Anti-gay marriage forces should reread Bible

[struggle4progress]

By Bill Roy
Special to The Capital-Journal

<snip> The crux of his statement follows.
"People refer to homosexuality as being against God's will, based on seven disconnected verses in the Bible. As a seminary trained priest I know that each of those seven verses can be honestly challenged, based on the modern interpretation of ancient languages, cultural knowledge of the times when they were written, and the personal backgrounds of the inspired, but fully human authors.

"The real issue is that many Christians are quick to seize on an obscure verse in Leviticus about same-gender sex, while they are content to ignore Jesus' own words on divorce. Even the most conservative Christians ignore many of the 612 rules and a myriad other teachings in the Old Testament each day.

"This picking and choosing is what I call 'selective literalism' and I don't understand it. Each person is free to make choices about biblical authority, but I don't understand why their choice of what is sin and what isn't should bind me or anyone else. What gives them that right and authority? Paul tells us that if we want to be under the law, we have to be 100 percent -- I doubt if any of us want to live that way today." <snip>

Bill Roy, a retired physician, is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He lives in Topeka.

http://cjonline.com/stories/031205/opi_roy.shtml

[ktowntennesseedem]

1. My biggest gripe in all this

is that the same ones who are the most guilty of selective literalism are equally adament that they believe all of the bible. And in the same breath they accuse anyone who disagrees with them of not believing the bible at all. I know that first hand.

I'm also seminary trained (MDiv in Church Music from a Baptist Seminary), and I do not agree with them, and I have been branded an hereitc many times.

[Dookus]

2. I have argued for years that this is a dead-end

You will NEVER convince anybody (me included) that "though shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind, for it is an abomination worthy of death" is somehow being misinterpreted.

The fact is, the Bible *IS* anti-gay, and arguing that it's not is just fruitless (no pun intended).

The question that needs to be discussed is whether the moral codes of an ancient desert tribe have any relevance in modern American society.

[struggle4progress]

3. Ever see Michaelangelo's statue of Moses, with horns, because ...

... "the Bible says Moses had horns"? Current thinking is that the then-available translation was bad.

[Modem Butterfly]

8. Yeah, apparently he was just horny

:evilgrin:

Ba-dum-dum.

[struggle4progress]

10. LOL. eom

[Bill McBlueState]

4. good call

The question that needs to be discussed is whether the moral codes of an ancient desert tribe have any relevance in modern American society.

That's sig-line worthy.

In a collection of books as extensive as the Bible, one could find support for almost any behavior, whether it's child abuse (Deut. 21:18-21) or charity (Luke 10:30-37). Fortunately, people have ways of deciding what is right and wrong without reference to a set of ancient writings.

[Modem Butterfly]

7. That is, indeed, the question

If you aren't willing to stop women from wearing pants, stop mixing your fibers, stop cutting your beard and start keeping kosher, then you can't use Leviticus to justify squat.

[GOPBasher]

5. "Selective literalism."

Yeah, they don't take very literally that passage in Luke where we are told to sell all of our possesions and give the money to the poor. Why don't they take that one literally?

[Tux]

6. It's a sin

Called many things.

Communism, socialism, compassion, charity, and anti-Christian.

[struggle4progress]

9. St. Basil the Great: "On Avarice"

<snip> He who strips the clothed is to be called a thief. How should we name him, who is able to dress the naked and doesn't do it, does he deserve some other name? The bread that you possess belongs to the hungry. The clothes that you store in boxes, belong to the naked. The shoes rotting by you, belong to the bare-foot. The money that you hide belongs to anyone in need. You wrong as many people as you were able to help. <snip>

http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/basil-property.asp


It seems the early church thought that maybe "selling all possessions" was not a metaphor ...

[GOPBasher]

13. That is such an awesome quote!

Thanks for that.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. my grandfather taught me not to pick and choose

from Bible verses by saying this:

"The Bible tells you to commit suicide. You don't believe it? Well, in the Bible it says "And Judas went out to a tree and hung himself." And the Bible also says "Go thou and do likewise."

It was a lesson that even an 8-year old could understand. Too bad so many folks nowadays see nothing wrong with picking and choosing Bible verses to justify prejudice and hatred.

[cynatnite]

12. The bible is an outdated book

It instructed how slaves are to be treated. It instructed how women are to be treated.

If todays society can evolve from those outdated instructions, why not homosexuality?

It's a simplistic view, I know, but it's a prime example of why I believe fundies who take the bible as literal should evolve as they did when it came to slavery.