My email directly to the owners of Whitebriar Bed and Breakfast:
"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians for they are so un-Christ-like." -Mahatma Gandhi
I’ve read every bible verse some of these so-called Christians use to
justify bigotry towards their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and
none of them have any validity. Jesus never said a thing about gay
people; Sodom and Gamora is actually about a bunch of guys attempting to
gang rape two angels in the street. Look it up. Funny stuff. St. Paul
had lots of hang-ups but he never said a thing about consensual adults
in same-sex relationships, and if you’re gonna believe that one little
part of Leviticus that talks about men being with men being an
abomination, then you’ve gotta follow ALL of Leviticus and execute gay
men, as well as executing children who disobey their parents, people who
work on Saturday, [that’s the Sabbath], and anybody who commits
adultery, which includes divorce and remarriage, which technically means
you’d have to kill Rush Limbaugh three times. Not a good idea. Being gay is natural. And
the passages in Leviticus that shun homosexuality? Calling it an
abomination? The actual hebrew word used is TO’EBAH. It doesn’t mean the
same thing as abomination does in English — it isn’t a law, it’s used
to describe something that non-Jews did that Jews thought was
displeasing to God. It means ritually improper, not abomination. It
isn’t a quote from God, it isn’t his law or his rules, it is what a
bunch of people way back decided might probably not be cool in God’s
eyes. Then Jesus showed up and said “all those rules? pfft. They
don’t apply to Christians,” Though I’m sure he said it in a much nicer
and more Jesus-y way. When Jesus says all those rules, he doesn’t mean
“just the ones about selling your daughter into slavery and wearing
mixed fibers” he means, ALL of those rules. As in, don’t pick and
choose. Romans 1:26-27 has also been used to justify homophobia. Just
for clarification, it was written by Paul, and is not the direct word
of Jesus or God. Now, the word “unnatural” is used here again in
reference to sexuality. To really understand the context of this word,
you have to take into account what Paul was doing at the time — he was
writing a letter to Rome after being a missionary to the Mediterranean
where he saw a bunch of pagan temples with a bunch of really weird
habits. First we have to agree that sexuality is a gift given to us
from God. I’m not talking about specific sexual orientations, but the
fact that God made sex feel really, really good as a treat for us (to
oversimplify). So, when Paul was busy preaching the word of God to
all these pagans back then, he saw that they had some really weird
sexual habits. Like castration and humping children and bestiality in an
attempt to please the gods of love and sex. And that is what he
meant by unnatural. God gave men testicles so they could ejaculate. And
because they’re fun. He didn’t give them to guys so they could cut them
off. He didn’t give your little girls vaginas so you can tag team them.
He sure as heck didn’t give you kids so you can abuse them. You aren’t
exactly supposed to be having sex with animals either — that’s just
plain animal cruelty, and well, disgusting. Sex is supposed to be an
enjoyable experience for both (or all, if that is what floats your boat)
parties involved, and not a weapon used to hurt people. As for the
last places homosexuality is mentioned anywhere in the bible (1
Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10), it comes down to the mistranslation
of a word no one really knows the meaning of. It’s an old greek word
“Arsenokoitai.” Personally, I think it sounds like a cocktail. It wasn’t
until 1958 when some dude just randomly decided with no basis
whatsoever that it meant gay people. Seriously. We are talking Greek
scholars who study old Greek for a living throwing their hands up and
going “I have no idea what it means, maybe it’s a typo?” and some random
dude decides it means gay people. Since the true meaning of the word is
unknown, it becomes obvious that someone was inserting their own bias
into the bible. Which, by the way, is a big no no (Revelations 20:18-19
18 - For I testify to every man that hears the words of the prophecy of
this book, If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him
the plagues that are written in this book 19 - And if any man shall take
away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book.) If Paul had meant
homosexuality as it was known in those times, he would have used the
word paiderasste, which means pederasty — those of us with critical
thinking skills recognize the difference. Homosexuality, as we know it,
did not exist in those times. There were no loving, committed
relationships between two men or two women — at least not publicly.
Instead, people engaged in pederasty — as in big man raping little boy.
There are precious few people who would ever condone that sort of thing —
it is abuse, plain and simple, and neither God, nor Jesus, nor anyone
with any scruples whatsoever would ever condone sexual abuse. It is
nothing short of distressing that so many people have been misled into
believing that God hates people because of their sexual orientations.
Especially sad is the fact that the arsenokoitai mistranslation actually
comes from the letters Paul was writing in an attempt to get Christians
in Ephesus and Corinth to stop bickering — this letter of unity, has
been corrupted and turn into a message of hate by unscrupulous bigots
who have made a business off of manipulating people, turning them into a
personal army in an attempt to satiate someone’s greed. Besides, God
told us to love everyone and not judge. By saying homosexuality is
immoral, you are passing judgement. God teaches us to be good people,
and follow the moral outline he alone sets for us. Our relationship with
him is personal, and so is our morality. Meaning, one should never
impose their morality on others. The scripture’s all there: Matthew
7:1-2(1) Judge not, that you be judged, For with what judgment you
judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be
measured to you again. Luke 6:35-38 But love you your enemies,
and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall
be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind
to the unthankful and to the evil. Be you therefore merciful, as your
Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged:
condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be
forgiven: Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed
down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your
bosom. For with the same measure that you mete with it shall be measured
to you again. Kinda makes you wonder how Christian Pat Robertson actually is, doesn’t it?
Add
to that the fact that marriages, throughout biblical history WERE NOT
"one-man-one-woman;" rather, they were one man with a concubine, and
arranged marriages, many times with very young girls. Even Jacob had
several wives.
Also, you need to get your facts straight before
spouting off. "Lay down with dogs, get up with fleas" IS NOT FROM THE
BIBLE,as you stated to that mother, and it has nothing to do with how
you used it. It is a quote from Poor Richards Almanac meaning: "You
should be cautious of the company you keep. Associating with those of
low reputation may not only lower your own but also lead you astray by
the faulty assumptions, premises and data of the unscrupulous." What I
find interesting is that those who accuse others often are the ones with
something to hide. Best for you to take a look in the mirror and
reflect long and hard on your own hatefulness, which is very
un-Christ-like.
No comments:
Post a Comment