Thou Shalt Hate the Gays

As a Catholic boy raised in the Midwest, my childhood was steeped in lessons about holiness, humility, and the example of Christ. We never discussed homosexuality at home. We didn’t have to. The condemnation was loud and clear from the pulpit. Our parish priest delivered sermons that portrayed gay people as sinful, broken, and damned. Homosexuality was an abomination. I never questioned it. Who was I to challenge the divine verdict of an all-powerful, all-knowing God?

 

It would be many years later that I would discover the truth about modern Christianity’s condemnation of homosexuality. That our fear and hatred of gay people is not divinely inspired but the product of a mistranslation.

 

The word “homosexual” never appeared in any Bible until 1946. Its inclusion was not the result of careful theological scholarship but of cultural bias embedded into scripture by errant, biased men. In other words, millions of homosexuals have been condemned, shamed, and excluded based on a word that never should have been included in the Bible in the first place.

 

The Greek term in question, arsenokoitai, appears in two of Paul’s letters (1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10), yet its meaning is highly contested. It’s a compound word Paul may have coined himself, and scholars still debate its intent. Many believe it refers to exploitative sexual behavior—possibly pederasty (sexual activity between a man and a young boy) or male prostitution—not loving, consensual same-sex relationships. But in 1946, a team of translators inserted the word “homosexual” into the Revised Standard Version, solidifying a false narrative that would echo through pulpits for generations.

 

This single word has done incalculable damage. Our acceptance of this purposeful bias and mistranslation was weaponized to justify exclusion, psychological abuse, and even violence, all under the guise of God’s will. If the foundation is flawed, so is everything built upon it.

 

Even worse is the intellectual dishonesty of using Old Testament laws to condemn LGBTQ+ people. Leviticus is frequently cited to label homosexuality as an “abomination.” But Leviticus also calls eating shellfish an “abomination “ and forbids tattoos, and mixed fabrics. It demands the stoning of women who are not virgins on their wedding night (Deuteronomy 22:20-21), and death for adulterers and Sabbath-breakers. If these laws are to be taken seriously, then we must accept the full brutality of Bronze Age tribal codes—or admit we’re simply cherry-picking verses to justify our own discomfort.

 

In short, if you want to use the Bible to hate gays, it’s time to start stoning people who wear polyester, people with tattoos and any woman who has had sex before marriage. (And yes, the women must be stoned on their wedding night.) There simply aren’t enough stones.

 

Jesus, notably, said nothing about homosexuality. He did, however, speak constantly about love, justice, and mercy—often in opposition to the religious legalism of his time. If modern Christians truly followed his lead, their concern wouldn’t be about a man loving another man, but rather how they love: with kindness, courage, and compassion.

 

The idea that Christianity must oppose homosexuality is not biblical truth—it’s cultural dogma dressed in scripture. It’s time the Church confronted its error, repented for its cruelty, and embraced the radical love it claims to preach.