As most of you have no doubt became aware of, Amendment 1 was passed in North Carolina earlier today. Now, as a (mostly) heterosexual male, and one that doesn't even live anywhere remotely close to North Carolina, this issue really doesn't impact my life, or the lives of anyone I know personally (save for one or two, but the directness of this effect is debatable). However, for one reason or another, I do feel like I should say something on the matter.

The only reason that seems to unite the opponents of gay marriage on any kind of steady ground is that one little passage in Leviticus, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." (Leviticus 18:22) After countless re-writes, re-edits, and re-translations over the centuries, the religious right have taken to interpret this statement as homosexuality being immoral, if not a straight up sin. The more astute of you out there may have noticed the irony that the CHRISTIAN right is quoting text from a book in the HEBREW bible, but if they want to cross-pollinate from works outside their generally accepted and observed canon, then we shall play their game by their own rules.

You can point to pretty much any passage in The Old Testament and find some truly immoral and radical punishments for seemingly insignificant crimes. In Deuteronomy 21:18-21, the passage clearly states that if you should have an unruly son, that you should take him outside the gates of your city in front of your elders and stone him to death. Apparently, the religious right have taken this to mean that you should, instead, take him or her onto the set of Maury.

Likewise, in Exodus 21:7 "If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as menservants do." Those that are familiar with these entries and other assorted quotes that militant Atheists love to parrot on forums and Reddit have been able to contextualize these passages by stating that the bible should be taken as a work in a vacuum. That, considering the times and historical context (the prevalence of slavery and medieval, draconian punishments), that these cannot be taken literally in today's modern world. There is a truth to this sentiment, but why does this only apply to these particular religious texts? Why does that passage in Leviticus remain as truthful as the day it was written? Because modern morality hasn't caught up with it yet.

Culture evolves (and in some cases devolves) over the ebb and flow of time, while religion and faith, by their own nature, remains unchanging and dogmatic. The public conscience has grown to find indentured servitude and brutal, unnecessary executions to be abhorrent. We have already placed our own, collected morality over the stated morality of the Judeo-Christian deity and enacted our own laws to prevent and punish what we view as unjust. Even the most militant fundamentalists refuse to abide by the stated laws of His. Hence, in their own way, they have rejected the word of God and placed their own views of right and wrong before Him. Thus, they have twisted their own faith to hide their own bigotry.

If you call yourself a Christian, and you follow every word in the bible as it was intended, then I'm sure there is a place for you beside Him (good luck trying to find a buyer for your daughter in today's market). If, however, you are a Christian who follows certain passages and laws, but not others because of modern laws or your own conscience, that's fine as well. But do not, in that same breath, say that you are against homosexuality because of what it said in the bible. I am fairly certain God does not want to be your scapegoat.

Reply · Report Post