Christian perspective on Sexuality and homosexuality: challenges and prospects towards liberation of LGBT Friends

Faiths on Homosexuality and Homophobia

Christian perspective on Sexuality and homosexuality: challenges and prospects towards liberation of LGBT Friends

Introduction:

The present discriminatory challenge on LGBT concerns in India has direct reference to Christianity with its strong affirmation on heterosexist morality on sexuality imposed through the law in the colonial times. While conservative Christians, predominantly heterosexist, consider any resistance to liberate the discriminated LGBT community as anit-Christ efforts today, the statement of several important Christian leaders provide a ray of hope to make Christianity to join with other movements in the struggle for life of the sexual minorities. The very famous statement of Pope Francis’ “Who am I to judge?”  and that of Italian Catholic Bishop inviting the Church for more dialogue in the issue of homosexuality reverses the very dominant attitude of Christianity with a focus on humanity. Bishop Desmond Tutu represents the Christian radical commitment as he compares discrimination on homosexuality to apartheid. Tutu links gay rights to the civil rights battle for blacks and apartheid.

This particular paper address the Christian understanding of sexuality and homosexuality and attempt to address the issue, its challenges and prospects from the point view of Jesus’ life and mission, bible and its interpretations, theological concerns and Church as a rainbow community.

Christian understanding of Sexuality and Homosexuality:

The Christian position on sexuality has always been ambiguous. Christianity is definitely not an anti-sex religion in one sense. The creation and the following narratives talks about the multiplication of generation, the importance of children and progeny. It has a very positive attitude towards sex , but predominantly constrained in a very heterosexist understanding of love and family. But at the same there have been different passages in the bible mentioning about the interests to have same-sex with strangers in Sodom, daughters’ sexual relationship with their father (Lot),  slaves bearing children for their masters and mistress, Esther becoming one of the wives, uncertainty in the same-sex relationship between Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan, Jesus and the beloved disciple etc.,

While the bible has the provisions to look at sexuality through diverse incidents and interpretations , a vey patriarchal and heterosexist domination of Christianity has devalued these diverse situations and has focussed more on heteronormativity considering every other sexual orientation as sexually deviant and immoral. Christianity has been suppressing the sensuousness, sexual expressions, sexual desires, freedom or the celebration of sexuality of their adherents and promoting the same to others where ever Christianity reached.

The plural forms of eroticism and sexuality was named demonic, bodily desires were considered very worldly, sinful and adultered, sexual minorities were punished or condemned to hell and procreation became the only purpose of sexuality in Chriatianity. Christianity which should talk about the sexual rights and freedom focuses much on adultery and punishment. That is how the sodomy law is forced upon the Indian community during the British colonial administration in 1861 in the form of article 377. While it is repealed in Britain, India is still struggling to repeal this heterosexist Christian law forced on the Indian community making it more homophobic.   

Majority of Christians are homophobic and are unwilling to accept LGBT friends and their struggles. The fundamentalist and conservative homophobic faith has even influenced many intellectual and rational Christians to condemn different sexual orientations as sin. It will be very surprising to see even Christian Doctors and counsellors condemning homosexuality and claim that it can be cured medically and psychologically. But, there are Christians who continue to renew their faith in Christ and open themselves towards newer revelations of God affirm that homosexuality is God-given, natural and try to prove that Christianity should be in solidarity in their struggles and not to condemn them. 

Historical Jesus as the compassionate activist of the LGBT community:

Christianity still struggles to understand the historical Jesus, most of its faith tradition still base itself on the Jesus of faith promoted by Church. The historical Jesus and his community, called as the Jesus’ movement is very similar to any human rights movement, especially the LGBT movement today. Definitely Jesus will be part of all the protest, struggles and pride parades of the LGBT community. The Jesus movement then included people who were marginalised and oppressed by the dominant striving hard politically, socially and religiously to transform the society from all its prejudices and oppression. It is also very interesting that Jesus’ understanding of sexuality and adultery was very different from the religious leaders at that time.

First of all, Jesus never condemned homosexuality is an important fact for all Christians to understand that Jesus accepted different sexual orientation as natural.  Mathew 19: 1 – 12 is a very important passage in understanding Historical Jesus’ view on heteronormativity. In this dialogue on teaching about divorce with the Pharisees Jesus gives a very clear understanding that the heteronormal understanding of marriage and their norms will not suit for all, especially the ennuchs. In vs. 12 Jesus clearly points out that “there are ennuchs who have been so from birth”. He goes on to further explain about various types of ennuchs. But the reference “ennuch from birth” is a wonderful understanding of Jesus that there are people who are sexually differently oriented from birth. Also, in ancient times the word ennuch could not only denote transgender community but also the LGBT community where the differentiation is much clear now.  

Another reference that is very useful in this discussion is Luke 10: 1- 12. Here, in this passage, where Jesus talks about sending his disciples for mission he says that “if any place doesn’t accept you then leave that place more destruction than Sodom will happen for that place.” Here Jesus uses the destruction of Sodom, as not, referring to the sin of homosexuality but in a context of non-acceptance and hostility to strangers. 

Historical Jesus’ struggle has always been the struggle against the oppressive dominant norms of the society. With deep compassion for the marginalised he always confronted oppressive laws either religious or political which criminalised subaltern communities. Such an understanding of Jesus as a human rights activist urges every Christian to fight against article 377 which criminalises LGBT friends. But most of members of the Christian community deny seeing this activist nature of the Historical Jesus in the context of sexual minorities.

Biblical Texts : from Homophobic to Queer Friendly

Biblical text are mostly heterosexist and homophobic. The homophobic texts have caused scriptural violence which has led to inhuman violence of sexual minorities for centuries. But there are texts and hermeneutical tools to understand and interpret them as queer friendly.

Robert E .Gross provides necessary hermeneutical tools for a queer interpretation of the bible. He gives three important methods of deflection, outing and befriending the text which opens the bible to be queer friendly. 

Deflecting a text attempts to first identify the negative texts against homosexuality and to         re-interpret them from their own historical context. Such texts in the bible will be the 19^th Chapter of Genesis, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, highlighting that the sin here is mostly concerning social injustice. Another text would be Leviticus 18 : 22 and 20 : 13 where the condemnation of sexual relationship with same sex is identified as coming from an very heterosexist interpretation. In the new testament the usage of the words malakoi and arsenokoitai ,where Paul referring to soft young boys used in the Greco-roman world for prostitution, has to be understood how young people were abused for sexual pleasure. 

Outing the text attempts in bringing out the text which has ambiguous or hidden meanings affirming same-sex relationships. Such texts will be the identification, that in the book of Songs of Solomon both the lovers belong to the same sex. The deep relationship between Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan, Jesus and the beloved disciple and so on., also falls into this category.

Befriending a text attempts in celebrating texts which support this cause as mentioned in the earlier section, the positive affirmation of ennuchs and the other texts related to love, compassion justice and liberation falls into this category.

This actually demands the openness of the Christian community and others for a contextual reading of the bible. The most effective way of making bible queer friendly is to attempt an open reading of the bible where the interpretations of the LGBT friends on biblical texts will give us a different outlook in understanding the scripture and will more effectively make it more queer friendly.

Christian Theology: Affirming Human Sexuality

Christian theology has always been deeply rooted in the natural theology which is very normative and believes that there are facts that never changes.  This affirmation on natural theology makes people to believe that heteronormativity  is natural one.  As pointed out earlier Christian theology has always considered human sexuality as an unwanted theme in its theological practice. Moreover for Christian theology the soul has been the most important concern than the body, so is afterlife than the present life. This dichotomy of body and soul has made Christian theology to devalue human sexuality. In the same line considering the vicarious suffering of Christ Agape is elevated as an important theological category than Philos and Eros.

Hence a body theology affirming the sexuality of human , especially, the  queer theology affirming the body mediated sensual experience as well as the rejected and wounded experiences should be  the centrality of doing theology. Thereby our emotions, feelings, desires and love for the other becomes important themes. Though Christianity has not completely focussed on body theology there are attempts to celebrate sexuality and to redeem sexual minorities from dominant theological enterprise through queer theology.

As Christianity strongly believes in the incarnation theology, the “word becoming flesh” strongly affirms that the body is very important aspect of theologising. This emphasis clearly points out that salvation becomes complete only when the deepest desires of the human body is fulfilled. Such an attempt of Christian theology will have a unified approach in theologising God’ purpose of the creation in this world.

Church as a Rainbow Community

James B Nelson brings out four classification or responses which Christian Church is taking :

Rejective – Punitive Position : unconditionally rejecting homosexuality, ostracising LGBT friends, refusal of communion so on

Rejective – non punitive position : homosexuality is condemned but (sin), but not homosexual person.

Qualified approach – this is done because of fallen humanity, done by choice, they can seek to change…a more pastoral approach…they need healing

Full acceptance position : homosexual orientation is natural and there is respect for love,

These four positions clearly shows how Church has been responding to LGBT community. It is very pathetic to hear from our LGBT friends the Church has been rejecting, demoralising and dehumanising LGBT friends. Many want to come and enjoy the fellowship in the Church but the Church has been hostile to many, atleast the Church is now open to Transgender friends.

It will be very interesting to note that one of the first early converts to Christianity is an Ethiopian ennuch mentioned in Acts 8: 27. Philip the Evangelist was told by an angel to go to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, and there he met the Ethiopian eunuch. Later, after his conversion it is believed that he took Christianity to other parts of Africa.

It is claimed by some that this early convert to Christianity is a baptised black gay Christian. This provides an understanding that the early Church could have been a more inclusive and a rainbow community which could have accommodated people with different sexual orientations.

The concern here is, the Church, the body of Christ which has to stand in solidarity with the marginalised should also consider the struggles of LGBT community as right and should be in solidarity with them. Church should address this issue in love and truth. Spiritual justice should be ensured for LGBT friends and they should be allowed to experience God with others. The Church should realise that they are an accepting and a reconciling rainbow community.

Conclusion:

Christianity which is based on love and justice has been showing injustice to the LGBT friends. There have been a lot of changes in the western Christianity in understanding sexuality and homosexuality, but Indian Christianity is predominantly very fundamentalist in this approach. The change can come if they seriously and critically understand the life and mission of Jesus, re-read bible from a queer perspective, human sexuality becoming an important theme for theologising and to redefine the Church as an inclusive rainbow community.

 The words of retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu is very important here. He says “I would not worship a God who is homophobic, and that is how deep I feel about this,” “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven.' No,' I would say.'Sorry. I mean, I would much rather go to the other place.'”.Such should be the affirmation of every Christian willing to join hands with LGBT friends in their struggle for justice.