I’ve always considered homosexuality to be bad. However, as a Christian, I know I am to “hate the sin, love the sinner,” and I try my best to do that. None of the gays I’ve ever met have been despicable people, though I’m sure there are some, as with any population. This doesn’t diminish the fact that they’re in the wrong, however.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul states:
”Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”(NASB)
In Romans 1:26-27, he says the following:
”For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men, and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error."(NRSV)
In context, it seems that Paul regards these as dispositions caused by bad influences. As such, they’re merely affectations, and can be changed through effort. However, there is some room for doubt as to this, so I’ll also address the possibility that it’s hard-wired into some people’s brains. If so, this doesn’t make it right. Only animals (in this case, creatures lower than man; “Are Men Animals?” may be tackled in a later Theological Foray) obey their instincts exclusively. To not give in to temptation is a virtue, to submit is a sin. I personally am always thirsty, and so I know it would be very easy for me to get drunk, despite my German and British genes. Knowing this, I don’t drink alcohol, since I’m not sure that I’m disciplined enough yet to handle it properly [update: Having been in Britain and thus been drinking, I can no longer say that I don't drink, though I will not drink in America until I'm 21. I learned the hard way that drinking alcohol and drinking soft drinks the same way is a bad thing.]. Men may have the urge to simply abduct a woman, have your their with her, and then go in search of another, but that’s also clearly a bad thing. The Bible shows in Matthew 4:4-11 that even Jesus Christ himself experienced temptation. Thus, it is not the having the urge that is the sin, but acting on it.
Furthermore, these passages are from the New Testament in reference to both Jewish and Gentile Christians. While the Old Testament has a lot of fire and brimstone about the subject, it's often overlooked that the New Testament condemns it as well.
Having established that homosexuality is a sin, we must first determine what order of magnitude it is. While Jewish law compared it to murder, rape, and kidnapping, Paul lists it with things like lying and stealing. Thus, while it is of course a sin and to be avoided, it’s not enough to completely ostracize a person from society.
Why is it a sin? Men obviously do not have complementary parts (no, I will not go into detail). By doing something that obviously wasn’t intended, you’re disobeying the will of God, and thus are sinning. While men don’t have wings to fly, we do have brains to learn aerodynamics and hands to build airplanes.
Private organizations may exclude homosexuals, especially religious denominations. The Roman Catholic church refuses to ordain practicing homosexuals, a position fully understandable in that they refuse to ordain practicing heterosexuals as well. Just as a congregation would be upset by a drunken or womanizing priest, they would also reject a gay priest. In Judaism, you couldn’t be a priest if you merely had a physical deformity. In Christianity, you shouldn’t be one if you have an obvious vice. Ministers are the leaders of the congregation and an example to their followers, and so should be as exemplary as possible.
Speaking for the conservative and moderate Christians, we consider homosexuality to be a sin. To quote John Derbyshire, we find it “vaguely disgusting” for gays and “vaguely absurd” for lesbians. While we’d prefer that you not make it obvious in public, we respect your rights to free speech and free association. We’re perfectly willing to stay out of your bedrooms, so long as you keep it in the bedroom, preferably with the lights out and blinds drawn. We get upset when you come on to us. We get militant when you come on to our kids. We will oppose any efforts to give government support to something we believe to be sinful. We know that we don’t always get what we want, and we merely ask you to respect our sensibilities in a similar fashion to how you’re asking us to respect yours. We hope and pray that you’ll turn away from the practice, but ask only that you not involve us with it.
Furthermore, I have to say that I'm not sure I understand all the vitriol directed at homosexuals. Yes, I think sleeping with someone of your own sex is a sin. It's condemned not only in the Old Testament (Leviticus 20:13), but in the New Testament (I Corinthians 6:9) as well. However, we're to hate the sin but love the sinner. Many people say that being a homosexual automatically Dooms You To Hell. This is flawed in two fundamental ways. Firstly, the issue isn't what urges you have, but whether you act on them. This also works the other way, with the question not being on whether you want to do good works for others, but whether you actually try. A non-practicing homosexual would not be condemned. Furthermore, a former practicing homosexual would also be saved. Secondly, while sin does damn you, we should look at the rest of Paul's litany of grievous sins in I Corinthians 6:9-10. We find that in addition to homosexuals, the condemned include fornicators, idolators, adulterers, the effeminate, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers. Did you have sex before marriage? Damned. Sex with someone not your wife? Damned. Been excessively devoted to something other than God or the needs of your neighbors? Damned. Stolen (that includes restaurant silverware)? Damned. Wanted something that belonged to someone else, at the cost of their no longer possessing it? Damned. Gotten drunk? Damned. Insulted someone? Damned. Cheated on a test or tax form? Damned. If you haven't done any of these, then you probably have a visible halo and are being hailed as...well, the Messiah. We're all guilty, and thus all damned (I should be getting pretty high on Google for "damned," shouldn't I?). That's why the benefit of Grace is so wondrous, and also why we're told not to judge others. In accusing others of breaking God's laws, we merely reveal ourselves as hypocrites. By judging others, we actually condemn ourselves. However, by accepting that a person is a sinner and helping them try to break themselves of their sin (whatever it may be), we not only help them but we help ourselves. By loving others, we are loved in return.