Leviticus 18:19-23

God also condemned other kinds of unacceptable sexual behavior including adultery (Leviticus 18:20), homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22; cf. Leviticus 20:13), and bestiality (Leviticus 18:23). [Note: See Sherwood A. Cole, "Biology, Homosexuality, and Moral Culpability," Bibliotheca Sacra 154:615 (July-September 1997):355-66.] All of these were fairly common practices in the ancient Near East. The Mesopotamians and Hittites generally condemned incest and bestiality, with some exceptions, but not homosexuality. [Note: See Harry A. Hoffner, "Incest, Sodomy and Bestiality in the Ancient Near East," in Orient and Occident. Essays Presented to Cyrus H. Gordon on the Occasion of His Sixty-fifth Birthday, pp. 81-90.]

Molech (Moloch, Leviticus 18:21) was a Canaanite god often represented by a bronze image with a bull’s head and outstretched arms. The idol was usually hollow, and devotees kindled a fire in it making it very hot. The Canaanites then passed children through the fire (cf. 2 Kings 23:10) or placed them on the hot outstretched arms of the idol as sacrifices (Ezekiel 16:20). [Note: Some Velikovskians have identified Molech with Saturn. See Dwardu Cardona, "The Rites of Molech," Kronos 9:3 (Summer 1984):20-39.] The Talmud and some modern commentators prefer a translation of Leviticus 18:21 that prohibits parents from giving their children for training as temple prostitutes. [Note: E.g., Norman Snaith, "The Cult of Molech," Vetus Testamentum 16 (1966), pp. 123-24; and Geza Vermes, "Leviticus 18:21 in Ancient Jewish Bible Exegesis," in Studies in Aggadah, Targum, and Jewish Liturgy in Memory of Joseph Heinemann, pp. 108-124.]

"To ’profane’ means to make something unholy. The object of the verb is always something holy, e.g., God’s sanctuary, Leviticus 21:12; Leviticus 21:23; the holy foods (Leviticus 22:15); the sabbath, Isaiah 56:2; Isaiah 56:6; Ezekiel 20:13; Ezekiel 20:16, etc. Profaning God’s name occurs when his name is misused in a false oath (Leviticus 19:12), but more usually it is done indirectly, by doing something that God disapproves of (e.g., by idolatry, Ezekiel 20:39; by breaking the covenant, Jeremiah 34:16; by disfiguring oneself, Leviticus 21:6). By these actions Israel profanes God’s name; that is, they give him a bad reputation among the Gentiles (Ezekiel 36:20-21). This is why they must shun Molech worship." [Note: Wenham, The Book . . ., p. 259.]

"Homosexual acts [Leviticus 18:22] are clearly denounced here as hateful to God. [An "abomination" (Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 18:26-27; Leviticus 18:29-30) is something that God hates and detests (cf. Proverbs 6:16; Proverbs 11:1).] The penalty given at Leviticus 20:13 is capital punishment. They are denounced also in Romans 1:26-27. . . . It is hard to understand how ’gay churches,’ where homosexuality is rampant, can exist. Clearly it is possible only where people have cast off biblical authority and teaching." [Note: Harris, p. 601.]

"The biblical injunctions against homosexuality are clear and repeatedly declared. It must be remembered that AIDS is a virus, which is not limited to or caused by homosexuality or drug abuse, since 12 percent of people with AIDS have not practiced these acts. However, the statistics indicate that these disorders are significantly contributing to the epidemic.

"Psychiatrists are not supposed to call homosexuality a ’disorder.’ In 1979 the American Psychiatric Association, to which most psychiatrists in the United States belong, voted by a simple majority that homosexuality is no longer a perversion. This vote was prompted by a powerful gay lobby within the association, thought to consist of at least 10 percent of its members. Homosexuals have subsequently used this APA revision to claim that ’even psychiatrists feel that homosexuality is normal.’ . . .

"Homosexual activity is anatomically inappropriate. The sadomasochistic nature of anal intercourse leads to tears in the anal and rectal linings, thereby giving infected semen a direct route into the recipient’s blood supply. In a similar manner a prostitute is more likely to contract AIDS due to tears in her vaginal wall because of repeated intercourse from numerous sexual partners, frequently within the same day. . . .

"Otis R. Bowen, MD, the former Secretary of Health and Human Services on President Reagan’s Cabinet, stated, ’Abstinence, monogamy, and avoidance of drugs are no longer just good morals. Now, they are good medical science.’ [Note: Otis R. Bowen, "Safer Behavior against AIDS Reiterated for Minorities," American Medical News, December 11, 1987, p. 59.] His statement is consistent with the biblical theme of preventive medicine, which emphasizes prohibitions that can curtail the epidemic, rather than stressing the directed treatment of the illness." [Note: Fawver and Overstreet, pp. 283, 284.]