Shellfish
In case you are wondering what the deal with the "do you eat shell fish?" question was about... I am sure the poster was going to get to it, but just in case gardenmommy didn't feel inclined to answer... (forgive me Sunnydrop for being a spoiler...)
The scripture often pointed to by those who believe that homosexuality is a sin, which says "Thou shalt not lie with a man as thou would with a woman" is found in the middle of a list of all kinds of forbidden acts such as eating rare meat, pork and shellfish; wearing clothes of mixed fabric, the hybridization of cattle; planting seeds of two plants in the same field, not cutting the hair on the sides of your head, having sex while a woman is on her period, etc. (this is all in Leviticus 18-21, etc.) (many of these rules are followed by some fundamentalist jewish faiths, but generally not by christian religions). This section of the Bible also tells us to kill all divorced people who remarry; and to put to death all adulters; to banish all those who have sex while the woman in having menses....
I find it very hypocritical for christians to point to the bible selectively, to say "God says that to be gay is a sin", but not to recognize that, right there in the same scripture, it clearly states that your dinner at Red lobster is a rule laid down by god which you have broken...
I am completely "pro-gay" (if that's a word) just so my position is clear... (and I am not a "christian", though I am spiritual, if that matters to this discussion...)
I do not agree with people who base their life and decisions on the words of a book (the bible), but I respect their decision to do so if they choose. What I
do not respect, however, is those who claim to live their lives based on the bible, who claim that the bible is the "word of god" and that everything in it is a total, unquestionable truth, who judge and condemn other people by pointing to passages, but who allow themselves selectively ignore sections of the bible that don't fit in with their beliefs.
I believe that Christians either need to say that the bible is a spiritual guide, that holds the stories and opinions of many people, and which can, if used correctly, be referred to for inspiration, just as can all other spiritual and philosphical works (like the Koran, Plato, Socrates, Bertrand Russell, the book of the dead, ... you get the idea), but that it is not the actual "Word of God"
OR they need to say/believe that it is the "Word of God" and live according to the whole book, not just those selective passages that serve their purposes...
Anyway, my point is, that for those people who base their belief that homosexuality is a "sin" only on the bible, I think those beliefs should be examined more closely. For those who think homosexuality is just "gross" or something, well, there is little that can be said to that, other than just that 1) I disagree with you, 2) that you should open your minds, how is love between two consenting adults "gross", and 3) that unless what you think is "gross" is actually harmful and detrimental to other people (which being gay clearly is not), whether or not you personally think something is "gross" should have no impact or influence on the laws or equal treatment of people.
OK, that's all for now... sorry for the rant...I realize that the vast majority of the posts on this thread are pro-gay and pro-gay rights...
:
Follow Mothering