Source: CNN

The Bible clearly condemns homosexuality – and, by extension, same-sex marriage – right?

A guest “My Take” post we ran this week from a college psychology professor who has a background in religion (he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest, for instance) challenged that conventional wisdom.

The professor, Daniel A. Helminiak, argues that foes of same-sex marriage have assigned modern, ethics-laden meanings to biblical passages on homosexuality to make it seem like the Bible unequivocally condemns it. In fact, Helminiak proposes, the original meanings of such passages about gays are at the very least ambiguous.

The piece has generated an avalanche of response: 10,000 Facebook shares, 6,000 comments, 200 tweets and a couple of blog posts.  Giving the other side its say, here’s a rebuttal roundup of critical reactions from across the Internet:

Kevin DeYoung, a conservative Christian blogger, calls Helminiak’s piece “amazing for including so many bad arguments in so little space.” DeYoung, who leads a Reformed Church in Michigan, challenges Helminiak’s argument that the biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah doesn’t condemn homosexuality per se.

“Jude 7 states that Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities ‘indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire,’ ” DeYoung writes.

“Even the NRSV, translation of choice for the mainline (and the version Helminiak seems to be using), says ‘pursued unnatural lust,’ ” he continues, referring to the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

“Clearly, the sins of Sodom lived in infamy not simply because of violent aggression or the lack of hospitality, but because men pursued sex with other men.” Read more.