Burnishing Bigotry - 3rd edition

Lucy #340: Then you go on to ask: ―Is homosexuality an act of disobedience?‖ … And
the Bible itself answers this question as well – this time with a resounding NO! … Indeed, of
the Bible‘s 31,102 verses (not including the 137 verses which remain unnumbered), only 13 of them
– that‘s right, only thirteen verses (from seven different passages) – are commonly (and incorrectly)
used by conservative Christians to judge homosexuals specifically as ―sinners‖ &/or to condemn
homosexuality in general as ―sinful‖. Let‘s take a closer look at each of them, and thereby
realize how not a single one of them actually does so …
°Passage #01) Leviticus x 2 … Here is the exact quote from these, the most popular
verses conservatives use to justify their condemnation of homosexuals: ―You shall not lie with a
male as with a woman; it is an abomination … If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both
of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death‖ (Leviticus 18:22 + Leviticus
20:13) … First of all, note that nowhere in either of these verses do we see homosexuals, gay
relationships, or homosexuality itself condemned. What is condemned is homosexual
intercourse (and possibly the lust that often accompanies it), and yet these verses clearly do not
condemn homosexuality itself – or even loving, non-sexual expressions thereof … Secondly, it
is helpful to remember the context in which we find these verses – namely, the book of
Leviticus; a book that condemns over 70 other sins as well; many of them sexual in nature, and
many of them just as ―mortal‖ &/or just as ―abominable‖ as homosexual sex … Thirdly,
regarding context again, it is important to keep in mind that homosexuality isn‘t directly
referenced in these verses at all; that innate homosexuality was not even recognized at the time
Leviticus was written, so the sin that is being condemned in these verses is actually where two
heterosexual men choose to have homosexual intercourse!
As such, when we revisit these Scriptures and look at them literally and in their proper
context, we can see that – according to the Bible – being born homosexual is not a sin, falling in
love with a same-sex partner is not a sin, having a same-sex relationship is not a sin, holding
hands or hugging or even cuddling with a same-sex partner is not a sin, and marrying a same-sex
partner is not a sin … And as such, this means that – according to the Bible, and at least as far as
any of us in this thread know – Oliver Clyde Allen & his husband are not sinning! … And as
such, refusing to hear Oliver preach on Sundays merely because he is gay is fully unjustified.
P.S. By the way – if you happen reject all of the above analysis outright, and choose to ignore
the Bible itself by continuing to claim that Leviticus ―proves‖ that being gay is a sin, you are also
required to accept the rest of that book‘s admonitions against sin as well – like Leviticus 20:10-12, which
notes that adultery is to be punished by death … or Deuteronomy 22:20-21, which notes that lying about
one's virginity is to be punished by death ... or
Deuteronomy 22:20-21, which also notes that a woman
who does not bleed after losing her virginity is to be
punished by death ... or Deuteronomy 22:23-27, which
notes that virgin rape victims are to be punished by
death ... or Leviticus 20:18, which notes that having sex
with a menstruating woman is to be punished by death
… Indeed, if you are going to use Leviticus to openly
proclaim that homosexuals are damned to Hell, then to
avoid acting like a hypocritical bigot you are going to
have to publicly blast all the world‘s ―mortal sinners‖
just as they are outlined in that book – and you are going
to have to give them all equal time when you do so!
506