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CHRISTIANITY, HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR, AND SEXISM

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2012

Justin P. McBrayer
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Extract

Almost without exception, those in the West who think that homosexual behavior is morally wrong are Christians (the belief that all homosexual behavior is wrong is also common among the devotees of other Abrahamic religions, e.g. Islam, and perhaps among other cultural groups elsewhere in the world). But is it true that, assuming a traditional Christian worldview, there are strong reasons to think that all homosexual behavior is morally wrong? Traditionally, Christians have appealed to three independent sources to justify any given belief: church tradition, scripture, and reason. If a Christian is justified in believing that homosexual behavior is morally wrong, his reasons must appeal one of these three sources. As it turns out, however, this is a difficult trick to turn. None of these sources provides a clear reason to think that homosexual behavior is morally wrong, and at least one of them provides a clear reason for thinking that, in at least some cases, it is morally permissible.

Type
Research Article
Information
Think , Volume 11 , Issue 31 , Summer 2012 , pp. 47 - 63
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Philosophy 2012

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References

Works Cited

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Boswell, John. (1980) Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).Google Scholar
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Helminiak, Daniel A. (2000) What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality (Alamo Squares).Google Scholar
Jordan, Mark. (1997) The Invention of Sodomy in Christian Theology (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).Google Scholar