Horrible Homosexual Behaviors in the Bible
… and how they are unrelated to today’s gay Christian love
The verses in the Bible that condemn homosexual behavior are completely justified. Homosexuality in the era of Apostle Paul was vile. It was exploitative.
And it was in no way similar to the gay Christian love of today.
Please read on.
Recently I read — spellbound and sickened — Sarah Ruden’s chapter on homosexuality during Paul’s time in the Roman and Greek culture. [Do yourself a favor and get her academic masterpiece book, “Paul Among the People”]. Dr. Ruden spares no punches in describing the horrific abuse inflicted — males upon males — during this age of cruelty.
Men of Status
If you were a man of wealth or high reputation, living in the Roman or Greek culture of Paul’s life, there was no such thing as a “homosexual” nor a “homosexual orientation.” Rather, the culture expected the men of status would copulate with their wives, other men’s wives, males who held a lower class, male slaves, males from foreign countries who were conquered in battles, and male prostitutes. The more sexually diverse, the higher the esteem.
Men of status would brag about anally penetrating men of the lower class. This anal intercourse raised the penetrator’s reputation and esteem — while humiliating the penetratee. Thus, if you were a man of status, it would be expected that you sexually conquer men and women, boys and girls. A man who was exploited was viewed as being a less valuable human. Honor was only given to the esteemed penetrator — and shame to the lowly penetratee.
Point #1: Men of status frequently engaged in penetrative anal intercourse — not because they were a homosexual; but rather because it gained them more esteem and power. Conversely, men of lower status were anally penetrated — not because they were homosexual, but because it was expected (and dreaded).
Slaves
In those days, it would be expected that male slaves would be raped by their slave owners. One rule of slave purchases was that the closer the boy was to age 16, the higher the purchase price. Slaves were paraded nude in the open square for purchasers to examine. Hairless boys were more desired than others. If a boy had achieved puberty, it was common for his body to be shaved (to gain a higher price).
Slaves were then raped by their owners. Owners were said to have “cut to pieces” their male slaves — cruelly inflicting pain on the young or adolescent boys. Such grotesque physical abuse was expected. This behavior was no act of love; it was the cruelest of human degradation.
When slaves aged beyond 16, they were gradually viewed each year as less appealing. Such slaves were referred to as having a “loose anus” — due to the physical harm inflicted upon them when repeatedly anally raped. Such older slaves were viewed as worth less by their masters. In short, older slaves had been ravaged for years, then abandoned with little means of support.
Slaves captured through military conquest were likewise raped as an ultimate act of humiliating the captive. This was not an act of sexual pleasure — nope, this was a sadistic act of power abuse.
The slave business did not merely exploit the weak; it was an entire cultural phenomenon. Countless males were judged by their ability to look like pre-pubescent boys. How dehumanizing! Can you imagine the horrors and indignity of being repeatedly anally raped by your master while knowing that your “value” only decreases each year?
Point #2: Anal intercourse between men was an enslaved arrangement. Not only did this debasement define a corrupt and immoral society — it was also the culture in which Paul witnessed and later wrote his condemnations in his epistles.
Prostitutes
Temple prostitutes existed during the era of the Old Testament. Such males would receive money to anally penetrate the temple worshippers. This form of anal intercourse was conducted to supposedly appease the gods and thus increase their crop supply.
Later, during Paul’s era, males stood in doorways selling their bodies to other men. Such was “normal” for the Roman-Greco cultures. In other words, it was an “out in the open” way of endorsing the pleasures of anal intercourse. And many a man paid many a penny for the ability to penetrate an attractive male! And the purchaser would hire his male prostitute with no sense of shame; rather, it was simply an expected activity of that era.
Point #3: Seeking a homosexual partner was not a closeted event. All one had to do was walk down a street to find an available man with whom one would pay to enjoy anal intercourse. And this was not considered immoral by the Roman-Greek cultures.
Paul’s Reaction
Paul was a high-brow Jew: an esteemed Pharisee among the most respected Jewish leaders. Paul would have been shocked and disgusted by what he readily viewed as “normal” behavior among the Romans and Greeks. The powerful and esteemed males would brag about anally penetrating one of their society’s less wealthy. Roman conquerors could add the final insult to their captives: a brutal, dehumanizing rape. Paul would have seen young males sold in the open market (based on their ability to look young and hairless). And Paul would have seen male prostitutes attempting to seduce men into paying for the pleasure of being the penetrator.
And Paul would have despised this corrupt culture! Furthermore, Paul would have known that some of his local church members (i.e., the converted Gentiles) had perhaps previously indulged in slave ownership, raping a young slave, or hiring a prostitute for anal intercourse pleasure.
Point #4: The next time you read about Paul’s condemnation of homosexuality in Romans or 1 Corinthians, or 1 Timothy, you now know the context behind Paul’s words.
Gay Love of Today
Gay Christian males who fall in love with each other look a lot like, well, straight lovers. In both cases, the couple finds each other to be attractive. They begin the process of getting to know each other better. Feelings of love and passion naturally follow. At some point, the couple considers their relationship a mutually acceptable pairing. The couple continues to learn about each other through a variety of situations. Usually, the couple unites their relationship with something legal and official — their marriage to each other.
Straights follow this human pattern. So do gays.
Unfortunately for the gay person, he has had Paul’s three verses used as a weapon against his dignity and desires for a homoromantic relationship. All-too-many straight, Bible-believing Christians do not know the context of Paul’s condemnation of homosexuality. Little do today’s gay maligners know that Paul witnessed firsthand the ravages of males being sold into slavery or purchased via prostitution. Paul knew of degrading, dehumanizing acts that included rape and discarding.
And that is what Paul wrote about in his condemnations.
Point #5: To be clear, Paul wrote about men abusing other men. Men of power and status abused lower-class men. Slave owners raped their male slaves. Young-looking boys were selling their bodies to be anally penetrated for the purchaser’s pleasure. Gross abuse, disregard for human dignity, and sensuality went amuck. Horrible!
Conclusion
My husband and I deeply love each other. We view each other with dignity and equality. We are sexually faithful and committed for a lifetime.
And come to think of it, that is exactly how Jesus wants every relationship to be.
Dr. Mike Rosebush is the founder/author of GAYoda. He has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and is a retired Licensed Professional Counselor with nine years of counseling and mentoring thousands of gay Christian men. A short synopsis of Dr. Rosebush’s life can be found at I Lived the Most Unusual Gay Christian Life Ever. Please read the complete set of his articles here. You may contact Dr. Rosebush at mikerosebush75@gmail.com.
