Where in the Bible Does It Say Being Gay Is a Sin? A Three-Religion Comparison

Classical rabbinic Judaism grounds its prohibition primarily in the Torah, specifically Leviticus 18 and 20, which list male same-sex intercourse among acts called toevah (abomination). Leviticus 18:29 warns that anyone who commits such acts shall be "cut off" from the community Leviticus 18:29. The 12th-century philosopher Maimonides codified this in the Mishneh Torah, treating the prohibition as a negative commandment binding on Jewish men.

Deuteronomy 23:17 is also cited, which forbids a qadesh (often translated "sodomite") among the sons of Israel Deuteronomy 23:17, though modern scholars like Jacob Milgrom (in his 2000 Anchor Bible commentary on Leviticus) debate whether that term refers to cultic prostitution rather than homosexuality per se. The disagreement is real and ongoing.

Contemporary Jewish denominations diverge sharply. Orthodox Judaism maintains the traditional prohibition. Conservative Judaism's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards issued competing responsa in 2006. Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism have affirmed LGBTQ+ inclusion since the 1990s, arguing that the Levitical laws were contextually bounded. Leviticus 5:17 does establish that violating any divine commandment incurs guilt even unknowingly Leviticus 5:17, a principle traditionalists apply here.

Christian traditionalists cite both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Deuteronomy 23:17 prohibits a "sodomite" among the sons of Israel Deuteronomy 23:17, and Leviticus 18:29 extends the warning of being cut off to all who commit listed abominations Leviticus 18:29. These Old Testament texts form part of the foundation, though many Christian theologians — including Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century — argued that Mosaic ceremonial law doesn't bind Christians directly, making the New Testament passages more decisive.

Romans 1:26-27 is the most-cited New Testament text, where Paul describes same-sex relations as "against nature." Romans 7:7 itself illustrates Paul's broader framework: the law reveals what sin is — "I had not known sin, but by the law" Romans 7:7 — suggesting that scripture's role is precisely to define moral boundaries. First Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 add further terms (often translated "homosexual offenders") to vice lists, though the Greek words malakoi and arsenokoitai are contested by scholars like Robin Scroggs (1983) and William Loader (2010).

Progressive Christians, including many in mainline Protestant denominations, argue the biblical authors had no concept of consensual, committed same-sex relationships and that the love command — "he who loveth God love his brother also" 1 John 4:21 — must reframe any reading of these texts. Traditionalists in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and evangelical communities maintain that the prohibitions are clear and cross-cultural.

Islam doesn't rely on the Bible directly, but shares the narrative of Lot (Lut) found in both the Hebrew Bible and the Quran (Surah 7:80-84, 11:77-83). Classical Islamic jurisprudence — across all four major Sunni schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali) — treats male same-sex intercourse as haram (forbidden), with scholars like Ibn Qudama (d. 1223) and al-Nawawi (d. 1277) treating it as among the gravest sins. The Quran's condemnation of the "people of Lot" is read as a divine judgment on homosexual acts.

The Quranic principle that every soul bears its own sin and iniquity parallels the Hebrew Bible's framework in Leviticus 5:17 Leviticus 5:17, and Islamic ethics similarly emphasizes that forbidden acts carry spiritual consequence regardless of intent. Proverbs 8:36 — though not an Islamic text — captures a sentiment echoed in Islamic moral theology: sinning against divine order harms one's own soul Proverbs 8:36.

Contemporary Islamic scholars remain overwhelmingly traditionalist on this question. A small number of progressive Muslim thinkers, like Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle (in his 2010 book Homosexuality in Islam), have argued for reinterpretation, but they represent a distinct minority. Most Muslim-majority countries maintain legal prohibitions, reflecting the classical scholarly consensus.