The text discusses two traditional Christian assumptions to homosexuality and why there is such opposition to homosexuality in traditionally Christian...

Christians base their opposition to
homosexuality on texts within both the tanach (the Old Testament) and the
New Testament. In Leviticus 18:22 we see:

Thou shalt not
lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. [KJV]

In Leviticus 20:13 :

If a man
also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination:
they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
[KJV]

In the New Testament, Paul writes:

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and
receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.[KJV, Romans
1:27]

It is interesting, however, that there is no
mention of homosexuality anywhere in the four Gospels. The closest thing to it, in the direct
statements by Jesus, is the following:

But he said unto
them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to
whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their
mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs,
which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive
it, let him receive it. [KJV, Matthew 19:11-12]

In the GWT (God's Word Translation), these verses are rendered
as:

He answered them, "Not everyone can do what you
suggest. Only those who have that gift can. For example, some men are celibate because they were
born that way. Others are celibate because they were castrated. Still others have decided to be
celibate because of the kingdom of heaven. If anyone can do what you've suggested, then he
should do it."

In the CEV (Contemporary English
Version) it is translated as:

Jesus told them, Only
those people who have been given the gift of staying single can accept this teaching. Some
people are unable to marry because of birth defects or because of what someone has done to their
bodies. Others stay single in order to serve God better. Anyone who can accept this teaching
should do so.

In the original Greek, the word
εὐνοῦχοι (eunuchs) could refer to those whose sexuality is not "normal" in
various ways--not simply in our present-day meaning of men who have been castrated in order to
serve as harem guards, or something similar. The GWT and CEV translations equate it with the
idea of celibacy, but this is a specific interpretation of what was originally a more general
concept. In my view an equally valid interpretation is that Jesus was including gay people among
those who did not conform to monogamous, heterosexual behavior. And the text seems to indicate
that this can be due to heredity, environment, or choice.

Few people cite
this text as having any relevance to the issue of homosexuality, or cite it at all. This is
probably so because most people who read Scripture at all are religious in a conservative,
literal manner and also tend to have conservative views on issues not necessarily relating
directly to religion. Apart from the subject of non-heterosexual behavior, there are many other
strictures laid out elsewhere in the Bible that are glossed over or ignored entirely in today's
world. There is arguably just as much reason to view the statement of tolerance by Jesus as
being at least as valid as the other texts--in which case, Christian belief, arguably, need not
entail the condemnation of gay people.