by Jeremy Rutherfurd

Created on: March 29, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

Jesus never said being gay is a sin, at least as quoted in the New Testament. He never turned away any followers for being gay, nor did he ever say that homosexuals should be barred from the faith.

He did talk a lot about love, however, and he also said that we should not judge others ("Let he who is without sin cast the first stone ..."). So if we are to love and not judge one another, shouldn't we embrace everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation?

It's time we stopped viewing homosexuality as aberrant. This is a viewpoint we Westerners inherited from the ancient Romans. And because the Catholic Church took root in ancient Rome, its founders adopted the same prejudices.

Everyone knows that in Classical Greece homosexuality was widespread and accepted. But gay relationships (at least between men) were also prevalent in ancient China (some emperors had homosexual affairs) and Japan (among the samurai).

It's ridiculous to dislike someone for being gay. It makes about as much sense as disliking a guy because he tends to find women of one ethnic group more attractive than women of another.

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