Christianity and Homosexuality

by Most Rev. Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Presiding Archbishop, United Catholic Church

The Morality of Love

As with any other subject, the issue of homosexuality should be approached from general principles and a well-developed moral theology. This is not easy, because it as an emotional issue. Nonetheless, let us try.

Jesus himself said not one word about homosexuality — at least not that got recorded in the Bible. But he did give us the general principles from which we would develop an attitude toward any such issue. Those general principles are summed up in these simple words: "Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself." All else is either contained in or superseded by these words. Christian morality is a morality of love, nothing else.

Even the negative rules of our faith (many of the ten commandments are expressed that way) are merely explicit statements about actions and attitudes which violate the command to love. If we love our neighbor, we won’t kill him or sleep with his wife or steal his property or damage his reputation with slander or even covet his wife or property. So these ancient commandments are not rules in addition to the command to love; they are merely detailed instructions on carrying it out. Obviously, the first few commandments are about our love relationship with God and our parents.

The morality of love is God’s blueprint for happiness. It was given for the benefit of both the lover and the loved. Like all of God’s laws, the commandments are given for our benefit. As Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." God does not make arbitrary rules. Even the ancient Jewish dietary laws had the purpose of protecting people from bacteria and other dangers which people did not even know existed. There are no additions or exceptions to the morality of love. As Father Richard P. McBrien (Professor of Theology at Notre Dame) says, "Ours is a religion of relationship, not rule-keeping."

This is the framework into which all moral theology must fit. Certainly homosexuality is no exception.

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