The recent debates in Australia over same-sex marriage have followed the same wearisome pattern seen in so many other countries. Politicians try to manage their constituents, churches mount their vigorous defence of the definition of "marriage," and the Bible, once again, is caught up in the determination of public policy.
Religious conservatives cite the clutch of texts usually understood as condemning same-sex relations: Leviticus 18:22 and 20:1, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 1:9-10, and, of course, Genesis 19, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
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