I admit I am in new territory this week, and I must say I am very disappointed in you people. A couple blogs ago I mentioned that I didn’t remember the passage in the bible that says that being gay is a sin. None of you told me, so I am disappointed in you. Someone told me a couple months ago in a discussion, but I didn’t write it down. I had to find out another way, so you people let me down.
“You shall not lie down with a man as with a woman, it is an abomination.” That is the quote from the bible. When I was told it, I first said that I needed to see it in context. I am a pretty decisive guy in action, but when it comes to cerebral pursuits I prefer to get all the info before making a decision.
So I read the passage and the ones around it and then I let it sit in my head for a couple days. I don’t live in a black and white world, so this wasn’t a simple black or white issue for me. After letting it settle in my head for a couple days, here is what I have come up with.
First let’s have fun with the “rules.” The loop hole arguments: re-read the quote. Somehow I don’t think most of you did. I will bet that no one read that it basically says that lesbians are in the clear. If a woman lies down with another woman, she is in the clear. These are pretty specific and if God didn’t see fit to say that women can’t lie with women, who am I to question it? The only thing it says is that women can’t present herself to animals to mate with them.
While it does say that men can’t lie with women while on her period, it seems that it is only wrong for the man, but doesn’t say it is a sin for the woman. Also threesomes aren’t forbidden as long as it isn’t a mother and daughter together. There are a few more digressions, but there is no need to be crude, or intentionally offensive.
Here is the ultimate loophole, what if you aren’t Jewish? These were rules given to the Israelites from Moses, so unless you are an Israelite you are in the clear. Now we can say that the Old Testament applies to everyone, but if Christians can eat bacon, then not all of God’s Commandments transfer over. Also no one else has to observe Passover, so if every non-Jewish practitioner is sinful for not observing Passover, what is one more sin? Maybe it is only a sin if you are Jewish. Just a thought.
Now for my personal thoughts, while the above is entertaining, here is what has been going through my head the last couple days.
I have an unshakable faith in God. God exists and loves us as his children. I believe that, I believe in an all knowing, all powerful and mostly and all loving God. And I have taken a few days to think about this. One thing that annoys me is how some people take one thing about anything complex and make that the basis of their entire argument. The bible is almost 900 pages, I am not going ot let one sentence dictate my entire belief system.
But here I read in clear black and white what many say is proof that homosexuality is a sin. If we use the assumption that the bible has been altered or influenced by man, then who cares about one sentence? However, if we act under the presumption that the bible is truth, and that Leviticus 18:22 is the word of God this brings us to a different situation.
I believe in God and I love the God that has blessed me with so much. I don’t make a big deal about my spiritual beliefs because I think that they are personal. But for this blog I think it is important that I state my beliefs so you know how serious I am and how serious of a thing this was for me. So you have to understand that what I am about to say I do not say lightly. Regardless of what the bible says, regardless of bullshit loophole arguments, if God truly does think that homosexuality is an abomination, then I respectfully disagree.
I got in a heated argument with my Battalion Chaplain over ten years ago about this issue and I have not changed my position. Some of you will laugh at this, someone said I was open minded last week. I had to correct them, I am not open minded, in this issue I admit I am not too much open to changing my mind. Even in the face of God. Homosexuality is not an abomination, and the all loving God I believe in doesn’t think so either. If you got a problem with that, bring it on.
