Marriage Equality and the Bible

As you may have noticed, I very rarely respond to people on Facebook who say that they are opposed to same-sex marriage because the Bible tells us that homosexuality is an abomination. For example, on November 7, 2012 (the day after election day), I posted this:

"We have finally reached a point where same-sex marriage actually passes when put to a popular vote! Very happy to see that happening!"

That status update received three comments. The first stated, "Do your own research on sodom and gamora [sic]. Use whatever literature you'd like. Let me know how they turned out." The second comment, exactly as it was posted, read, "READ THE BOOK OF GENESIS,about the UNGODLY, cpt 6 the story about the flood is God's JUDGMENT ON SIN ,INCLUDING SEXUAL IMMORALITY."

I did not see the point in responding to either comment. I think people who have that mindset are the same people who would try to shout me down if I actually tried to have a rational conversation with them about the subject. They are also the same people who would claim that their hatred for an entire group of people is based on their religion, which is supposed to be founded in love.

Actually, they would claim that they "hate the sin, but love the sinner," which perfectly explains why they cited biblical verses in which God destroys the people that they "love."

Well, in what is probably a futile attempt to actually reach a few people who still hold this outdated view, my general rule about not responding changes now.

I guess I'll start with Sodom and Gomorrah, since that is the part most often cited by the people who hold this view. What's interesting to me is that those people often leave out one particular part of that story.

The story -- found in Genesis 19 -- begins with two angels coming to Sodom, and being taken in by Lot as his guests. Now, I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but it does not appear that Lot knew that the men were angels at this point. The men of Sodom surrounded Lot's house and said, "Bring [the men] out to us, so that we may know them." Most people agree that the word "know" in this context has a sexual connotation to it, meaning that the men of Sodom wanted to rape the two men that were in Lot's home.

Here comes the part that nobody ever mentions, and the reason why this story should never be used as a moral authority ever again! According to Genesis 19:8, Lot's reply was, "Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please."

Yes, Lot actually offered to let the men of Sodom gang rape his two virgin daughters if they would not harm these two men that he had just met! (I'm sure some people will be offended by me putting it that way, but I'm not going to sugarcoat it, and I would ask that you consider whether my interpretation is wrong.)

Now, I've spent a lot of time in fundamentalist churches. I have heard a countless number of references to Sodom and Gomorrah, and how it teaches us about the sin of homosexuality. I honestly had never heard about Lot's response until very recently, when I decided to read Genesis 19 for myself. Maybe someone who likes to parade this story around to promote your beliefs can explain why you always leave that part out. Could it be that you know the story would be completely rejected if more people knew about that part of it?

Finishing up with Sodom and Gomorrah, and I can't believe I actually have to say this, but the men of Sodom were attempting to commit the violent act of rape. This is very different from two people being in a loving, committed relationship with each other.

I'm sure many people would point out that there are other parts of the Bible that condemn homosexuality, and they are absolutely right. The best response to that is probably the Letter to Dr. Laura that circulated on the Internet years ago. I will not repeat the entire letter here, but if you have never read it, I strongly encourage you to click on the link and do so. I would, however, like to ask my fundamentalist friends what they think the punishment for homosexuality should be? As far as I know, the Bible does not mention "conversion therapy," nor does it advise us to "pray the gay away." If we really are to follow what the Bible says as strictly as possible, we must execute all gay people. Leviticus 20:13 tells us that "if a man lies with a male as with a woman . . . they [both] shall be put to death." If you consider yourself a fundamentalist Christian, and you do not believe that gay people should be put to death, please explain how you reconcile this view with Leviticus 20:13.

If anyone reading this actually believes that we should execute gay people, I would point out that a woman who is not a virgin on her wedding night is to be stoned to death, according to Deuteronomy 22. A son who is stubborn and rebellious also requires execution (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), as does working on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-36), as well as a number of other offenses that we would now consider rather mundane. Again, I would ask you to explain yourself if you are a fundamentalist Christian who does not believe that people who fall into these categories should be executed. More importantly, though, please explain why you are not promoting the outlawing of premarital sex or working on the Sabbath with the same level of passion that you use to promote laws banning same-sex marriage.

Once again, I feel compelled to state that I am not attacking Christianity. I am a Christian myself, despite the belief of many that one cannot be both a liberal and a Christian. No matter what anyone says, though, it cannot be denied that there are so many concepts from the Bible (slavery, for example) that we rejected a very long time ago. Why, then, do we want to hold on to this particular idea so tightly? Why do so many Christians insist that gay and lesbian couples should not be allowed to make the same commitment to each other that the rest of us are allowed to make?


P.S. For a great book that says all of this a lot better than I just did, I strongly recommend God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage, by Bishop Gene Robinson.