Module Paper 1: Extended Essay on Religious and Spiritual Basis of Gender

Is being gay/bisexual a sin? If you are a Christian, you probably have asked
yourself a question like this; maybe not because you are homosexual but perhaps out of
curiosity of what has become a norm in the society. Homosexuality is still a pressing
issue for the church today; for the same reason, the LGBTQIA community is trying to
seek respect and acceptance from religious organizations. Generally, the church firmly
believes in Genesis 1:27, which states, "So God created mankind in his own image, in
the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." And whoever
will engage in homosexual activities will be punished accordingly, such as what
happened with Sodom and Gomorrah (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Meanwhile, we should
also be mindful of what the Bible says about judgment; why do you look at the speck of
sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
In this paper, we will be discussing different perspectives of the church on
homosexuality/bisexuality and present sources from around the world that are
applicable to the Philippine context which will help us better understand the church's
stance on this matter. The following religious organizations will be cited: Roman
Catholic, Islam, Iglesia ni Cristo, and few of the Born-Again Christian churches.
The Roman Catholic is the largest denomination on Earth, and as part of a
worldwide association, the Catholic church is molded by overall cultural and social
patterns around the world. According to On Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity, a
catechism of the Catholic Church, "homosexual acts" are labeled as intrinsically
immoral and contrary to natural law, whereas "homosexual orientation" is not
considered sinful in and of itself. A passage from the 1986 Letter states, "Although the
particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less tendency
ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus, the inclination itself must be seen as an
objective disorder." Despite some being labeled immoral, the Catholic doctrine specifies
that these persons should be wholly accepted with respect and sensitivity.

Islam is the second-largest religion worldwide; the denomination has no central

governing body, and thus, there were no clear policies regarding issues on LGBTQIA.
Based on my research, several Islamic scholars in the United States have started
evaluating Islamic teachings on same-sex relationships and reexamining if the
condemnation they received is just a misinterpretation. On marriage equality, same-sex
relationships are condemned; however, due to the absence of a governing body, people
are free to make their own choices regarding this issue. Besides, gender reassignment
was acceptable under Islamic law since 1988, and transgender men/women are
recognized in many Islamic cultures worldwide. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, it is
taught explicitly that homosexual acts are sinful and punishable by God. In Mindanao,
gender-based violence among LGBTQIA continues; gay beauticians have been
reportedly gunned down in Marawi, Lanao del Sur.*

*No claims were gathered that the murders were directly associated with religion but references were
presented since Marawi has the largest Muslim community in the Philippines. It may or may not be
caused by any religious influence/conflicts.
 In the Philippines, Iglesia ni Cristo is one of the most politically and culturally
influential religious denomination. According to incmedia.org, we aren't usually the ones
who will judge people of their actions; it is God. As long as they come to God, he will
continue to show his love to everyone and give them a chance to reconcile with Him,
Brother Pellien, incmedia.org host, mentioned. From the perspective of a gay INC
member, he/she said that being gay/bisexual is not a choice. He also noted that some
members decided to do nothing about their sexual orientation, perhaps because they
don’t want to hurt their families or be ostracized by their friends. Some continue to go to
church yet live personal lives that are a lot different from INC, and others simply stop
going to church. But whatever your decisions may be, it should be something you will be
satisfied with because an unsatisfactory decision is absolutely the wrong decision.

Lastly, for the Christian denomination's stances, if you have heard, the Christian
church continues to preach about salvation for which we can only have through Jesus
Christ. They firmly believed that homosexuality is a sin and should not be practiced by
anyone, but we should note here that Christians do not hate the people but the sin.
Furthermore, there were plenty of testimonies about how they were transformed from
being bisexual to being a straight male and female. However, this may be insensitive
towards others' feelings, especially for the LGBTQIA member, but their goal was to give
them the idea of authentic freedom found in God. Other people may not understand this
now, but they will soon.

I am a Christian and I have friends who are members of the LGBT community;
they actually don't deserve the hate they are receiving; they are just like us but in an
identity that the society doesn't accept. It is high time for us to accept who they really
want to be; even God gave us the dominion to rule our lives, so who are we to decide
for others? Also, homosexuality is not the only sin written in the Bible. There was plenty
of it. It's undeniable that many people continue to sin despite them knowing that it's a
sin. Those people are also sinning, but did those who despise the LGBT community
speak ill of those people too? No, because we are all hypocrite and we don't want to
point out people's mistakes that we, too, are doing. When we see other people sinning
the sins that we don't, we feel like we are better than them, but we are not. And that's a
hard pill to swallow especially for a Christian.

*No claims were gathered that the murders were directly associated with religion but references were
presented since Marawi has the largest Muslim community in the Philippines. It may or may not be
caused by any religious influence/conflicts.
 References
Can people stop being gay? (2020, March 26). incmedia.org. https://incmedia.org/can-
people-stop-being-gay/
Human Rights Campaign. (2011, August 17). Stances of faiths on LGBTQ issues:
Pentecostals. https://www.hrc.org/resources/stances-of-faiths-on-lgbt-issues-
pentecostals
Human Rights Campaign. (2011, August 17). Stances of faiths on LGBTQ issues:
Roman Catholic Church. https://www.hrc.org/resources/stances-of-faiths-on-
lgbt-issues-roman-catholic-church
On being gay and Muslim. (2015, July 24). Rappler. https://amp.rappler.com/move-
ph/issues/gender-issues/99746-being-gay-muslim
Pope Francis on LGBT issues: A chronology. (2020, May 16). New Ways
Ministry. https://www.newwaysministry.org/resources/pope-francis-lgbt-issues/
Shadow of a cross, faith, and Iglesia Ni Cristo. (2018, June 30). The
LaSallian. https://thelasallian.com/2018/06/21/shadow-of-a-cross-faith-and-
iglesia-ni-cristo/
Stances of faiths on LGBTQ issues: Islam - Sunni and Shi'a - HRC. (n.d.).
HRC. https://www.hrc.org/resources/stances-of-faiths-on-lgbt-issues-islam
Straight to Jesus: Sexual and Christian conversions in the ex-gay movement. (2006,
June 27).
ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281770676_Straight_t
o_Jesus_Sexual_and_Christian_Conversions_in_the_Ex-Gay_Movement
The Washington Post. (2019, September 6).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/09/06/ex-gay-christianity-
movement-is-making-quiet-comeback-effects-lgbtq-youth-could-be-devastating/
'You don’t know when they will come for us': Marawi's LBGTQ community says no
safety in conservative city. (n.d.). The World from
PRX. https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-08-24/you-don-t-know-when-they-will-
come-us-marawis-lbgtq-community-says-no-safety

*No claims were gathered that the murders were directly associated with religion but references were
presented since Marawi has the largest Muslim community in the Philippines. It may or may not be
caused by any religious influence/conflicts.