(…continued from below -- damn if I can't get the text to align with the pics!)
Then there is my big issue of being able to reconcile being queer and Christian. I want so much to sing my heart out to the Lord during praise and worship and feed on God’s word. Nevertheless, the Bible tells me that I am an abomination before Him. Even when I drew closer to God and made the decision to be celibate, I still considered myself to be a lesbian. It’s not that I have any intentions or desires “convert” and become straight. I am just not wired that way. However, isn’t that just obeying the letter of the law and not the spirit?
Sure, there is a Metropolitan Community Church (catering primarily to the gay community) here in town, but that never fed me spiritually. Besides, my ex-partner attends there (also a small church—no way to avoid her). I’ve even attended a couple of major denomination churches that are gay affirming, but they didn’t feed my spiritual hunger either. My church feeds my heart and spirit. It’s the one to which I want to return.
I argue with God. Why is being queer a sin? I just don’t get it. Aside from the famed verse in Leviticus (Lev 20:13), the very same book also preaches the dietary laws and preaches against wearing clothes of mixed fabric. Why are the latter two no longer sins, but homosexuality still is? I really believed that the Bible is God’s word. You either accept it all or reject it all. If you believe in the Bible, you just can’t choose to accept only those passages you happen to believe in. But, that is exactly what is done. We no longer follow the dietary laws or the mixing of fabrics as being sinful, yet being queer still is. Why? Why? Why?
If it is such a huge sin, then why didn’t it make it in the top ten right alongside adulterers, thieves, liars, and murderers? Jesus never once mentioned it during His ministry, but did warn against adulterers, thieves, liars, and murderers. Why is being queer a sin?
Remaining celibate hasn’t really been an issue for me since I walked away from the only social network I ever had. My only social network after that became this one little church. No, I’ve never been judged openly; yet at the same time, I’ve never been able to have a conversation with anyone about my struggle with this issue except my pastor and one other person. I’m still an activist dyke fighting for LGBTQ equality in my own way (e.g., my entire Facebook page focuses on that). All of my “friends” rally around equal justice while there are those lobbying our government using their powerful muscle to promote their views that all gays are sinners and perverts out to destroy American family values. Hello…I’m an American.
I find it quite ironic that the recent hate crime law to include gays only made it because it was attached to a defense bill that the White House and Congress wanted so desperately to pass. Yet, another irony—it’s part of an amendment whose very nature supports Don’t Ask, Don’t tell. If the military only knew how many closeted lesbians and gay men are fighting for our country right now. Yes, there is another bill in Congress deliberating repealing DADT, but that is small potatoes compared to some very basic issues of inequality we face every single day. Because same-sex marriage is not sanctioned at the federal level (thanks to the Defense of Marriage Act), we don’t enjoy the same equal economic opportunities (e.g., insurance coverage for our partners, although some major companies do have diversity policies allowing for this, death benefits, etc.). Let’s not forget that we have no protection where housing and employment are concerned.
Back to the recent hate crimes law, what that made it more palliative had to do with the following provision: religious leaders are still given the permission to continue spewing their religious rhetoric with no consequences.
There is another bill up before this Congress, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, but yet again, there is a provision that religious organizations are provided a special exception to this protection, similar to the principles of the Civil Rights Act. The right-wing Christian fundamentalists have their fingers in every pie. Imagine one of these fundies wearing a cotton-wool blend suit. If they are going to throw the Bible down our throats as the measuring stick for their causes, they can’t have it both ways.©2009
It is not a crime to be Gay. I believe God knows you and loves you just the way you are. Grace tells us we are no longer under the Law (of the old Testament)
ReplyDeleteThen how do you handle the verse in the NEW Testament 1 Cor 6:9--"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders."
ReplyDeleteeveryones religious views are different so my response might not be helpful for you but this is how i view the bible (which i do very much believe in too but im more of a hippie christian not youur general)...i take the bible with a grain of salt the scriptures may have been profound views from god to men but putting it with men is a large problem cuz they have to translate what they saw and usually use cultural contexts for this (which are very much different from now)...my biggest example of this is the book of revelations which he tried to explain what he saw but because its nothing like a good reference from human life it seems confusing for those who read it...i have huge issues with paul (who was the writer of 1 corinthians) for example if you read a lot of his stuff he is really sexist (to me at least) and im a girl dont like it and tho culturally they were sexist different authors are better than paul at not being so culturally prejudiced hmmm maybe he wasnt just sexist but prejudiced about all types of what he believed to be sexual perversion...probably also why i'm not familiar with this passage since i don't like reading his offerings as much...very interesting tho...i also put my ability to splice the biblical parts with the fact that a panel of people decide which books to put in the bible since it was loosely formed (think biblioteca/bibliotheque/library, biblio meaning book(s)) back in that time and the panel also depends on which sect of christianity you are in like catholicism for example...i like reading the apocryphal books and can't wait til i finish greek hebrew and aramaic learning so i can learn the real translation of the books since a lot is lost in translation theyre fun...dont like it my mom has that same view of gay marriage going against what biblical 'marriage' means which in society now it really just means you can have divorce or financial equality and equality in general...had a teacher who couldn't see his partner in the hospital once cuz he wasn't 'family' since he couldn't marry him in the state i live...completely wrong...
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