The Bible and Homosexuality

The Christianists and other opponents of full civil legal equality for LGBT Americans - as LGBT individuals across the globe - love to cite the Bible as the justification for their efforts to denigrate us and keep us second or third class citizens. Indeed, they disingenuously claim that they have no choice but to follow the Bible's dictates. Never mind that they selective pick and choose which Bible passages to apply literally and which to ignore, especially if the passages are inconvenient in their own lives: bans on lying and bearing false witness; bans on divorce; bans on greed and a love of money. The passages that are ignored seems at times endless. The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, has a column in the Washington Post that looks at the issue of homosexuality and the Bible. Needless to say, his reading is not in keeping with that of the professional Christian/hater set. Here are some column highlights:
*
First, and most famous, of the scriptural texts used to condemn homosexuality are the two references in the Holiness Codes of Leviticus: "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." (Lev. 18:22) and "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them." (Lev. 20:13)
*
The context of these two passages are the holiness and purity codes set down for the people of Israel - rules set forth both to define what was clean and unclean before God, as well as what set the Hebrew people apart from their heathen neighbors who worshiped gods other than the one true God
*
Now the assumption here is that to be a man is to desire women. Anything else is acting against one's nature. Thus when a man lies with another man he is acting contrary to his own nature. It was inconceivable in this context that a man could be genetically or biologically predisposed to desire other men. To be engaged in homosexual activity therefore was to do what one was literally not inclined or predisposed to do. Thus it was acting against one's own conscience and predispositions. This is what made it unnatural and therefore a violation of nature."
*
This is an important point, difficult for the modern day mind to grasp: homosexuality as a sexual orientation was unknown to the ancient mind. Same gender, intimate physical contact was not unknown, of course, but everyone was presumed to be heterosexual.
*
[T]he biblical writers in each instance were speaking of homosexual acts undertaken by person whom the authors presumed to be heterosexually constituted." Therefore, any man who lay with another man as with a woman was considered to be a heterosexual man acting against his true nature.
*
The psychological construct of a homosexual orientation was not posited until the late 18th century . . . Such a possibility was unknown to the ancient mind. And so, these verses from the Leviticus Holiness Code must be read in the context of the assumption that everyone was heterosexual by nature, and acting contrary to that was not "normal," and outside the will of the Creator.
*
We cannot, then, isolate these passages about homosexual acts and impute to them the kind of enduring authority which we ascribe to nothing before or after these passages.
*
One other guiding principle in these codes which I presume most modern day Christians and Jews would not espouse is the bias against women. Women are generally regarded as problematic, less worthy, and more unclean than men. A man who had a discharge of semen was ritually unclean until sunset, but a woman who menstruates was unclean for a week. When a woman gave birth to a boy, she was unclean for a week - but when she gave birth to a girl, she was unclean for twice as long!
*
Finally, there is the context of the "science" of conception of that time. Male sperm was thought to contain all things necessary for procreation. Women contributed nothing but a place for the nascent life to incubate. Therefore, the "spilling of seed" (male sperm) on the ground was a kind of abortion, the killing of life. . . . Oddly enough, we have relaxed these "rules" against a man "spilling his seed" through masturbation and birth control, yet we hold onto "a man shall not lie with another man as with a woman" as if it were eternally binding on believers. Such an inconsistency simply does not make sense.
*
Given these changes in our modern understandings and contexts, it is no longer appropriate for us to condemn men who have intimate sexual relationships with other men based on this proscription in the Leviticus Holiness Code. Either all of these proscriptions must be tossed out as binding on us, or they all must be adhered to. Biblical "literalists" cannot have it both ways, picking and choosing which proscriptions are still appropriate.

Gene Robinson's Pre-Inaugural Prayer

UPDATED: It now seems that the decision to keep Bishop Robinson's prayer from being broadcast was made by the Presidential Inauguration Committee which has now released a disingenuous statement ausing me to continue to be concerned that gays were played for suckers by Obama:

*

"We had always intended and planned for Rt. Rev. Robinson's invocation to be included in the televised portion of yesterday's program. We regret the error in executing this plan – but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event," said PIC communications director Josh Earnest.

*

While the Obama team talked up Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson's pre-inaugural appearance at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday, his prayer was sadly apparently not televised unlike the prayer to be given tomorrow by homo-hater Rick Warren. In my view, it is yet another disappointment for LGBT Americans who continue to be denied the full spotlight of full citizens. Fortunately, Robinson's prayer is available as reported by the Union-Leader:

*

New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson led hundreds of thousands in prayer at the opening concert of the presidential inauguration at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday, calling on a "God of our many understandings" to bless the country, its people, and its President.

*
"Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance, replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger," said Robinson, the nation's first openly gay Episcopal bishop.

*

The full text of Bishop Robinson's prayer as for prayers and blessing of precisely what Christianists like Warren lack, including tolerance and an acknowledgment that they do NOT have all the answers. The full text reads as follows:

*

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

*
O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will… Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

*
Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

*
Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

*
Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

*
Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

*
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

*
Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

*
And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

*
Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

*
Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times. Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

*
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

*
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

*
Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

*
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.
*

AMEN.