The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Kristina C. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Research - Homosexuality
Unfortunately, homosexuality is very evident and controversial in the present age. Even some of America's greatest role models are homosexual. In Merriam- Webster's dictionary, homosexual is described as 1) Of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex. 2) Of, relating to, or involving sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex. Lately, there has been a tremendous amount of controversy on this topic, but what does God's Word say about this? Let's take a look.
According to Genesis 2:25, God obviously intended man and woman to be together. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh." The very reason that God created woman was to give Adam a suitable helper. If God meant for the same sex to be together, he wouldn't have created women. Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure." Men and women were created specifically to be together. Leviticus 18:22 says: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." It dishonors God to practice homosexuality, but somehow, our nation has become so comfortable with this.
In the Bible, there are several accounts of homosexuality. Contrary to the modern belief that homosexuality is only condemned in the Old Testament, Paul writes in Romans 1:24: "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." According to this verse, God does not approve of homosexuality, and the belief that He does not condemn this in the New Testament is false. We still have the responsibility to obey God and keep marriage pure, meaning a marriage between a man and woman.
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a great example of homosexuality in the Old Testament. According to NetMinistry, the word Sodomy, meaning unnatural sex actions especially homosexual sex acts, is derived from the city named Sodom. Jude 1:7 says, "In the similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." This verse clearly shows that God has and will punish homosexuals in due time.
When approximately 10% of America's population is openly homosexual according to the National Census Bureau, it is often hard to stand against this. How do you even try to persuade people against homosexuality when it is such a controversial topic? Well, in some cases, you cannot. But after this Bible Study, I myself have concluded that homosexuality defies God's original intent for Creation. Even though not many people are on the same page, it is important to stand up for your beliefs with the help of God's Word.
