Homosexuality in Botswana and in the Hebrew Bible : an impression

Abstract

This paper has two parts : the first offers an impression of how homosexuality is being discussed in the public in Botswana; the second outlines the main theological positions in contemporary debates. From here it goes on to explore the social circumstances that could have given rise to those texts of the Hebrew Bible that allude to some form of sexual activity between members of the same sex. The argument developed in this paper is that the Hebrew Bible does not explicitly or unambiguously condemn either homosexual orientation, or most homosexual behaviour, and indicates that the complexities of the ongoing theological debate on this topic are very much in evidence in Botswana.