<<<DISCLAIMER>>>
Before you read this, know that I am a Christian. I believe the Bible as truth, spoken by God to the men that wrote it. I don't for a second believe that throughout history Biblical truths were lost in translation and morphed into something that reflects cultural norms. So, what I'm saying is, if you're going to judge me because of my religious beliefs, more power to you. I'm writing this because I have a bigger point to get across which I'll get to towards the end of this post and if you can't get to the end because you disagree with my PERSONAL beliefs, then by all means, please stop reading NOW and save us both the drama. I don't want drama, this is just a post about me wrestling things around in my head. Again...if you start some drama by suggesting that I'm intolerant, ignorant, or other stereotypical adjective, please don't read this post.
Biblical Translations and Truth
The earliest copies of the Jewish Bible, or Tanakh, are the Aleppo Codex and Leningrad Codex written in Hebrew over 3000 years ago. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947, represent another early copy of the Jewish Bible and are believed to be between 2000-2100 years old. The original text of the scrolls was written in Hebrew, Aramiac, and Greek and encompasses most of the Old Testament and is an accurate translation from the Tanakh. The next historical hard copy of the Bible is the Septuagint, translated from Hebrew to Greek between 300-200 BC because many Jews were beginning to lose Hebrew as their common language. This transcript includes all 39 copies of the original Old Testament.
My point is: current translations of the Word are accurate translations of the earliest copies of the Bible. Anyone doubting Biblical translation can trace verses and books back to these early copies. There are so many ancient copies of the Bible that all reflect the original text that's make it hard to dispute that current translations were changed. The idea that the Bible has changed over time is true only in that it's now available in many languages and versions, so all peoples of Earth can read it, yet untrue in that it's been altered from the original text to accommodate today's "intolerant" attitude.
Biblical Views on Homosexuality
Most everyone knows the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament as this is the main story Christians use to reference homosexuality. To sum it up, God saw the sin of Sodom as "so grievous" (Genesis 18:20) and decided He should destroy the city. The only direct reference that I found to homosexuality is where the men of Sodom try to get at the angels sent by God to save Lot's family. The men said to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so we can have sex with them." (Genesis 19:5). I would bet there was much more going on in Sodom and Gomorrah than just homosexual relations, this is just the one point that God chose to bring out in the story. I know this story well, as it's the one my mom used to spout at me when she would come across a gay person.I decided when the Supreme Court made their ruling that I would do my own Biblical research because I needed to get my own perspective. Instead of starting with the law of the Old Testament, I wanted to start in the New Testament, written AFTER the death of Christ covered all law with grace. Romans chapter 1 delved into the wrath of God against mankind. In a nutshell, because of humankind's godlessness and worship of idols, God "gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity," (Romans 1:24). The text goes on to talk about women lying with women and men with men, but also covers a multitude of sin including: gossip, slander, arrogance, ruthlessness, heartlessness, disobedience, and faithlessness. Okay....this seems to cover many sins, not just homosexuality.
Christ on Homosexuality
I wanted to know what Jesus said about homosexuality because the common belief is that He never spoke on it. In fact, Christ did speak on it, but because of translation, it's not as direct as most people would like.
The Word
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," (John 1:1). The Word is a Biblical name for Jesus, meaning that Christ was there at the creation of the Earth, and was part of the triune God from the get-go. This equates to the fact that Jesus was there when the words of the Old Testament were written, at the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, and since He is God, he condemned it as well. This seems like a far stretch for people who don't see Christ as God or as being present at the creation of the universe. I do believe he was there, so this isn't as hard for me.
Greek Translation
For a more, to-the-point statement, look to Matthew. In Chapter 15, Jesus is being questioned by the Pharisees (high-level Jewish priests) and teachers about the disciples not washing their hands before they eat which was a tradition of their elders. Jesus calls out these men stating that they use scripture for their own benefit and only pull out the parts they want (many do this even now). Jesus went on to say that what goes into a man's mouth cannot make him unclean, but rather the things that come out of a man's mouth come from the heart which in itself is sinful. My Bible states, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander."
The italicized phrase above doesn't indicate homosexuality, right? You have to look back at to some of the ancient texts and culture to get the real meaning. During the time when Christ spoke these words, he knew the culture surrounding him and chose his words carefully. The italicized phrase is translated from the word porneus, a word used over the doors of Roman brothels where all manner of sexual practices happened including premarital sex, bestiality, pedophilia, and homosexuality. Christ did not use this term without knowing its meaning in the culture around him.
THE BIGGER POINT
I know some gay couples and some bisexual couples. They are fabulous people who work very hard to make this world a better place. They are more like Christ (being loving, kind, helping the weak, poor, and orphans) than some Christians I know. Therein lies my grappling point. While I believe homosexuality to be Biblically wrong, I also don't think that Christ ever intended people like this from Westboro Baptist to protest in his name.
My bigger point is: Christians shouldn't pass judgement on others. I'll be the first to say I've done it. I do it. I'm very, very guilty of this particular sin. Westboro Baptist folks: Your hate and judgement is also a sin!! The problem with society as a whole is we tend to compartmentalize and give weight to sin. God doesn't do this. This, I suppose, is why in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God chose to include many different sins, not just homosexuality. God hates the little white lies we tell as much as he hates murder, rape, incest, and child abuse. We, as a society, give weight to sin, not God. All sin is equal in his eyes and should be in ours. I try to be kind, giving, loving, like Christ with everyone. Do I succeed? Not always. Definitely not always.
I am human and filled with a sinful heart, just like those that Christ spoke of in Matthew 15.
Do I think gay couples should be able to get married? Sure. Before the right-wingers fly off the handle, let me explain. I read a story about two men who had been together for decades. Because they weren't married, one partner's sister took control of her brother's bank accounts, his health decisions, and ultimately evicted one partner from her brother's (their) home because the current laws allowed her to. HORRIBLE. She shouldn't have been allowed to override the powers of attorney and other legal documents this couple had in place just because they were gay. Gay couples deserve the same legal protection that heterosexual couples do. All people deserve protection and basic human rights, not just heterosexual folks.
There lies my conundrum. While I struggle with Biblical truth, I also believe it's God's job to judge sin, not mine. It's my job to love EVERYONE and treat EVERYONE with kindness and respect, regardless of sexual orientation, race, creed, etc. Christ loved sinners....THANK GOD! He hung out with them often. In many New Testament stories, he taught about seeking out the lost and greeting them with open arms, not picketing with hate speech. This is where a lot of us Christians go wrong and give our Savior a bad name. Ultimately, we will all stand before God and face the judgement for our sins. I just hope when I do, He sees a life full of love for the lost, the poor, the broken, and even....(insert gasp here) homosexuals.
On a side note and perhaps in another post: the immediate pigeon-holing and labeling that comes as a result of believing in the Bible and trying to follow its principals is just as intolerant and "hate-filled". I'm sure, despite my disclaimer at the top, someone will have something snarky or hateful to say which is the same behavior the Westboro Baptist people tend to show, but in reverse. Interesting how it's fine to treat Christians terribly and immediately label us as hatemongers and bigots, but not okay for Christians to speak out on anything that we believe in, huh?
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