"I am Catholic, hear me roar..." Part 1

Okay, I'm not Catholic. I'm Lutheran. But the song from Altar Boyz doesn't say "I am Lutheran, hear me roar" and I don't think that sounds as good.

Anyways...today you're in for a doozy of a post, but hopefully it'll be interesting. It's a seldom heard point of view on the Bible -- but one that makes a hell of a lot more sense than the right-wing, conservative "homosexuality is a sin" bullshit. (Not that I'm biased. :-P) Unlike the religious right, I won't switch versions around -- I'm sticking with the good ol' KJV although I could pretty much go with any version. It's all about context and common sense -- watch.

This post, by the by, is dedicated to Eric...mostly because I can't comment on any of his posts right now to say on this stuff on there. :-P

So to start with....Genesis.
This first one is one of those common sense moments...Genesis 1:28 is often mentioned as proving that God frowns up homosexuality but really...

"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

First of all, that's a lot of commandments to expect every single person to fulfill all of them. And also, if that's what everyone is supposed to do then we wouldn't have infertile people, would we? Aside from that: Adam and Eve are the only people alive, correct? So how can we say for certain he wasn't just telling this to Adam and Eve? When God told Noah to build the ark, not every person went and built an ark.
That's a whole lot of room for doubt that homosexuality is a sin. If this were the American legal system, the prosecution (the right-wing conservative side) would have just lost their case, and badly.

Next we come across the story of Sodom and Gomorra in Genesis 19. Now, really, this is one I get upset over and I could really devote an entire blog entry just for this. I'm going to summarize instead.
The whole idea that this story is against homosexuality, first of all depends entirely on what version of the Bible you read (some versions say the "people" of Sodom, not the "men") (albeit, the KJV says "men"). Also, it ignores the fact that the Sodomites are trying to rape the angels -- to say that homosexuality is a sin based on these passages means that, by omission only, rape is a-okay by God. Somehow I don't think God lets serial rapists through the Pearly Gates, but sends loving homosexuals to Hell. A third fact is the point that Abraham and God have this whole negotiation about Sodom and Gomorra before the attempted rape even occurs. God is already planning to destroy the cities -- the specific reason why is not even in the story.

I have one more verse from Genesis to reference, but I'll get to it later because it's really far more pertinent when it's used in reference to King David.

Leviticus has some pretty infamous verses, undeniably (at least in my opinion) anti-homosexual verses at that. Leviticus 18:22, for instance, says rather coldly:

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."

And Leviticus 20:13 is at least as kind:

"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

Faced with such crushingly heterosexist verses, how can one deny that God is in fact against homosexuals and still call themselves a Christian?
Easy. By reading the rest of the book. Sure, some of the laws have clearly been lifted in the New Testament (for instance, when God cleanses the food that Peter eats in Acts). Others, not so much. Like, y'know, that one where it's sinful to touch a woman who's menstruating? And I don't even mean like touch sexually (which, ew, but that's beside the point). Ever shook a woman's hand and then found out that it was that time of the month? Leviticus 15:19-24 for your reading pleasure:

"And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.
And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.
And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean."

All I'm saying is, if you're going to preach hatred based on two lines in one book of the Bible, you best be making sure you're following everything that book has to say. I'm not saying Leviticus isn't relevant -- it is, but not as something for us to follow. The Bible tells us a story, a story with morals and rules in it, yes. But the Mosaic Code is meant to explain the culture of the ancient Israelites, not to be a rulebook.

Part 2 is coming soon -- look forward to it. It's good stuff.