Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of talk about homosexuality and the Bible.
There has been misinterpretation of scripture and taking scripture out of context to benefit others biased view points toward homosexuality. So let us learn a few ways to interpret the bible.
They include literal, critical and metaphysical comprehension.
Literal: Reading it as the inerrant, infallible word of God. Historical/ Critical: Reading within in the original historical and cultural context. Metaphysical: Reading beyond the actual text.
What is the Bible and who wrote it? The word “Bible” means “library of books.”
It was written by many authors over many years in oral tradition.
Slavery and segregation was practiced in the United States well into the twentieth century.
It has been based off of misinterpretation of scripture.
When Supreme Court finally ordered the desegregation of schools, Rev. Jerry Falwell and others started private, segregated Christina Schools based on biblical verses. They include Genesis 9: 25-27″Cursed be Canaan!The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.
“He also said, Praise be to the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
“May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”(NIV)
Up until 1967 Supreme Court decision, interracial marriage was considered illegal. More scriptures that justified slavery and segregation.
I wonder how many literalist readers would view slavery and segregation today based of Genesis.
This verse has been wrongfully used many times to support racial prejudice and even slavery.
There are more degrading scriptures about women than about slavery, anti-Semitism or homosexuality.
Just to give a few:
Exodus 21:7 state that women of ancient Israel were equivalent to slaves. Womanhood is insulted with physical violence verse after verse.
The one that is used the most is I Corinthians 14:34-35.
It says, “Women should be silent in church, to be subordinate, even as the law says.
“Women are not to have short hair as this is a sign of prostitution.”
Most literalist readers no longer approve of slavery, segregation and using woman as chattel, but NOT so with homosexuality.
Out of 31,172 verses in the Bible, there are less than SIX sentences relating to same sex acts! It’s time we really look at these scriptures used to condemn homosexuality.
“Homosexuality” was not even a word until the late 1890s and all “abominations” were abolished by God’s grace.
In Romans 6:13, 7:6; Galatians 3; Acts 15:29 it says, “You are not under law, but under grace. we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”
Hebrews practiced idol worship while in Egypt.
A guidebook for holy living to keep the Gentiles apart from the Israelites refers to HETEROSEXUAL male-to-male sex acts in relationship to pagan practices as part of the fertility relation of Baal worship and temple prostitution.
Male-to-male sex acts were considered “toevah” or “an abomination,” ritually unclean but NOT morally wrong.
There are positive biblical references to loving, same gender relationships. 1 Samuel 18:1 and 20:41 Jonathan and David has to separate.
They weeped and kissed. The words were later changed to “sad” and “handshake.”
In 2 Samuel 1:26 David says to Jonathan: “Your love for was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.”
Ruth 1:16-17 and 2:10-11 “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
“Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.
“May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
The Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Jesus said nothing about homosexual orientation, nor did they condemn a person practicing his/her sexuality within a committed relationship.
Jesus and Paul said not to judge others, Jesus embraced women, lepers, and society’s outcasts.
Both Jesus and Paul revoked all 365 Hebrew Laws of Leviticus and other Scriptural Codes.
There was no concept for homosexual orientation as an identity as there is today.
It was not the loving homosexual relationship that was condemned, but unregulated sexual behavior.
I hope this article gives you a better understanding the biblical since of homosexuality and its true meaning and the proof-texting taken out of context version that we all know and love.
I offer you this educate yourself and others on the topic.
Knowledge is the key to better understanding our self and helping humanity towards a cohesive, free and equal world.