4 Charity [from the Greek word agapē meaning love, affection, or benevolence] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things
(Hebrew-Greek, 1 Cor: 13.4-7).
Homosexuals are completely able to love in the manner in which God intended. However, many groups believe quite the contrary. Conservative Christians are the most voiced group against homosexuals in America. They are the same group that "once supported slavery, opposed women having the right to vote, and thought homosexuality was a sin. In each case the majority was wrong."" (Goss 120) The arguments of this group include, but are not limited to, the following:.
The Bible condemns homosexuality; Any group of people that ignores the Bible will face the wrath of God. If fact [. . .] the city of Sodom [was] destroyed by God because its inhabitants practiced homosexuality; [. . .] Whether or not homosexuality has a biological cause, homosexuals must struggle against their impulses and learn to live as God intended [. . .] . All humans are born into sin. That doesn't mean people should give in to it; No matter how homosexuals live - no matter how monogamous or how loving or how religious - they are living in sin because heterosexuality is the only acceptable form of sexuality . (Silver 54-55).
On the national level, the leading opposition groups are religious-based organizations such as the Christian Coalition and the Traditional Values Coalition. (Silver 56) Not all religions, however, condemn homosexuality, and not all member churches of the groups that have voiced their opposition to homosexuality agree with their national leaders. For example, Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong has ordained openly gay priests and the United Church of Christ has ordained lesbian and gay ministers.
