A new government policy in Canada is targeting homophobia (even more than before), and such movements often spread to the U.S. in short order. The goal of the new policy is to squash the belief that homosexuality is immoral. The policy, released last month by Quebec’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General Kathleen Weil, assigns the government the task of eliminating all forms of “homophobia” and “heterosexism” from society, including the belief that homosexuality is immoral. Just as with “hate crimes” legislation in recent years, the government is appointing itself as the entity responsible for suppressing moral objections to homosexuality.
Obviously, these types of policies are targeted against those of us who believe that homosexuality is morally wrong. We are accused of having a “knee-jerk” reaction to homosexuality, and labeled as homophobes. I have to object to this practice on two different levels.
In the first place, the government should have no authority in moral leadership. Also, if we have a reflexive reaction to homosexuality, our reaction is rooted in Biblical truths. We believe that one has to look at the Scriptures for guidance on this (and every) moral issue. Although the Bible is sometimes difficult to understand, even a cursory look reveals that this is one topic on which the Bible is absolutely clear, with no gray area at all.
The Bible portrays homosexuality as one of the most obscene of all immoral acts. In the Old Testament, homosexuality was punishable by death (Leviticus 20:13), calling this act “detestable.” In the New Testament, Paul calls this an “indecent” act, telling us in Romans 1:27 that homosexuals “received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”
If some groups want to give us labels because we have a moral objection to something that the Bible calls a detestable and indecent perversion, it’s their right to do so. However, there is no place for government entities to intervene as a moral authority.