ezekial 16:48-49 states that incredibly clearly.

As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done. (48) Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.(49)

Nowhere in the bible does it actually use the term Sodomite to refer to anyone other than people from Sodom. You wouldn’t call everyone who says “Eh?” a Canadian, would you?

And the passages in Leviticus that shun homosexuality? Calling it an abomination? The actual hebrew word used is TO’EBAH. It doesn’t mean the same thing as abomination does in English — it isn’t a law, it’s used to describe something that non-Jews did that Jews thought was displeasing to God. It means ritually improper, not abomination. It isn’t a quote from God, it isn’t his law or his rules, it is what a bunch of people way back decided might probably not be cool in God’s eyes. TO’EBAH doesn’t refer to things like rape, or murder being evil, or the ten commandments — not cold hard law, but closer to “you should probably wash your dishes before they get moldy.”