Homosexuality and God

Does God really consider homosexuality wrong or are we seeing things the way we want to see them? Read this and see what you think: Leviticus 18:22 Some English translations of this verse are: * KJV: (King James Version): Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination * LB: (Living Bible): Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin * NIV: (New International Version) Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable * NLT: (New Living Translation): Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin * RSV: (Revised Standard Version): You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination One source (4) makes a word-for-word translation of this verse from the original Hebrew as: And with a male thou shalt not lie down in beds of a woman; it is an abomination. In modern day English this could be translated as: Men may not engage in homosexual sex while on a woman’s bed; it is an abomination That is, "rather than forbidding male homosexuality, it simply restricts where it may occur." This may seem a strange prohibition to us today, but was quite consistent with other instructions in Leviticus which involve improper mixing of things that should be kept separate. e.g. ancient Israelites were not allowed to mix two crops in the same field, or make cloth out of two different raw materials. or plow a field with an ox and a donkey yoked together. A woman’s bed was her own. Only her husband was permitted there, and then only under certain circumstances. Any other use of her bed would be a defilement. Leviticus 20:13 In various translation it states: * KJV: (King James Version): 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. * LB: (Living Bible): The penalty for homosexuality acts is death to both parties. They have brought it upon themselves. * NIV: (New International Version) If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. * NLT: (New Living Translation): The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have committed a detestable act, and are guilty of a capital offense. * RSV: (Revised Standard Version): If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. This verse is essentially identical to Leviticus 18:22 discussed above, except the death penalty is added. Their word-for-word translation from the original Hebrew is: And a man who will lie down with a male in beds of a woman, both of them have made an abomination; dying they will die. Their blood is upon them. In modern English, this could be translated as: It is an abomination for two men to have sex on a woman’s bed. They are to be executed; it is their own fault.