Ethics of Homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality has always been a controversial topic of ethical discussion. The morality of the subject depends completely upon a person’s views. A person is often swayed one way or another and religion often plays a very large role on the subject. There are those who believe in the divine command theory and those who believe in the natural law theory. In order to properly understand either theory it is important to know the meaning behind each.
According to , divine command theory can be used to refer to any one of a family of related ethical theories. What these theories have in common is that they take God’s will to be the foundation of ethics. According to divine command theory, things are morally good or bad, or morally obligatory, permissible, or prohibited, solely because of God’s will or commands. Both the new and old testaments argue that homosexuality is morally wrong and those who take part are an abomination. Those who follow the divine command theory often fall back on their religion as reasoning for their stance on homosexuality. The natural law theory does not involve God’s will and instead is dictated by nature itself. According to , natural law is a law or body of laws that derives from nature and is believed to be binding upon human actions apart from or in conjunction with laws established by human authority. If it occurs in nature then humans are subject to the natural law.
One theory relies on the word of God while the other relies on the natural order of nature itself. According to passages from the bible, homosexuality is morally unacceptable and is to be avoided; however, it seems that those who follow the divine command theory often choose which passages to uphold and which passages to ignore. For example, the bible states in Leviticus 20:13 that "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
Homosexuality has always been a controversial topic of ethical discussion. The morality of the subject depends completely upon a person’s views. A person is often swayed one way or another and religion often plays a very large role on the subject. There are those who believe in the divine command theory and those who believe in the natural law theory. In order to properly understand either theory it is important to know the meaning behind each.
According to , divine command theory can be used to refer to any one of a family of related ethical theories. What these theories have in common is that they take God’s will to be the foundation of ethics. According to divine command theory, things are morally good or bad, or morally obligatory, permissible, or prohibited, solely because of God’s will or commands. Both the new and old testaments argue that homosexuality is morally wrong and those who take part are an abomination. Those who follow the divine command theory often fall back on their religion as reasoning for their stance on homosexuality. The natural law theory does not involve God’s will and instead is dictated by nature itself. According to , natural law is a law or body of laws that derives from nature and is believed to be binding upon human actions apart from or in conjunction with laws established by human authority. If it occurs in nature then humans are subject to the natural law.
One theory relies on the word of God while the other relies on the natural order of nature itself. According to passages from the bible, homosexuality is morally unacceptable and is to be avoided; however, it seems that those who follow the divine command theory often choose which passages to uphold and which passages to ignore. For example, the bible states in Leviticus 20:13 that "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
Cited: Corvino, J. (2012). Why Shouldn 't Tommy and Jim Have Sex? A Defense of Homosexuality. In R. Shafer-Landau, The Ethical Life (p. 247). New York, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Hagler, F. (n.d.). What Does the Bible Say about Homosexuality? 12 Bible Verses About Gay Marriage. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from PolicyMic: http://www.policymic.com/articles/32005/what-does-the-bible-say-about-homosexuality-12-scripture-verses-about-gay-marriage News Medical. (2006, October 23). 1,500 animal species practice homosexuality. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from News Medical: http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/10/23/20718.aspx Philosophy of Religion. (n.d.). Divine Command Theory. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from Philosophy of Religion: http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/christian-ethics/divine-command-theory/