Religion and homosexuality.

Off-topic
1

Since Prop 8 is still a hot subject, here are some thoughts regarding religion and homosexuality.

In this TED talk by A.J. Jacobs, he talks about the year he spend trying to literally follow the bible. In the end, he says that he failed miserably, and that it’s simply impossible to follow everying in the bible. Examples of how he couldn’t literally follow the bible include stoning adulterers, cutting off women’s hands, and not sitting on chairs that menstruating women have used.

He also mentions many other things in the bible that are possible to follow, but even the most god-fearing Christian doesn’t. These include things like wearing mixed fibers and not shaving the corner of one’s beard. Apparently there are thousands of things like this.

Therefore, by necessity, those who follow the bible, pick choose the what they follow.

A.J. claims that there is nothing wrong with that, but thou shall pick and choose the right parts. He goes on about choosing the parts of the bible about compassion, tolerance and loving your neighbor.

Why then do certain churches and their followers pick and choose to follow parts of the bible that oppress gay people? According to the “red letter christians” (those who only follow the parts of the bible that Jesus actually said), Jesus never even talked about homosexuality.

The next time you speak about homosexuality being a sin, you’d better not be sitting. A menstruating woman may have sat there once.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/a_j_jacobs_year_of_living_biblically.html

2

I thought all religious people were homosexuals… am I misinformed?

3

this is long, but totally worth it. send it to your friends.

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. How should I deal with this?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as it suggests in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may buy slaves from the nations that are around us. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Can you clarify?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 10:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 20:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.

A Fan

4

This made my day.

5

Facepalm. I’m no literelast Chrispy, but wow.

The guy is a prankster, sure, but he obviously still doesn’t know what he’s talking about in the slightest. I’m surprised they let a guy like this on TED. I might as well go on TED and do a biology lecture (which I know zero about) after living with a dog for a year if their standards are that low.

6

On that note I must add: I certainly found that entertaining :slight_smile:

He’s right that the Bible shouldn’t be taken literally to that exent! He’s right that lots of parts of it are no longer relevant. A few other good points as well.

7

i just finished reading parts of the bible for summer reading for my senior ap english class. its hard to understand.

8

Billy!? Is that you!?

9

Which parts? Says who, and who’s the authority on that?

10

Show me what you find in your bible, and I will understand you better - but I won’t know any more about the bible.

I’m not a Christian myself, but I don’t disagree with a single word that Jesus wrote.

11

this made my day too :slight_smile:

12

Do you mean literally “wrote” or do you mean is reputed to have said?

Or am I just being too American?

13

I literally meant “wrote”.

As in, “I don’t disagree with a single word that Jesus wrote.”

“But he didn’t write anything - at least, if he did, none of his writing has survived that we know of.”

“So, how do we know what he said?”

“By the reports written by other people later.”

“But how do we know they are accurate?”

“We don’t - in fact it is incredibly unlikley that they are accurate as they were writing years after the event, and had vested interests and their own agendas - and even what they wrote has been edited and translated numerous times before reaching us.”

“Oh…”

(But I was trying to be succinct and to leave people to think it through themselves.)

14

Most of what I see if I flip the channels on my TV right now isn’t accurate and it’s really, really current!

Meanwhile, still wondering which parts are no longer relevant, and expecting a different answer from each person who responds…

15

I never read something in a bible. Actually I touched a bible twice, as far as I know.

16

I got a school letter for my parents on the 4th grade cause according to my teacher I was “unable to search quotes in the bible”, I presented a certain “indifference while talking about the bible” and apparently I wasn’t initiated in the christianity :wink:

No I’m not christian, and yes this text made my day… :roll_eyes:

I TOTALLY agree with most of the LESSONS that the bible passes, but I just get really pissed when the church (catholic or not) starts to take things literally, so I used to question a lot my teachers and priests at school (the american school in Brasil is essentially catholic). Specially in countries like I live (ascending “third world” countries), the church is REALLY corrupt: Pedophile scandals (even if that happens all around the world), stealing, manipulation… That happens quite often, so I decided to stay away from institutions…

Some evangelical churches stills aks 10% of people money every month… A couple that owns a big one was arrested in the USA with some millions of dollars with unknown precedence… That’s just crazy… Anybody should support the institution of your believe, in the way they can! 10% of someone who wins a 250USD salary is a lot! People don’t eat to support rich people who just take advantage of them!

Well, I like to take lessons from every religion, life philosophy and ideals I know… All of them have good and bad spots… You just have to take what’s best form each one and the one that makes you happy… I’ve been to Catholic, Evangelical, Presbyterian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hinduist temples… All of them added something to me…

When it regards homosexuality, well, I really don’t care for other people options… As far they respect me I’ll respect them as a human beens.

I used to hang out with my ex-gf to some gay clubs… and we had some of our best nights over there… specially concerning dancing ad having fun! I met really interesting people there (criminal lawyers, doctors, students and even ambassadors!)…

In MY opinion churches should have nothing to do with sexual choices, or anything else. If the vatican wants to make a better world for example, they shouldn’t care if someone is hetero or homosexual, wears a condom or not… They should spread their world! If everybody respects everybody, what the bible - that was extremely influenced by politics and interests of the medieval society - originally claims, the world would be just great!

So, I’m basically like that: Do whatever you want, follow whatever you want! Just respect other people beliefs (what most of the churches including the catholic one doesn’t), lifestyles and choices!

I’ve choose to be a heterosexual, lazy, womanizer, video production addicted, party addicted unicyclist… That’s just me… Be whatever you want to be :smiley:

17

Oh… People worry so much about other people’s lives… I wonder why.

18

i have recently engaged myself in the Church of the Fonz. family guy allusion btw

19

Why religious folk stoned gays with rocks

It is important to understand what religion’s most important role was, before modern times. It has a different role now, in the age where a large army is less important than modern weapons during one’s quests for victory.

Prohibiting knowledge of birth control and non procreational sex was the first task of any successful ancient religion. This was of paramount importance in order to maximize the size of your army. Armys pop out of pregnant married woman. The children of unmarried woman tend to starve and die before they can grow up into soldiers. So it is only moral to insist a man be assigned to each woman to help feed the children. And trained to do only baby making sex.

Let’s say my tribe has a rule that we only do sex the baby making way, and we marry all the girls off young. We have a very high birth rate. Not every woman wants to birth 15 children, but most do.

Then let’s say my tribe has such a huge army after a while, we can’t feed all of them. A big problem ?, the downfall of my tribe ? LOL ! In your dreams !

No, just to the south there is your tribe, of hard fighting fag lovers who preach not only that gay sex is ok, but the use of sodomy as a form of birth control becomes common place. Much fewer people in each family, maybe 5 instead of 15. So I go to war against you sinning sodomites and Gomorrahites ( I’m guessing that’s oral ?). We enslave you and take your land. Jews , Christians, and Muslims all powered their military might with the same way of keeping the birth rate-army size, high. Allow someone to preach birth control (same techniques as gay sex) , and your army will not have enough men for what your army needs to prevent your culture and religion from being destroyed by my high birth rate culture. We may be bigoted, murderous, thieving, lying assholes on my side. But there sure is a hell of a lot more of us, which is what determines the grace of God. After we destroy your kind of religion, my kind is left. We will then make large buildings and gather in them in crowds dressed in finery, to sing songs glorifying our piety. I hear God is particularly fond of the theory of American exceptionalism . :wink:

It was only at the age of modern weapons that teaching birth control and tolerance for gays has been seen as not a threat to the size of the army. No longer is the size of the army seen as important, so now birth control, and thus gay sex, doesn’t scare the crap out of the common folk like these ideas did for most of history. Formally,to keep “the favor of God” (also known as not having your tribe wiped out ), you needed to preach to your people “only baby making sex in marriage” is ok.

The moral of the story ? If your moral dogma fails to suppress gay-type sex, your culture and religion had no morals. You would have been over run and everyone would be dead soon. Not so much because gay sex pisses off god. Teaching birth control to hetro folk must be prevented at all cost. Seen this way, stoning the gays had not just a logical consistency, it was a military necessity without which the republic could not have survived.

20

Wow, did you think that up and write it? Fascinating!

Reminds me of the movie Idiocracy. Ever seen that? Same concept, only without the help of a church. Stupid people and poor planners have more babies than smart people/better planners. Eventually they rule the world! :slight_smile: