I’ve about had it with the Christian Right singling out the GLBT community and basing their religious propaganda on misinterpretations of Biblical texts. I’m going to spend some time on this blog researching what the Bible actually has to state about homosexuality, if anything. I, like many people in the GLBT community (from here on out “the community” will be understood as the GLBT community), was raised in a Judeo-Christian family and taught to believe in the Word of God. However, I quickly discovered that under contemporary interpretations, I had no place in my own familial religious tradition. It was then that I began to look at other religions the world over, including non-Christian religions, and found that not every religion had such a dim view of people in the community. Although, what was more fascinating was the similarity between many of the monotheistic traditions and that of the Judeo-Christian tradition. All of these monotheistic traditions had some sort of process in order to reach their godhead, whether it be through sacrifice, ritual, faith, behavior, and/or knowledge. However, I’m always drawn back to the Judeo-Christian because I find it to be the most disturbing. Why are there so many sects of Christians? How can they justify using differing interpretations of the Bible? What is the difference between the various interpretations? Is it logical to base an interpretation on previously translated and interpreted text? And, why were so many texts left out of the Bible? Who made the ultimate decision on what texts would make up the Bible? There are a lot of questions here and surely more will arise along the way to the answers. Unfortunately, I cannot cover them all and, at this time, need to focus on the question of what bases, if any, does the Christian Right have for their assertions that to be gay is somehow ungodly, sinful, or an abomination? I feel I’ll have to touch on the issue of choice, in that, some people still believe that people in the community have chosen to be what they are and could easily change if only they would choose to do so. This is a ridiculous notion. No one chooses to be gay. It was never our choice. It’s part of what we are, our psyche, and our soul. It’s amazing how intolerant the Christian-Right is of people that are different from them. Where does all their hypocrisy and hatred stem from? They will say the Bible. I will say “look again.”
This research will be explored in three parts. The first part will look at how the Bible has been and is interpreted. The second part will explore passages in the Bible that have been attributed as sanctions against homosexuality. And in the third, I’ll try to reconcile the interpretations, Biblical texts, and the contemporary stance on homosexuality. Please check back next week for Biblical Interpretations 101.
