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发帖数: 1822 | 1 FORMATIVE DISTORTION:
" DOES GOD REALLY HATE THE GAYS ?"
Written by Christopher Donaldson
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Who decides what’s right or wrong?
We all know the Bible appraises self-worth according to strict sets of
laws and hierarchies: Go to Hell if you covet the neighbor’s house, kill
the neighbor, or take off with the neighbor’s wife.
It runs moral meanings smooth over broken fine lines that fall
somewhere between fact and fiction and good and evil. God still hates figs
and shrimp, right?
It also often hides contradiction and its very own accommodating
history under stories that once upon a time were not its own: Remember,
Christmas and Easter grew from Pagan roots.
Unfortunately for us, the Bible and people's interpretations of it can
brew misguided thoughts about homosexuality. But it does deserve our
attention. Its words read just like modern humans behave: We wake hand-in-
hand with dissension; we evolve, yet still keep patterns of judgment close.
And we all at some point in time ask, “Where did we come from? What’s the
point?”
So where do the gays go from here?
Well, former United Methodist minister and Duke University seminary scholar,
Jimmy Creech, suggests that maybe it’s time we re-evaluate what the Bible
really says about homosexuality.
In Adam's Gift: A Memoir of a Pastor’s Calling to Defy the Church’s
Persecution of Lesbians and Gays, straight-identifying Creech defends same-
sex love against the Church’s dangerous distortion of homosexuality as sin.
He digs deep into Biblical texts, mines credible sense from scripture and
history, and writes passionately about his decision to reconcile his stance
on gay rights and same-sex marriage even though these things ultimately led
the Church to revoke his ordination credentials.
What would Jesus do? Jimmy Creech might know.
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Does the Bible condemn homosexuality?
No, it’s actually not possible for the Bible to say this in any way. First
of all, the writers of the Bible had no understanding of the innate human
trait of sexual orientation. Consequently, there were no words for
homosexuality, bisexuality and heterosexuality. These words were coined in
the late 1800s when the young science of psychology studied human sexuality
and discovered that sexual orientation is an innate aspect of human
personality. We’ve come to understand these three sexual orientations as
equally normal, natural and healthy. There are a few references in the Bible
to same-gender sexual acts, though all of them are condemned because of the
context in which they are found: violent rape, idolatry, and promiscuity.
There is, by the way, no condemnation in the Bible of same-gender loving
relationships. However, because of the fear and prejudice against same-
gender loving relationships, church leaders have used these condemnations of
violence, idolatry and promiscuity to condemn same-gender loving
relationships. If the logic used against homosexual sex acts was used in the
context of condemned heterosexual sex acts, one could claim the Bible says
“heterosexuality is a sin.” But, of course, no one does.
Another issue at play is patriarchal culture. Men are considered the
masters (the Hebrew for husband actually means “lord”) and women are
inferior and subservient. Consequently, for a man to have sex with another
man as men have sex with women violates the rigid gender roles and threatens
the patriarchal culture. Such an act puts the submissive man in the woman’
s role which from the biblical perspective is “abominable.” Interestingly,
there’s only one biblical reference to women having sex with women (
chapter one of Romans), most likely because the writers of the Bible (men)
weren’t concerned about that – it didn’t threaten their patriarchal
culture.
The few references to same-gender sexual acts have thus been
interpreted and used in ways to justify the persecution of LGBT people. In
similar ways, passages in the Bible were interpreted in ways to justify
slavery, white supremacy and racial segregation. The Bible denies equal
rights to women because of its patriarchy and allowed the persecution and
mass murder of Jews. Modern society has rejected the misuse of the Bible to
justify these injustices even though each case is a form of abuse. Using the
Bible to justify the persecution of LGBT people is no less an abuse and can
no longer be tolerated. It’s intellectually dishonest, pure bigotry.
Can you explain how the word “homosexual” is misused in Biblical texts?
In First Corinthians and First Timothy, the Apostle Paul used Greek words
that no one else had ever used – either before him or after him. These
words came to be associated with homosexuality in the late 13th Century
after Thomas Aquinas condemned same-sex sexual acts in his writings. From
then on, the Greek words in these two passages were understood to mean, a “
man who has sex with a man.” Because there was no Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek
words (the three languages in which the Bible was written) for a “man who
has sex with a man,” the term Sodomite was invented. It is often found in
translations, but has no basis in the languages of the Bible – it’s purely
an example of bigotry written into those translations after the fact.
Aquinas was the first church teacher to associate the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah with same-sex acts. Before then, the destruction was
attributed to the violent inhospitality and greed of the people of Sodom and
Gomorrah. A similar thing happened when the Revised Standard Version of
the Bible was published in 1952. Instead of using “a man who has sex with
a man,” or the King James version, “them that defile themselves with
mankind,” or Sodomites, the translators chose to use the modern term
homosexual – even though there was no basis for it in biblical languages.
Consequently, people who do not know this history innocently claim that the
Bible says “homosexuals can’t inherit the kingdom of heaven” because
First Corinthians says so; and, that “homosexuals” are contrary to sound
doctrine.
While careful study of these passages reveals no condemnation of same-
sex loving relationships, the mass of people who read these passages without
the benefit of careful study feel justified in condemning homosexuals. The
harm that has been done to LGBT people by this scandalous scholarship cannot
be exaggerated.
Do you think Christianity will eventually embrace LGBT people in the
future, however near or far?
Yes, mainline Christian communities will fully embrace the LGBT
community with equal standing and participation in the near future.
Christian communities actually have come a long way toward this goal in a
relatively short time. The Unitarian Universalist Association was the first
in this country, soon after Stonewall. And now the United Church of Christ,
the Presbyterian Church, USA, the Episcopal Church, USA, and the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of America have all embraced the ordination of clergy in
same-sex committed relationships and marriage for same-sex couples.
Even though the ecclesiastical leadership of the Roman Catholic Church
remains adamantly against sexually active LGBT people, more than 74% of
Catholic laity support same-sex marriage or civil unions with support for
their full civil rights and equal protections. There will be some who will
never accept same-sex relationships, but they belong to the past of fear and
hatred, not the future of acceptance and equality.
What do you say to non-believers, atheists and agnostics? Do you see
religion as something essential and necessary to humanity’s place in the
universe?
No, I don’t believe religion is essential and necessary. Religion is an
organized or structured expression of the innate wonder and awe human
beings have about life, nature and time. This wonder and awe and the beliefs
people have about it are not dependent on religious language and concepts.
I find common ground with anyone who explores those big questions about life.
Being religious doesn’t guarantee a person will be good, nor does being
a non-believer make a person bad. These are just two ways humans approach
the mysteries of life. But, I do believe everyone who is aware and sensitive
to what’s happening in the world, in their lives and the lives of others,
has a keen sense of wonder and awe about it all. What really matters is how
we treat each other.
Your memoir, Adam’s Gift, is about the United Methodist Church's
decision to revoke your ordination credentials after you performed same-sex
commitment ceremonies. But what do you think the real gift was for you?
Adam’s gift was the truth about himself – a truth he’d concealed for
nearly 50 years of his life. It was a gift because it opened my eyes to a
reality I’d not seen before – a persecution of LGBT people in which I
unknowingly was complicit. It was his humanity, his dignity and integrity,
his gentleness and humility that would not allow me to rely on my
conventional stereotypes and prejudice about the gay community. While there
was much study and understanding I had to pursue afterward, Adam transformed
me in the moment he revealed to me his true personhood and personal history
. He gave me his most precious gift: His personal truth.
How do you feel about Christianity’s position in US politics? It’s sad
, but a holier than thou attitude still marginalizes the LGBT community.
It’s not possible to speak of “Christianity” as if it is one set of
beliefs and values. Today, Christianity is not a term that has meaning
because of the diversity within and among Christian groups. The Christians
with whom I’m aligned are progressives. There are large numbers of moderate
Christians too. And, there are Christian reactionaries who have found a
political home in the Republican Party. The attack on LGBT people by many
Christian reactionaries is sincere – meaning, it is an expression of their
real fear and prejudice. However, right-wing politicians cynically exploit
this bigotry for political ends (Karl Rove and George W. Bush). I believe
that the political strategy of exploiting anti-gay bigotry is coming to an
end. With marriage equality in a growing number of states, with the repeal
of DADT, and the current discussion of the Respect for Marriage bill, the
momentum is toward inclusion and acceptance, not exclusion. Even some right
-wing Republicans are saying their party should no longer talk about gay
issues.
How do you think we can change the way other people less understanding
think about LGBT people?
People I know who’ve changed their hearts and minds about gay people
have done so because they got to know someone who is gay. They didn’t
change because of a good argument or debate about the Bible. They changed
because they couldn’t reconcile their fear and hatred with the dignity and
character of someone they discovered to be gay. Sometimes, this is a new
acquaintance whose respect is earned over time. Sometimes, it’s someone
loved for a lifetime. So, the gift Adam gave to me is a gift all lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender people can give to someone – a parent,
sibling, child, neighbor, pastor, friend or colleague. LGBT people should
not undervalue the power of their own dignity and integrity. There are, of
course, some people whose minds and hearts will never change.
In addition, those of us who are straight must challenge anti-gay
bigotry and malice whenever we encounter it and challenge elected officials
who perpetuate persecution. An unjust world belongs to all of us, and all of
us have an obligation to end the injustice.
http://daily.gay.com/hot_topics/2011/07/adams-gift-does-god-hat | a***n
发帖数: 2632 | 2 圣经就是统治阶级为了更好麻痹人民的一个工具。
老中连这个还不懂吗？
那些中国基督徒是如何解读“不许离婚””婚前性行为“的？还不是与时俱进？如果老
中拿这个来说事儿，就是自找羞辱。 |
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