My last post, “Is Homosexuality a Sin? Leviticus Says Otherwise,” has triggered backlash from the fundamentalists. The floodgates of internet trolls opened when I shared this post on Facebook. Apparently, I’m a false prophet! I must say, I sure do appreciate the time these individuals have invested into attacking my research… with the same faulty methods I previously wrote about. Let’s go!! This post is written just for you, the haters deriding my attempts to do what Jesus did: spread love, not hate.
Reviewing these comments, I noticed quite a few trends that I would like to address in this post. Legalistic mindsets in the church, interpreting translations of translations of translations, and, of course, using the Bible as a political weapon to promote hate and division. Out of these comments, my favorites are those that label me a false prophet. I love it! If Jesus were alive today, these evangelicals, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, would crucify him all over again… or hide out in the comments section reveling in their biases.
1. Yes, I am aware of other verses speaking on “homosexuality”
Go right ahead. Cite your modern, politicized translations of Romans, 1 Corinthians, 1 Timothy, and the like. Had I written the post on any of these passages, I am sure the comments would be filled with “But Leviticus Says!…” I study the Bible, I am not ignorant of such passages. One blog post does not allow me the space to address each and every verse. However, maybe I should write on some of these others! Thanks for the ideas!
Quite a few of these comments mention Sodom and Gomorrah. Why were these cities destroyed? American fundamentalists will answer, “Because the people were gay!” Wow. Here we have the issue of context that I mentioned before. We also have ignorance. In stories such as this and Judges 19, same-sex relations are not condemned. What is condemned is nonconsensual sex and sexual abuse. That is why Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed! C’mon, people.
2. You are not reading the real sources, folks.
The Bible collecting dust on your nightstand? Guess what? That is not the original Bible. That is a translation, and things get lost in translation much easier than you think. Have you ever wondered where the King James Version gets its name? It is not because King James translated the Bible. It is named such because King James VI and I sponsored the translation. The translators wanted to appease the king! Not only so, but they were paid to do this. A quick Google search will show you that the KJV is chock full of political biases.
The KJV is not the only faulty translation of the Bible. All English translations have errors! Keep in mind that these sources are attempting to translate an ancient source, written in an ancient culture, with ancient laws and presuppositions (again, I mentioned this in my previous post). There are certain words in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that we still do not know the definitions of.
The Bible is a complicated work. Interpretation is much harder than Googling “verses that condemn homosexuality.” Try opening your mind a bit. Try taking in another perspective. When you do these things, your understanding of the Scriptures will widen. And you will realize that your old ways, the ones you have engaged in this week, are wrong.
3. Um… this is a modern problem
The LGBTQ community did not exist in the biblical world. There was no pride flag. The ratio of heterosexual to homosexual individuals was much, much different back then. Again, we have an issue of culture. The terms homosexual, gay, lesbian, bi, etc. did not exist in this world. Obviously, same-sex relations have been around for a long time. However, the writers of the Bible did not view this the same way we do in our heavily politicized world.
This is an example of what I consider a tremendous fallacy. You are using an ancient source to provide commentary on modern issues. There are a lot of things wrong with this methodology. It is flawed and baseless. We can admit that, in that day, same-sex relationships were not necessarily praised. But that does not mean the Bible condemns such actions. We really need to grasp the cultural norms, languages, and words of this era before decisively saying, “The Bible says that’s a sin!”
4. I never said the Bible endorses homosexuality
I guess I thought this would be too obvious to some of the readers I have attracted. The Bible never encourages same-sex relations; but it does not prohibit them, either. A few comments read something along the lines of “’Living by the Logos?’ More like living by sin!” Oooo, burn. Goodness people, you are thinking too hard and still not solving the basic math. You can live by the Logos without living by the legalistic, bigoted nature of the church. I guess that would make too much sense.
What does it mean to “live by the Logos,” anyways? Well, it means doing the opposite of what you are doing. It is about spreading love throughout the world, not hate through online comments. It means following in the example of Christ: loving those you disagree with. Loving those who have different lifestyle choices. It means loving the gay as well as the Christian; the alcoholic as well as the saint; the helpless as much as the hopeful. What are these churches teaching these days?!
I guess I’m sorry that the website’s title is misleading? I’m sorry that you cannot distinguish between living by the Logos and living by the laws of your church? Or, I’m sorry that these apologies are honestly not sincere? Did Jesus encourage prostitution by loving and defending prostitutes? No? Then I am not endorsing sin by defending the basic human rights of other people.
5. Your equal hatred and denial encourage me to continue in my efforts.
Just because you are upset that I speak the truth does not mean that I am going to stop what I am doing here. Quite the opposite, actually. You are pouring gasoline on an open flame. I know you think that you are a hero and Jesus is going to reward you for presenting your version of the truth in Facebook comments but… That is not going to stop me. I will continue this movement. I will continue to deconstruct your ideology/theology of hatred.
These comments have only reminded me of my mission here: to stop the needless hating that your savior told you not to do. My mission to end the suffering that the church has caused millions of people in its existence. Call me a hippie, but I am here to promote truth, peace, and love. Just as Jesus did.
Remember, once upon a time, I was an ignorant fundamentalist, too. I thought that these politicized translations we call the KJV or NIV promoted forcing people into submission. But while studying at a strictly fundamentalist university, I realized that Christianity stands in opposition to what the Bible teaches. And I will continue to remind the world of this tragedy. You can try to silence me but know that you are only strengthening my case.
Christianity is losing the war against the LGBTQ community; the United Methodist Church is a great example of this. People are beginning to realize that being gay is not going to send you to hell. Because hell is not real and homosexuality is not a sin. Two hundred years ago, Christianity used the Bible to support slavery. Now, in the 21st Century, we know that slavery is a sin. So too, then, is the mindless animosity the church shows toward people who embrace their identities.
In Closing…
Keep it up! Tag your pastors, fellow churchgoers, and MAGA enthusiasts. Show them how wrong I am… and I will show you how ignorant you are of the very source you claim to live by, claiming to live by it better than me. Anyway, I digress.
Thanks for labeling me a false prophet! I’ll be sure to add that to my resumé.
Yours truly,
Luke.