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Entertainment :: Books
Sex As God Intended
by Jack Gardner
EDGE Contributor
Wednesday Nov 12, 2008

Religion and man’s relationship with God

has been one of the driving forces of the
world throughout history. But it was the
advent of Christianity some 2000 years
ago that gave birth to Western
Civilization as we know it today. As most
things over time, the teachings of Jesus
Christ and those contained in the Bible
have been re-interpreted and
re-evaluated so many times that it is
difficult to know what was originally
intended. In his new book, former Jesuit
John J. McNeill tries to take a close look
at God, sex and homosexuality without
the prejudices and fears that the men in
the past two millennia have intentionally
brought to these subjects.

Sex As God Intended is a close

examination of Christian religious
teachings that deal with sex and
sexuality, and with conclusions contrary
to Catholic dogma. McNeill uses his
intellect to delve into what the
scriptures really say, much to the
displeasure of the Vatican. He has, in his
80-plus years, pushed the boundaries of
common belief and thought, raising
questions that very few were brave
enough to even contemplate.

McNeill has never accepted one of the

Catholic Churches most woeful contradictions: That he was made in God’s image as
God intended but that he was a homosexual and therefore evil and disordered. He has
devoted his life to reconciling the Catholic Church with its homosexual members and
his belief that there is a place in God’s heaven for us regardless of who we love has
kept him strong in the face of adversity over the years.

In "Sex as God Intended," McNeill posits several heretical interpretations of Scripture.

With the first he argues that God intended sex not only as a means of procreation but
as a means of enjoyment. He contends that the lovers depicted in the Song of Songs
were quite possibly two men. A third major point is that the sin of Sodom was not
homosexuality, but inhospitality. McNeill makes very convincing arguments for each of
his interpretations. His dialogue about the Song of Songs makes me wish that I could
read Hebrew so that I could look at the oldest existing text and make my own opinion.
During the course of reading the book, I researched several different translations of
the Song of Songs and I do believe that McNeill makes valid points about the lovers
being male.

McNeil quotes fellow Biblical scholar Paul R. Johnson in pointing out all of the
anomalies that come from trying to interpret one of the lovers in the Song of Songs as
female: "If this person were female, she would be , according to the original text the
most liberated woman in all the world. . . She was not interested in marriage . . .she
made many trips through the city streets at night searching for her beloved . . . she
was a mountain climber; drove a chariot; was a much feared fighter; stalked wild
animals; . . . had a large nose, strong neck and very tiny breasts. This beautiful ten
percent woman possessed a huge body, wore a beard and was called prince."

Throughout the book, McNeill tries to lay out the place that homosexuality has in
God’s scheme of things. McNeill points out that Jesus never condemned homosexuals
and makes a case for the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary being the home of a
lesbian couple and a gay man. It is an interpretation that is impossible to confirm or
refute within the writings of the New Testament, but it is indeed a possible answer for
what seems to be an unusual living arrangement. McNeill also reminds us that Jesus’
words on the sin of Sodom focus on the resident’s unwillingness to offer hospitality to
the angels more than the sexual perversions that they may or may not have been

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committing.

The second half of the book contains essays by others in honor of McNeill’s life and
work as the first priest to come out for gay rights within the Catholic Church. Looking
at these essays, you see the image of a determined, focused man doing what he feels
is God’s chosen work for him. The essayists talk about the controversy his first book,
"The Church and the Homosexual," caused when it was published in the early 1970’s,
his expulsion from the priesthood nine years later when he refused to follow the
Vatican’s orders to cease ministering to gays and lesbians, and his work as a therapist
and counselor for gays and lesbians struggling to reconcile their identities as humans
and homosexuals with their spiritual life.

"Sex as God Intended It" will make you think. It will make you question everything
you’ve heard in the media or in church about homosexuals and God. It will make you
question the rightness or wrongness of gay marriage. It will make you take a closer
look at your faith and your beliefs. It is a book that encourages spiritual and
intellectual growth, and a book that all Christians should read, even if your pastor or
minister or priest tells you it is evil. God created thought and reflection, and what He
created can never be evil.

Lethe Press, 2008. 268 pages, paperback, $20.00 ISBN: 1590210425. Available from
booksellers everywhere or online through Amazon.

Jack Gardner is a founding producer of and director for Anagram Productions. He has performed in
Operas, Musicals and dramatic works as well as doing voice over and radio work. Jack lives in Miami
with his three dogs.

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