I can't tell you how many times I have entered into a conversation regarding the bible and homosexuality that the verse in Leviticus 18:22 is quoted to me with great authority.
“‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable"
As the conversation continues and we discuss this "Holiness Code" as this part of scripture is referred to, I remind them of many more verses within this code rarely discussed. We talk about eating food containing blood (non-kosher foods like a big juicy steak), shellfish, pork, and many other types of food. Suddenly, those food related verses don't count. That was JUST food for heaven's sake!
Then we talk about not shaving, wearing clothes made of two different types of material (cotton and polyester for instance), tattoos being forbidden, and....TADA! Those verses don't apply in today's world. Besides, Mr Christian's tattoo IS of Jesus on the cross!!!
We move on to more personal matters such as masturbation, premarital sex, sex while the woman is on her period all being forbidden and guess what......You guessed it! GONE!!!!!! (except the homo part).
On we march like little christian soldiers to the rougher verses. Those awesome ones that command who should be stoned. Who do we find? Women (not men) found not to be virgins on their wedding day, a woman (not man) caught in adultery, anyone who says God damn or curses God (blasphemy), those who preach or practice a different religion (other than the Jewish religion I might add), those who are fortune tellers/sorcerers (there goes Ms Cleo), those who work on the Sabbath (including football players, you know!), an animal who accidentally kills a person (no mention if the animal were protecting himself from abuse), and my all time favorite....kids who disrespect their parents!! (See http://www.mutazilah.org/stoning.htm for specifics on verses). When I offer to drop by Home Depot to help them buy their stones for the next neighborhood stoning.....VOILA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! those verses don't apply anymore!!! YAY!!!!!!!
Now I find out that all those verses, specifically the Holiness Code and now most of the OT, were written to......(guess who) THE JEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And not just any old jew, but those during the time of Moses. Imagine that!
Now that we've established that much, I ask about the NT and am told all of that applies. Jesus fulfilled the law (which I didn't find out until we brought up the stuff that would apply to them), so just the stuff after Jesus counts. But, wait.....I'm confused. There's so many places in this NT where it says "To the church of....." "To my brothers at.......". No where does it say "To the people in the 21st century" "To the First Baptist Church of......."
"Look at that!" I say. "It was written to the jews and gentiles who were converting to early christian teachings. If the Holiness Code applied just to Israelites, and these verses specifically say who they are written to (members of the early christian church), how 2000 years later do they specifically apply to me?
I dare say, these verses have suddenly lost their universalism that requires that everyone be sent to hell (whether by stoning or other cruel forms of death), for not believing exactly as the bible literalist would have you believe.
Even though I have written this with a sarcastic sense of humor, I find bible literalism and proof texting (picking verses for the purpose of proving your point, often out of context and with no historical reference in mind) among one of the most dangerous things in religion. Picking out a verse with the specific purpose of condemning someone always comes back to bite you in the ass, because if you look close enough, there will be a verse to condemn you. It has absolutely nothing to do with the love of God. It has nothing to do with making the world a better place. It has no positivity to it at all. It is a mean and cruel thing that does not hold up to the light of God's love or to reason.
There are many beautiful things in the bible. The Song of Psalms has poetry, the Book of Solomon has love and erotica, the teachings of Jesus are full of great wisdom, but they must be read with the thought in mind that these were writings of another time and another place. There are some universal truths to be found. When asked the most important laws, Jesus replied that we are to love our God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves. He reminded us to treat others as we would want to be treated. He told us only those without sin could cast the first stone. So, I do not discount the lessons to be learned.
However, when we use it as a stick to beat others into submission, to refuse them the freedom to find their own path to their deity, to see life through their own eyes, we have done a great disservice to those who have come before us and found their own way to their own God and written down their journey. When we are not allowed to look outside those 66 books of scripture to see if the divine has placed wisdom in other places, we have lost so very, very much.
I have this life to live. I have so much more to explore. I have so many more books to read. I have so many more rocks to look under, creeks to be crossed, and drops to be rained down on me. Let me live to find my own view of God. Let me listen for my own whispers.
I am often told that if we allow such freedom, people will choose a God that allows them to do whatever they want to do. However, to me that is also saying that God has no power outside of the Christian Bible to reach people. I know far to many who identify as atheists who live a life much closer to the teachings of Christ than most self identifying christians. They do it not because someone told them they had to, but because their inner conscience has taught them what is right. Maybe that inner conscience is the Divine, and maybe its just a common sense we have developed as we evolved into people who must cooperate in order to live. Does it really matter? If there is a God, would he/she rather have a person be kind to another just because they think that's the right way to live than to have the most educated biblically trained literalistic christian be an ass?
I will never stop believing that the right way to live is determined by kindness and love. It is those virtues which I believe show more of the divine than anything. Unfortunately, the world is not perfect, and there are times we must step in and stand up against for what is right. I believe the damage done by biblical literalism and the verbal stoning that has become so prominent among the radical religious right is something we must stand up against. Not only is it destroying the teachings of Jesus, it is hurting so very many people. I never thought I would experience people who claim to follow God be so hateful, yet I see it all the time. Love must conquer this new found right wing religion that has become so engrained in the life of America. It seems more frightening to come out as a political liberal or progressive person of faith than it did to come out as a homosexual, particularly here in the south. I am more comfortable putting a rainbow sticker on my car than I am an "Obama 2012" or "Oneness" symbol because I expect my car to be vandalized. However, it is because of my belief that the Divine is so much more than the radical right biblical literalists have you believe, that I am a liberal and progressive believer.
So we must find a balance, and it is one I still struggle to find. When do I love? When do I stand firm? How do I do it without being an ass? (my sarcasm skills are sometimes too good). Its something I am still working on. But I can't sit by and do nothing. That is how evil prevails.
So I don't know about you, but I think stones should be used for landscaping, not hurting. And they are most certainly NOT a representation of a loving God. So take them back to Home Depot. Or make a rock garden. Do something. Just lay them down.
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