For this "episode" of On the Box, I will attempt to discuss something that has been the bane of my gay existence since I was a child, the Bible. Before I go any further, I have to concede that this topic may be seen as a dead horse that has been beaten and beaten and beaten beyond recognition. But for all that beating, I have yet to receive an answer, a legitimate, honest, open, candid answer about modern Christianity's obsession with the Bible in its firm belief that being gay is bad.
I wrote a blog post already about some of the various verses in the Bible that purportedly decry homosexuality and have mentioned them in several others, so this topic will not be anything new to anyone who has read my blog. But I don't feel like I'm done because, as I just said, I have not received an answer yet.
The LDS church has a beautiful (genius, even) statement in its tenets, its Eighth Article of Faith, which begins, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly..." What an amazing safeguard to put in one's belief system, right?! Because of that, here is how things should logically go:
1.) Literally hundreds (if not thousands) of studies are done by cultural anthropologists, Bible scholars, religious scholars, linguists, historians, etc. that prove, time and time again, that the verses in the Bible that are used to condemn homosexuality are vague at best and are completely mistranslated or taken out of context at worst.
2.) These studies are supported by historical, cultural, linguistic, and religious evidence. These are not crack-pot, fly-by-night, liberal wing-nut studies. These are facts. These are truths. (To be fair, I have seen a few "studies" by people who say that the Bible is correct. These are written, however, mostly by religious leaders who have obvious reasons for upholding the traditional views or (oddly enough) by atheists or agnostics who use the literality of the Bible to disprove it as whole, saying that "the God of the Old Testament" does consider homosexual behavior to be an abomination, which is why the whole thing should be viewed as nothing more than a product of the era in which it was written.)
3.) LDS church leaders, knowing that they have used their scriptures to marginalize people in the past (i.e., people of African descent), and knowing that they themselves have been marginalized at various points in its history, are very interested in seeing these studies.
4.) The LDS church is even more interested in these studies because one of its biggest claims, indeed possibly the single biggest claim of the church, is that it alone contains the "fullness" of the gospel: it is, in effect, the most complete, the most true religion on earth today. In that light, then, it behooves them to make sure that they really do have the completeness that they say they do.
5.) After carefully reviewing, praying about, and pondering on these studies, LDS church leaders rejoice, for they realize that they have built a caveat into their belief in the Bible as scripture!
6.) LDS church leaders also face a very difficult question: how can they suddenly go against centuries of established, traditional interpretations of the Bible? They know that the very core of their belief system is based on the family unit; that is, a father, a mother, and children. They know that they have fought vehemently against legitimizing gay marriage as well as the very expression (or even existence) of homosexual love, officially stating that although being gay is not a sin, "acting on it" is. They've dug themselves pretty deep into the anti-gay well, despite their professions of "love" and "tolerance."
*finger tap...finger tap... what to do?...what to do?*
7.) They decide that there is really only one right thing to do, to rectify the wrongs that have been perpetuated by antiquated and inaccurate interpretations of scripture for centuries, interpretations that were also a part of their founder Joseph Smith's background, belief system, teachings, and yes, even his revelations. They labor over a press release and toil over talks to be shown in all wards around the globe. They decide it is best to simply present the facts.
8.) They tell members about the truth behind the Bible verses. They reiterate that the gospel of Jesus Christ is one of unconditional love. They ask that members keep in mind two things: first, the church's Eighth Article of Faith, as referenced above, AND second, the church's Ninth Article of faith which clearly states that things are still being revealed and that God has "yet to reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (emphasis added).
9.) There is the expected backlash from those who cannot accept this "new" way of belief. But the Church continues to teach by example and stands by its decision to "Choose The Right."
10.) It just felt so wrong to end my list with nine items. So...yeah. :)
It should be so simple!
If the gospel of Jesus Christ is love, then the entire Christian world should be throwing its collective arms up in the air, rejoicing that they can now welcome everyone in creation into their churches and their various iterations of the Plan of Salvation. It really is for ALL of us! Mormons everywhere should be crying with happiness. They should not throw away their family proclamation, but should be happily adding to it, based on this new, revelatory knowledge. They should not try to alter existing scripture, but should be happily adding to it (much as the Community of Christ Church has done). It is not about "redefining," as anti-change rhetoricians would have all believe, but about expanding, opening, and including, you know, kind of like Jesus did.
(It occurs to me that the theme song for so many staunch traditionalists should come from Meatloaf: "I would do anything for love...but I won't do that.")
But we all know this pie-in-the-sky reaction isn't what would happen, especially after reading the church's official response letter this afternoon. And I want to know WHY. This is what I have yet to get a good answer to: WHY??
Does tradition really trump truth?
And if so, isn't that an awful lot like worshipping a false God?
Religions in general, for centuries, have not exactly been amiable to science and academic research. (Let us not forget that adherence to religious tradition was so powerful that Galileo was forced to recant his findings and spend the rest of his life under house arrest for daring to support the Copernican idea that the sun was the center of the solar system.) The Mormon church itself has spoken out about the "danger" in doing too much digging into the past. Boyd K. Packer said that we should only talk about the parts of history that are "faith promoting." He goes on to say that "Some things that are true are not very useful." But come on, folks. That bandage has been stuck fast for a loooong time. Let's rip it off together and help each other's wounds heal.
Here is what I would like uncloaked, naked, truthful answers to:
- Why would any church, but especially one that purports to believe in something only "as far as it is translated correctly" and professes to have a completeness that all other churches lack, NOT want to look deeper into the reports, essays, and books written by scholars on what the Bible really says about homosexuality?
- Even if the Bible were translated correctly, how does anyone who calls himself a Christian justify not following the hundreds of other rules, regulations, and abominations that are mentioned in the Bible? Why this focus on the .0002% of verses that deal with specific sex acts (and not sexual orientation) but not the ones that deal with eating lobster and allowing women to pray in church and mixing fibers in clothing etc. etc.?
- Why is it a terrifying thing to know (and admit) that human sexuality is diverse, that all iterations of sexual expression are natural, and that God intended for this broad diversity? Moreover, why is it so seemingly abhorrent that gay people (and their families) might also be planned for and included in the great plan of salvation?
And additionally:
- How much of the belief in the Bible--and, in a larger sense, in one's religion as a whole--has to do with confirmation bias, in which we seek out information that supports our existing views and throw away any information, including facts, that does not? To quote an article by Chris Mooney, "That's not to suggest that we aren't also motivated to perceive the world accurately—we are. Or that we never change our minds—we do. It's just that we have other important goals besides accuracy—including identity affirmation and protecting one's sense of self—and often those make us highly resistant to changing our beliefs when the facts say we should" (1). If it's true that "people [reject] the validity of a scientific source because its conclusion [contradicts] their deeply held views" (2) is there any point in even having discussions like this?
Selected Resources (see the link to my previous Bible post above for even more resources):
Concise list of Resources about the Bible and Homosexuality
Beautifully-put explanation of the Bible's views of homosexuality and how Christians should respond to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment