"The Truth about Homosexuality and the Bible"

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.

"A letter of hope and a letter of grief"

HOPE:

Friday, November 5th, 2004
17 Reasons Not to Slit Your Wrists...by
Michael Moore

Dear Friends,

Ok, it sucks. Really sucks. But before you go and cash it all in, let's, in the words of Monty Python, “always look on the bright side of life!” There IS some good news from Tuesday's election.

Here are 17 reasons not to slit your wrists:

1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.

2. Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

3. The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was young adults (Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that your parents are always wrong and you should never listen to them.

4. In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think the country is headed in the wrong direction (56%), think the war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and don’t approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (52%). (Note to foreigners: Don't try to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)

5. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate. If the Democrats do their job, Bush won't be able to pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if the Democrats do their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch this one.

6. Michigan voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the birthplace of our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States. And the whole West Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've got most of the fresh water, all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens. We can dehydrate them or bury them in lava. And no more show tunes!

7. Once again we are reminded that the buckeye is a nut, and not just any old nut -- a poisonous nut. A great nation was felled by a poisonous nut. May Ohio State pay dearly this Saturday when it faces Michigan.

8. 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years, America will no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't such a long time! If you're ten years old and reading this, your golden years will be truly golden and you will be well cared for in your old age.

9. Gays, thanks to the ballot measures passed on Tuesday, cannot get married in 11 new states. Thank God. Just think of all those wedding gifts we won't have to buy now.

10. Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress, including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always good to have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the job our candidates can't.

11. The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink up!

12. Admit it: We like the Bush twins and we don't want them to go away.

13. At the state legislative level, Democrats picked up a net of at least 3 chambers in Tuesday's elections. Of the 98 partisan-controlled state legislative chambers (house/assembly and senate), Democrats went into the 2004 elections in control of 44 chambers, Republicans controlled 53 chambers, and 1 chamber was tied. After Tuesday, Democrats now control 47 chambers, Republicans control 49 chambers, 1 chamber is tied and 1 chamber (Montana House) is still undecided.

14. Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater moment than the one he's having this week. It's all downhill for him from here on out -- and, more significantly, he's just not going to want to do all the hard work that will be expected of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th grade -- you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat the next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more time at the ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he? He's already proved his point, avenged his father and kicked our ass.

15. Should Bush decide to show up to work and take this country down a very dark road, it is also just as likely that either of the following two scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't ever need to pander to the Christian conservatives again to get elected, someone may whisper in his ear that he should spend these last four years building "a legacy" so that history will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push for too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become so cocky and arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit a blunder of such major proportions that even his own party will have to remove him from office.

16. There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports analogies are coming!!!

17. Finally and most importantly, over 55 million Americans voted for the candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's more than the total number of voters who voted for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore. Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan. If the media are looking for a trend it should be this -- that so many Americans were, for the first time since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has always been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news is that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal. In fact, that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream media, the ones who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report the real truth about November 2, 2004. In fact, it's better that they don't. We'll need the element of surprise in 2008.

Feeling better? I hope so. As my friend Mort wrote me yesterday, "My Romanian grandfather used to say to me, 'Remember, Morton, this is such a wonderful country  -- it doesn't even need a president!'"

But it needs us. Rest up, I'll write you again tomorrow.

Yours,

Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com

GRIEF:

The Costs of War
by VARIOUS CONTRIBUTORS
[from the November 22, 2004 issue]

Almost a year ago, Tom Engelhardt, the editor of tomdispatch.com, began a correspondence with Teri Wills Allison, a mother from Texas whose son is in the military in Iraq. Out of that grew an invitation to Allison to write about how the situation personally affected her as a parent. The resulting essay, published in mid-October at tomdispatch.com, brought a flood of e-mail, selections from which Engelhardt also published at the site. "One thing struck me," Engelhardt said in introducing the letters. "Amid all the pundits opining and journalists reporting on the state of the nation, we almost never hear the voices of Americans who, like Teri Allison, have to deal with the fallout from the mess this Administration has created." Engelhardt said he was also struck by the offers of help directed to Allison and some of the people she wrote about. In their generosity of spirit, he wrote, the responses "offer a kind of hope and renewal all their own." With the permission of all those involved, and with thanks to tomdispatch.com, a project of The Nation Institute, we offer Allison's letter and a sampling of the responses.   --The Editors

TERI WILLS ALLISON The Nation

Teri Wills Allison, a massage therapist and a member of Military Families Speak Out, lives near Austin, Texas.

I am not a pacifist. I am a mother. By nature, the two are incompatible, for even a cottontail rabbit will fight to protect her young. Violent action may well be necessary in defense of one's family or home (and that definition of home can easily be extended to community and beyond); but violence, no matter how warranted, always takes a heavy toll. And violence taken to the extreme--war--exacts the most extreme costs. A just war there may be, but there is no such thing as a good war. And the burdens of an unjust war are insufferable.

I know something about the costs of an unjust war, for my son, Nick--an infantryman in the US Army--is fighting one in Iraq. I don't speak for my son. I couldn't even if I wanted to, for all I hear through the Mom Filter is: "I'm fine, Mom, don't worry, I'm fine, everything is fine, fine, fine, we're fine, just fine." But I can tell you what some of the costs are as I live and breathe them.

First, the minor stuff: my constant feelings of dread and despair; the sweeping rage that alternates with petrifying fear; the torrents of tears that accompany a maddening sense of helplessness and vulnerability. My son is involved in a deadly situation that should never have been. I feel like a mother lion in a cage, my grown cub in danger, and all I can do is throw myself furiously against the bars...impotent to protect him. My tolerance for bullshit is zero, and I've snapped off more heads in the last several months than in all my forty-eight years combined.

For the first time in my life, and with great amazement and sorrow, I feel what can only be described as hatred. It took me a long time to admit it, but there it is. I loathe the hubris, the callousness and the lies of those in the Bush Administration who led us into this war. Truth be told, I even loathe the fallible and very human purveyors of those lies. I feel no satisfaction in this admission, only sadness and recognition. And hope that--given time--I can do better. I never wanted to hate anyone.

Xanax helps a bit. At least it holds the debilitating panic attacks somewhat at bay, so I can fake it through one more day. A friend in the same situation relies on a six-pack of beer every night; another has drifted into a la-la land of denial. Nice.

Then there is the wedge that's been driven between part of my extended family and me. They don't see this war as one based on lies. They've become evangelical believers in a false faith, swallowing Bush's fear-mongering, his chickenhawk posturing and strutting, and cheering his "bring 'em on" attitude as a sign of strength and resoluteness. Perhaps life is just easier that way. These are the same people who have known my son since he was a baby, who have held him and loved him and played with him, who have bought him birthday presents and taken him fishing. I don't know them anymore.

But enough of my whining. My son is alive and in one piece, unlike the 1,102 dead and 7,782 severely wounded American soldiers; which equals 8,884 blood-soaked uniforms, and doesn't even count the estimated 20,000 troops--not publicly reported by the Defense Department--medevacked out of Iraq for "non-combat related injuries." Every death, every injury, burns like a knife in my gut, for these are all America's sons and daughters. And I know I'm not immune to that knock on my door either.

And what of the Iraqi people? How many casualties have they suffered? How many tens of thousands of dead and wounded? How many Iraqi mothers have wept, weep now, for their lost children? I fear we will never know, for though the Pentagon has begun--almost gleefully--counting Iraqi insurgent deaths, there is little chance of getting an accurate verification of civilian casualties. You know, "collateral damage."

Yes, my son is alive and, as far as I know, well. I wish I could say the same for some of his friends.

One young man who was involved in heavy fighting during the invasion is now so debilitated by post-traumatic stress disorder that he routinely has flashbacks in which he smells burning flesh; he can't close his eyes without seeing people's heads squashed like frogs in the middle of the road, or dead and dying women and children, burned, bleeding and dismembered. Sometimes he hears the sounds of battle raging around him, and he has been hospitalized twice for suicidal tendencies. When he was home on leave, this 27-year-old man would crawl into his mother's room at night and sob in her lap for hours. Instead of getting treatment for PTSD, he has just received a "less than honorable" discharge from the Army. The rest of his unit redeploys to Iraq in February.

Another friend of Nick's was horrifically wounded when his Humvee stopped on an IED [improvised explosive device]. He didn't even have time to instinctively raise his arm and protect his face. Shrapnel ripped through his right eye, obliterating it to gooey shreds, and penetrated his brain. He has been in a coma since March. His mother spends every day with him in the hospital; his wife is devastated and their 112-year-old daughter doesn't know her daddy. But my son's friend is a fighter and so is making steady, incremental progress toward consciousness. He has a long hard struggle ahead of him, one that he need never have faced--and his family has had to fight every step of the way to get him the treatment he needs. So much for supporting the troops.

I go visit him every week, and it breaks my heart to see the burned faces, the missing limbs, the limps, the vacant stares one encounters in an acute-care military hospital. In front of the hospital there is a cannon, and every afternoon they blast that sucker off. You should see all the poor guys hit the pavement. Though many requests have been made to discontinue the practice for the sake of the returning wounded, the general in charge refuses. Boom.

Then there is Nick's 24-year-old Kurdish friend, the college-educated son of teachers, multilingual and highly intelligent. He works as a translator for the US Army for $600 a month and lives on base, where he is relatively safe. (Translators for private contractors, also living on base, make $7,200 a month.) He wants to travel to the States to continue his education, but no visas are now being issued from Iraq. Once the Army is through with him, will they just send him back into the streets, a virtual dead man for having worked with the Americans? My son places a high premium on loyalty to family and friends, and he has been raised to walk his talk. This must be a harsh and embittering lesson on just how unprincipled the rest of the world can be. My heart aches for his Iraqi friend as well as for him.

A year ago in January, when Nick left for Iraq, I granted myself permission to be stark-raving mad for the length of his deployment. By god, I've done a good job of it, without apology or excuse. And I dare say there are at least 139,999 other moms who have done the same--though taking troop rotations into consideration to maintain that magical number of 140,000 in the sand could put the number of crazed military moms as high as 300,000, maybe more. Right now, you might want to be careful about cutting in line in front of a middle-aged woman.

I know there are military moms who view the war in Iraq through different ideological lenses than mine. Sometimes I envy them. God, how much easier it must be to believe one's son or daughter is fighting for a just and noble cause! But no matter how hard I scrutinize the invasion and occupation of Iraq, all I see are lies, corruption and greed fueled by a powerful addiction to oil. Real soldiers get blown to tatters in their "Hummers," so that well-heeled American suburbanites can play in theirs.

For my family and me, the costs of this war are real and not abstract. By day, I fight my demons of dreaded possibility, beat them back into the shadows, into the dark recesses of my mind. Every night, they hiss and whisper a vile prognosis of gloom and desolation. I order the voices into silence, but too often they laugh at and mock my commands.

I wonder if George Bush ever hears these voices.

And I wonder, too...just how much are we willing to pay for a gallon of gas?

 

"Kerry concedes to unity but is that reality?"

I don't know about you but I'm still reeling from this election. I feel like the bottom has dropped out of my life and my future in this country, not to mention the future of this country itself. I haven't felt physically able to take in the political fallout, the concession speeches, the countless programs on what went wrong. Instead, I find myself reading articles about election meltdown syndrome and escaping into literature. I can bitch and complain to my heart's content but I don't feel any better. I can farm out my services to every activist group I can get myself into but I feel pessimistic about what anyone can really do. My optimism has been squashed! This morning I read Kerry's concession speech and was struck by something he said:concession speech

"But in an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning WE ALL (caps are my emphasis) wake up as Americans. And that -- that is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on earth.

With that gift also comes obligation. We are required now to work together for the good of our country. In the days ahead, we must find common cause. We must join in common effort without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion.

I hope President Bush will advance those values in the coming years. I pledge to do my part to try to bridge the partisan divide. I know this is a difficult time for my supporters, but I ask them, all of you, to join me in doing that."

Are we all Americans? Because we do not all hold the same rights and protections under the law. 11 states voted in favor of state constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage, and Bush has placed the US Constitutional amendment as one of his goals for his second term.

Kerry calls for unity. Bush calls for unity. But how can I unite with those who would have me work against myself, my being, my beliefs. There was a day, not too long ago, when it felt good to be an American. It felt like we were progressing as a society and there was reason for the rest of the world to look in our direction in admiration. Those days are passed.

Kerry stated that he hopes Bush will advance values of unity in the coming years but those of us who fought so ardently for change know differently. It's like we see and live in a different America. I feel misplaced. I'm angry and hurt. And, I'll be damned if I'm going to unite under this regime. If you can't show me the respect of being a fellow American, then fuck you!

"An American Mourning"

It's the day after the 2004 elections and things are looking bleak for those of us whose civil rights are up for grabs. 11 states voted overwhelmingly against gay marriage, some states even included extra measures to make sure nothing resembling same-sex unions would be recognized. The presidential race is still uncertain but looking favorable for the Republicans. I just checked CNN for the latest results and they are showing Bush with 254 electoral votes to Kerry's 252. There are still three states outstanding: New Mexico, Ohio, and Iowa. Ohio is stating they expect to be for Bush and that expectation should give him the race. However, the Kerry campaign is waiting until all provisional and overseas ballots have been accounted for before conceding the race.

Last evening, I got an unexpected call from my dear friend Jenny who is currently living in Boston. She has been fortunate enough to be at the heart of much of this political arena, as much of the Democratic Party's momentum has began in Boston. Although, last evening we did what the current administration never has done, we taled exit strategies. What if the Republicans win? What if my civil liberties are further eroded? What if the ongoing occupation in Iraq turns more of the world against us? What if I don't have a job in the future? What if our country goes bankrupt? What if? Essentially, Canada seemed like an option. I've also been thinking about teaching English overseas but that option may not be as promising as it once was. My friend, Heather, currently lives in Germany and wants to return to the US in the fall of '05. Man, if I had the opportunity she has and the connection to stay away, I would. Maybe it sounds like escapism? Maybe it sounds defeatist? I suppose Democratic pundits and activist would say we have to continue fighting, or that the next four years will really turn this country around. Personally, I'm shocked, dismayed, and depressed that anyone could look back at the previous four years and honestly want more. I don't want anymore.

"The Longest Day"

Alright everyone, here we go. Tuesday, November 2, 2004. This day is either going to make our future bright or dismal for the next four years. The suspense, which has only begun at the time of this posting, is already killing me! And, not only the ultimate decision, ie the presidential one, but how the entire voting process is going to pan out this time. Pray to whatever gods and goddesses or powers and providence you believe in that there aren't any major kinks in the system. Of course, there will be but that's the chaos factor and it's inevitable. There's not much to say right now. Just wait. I hate waiting.

"Spectral Orbs"

Every year as we draw into the Pagan new year Samhain, also known as Halloween, I'm often drawn to things of the paranormal. The other day, I spent some time perusing a website created by a group of Chicago based paranormal investigators called Haunted Chicago . This site is very interesting and it covers the activities of this group of investigators. There are pages of the work they've done, how they go about it, where they have investigated, and most importantly, pictures of some phenomenon they have caught on film. Check it out, it'll blow your mind provided your open to this kind of thing. Anyway, after I read about them and saw some of their pictures, I, of course, wanted to try and get some ghosty orb pictures of my own. But, then, something else struck me. I decided before I go out to my fav graveyards in the middle of the night, I'd first pull out all my old pictures and see if there were any orbs in them. This is so weird and cool. Sure enough, they're there. It's strange how I didn't notice these anomalies before but, I guess, because I didn't think to recognize them, I, therefore, didn't. Below are some examples of the ones I found. Check em out. Then, after you've read about the evidence on Haunted Chicago and looked at my own, grab all your own old photos and be prepared to freak out. It's one thing to read and see these types of things on someone else's website but when they appear in your own photos, well, then any arguments you may have been formulating on how the pictures are faked just crumbles.

"Support for the Republican Party, directly and indirectly"

May the gods help us all! Recently, I've been surfing some of the liberal websites out there that are actively helping to educate viewers on how far the RP's money reaches, and how consumers are inadverdently helping to support the RP. It makes me gag! I discovered, only this morning, that my morning addiction, a tall skim latte from Starbucks (owned by Philip Morris owned by Altria) is money in the RP's silk lined pockets. Admittedly, it sometimes seems impossible, or at least extremist, to be diligent about not knowingly supporting organizations that are in direct opposition to one's own convictions. However, thanks to organizations, such as Boycott Bush, the American people have resources available to make the most informed decisions about what we do. Of course, no one should take anything from a single source as fact. The beauty of research is that one has the ability, provided one is willing to make the effort, to get to the bottom of almost anything (maybe, in fact, anything). If you're reading this and interested in knowing how you may be helping to support the RP unaware, then please visit this site, Boycott Bush, as a starting point and be informed.

"How am I not who I am?"

I've been thinking about thinking lately. This self-inquisitive process has probably been influenced by my current reading, film seeing, and DVD buying. I recently began To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, which, so far as I can tell, is an experiment in perspectives and individuality. Woolf's modernist style reminds me of Faulkner though I don't believe he was an influence to her. Frankly, I'm unsure if they even lived in the same era (I'll look into it). Shows what I know. It's more the way dialogue and narration seamlessly blend into eachother (think Sound and the Fury) but the effect can be jarring as well because one tends to lose their bearings in the story. I'm still in the first part of the novel and don't know how it will evolve but, so far, both Mrs. Ramsay and Lily Briscoe have been given the most prominence and the deepest insight into their perspectives. Thinking about what other people may be thinking about themselves and their thinking. Confused? We'll see how it unfolds.

This past Friday, I went to see I Heart Huckabees, which is billed as an existentialist comedy. Going in, I didn't really know what to expect beyond a fine cast and the kind of loose capsulation only a critic can give. After seeing the film, which I thought was brilliant, I decided to brush up on my understanding of philosophical ideas, especially existentialism. I consulted my handy dictionary of philosophy. Everyone should have one of these reference guides, afterall, these days philosophical ideas are bandied about and tossed into regular conversation as if adding an ism to any word can make it an original thought. I'm not convinced people always know what they're really talking about. Evidentaly, existentialists believe in the "existence" of things and man as two separate types of being. Man is separate because he has choice over his destiny. Everything else is predetermined. Look at the way we (mankind) refer to everything that isn't part of mankind. It's every "thing," whereas other people are every "one." Interesting. Also, I believe there is a subtextual element that every thing is what it is and cannot be anything else. Meaning, things, no matter what they are, cannot symbolize or be substituted for anything other than exactly what they are. However, man can, because of choice he is changeable. This subtext helped me to understand the title of the movie. I Heart Huckabees, not I love Huckabees, which is the way most people would read it. To an existentialist, the heart symbol does not equate love but only a heart. I think it would be hard to think like an existentialist, all that separateness, not to mention consciously giving up universal symbols like hearts for love.

Lastly, I watched Donnie Darko on Saturday night. Trippy. If you haven't seen it, you should. I can see why it has become a cult classic. It makes one think. It makes one think about sanity. It makes one think about family dynamics. It makes one think about self control. It makes one think about the nature of reality . It makes one think about following one's destiny, literally. It reinforces the idea that things are not what they seem to be. And, yet, in the end, it makes our minds cramp at the thought that the universe does have a kind of chaotic structure that can drop airplane engines on one's house from the future.

How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am?
How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am?
How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am?
How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am? How am I not who I am? . . .