Conservatives don't use Scripture to condemn murder, but often do against gays
Anti-gays hide their bias behind the Bible
June 2, 2010 9:13 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- LZ Granderson: The Bible doesn't state one sin is greater than another; sin is sin.
- Conservatives don't use Scripture to condemn murder, he says, but often do against gays
- Granderson: Some rarely attend church, but they can find Leviticus 18:22 blindfolded
- Scripture says marrying a woman who isn't a virgin is sin, he writes, so why no outrage?
Editor's note: LZ Granderson is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, and has contributed to ESPN's Sports Center, Outside the Lines and First Take. He is a 2010 nominee and the 2009 winner of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) award for online journalism as well as the 2008 National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) winner for column writing.
Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) -- My partner and
I recently took our mothers to Las Vegas for a
week for Mother's Day. It's not our favorite city,
but for a pair of 60-somethings who can sit at
the penny slot machines for hours, it was heaven.
I recently took our mothers to Las Vegas for a
week for Mother's Day. It's not our favorite city,
but for a pair of 60-somethings who can sit at
the penny slot machines for hours, it was heaven.
When they were not being robbed by one-armed
bandits, we saw a couple of shows and had some
amazing dinners. We also enjoyed trying to figure
out which women were hookers and which were
just dressed like one. And of course saying
"public drunkenness" is pretty redundant after 11 a.m.
bandits, we saw a couple of shows and had some
amazing dinners. We also enjoyed trying to figure
out which women were hookers and which were
just dressed like one. And of course saying
"public drunkenness" is pretty redundant after 11 a.m.
But that's why we go to Vegas, right? Life on the
Strip. What happens here stays here ... and all
that good stuff. By the end of our trip, the four
of us had seen just about everything you would
expect to see in a place nicknamed Sin City --
except for faith-based protesters.
Strip. What happens here stays here ... and all
that good stuff. By the end of our trip, the four
of us had seen just about everything you would
expect to see in a place nicknamed Sin City --
except for faith-based protesters.
Funny, a week of walking up and down the main
artery of the self-proclaimed heart of moral debauchery,
and nary a Bible verse could be heard. In the
many times I've been to Las Vegas over the years,
I've never seen a religious protest. And yet let
a midsize city try to add sexual orientation to
its municipal nondiscrimination policy or a high
school senior bring a same-gender date to prom,
and you would think it was the apocalypse.
artery of the self-proclaimed heart of moral debauchery,
and nary a Bible verse could be heard. In the
many times I've been to Las Vegas over the years,
I've never seen a religious protest. And yet let
a midsize city try to add sexual orientation to
its municipal nondiscrimination policy or a high
school senior bring a same-gender date to prom,
and you would think it was the apocalypse.
Where are the faith-based organizations trying to make adultery a crime punishable by death, as suggested in Leviticus 20:10?
--LZ Granderson
--LZ Granderson
The Bible doesn't state that one sin
is greater than another, but you wouldn't
know that by counting the number of
comments that quote Scripture on news
stories about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. Compare them
with how many address murder, or the
environment, or the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and well, the word "hypocrite"
comes to mind.
is greater than another, but you wouldn't
know that by counting the number of
comments that quote Scripture on news
stories about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. Compare them
with how many address murder, or the
environment, or the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and well, the word "hypocrite"
comes to mind.
I am never ashamed to say I follow the
teachings of Christ, but I am not always
proud to say I am a Christian. That's
because I am bothered by the continual
mutilation of my religion's basic principle
of love by the extremists in my religion who construct
a hierarchy of sin -- which does not exist in the Bible --
for no other reason than to protect their own prejudices.
teachings of Christ, but I am not always
proud to say I am a Christian. That's
because I am bothered by the continual
mutilation of my religion's basic principle
of love by the extremists in my religion who construct
a hierarchy of sin -- which does not exist in the Bible --
for no other reason than to protect their own prejudices.
We've seen this throughout this country's history,
and perhaps with the exception of abortion,
no current issue illustrates this transgression
more so than gay rights.
and perhaps with the exception of abortion,
no current issue illustrates this transgression
more so than gay rights.
Some conservatives might attend church only twice
a year, but ask their opinion about gays in the military.
They can find Leviticus 18:22 blindfolded, handcuffed
and sinking underwater: "Thou shalt not lie with
mankind, as with womankind; it is an abomination."
a year, but ask their opinion about gays in the military.
They can find Leviticus 18:22 blindfolded, handcuffed
and sinking underwater: "Thou shalt not lie with
mankind, as with womankind; it is an abomination."
Rarely do you hear them mention the other
"sexual sins" in Leviticus, such as making love
to your wife while she's menstruating. There are
some people who say Jesus freed us from the
old laws with one side of their mouths while using
old laws to condemn GLBT people with the other.
"sexual sins" in Leviticus, such as making love
to your wife while she's menstruating. There are
some people who say Jesus freed us from the
old laws with one side of their mouths while using
old laws to condemn GLBT people with the other.
Many turn to the destruction of Sodom as proof
against homosexuality. But the King James version
lists fornication, greed and lying as sins committed
in Sodom as well, and never specifies which particular
sin caused God's wrath.
against homosexuality. But the King James version
lists fornication, greed and lying as sins committed
in Sodom as well, and never specifies which particular
sin caused God's wrath.
In fact, the word "Sodomite," which some like to toss
around as an anti-gay insult, is a mistranslation and is
not used in the original Hebrew text. The actual word is
"kadesh," and it does not refer to the city, its inhabitants
or a specific sexual act. It refers to the occult male
prostitutes in the shrines, just as "kedesha" refers to
the female equivalent. Neither word reflects sexual
orientation.
around as an anti-gay insult, is a mistranslation and is
not used in the original Hebrew text. The actual word is
"kadesh," and it does not refer to the city, its inhabitants
or a specific sexual act. It refers to the occult male
prostitutes in the shrines, just as "kedesha" refers to
the female equivalent. Neither word reflects sexual
orientation.
It may be convenient to say Sodom was all about
homosexual people, but historically and scripturally,
that isn't accurate. This is why I, like so many other
Christians, do not follow a literal interpretation of the Bible.
homosexual people, but historically and scripturally,
that isn't accurate. This is why I, like so many other
Christians, do not follow a literal interpretation of the Bible.
I'm not ducking Leviticus, I'd just rather go directly
to the source. Concepts get lost in translation, and
we all know history is filled with influential people and
institutions that have defined religion for the masses
based upon their own selfish needs. For example,
King Henry VIII, the man who authorized the first
English translation of the Bible, was married six times
and essentially had the British Empire separate from
the Roman Catholic Church so he could
divorce in peace. Then there's King James,
whose own writings suggest he was secretly
gay or bisexual, according to historians such
as Michael B. Young and Caroline Bingham.
to the source. Concepts get lost in translation, and
we all know history is filled with influential people and
institutions that have defined religion for the masses
based upon their own selfish needs. For example,
King Henry VIII, the man who authorized the first
English translation of the Bible, was married six times
and essentially had the British Empire separate from
the Roman Catholic Church so he could
divorce in peace. Then there's King James,
whose own writings suggest he was secretly
gay or bisexual, according to historians such
as Michael B. Young and Caroline Bingham.
He was directed to marry for the sake of the
throne before authorizing the version of the
Bible that swapped "kadesh" for "Sodomite"
in the first place. Hmm, where have we heard
that story -- closeted gay politician with an
anti-gay policy -- before?
throne before authorizing the version of the
Bible that swapped "kadesh" for "Sodomite"
in the first place. Hmm, where have we heard
that story -- closeted gay politician with an
anti-gay policy -- before?
But theology and history aside, it is clear
from the lack of consistent reaction to and
organization against the litany of other
present-day sins that a large number of people
who call themselves Christians do not follow the
literal interpretation of the Bible either. So,
if some of us are picking and choosing which
Bible verses to follow, why are so many opting
to pick and choose verses that appear to condemn
homosexuality and not the one against marrying
a woman who isn't a virgin?
from the lack of consistent reaction to and
organization against the litany of other
present-day sins that a large number of people
who call themselves Christians do not follow the
literal interpretation of the Bible either. So,
if some of us are picking and choosing which
Bible verses to follow, why are so many opting
to pick and choose verses that appear to condemn
homosexuality and not the one against marrying
a woman who isn't a virgin?
If sin is sin, why such Christian angst directed
at the GLBT community and not the greedy
corporate community, which, quite frankly,
has more direct impact on the average
person's life?
at the GLBT community and not the greedy
corporate community, which, quite frankly,
has more direct impact on the average
person's life?
The answer is simple: Those who are
uncomfortable or fearful of someone who
is different from them sometimes hide behind
religion to gain power, nurture their ignorance and justify their prejudices.
uncomfortable or fearful of someone who
is different from them sometimes hide behind
religion to gain power, nurture their ignorance and justify their prejudices.
It's no different from Christian slave owners using
Scriptures to feel better about enslaving Africans,
or men pointing to Jezebel as a way to keep women
out of the clergy, or Bob Jones University picking
verses that supported the school's ban
on interracial dating.
Scriptures to feel better about enslaving Africans,
or men pointing to Jezebel as a way to keep women
out of the clergy, or Bob Jones University picking
verses that supported the school's ban
on interracial dating.
The extremists aren't fighting gay rights because
of sin and honoring Leviticus 18:22. If they were,
then where are the faith-based organizations
spending millions trying to make adultery a crime
punishable by death, as suggested in
Leviticus 20:10? Is 18:22 more true than
20:10, or does it just support a more common
and entrenched prejudice?
of sin and honoring Leviticus 18:22. If they were,
then where are the faith-based organizations
spending millions trying to make adultery a crime
punishable by death, as suggested in
Leviticus 20:10? Is 18:22 more true than
20:10, or does it just support a more common
and entrenched prejudice?
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