True, the Bible condemned homosexuality (e.g., Leviticus 18:22). However, there is debate about the meaning of translations from Hebrew, particularly regarding what exactly was being forbidden. In addition, one needs to consider the fact that the Bible also condemns a number of other sexual practices - intercourse during menstruation, celibacy, nudity, masturbation, birth control, naming sexual organs - that are generally accepted today. Furthermore, the Bible accepts sexual practices - polygamy, sex with slaves, marriage of girls at 11-13 years old, prostitution, marriage of a woman to one of her husband's sons or brothers after her husband's death - that most of us find heinous today. And it's important to note that the Bible also condemned other acts - eating meat with blood in it (Leviticus 19:26), sowing your field with two kinds of seed, putting on a garment made of two different materials (Leviticus 19:19), eating shellfishes (Leviticus 11:19-12 and Deutoronomy 14:9-10), etc., etc. Hardly anybody observes these laws anymore.
Then there's the story of Sodom, which is always used as the basis for anti-gay sentiments. One problem with an interpretation focused on homosexuality is this: according to Ezekiel 16:49, Sodom's sins were not "sodomy" but "pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness...in her and in her daughters." In addition, the people of Sodom are condemned because they did not "strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." Finally, the people of Sodom were "haughty." Regarding the "abomination" the people of Sodom committed, Biblical scholars are divided on the meaning. It could have been same-sex intercourse, of course, but it also could have been any number of "abominations" mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures.
There is also considerable debate among biblical scholars as to the exact nature of the relationship of Ruth and Naomi and that of Jonathan and David.
Jesus, on the otherhand, said absolutely nothing about homosexuality, although it is significant that he deemphasized and even rejected the "purity system" emphasized by the Pharisees.
The point is, what God said is simply not that simple. Given the various translations that have been passed down from the original Scriptures, nobody can be 100% sure what is really the word of God.
1 comment:
Jesus was so radical, so pioneering for His time. He broke down barriers and embraced all..widows, tax collectors, adulterers, lepers and all manner of so-called sinners. We could all take a cue from Him. A true original thinker, so they put him to death.
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