"From a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people"
About this Quote
Dean’s line is a politician’s shortcut to a moral argument that can travel in one breath: if something exists in nature, it can’t be inherently wrong. It’s not theology so much as a reframing device, designed to move the debate from rulebook religion to a creator-and-creation common sense that plays well with believers who are uneasy about condemnation but still speak in God-language.
The intent is coalition-building. Dean isn’t scolding faith communities; he’s offering them an off-ramp. By accepting the premise that God creates people intentionally, he invites religious listeners to see gay identity not as a rebellion but as part of the human inventory. That’s why the conditional phrasing matters: “if God had thought...” lets him sound respectful to doctrine while quietly making doctrine answer to a higher principle of divine authorship.
The subtext is political timing. Coming from a Democratic figure in the early-2000s culture-war churn around same-sex marriage, the line aims at the persuadable middle: churchgoing moderates, suburban voters, and Democrats who wanted to sound compassionate without sounding radical. It also sidesteps wonky constitutional language; instead of rights as legal constructs, he argues dignity as built-in design.
Critics can poke holes: many religious traditions separate creation from moral permission, and the “God made it” logic can be rhetorically overbroad. But as messaging, it’s effective because it swaps shame for inevitability, and then inevitability for responsibility: if God made gay people, the burden shifts to those who would marginalize them, not those who simply are.
The intent is coalition-building. Dean isn’t scolding faith communities; he’s offering them an off-ramp. By accepting the premise that God creates people intentionally, he invites religious listeners to see gay identity not as a rebellion but as part of the human inventory. That’s why the conditional phrasing matters: “if God had thought...” lets him sound respectful to doctrine while quietly making doctrine answer to a higher principle of divine authorship.
The subtext is political timing. Coming from a Democratic figure in the early-2000s culture-war churn around same-sex marriage, the line aims at the persuadable middle: churchgoing moderates, suburban voters, and Democrats who wanted to sound compassionate without sounding radical. It also sidesteps wonky constitutional language; instead of rights as legal constructs, he argues dignity as built-in design.
Critics can poke holes: many religious traditions separate creation from moral permission, and the “God made it” logic can be rhetorically overbroad. But as messaging, it’s effective because it swaps shame for inevitability, and then inevitability for responsibility: if God made gay people, the burden shifts to those who would marginalize them, not those who simply are.
Quote Details
| Topic | God |
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