
By Gerald Nkisu Katayi
Human rights campaigners want their voices heard and homosexuality legalized around the world. A few years ago, it was a distant Western ideology that had no room in Zambian culture and it was regarded as taboo to even talk about. Now everything has changed, homosexuality is being debated upon in Parliament. Should homosexuality be legalized in Zambia? To those in “the rights movements” speaking against homosexuality is as bad as hate crime. Why is it coming with so much force?
Zambians are tribal people who are informed by their traditions and religion. Which tribe in Zambia espouses homosexuality? And which religion supports these tendencies? If none of the traditions or religions is into homosexuality; is homosexuality then a foreign phenomenon?[pullquote]who are these minority Zambians behind the homosexual talk? If they are the minority, how come they have the money and the publicity? Is this donor money? If yes, homosexuality is foreign and Zambian are selling their souls because of poverty.[/pullquote]
If it is foreign, then it should be disregarded and forgotten. But, may be not! The vice president is on record, confirming that a prominent journalist/ lawyer who is Zambian is gay. Is this an isolated case? Some voices are quietly in support of homosexuality while one politician is being accused of promising gay right once voted into office. Are some Zambians truly homosexuals?
Some reports prove that Africans speaking in favor of homosexuality are in fact doing it just for monetary gain; they are not genuinely seeking change in their life style. As Zambians continue to debate on this matter here is a biblical view to help Christians make an informed decision.
First, homosexuality is the manifestation of sexual desire toward a member of one’s own sex (The Greek word homos mean the same). A lesbian is a female homosexual. More recently the term “gay” which meant “happy” few years ago has come into popular use to refer to both sexes who are homosexuals.
This understanding is based solely upon the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God. Homosexuality is sinful. That is the bottom line. Apostle Paul, writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declared that homosexuals “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (I Corinthians 6:9; 10).
Homosexuality is an illicit lust forbidden by God. He said to His people Israel, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” (Leviticus 18:22). “If a man also lies with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them” (Leviticus 20:13). In these passages homosexuality is condemned as a prime example of sin, a sexual perversion.
In the Bible sodomy is a synonym for homosexuality. God spoke plainly on the matter when He said, “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel” (Deuteronomy 23:17). The whore and the sodomite are in the same category. A sodomite was neither an inhabitant of Sodom nor a descendant of an inhabitant of Sodom, but a man who had given himself to homosexuality, the perverted and unnatural vice for which Sodom was known.
The Bible rules out homosexuality. With this theory of understanding in mind, other religions and traditions have their own cause against legalizing homosexuality in Zambia. The majority of Zambians are religious and traditionalist; that can be seen in their worship and the thousands that attend traditional ceremonies across the country. They are anti gay! If this is a true reflection and description of many Zambians; a question that remains is, who are these minority Zambians behind the homosexual talk? If they are the minority, how come they have the money and the publicity? Is this donor money? If yes, homosexuality is foreign and Zambian are selling their souls because of poverty.