painting by Lisa Brunell text by John J. McGinnis
They say that wisdom come’s with age. With that in mind, my 64 years on this earth has led me to question traditional religious attitudes and traditional religious definitions. In particular, today I want to talk about the religious morality surrounding homosexuality that places so much pressure on Holy Scripture.
Why is this prejudice so deep and so widely assumed to be self-evident that major religious denominations simply quote the Bible as justification to continue their oppression and rejection of gay and lesbian people? Take the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Here traditional religious churches cite this as a biblical account, which of course is justification of God’s condemnation of this behavior. If one was read this story more carefully, one might realize that it is a story involving hospitality laws, gang rape and violent malevolence toward women.
Claims of biblical literalism are not a call of people to the values of justice, but in reality a way to justify existing prejudice by keeping oneself secure inside a way of life that cannot be challenged by any new insight or fact. Those who adhere to the biblical literalism deny that homosexual orientation is not a matter of choice, but a matter of ontology; that is, it is of the being, not the doing. This phenomenon has been present in human life since the dawn of human history. How can we, the human population of the 21st century, really believe that the authors of the Bible had knowledge on this subject superior to those of our species now occupying terra firma?
There are those who claim that the Bible is very clear about homosexuality and take pains to quote selected passages to buttress their beliefs. Left out of their justifications are passages that condemn witches and mediums that were used until the eighteenth century to justify the murders of countless women, and that condemned homosexuality and justified the burning at the stake of mant persons thought to be living a responsible gay or lesbian life.
How can anyone who has read this book be so foolish as to proclaim that the Bible in every literal word was the divinely inspired, inherent word of god? Have they not simply read the text?
If all these things were part of a Bible that had to be believed as the literal word of God, I for one, cannot give myself in worship to such a deity. These words have been used throughout history to justify the divine right of kings, the continuation of slavery, the drowning of the Egyptians at the Red Sea, political oppression and mute the criticism of various injustices.
It is time to end this relentless oppression of others by claiming the Bible as God’s Word and thus relegating the majority of the non-believing human family that walks on this great planet as somehow subhuman.
7 comments:
All I can say is, "amen, brother." Why are people homophobic? Do we need scapegoats for our own fear and self-loathing?
I agree with every word. May I direct you to the March 09 issue of the Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/archbishop-canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is struggling to keep the Episcopal/Anglican union. And what a struggle it is. The most impressive part of the article is a discussion of Archbishop Williams' paper on grace and homosexuality. Everyone, of every sexual orientation, is deserving of what Williams calls "the grace of the body."
I remember something in the Good Book referring to those who "cast stones" in reference to "sin". I would think it wise for those of a homophobic nature, to consider those words of wisdom, before casting judgement on their fellow human beings. Madison makes a good point.
The broad acceptance or allowance that there seems to be, all over the world, for the tendency to take the most highly revered written word, whether it's the Bible, the Koran, The Constitution, etc., and contort this in order to serve a manipulative, controlling, and unjust end, is incredible to me. I find this to be amazingly common and achingly devastating for humans, if not all of Earth. I see this as being a key factor within the human condition which I feel needs to be understood better and somehow addressed. It's just so prevalent though... where to begin?
We see this happening in so many ways around us, really, that I guess it doesn't matter whether it's the Bible being misconstrued, or labor laws, or school policy, or the ostracizing of an innocent person who's not willing to follow the status quo... it's impudent scapegoating no matter how you slice it. It's just that the repercussions of this callous reality are so pervasive and far-reaching, when it comes down to the masses following the dictates of those in a position of power.
I know that living in a way which honestly makes an effort not to buy into this personally, can go a long way when it comes to freeing up each person individually, but what can be done more broadly? I really don't know the answer to this because I don't think it's right to dictate, to those caught-up in this struggle, that they can't take part in doing this any more. Or maybe it is okay on the practical level of establishing the laws we have now which aim to protect people's rights and prevent hate crimes. But how can people be educated about the violence resulting from these prejudices, and that this just isn't okay?
Some other questions to think about: Why are so many people caught-up in this? What's the point? What are the nuts & bolts which keep this scapegoating anchored in place?
Anne, I wish there were easy answers to the questions and concerns you raise. This issue and the way it's disccused make me queasy. I'm going to take a stab at it, though, because this is so important.
The enduring hatred of homosexuals is another manifestation of rejection of the Other, that which we don't understand/don't want to understand. I personally think it's weird to demonize what I don't understand. My God, I'd be on my own crucifixion campaign all day every day if I were to demonize all that I don't understand!
Your question about educating people is key. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I can't remember a time when I didn't know that gays and lesbians existed and that they were considered a "freak show." Their communities played into this a bit, with spectacles like the Gay Pride parades and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Beach Blanket Babylon--all things that I was exposed to in my late teens and came to see the humor AND the pain in them and to appreciate. By that time I was already painfully aware of my own Otherness--being an artist, being female, always feeling different and acutely feeling the separation between myself and other people--so in striving for my acceptance, I was very open to the fact that the GLBQT community was struggling in the same way. In college I got to know some gays and lesbians who were very generous in sharing their coming out stories with me. This is a kind of education. I wish it didn't have to happen at the expense of feeling rejected.
I DO think there's a chance for this to be addressed. It would have to start with discussions in the school about the civil rights movement. Despite the state of the discourse right now, gay rights ARE civil rights. I love that the discussion is leading to a realization that ALL marriages in this country ought to be civil, with the option of having a religious ceremony at another time (if that floats your boat. In fact, as I'm typing this, I'm thinking my husband and I, who are celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, might renew our vows in a civil service, as a show of solidarity to our gay and lesbian friends). I'm sure this history is being taught more effectively in some schools and areas of the country than in others. I can't see, for instance, that frank discussions about homosexuality are going to happen any time soon, if ever, in some areas of this country. Sex education could address homosexuality, too, although as you're no doubt aware, many of our school districts, including the one where my kids are educated, are coming off years of abstinence-based or abstinence-only curricula. One area where there might be success is in the continuing development of critical thinking skills throughout all the years of formal education , so that the kids can make the connection between how disenfranchised groups have achieved more parity through protest and policymaking and questioning and to celebrate these struggles rather than imply that they're wrong to complain, they've gone too far, when will there be an end to their requests for more rights. In other words, give young people the permission to expect fair treatment, for themselves and those in their community who are perceived to be less than equal.
Whew!
Diana
A retired Episcopalian priest, who worked and lives in the D.C. area, wrote to me after reading John's editorial here. She offered the perspective that this literal take on the Bible is uncommon in sophisticated or even only reasonably well educated mainstream Christian people. She holds the view that the Bible is full of story and metaphor, and writes: "Inspired, in many parts, by God? Perhaps - dictated verbatim? NO!"
Since I've never been a church-goer, I don't really know what the prevailing view is there, overall. I'm sure that what this priest has offered is true in her area, and it's certainly the view I hold myself. But looking at this from a perspective of trying to get an idea of where literal interpretation is the prevailing view, I do know that there is a big swell happening in the Third Wave or New Apostolic Reformation movement right now, which I think does take this stuff literally, and which I find to be particularly scary. Here's a link to a very well done documentary video, and even better write-up on what this is all about:
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/13/1538/09770�
And then there's the rest of the world. I'm really not well educated in this area, but I get the impression a lot of the tensions in the Middle East are due to not only literal interpretation, but by the nailing down of particular prophet's interpretations in a way that enslaves many to their view. So I'm interested in what people think about how big this literal application is, as a force out there? And how present is this in the US compared to other parts of the world. Also, is there some way we can work to unplug the devastating impact of this manipulative, oppressive, and way too often deadly reality?
Diana's last post helped me to see that, not only was I getting a bit out of hand in my initial input here, by expanding the subject to all possible degrees of scapegoating, I also made no attempt to "bring it home". I was trying to reach out and show how it's not just gay's and lesbian's who bear the brunt of this, but that the same unjust nailing and shunning is probably more widely practiced than we think. So I'll try now to bring it down to our immediate lives, and then home to the self.
I know there's a natural (usually unseen) tendency in any group, big or small, for a scapegoat of sorts to be singled out. I think this is where the saying, "There's one in every group." comes from. No time to sort out why this is right now, I only know that it is. And even though you might think it's the "bully" who would become ostracized, it seems to me that the bully is busy dominating and bullying their way to the top of the heap... and that people are often too intimidated to confront this person on their callous behavior, or overpowering-overshadowing stance. After all, it's a dog-eat-dog world, right? Well I tend to think that, if we allow this, then we're really all done for. But in this way, the bully is not usually the scapegoat. Even if there were a reasonable attempt to call the bully on their behavior, they're not likely to be shamed into withdrawal. Putting them in jail is about as far removed as they get, and then there's another hierarchy to dominate in there.
The scapegoat ends up being someone, or a group of people, who can be chided into submission, and who either willingly withdraw, or can be intimidated into exclusion. So with gays, for instance, what Diana sights as healthy acceptance and understanding of this needed and dignified effort to come forward in establishing equal rights, is to be celebrated. This is an important answer to the scapegoat problem, on the scapegoat end of things anyway... just don't be put down.
But for those in the group who don't want to see this scapegoating trend take hold, it seems important to look for the individual who might seem out-off-place, or who is not being allowed their voice. Make an effort to connect with them instead of looking askance at them. For instance: the only bottle-feeding parent in a group of mom's who are big on breastfeeding kids... give credence to their choice, whatever the reason. Or the only non-athletic person in a mandatory game of more active kids/people... find a lighthearted way to help them and maybe relish being the underdog. Why does it seem that so many have forgotten that there are more important things than "winning"?
And then the real challenge is bringing this idea even further in. If a person looks at how all the the different parts of who they are interact with each other: the ego; the feeling nature (not necessarily emotional); masculine or more aggressive expression; the feminine self; the mind or the reasoning part; desire for structure and security; as well as the need, the drive, to explore and venture out; that part which likes to rebel; as well as any secretive or hermit tendencies; any mystical aspect; or any intense survival instinct part, etc... then it's actually possible to see how this scapegoating and even bullying might be going on inside yourself.
There are often inner conflicts to work out... after all, when looking at these internal workings, you're dealing with a full spectrum of varied aspects... not just a group of more-less like-minded people. So most people are bound to be a long way from "All for one, and one for all!" internally. But by just making a sincere effort to grasp who the dictators are... do you have any bullying going on? Is there some part of you that you just hate and don't even want to look at? Is there some very quiet aspect which is fine with not being very visible, but if encouraged, or enlisted, might make a great impartial mediator? You can actually apply these solutions to scapegoating internally, allow all the parts that want to, to have a voice, and maybe be a bit more free, and at peace, than before.
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