A Guest Blogger

Our daughter Emily is living with us this summer, before she begins graduate school in September.   Gary, Emily and I have had many conversations the past few weeks about diversity, inclusiveness and tolerance.  Gary and I are involved in diversity initiatives at our workplaces, and notwithstanding Chick-Fil-A, there is a lot of talk about same-sex marriage in Minnesota these days.  On the November ballot, Minnesotans will vote on a state constitutional amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples.   Passage of  this amendment would benefit no family, create no job, defend no institution, nor welcome any person to Minnesota.  But it would hurt, disadvantage, and stigmatize tens of thousands of Minnesotans - loving, committed same-sex couples -  and their families.  Gary and I are opposed to this amendment and we have a sign and a rainbow flag in our yard indicating our opposition.  We are firmly committed to diversity and inclusiveness.  We are hopeful that the sign and flag will stir conversation among our neighbors, like it has around our dinner table.

I was admittedly disappointed that my Facebook post about our yard sign generated only  5 "likes" and no comments, yet Facebook and Twitter are blowing up over Chick-Fil-A.  I came home from work yesterday, and Emily presented me with the article below.  We always tease her that she's like a Snapple cap -- full of facts and information -  so I wasn't really surprised that she took it upon herself to do some research about homosexuality and the Bible.   Obviously she's ready to get back to school!

Just sayin'.

Laurie

  

Homosexuality and the Bible

By Emily Heiser

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last several weeks, chances are you’ve heard about the CEO of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, declaring in an interview that he has made significant donations to traditional pro-marriage organizations.  In the wake of yesterday’s “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day,” I decided to do some research on what the Bible says about homosexuality.  Like many, I have strong opinions on same-sex relationships and gay marriage. But, as one of my Loyola University philosophy professors once said, “Opinions are merely assertions one makes. They hold no weight unless supported by scholarly evidence.”  So, I went to work researching homosexuality and the Bible.  

The Bible as we know it today has gone through hundreds of changes since its original manuscript (The Torah or Old Testament) was written, which scholars estimate was around 450 B.C.  The Bible’s original manuscripts were written in ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.  The gospels of the New Testament were all written between 60-95 C.E.  It is generally accepted that Jesus died around 30 C.E., meaning that the very first manuscript of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, was written nearly 30 years after the death of Christ. 

The word homosexual and the concept of homosexuality is a product of the modern-era, emerging in the 19th century when the study of human sexuality as a science began. There is no word or term for homosexual or homosexuality in ancient Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic, the languages of the Bible’s original manuscripts.   Perhaps the most cited biblical verse in regards to the denunciation of homosexuality is Leviticus 18:22:  “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”  A word for word translation analysis of this passage by an Old Testament scholar at the University of Amsterdam showed that this passage does not prohibit all same-sex behavior.  Rather, it was meant to control where male-male intercourse was allowed.  It could not be performed in a woman’s bed, because that location was sacred.  Sexual activity between heterosexual couples would also be ritually unclean if performed in a woman’s bed.  Literally translated, this Leviticus passage would have read something like  “Two men must not engage in sexual activity on a woman’s bed; it is ritually unclean.”   There were other rituals that were also consider unclean, such as  getting too close to a dead body, eating shellfish, or combining meat and dairy.  None of these were considered sinful or condemned, however.   There are some Bible verses correctly translated from Hebrew that do condemn same-sex sexual behavior; however, it is behavior within contexts related to violence, idolatry, promiscuity, and exploitation that is condemned, not the same-sex sexual relationship.  The same condemnation is given to opposite sex sexual behavior that is violent, idolatrous, promiscuous or exploitative.

Dan Cathy stated, “We’re inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.” How we consider and define marriage in the 21^st century is nowhere close to how marriage was defined, or practiced 2000 years ago.   In biblical times, if a woman was raped, she became married to her rapist.  If a woman was sold, she became married to her buyer.  If a slave’s master gave a female slave to a male slave for procreation, the enslaved “couple” were considered married.  A couple who lived together was also considered married.  Polygamy was widely practiced and accepted. In some cases, a man of wealth and means was allowed up to 18 wives.  Not so “traditional,” huh?

In my research I found no scholarly evidence denouncing consensual, loving homosexual relationships in the Bible.  In fact, there may be as many as three references in the Bible to committed homosexual relationships.  The story of Ruth and Naomi is one such relationship.  Ruth 1:14, referring to the relationship between Ruth and Naomi, reads, “Ruth clave onto her.”  The Hebrew word “clave” is identical to the word used in the description of a heterosexual marriage in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh.” 

The most famous reference in the Bible of homosexual love is the relationship between David and Jonathan.  Yes, King David of Israel, from whom Jesus is believed to be a direct descendent.  I’ll wait while you pick your jaw up off the floor….ok, ready? The bond between David and Jonathan is documented in the book of Samuel.  1 Samuel 18:1 reads, “The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.  From that day, Saul [Jonathan’s father] kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.”  This verse makes reference Genesis 2:24, in that David did not return to his parent’s home.  Further, a physical relation between David and Jonathan is apparent 1 Samuel 20:41, “David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan…then they kissed each other and wept together, but David cried the most.”  In 2 Samuel, during their last moments together David tells Jonathan, “I grieve for you; you were very dear to me.  Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of a woman.”  In ancient Israel men and women were not allowed to be seen in public together, nor were they allowed platonic relationships.  It would not make sense in this verse to compare platonic love for a man with sexual love for a woman. Therefore, in its original form, David is referring to his sexual love for Jonathan.

What is happening today is not about chicken.  The real issue is that we have lost sight of what is important: love. “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.”  John 13:34-35.   In my heart of hearts and as an advocate for equality, I believe that the Jesus I love and desire to emulate would never turn his back on any person for any reason.  Jesus made a habit of being in the company of social pariahs; he himself was considered one by many.

My limited research and this short blog article are not meant to be the final word on the subject of the bible and same-sex relationships.  Rather, I wanted to point out that the bible is full of ambiguities, and in truth, unless one knows ancient Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic it is impossible to accurately translate the original manuscripts of the bible.