Don’t let gay-bashers cherry pick the Bible.

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1. Erika Price says:

   September 1, 2006 at 7:03 pm

   I once asked a pastor about some of the absurd demands of Leviticus, including some of the above as well as that God will condemn us as “unclean” for touching the skin of a pig (Lev 11:6-8). I asked if that scripture deemed anyone who has ever played football unclean. He gave some vague response that “we have moved beyond biblical times, times have changed, and the Lord understands that those rules aren’t important anymore.” He also said that Jesus presented a new covenant between God and man, which he claimed negated the Old Testament’s demands.

   Yet somehow, this same Pastor still fell back on Leviticus to oppose homosexuality! I asked him what made this Old Testament law any different from the rest, and he went on an essentially unrelated diatribe about the high rate of drug addiction and suicide among male homosexuals, and how this serves as “proof” that God still doesn’t approve of gays. Obviously, the Bible has nothing to do it- it just serves as an excuse for bigotry the same way this man’s psuedoscience did.
2. Erich Vieth says:

   September 9, 2007 at 11:15 pm

   Here is full copy of the anonymous letter sent to radio personality “Dr. Laura”:

   Dear Dr. Laura,

   Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, 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.

   a) 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. Should I smite them?

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

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

   d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?

   e) 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?

   f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this?

   g) Lev 21:20 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?

   h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

   i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

   j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

   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.

   Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

   For more on this letter, see http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/drlaura.asp
3. Erich Vieth says:

   December 20, 2007 at 11:18 pm

   My conversion text is the 25th chapter of Matthew, where Jesus said, “As you’ve done to the least of these, you’ve done to me.” I don’t hear Bush ever talking about the Sermon on the Mount; I just don’t hear it. I’m hard pressed to think of teachings of Jesus that are being talked about in the White House.

   Jesus didn’t speak at all about homosexuality. There are about 12 verses in the Bible that touch on that question. Most of them are very contextual. There are thousands of verses on poverty. I don’t hear a lot of that conversation.

   What you really don’t hear [from Bush] is Jesus saying, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Or even more, how many sermons have we heard since Sept. 11 on the text, “Love your enemies?” It hasn’t been a very popular text since Sept. 11. Well, we should at least have a debate about what Jesus meant by blessed are the peacemakers and love your enemies in a world full of terrorism and tyranny.

   I remember Bill O’Reilly one night was yelling at me about Iraq. I said, “Bill, what would Jesus do? Can you imagine him climbing into the cockpit of a B-52 and dropping a load of bombs over Baghdad?” And Bill said, “Well, Jesus would surely want to protect the American people.” And I said, “Really? What about the Iraqis?” “Well, well, them, too.” Once you start talking about this in a religious frame, it’s troubling.

   The Republicans will not hold [Bush] accountable to the biblical prophets when they think all the issues are about abortion, and the Democrats don’t even know the language. He gets away with it. There’s got to be a progressive religious response to Bush that says, “We don’t quibble with your piety, but we challenge your theology.” There is no American exceptionalism in the Bible. The Gospel is uneasy with empire—except American empire?

   Jim Walls, an evangelical Christian, in an interview with Mother Jones. http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2005/03/gods_politics_jim_wallis.html
4. Erich Vieth says:

   October 20, 2009 at 9:50 am

   Dan Savage talks about cherry-picking: