Somewhere along the hustle and bustle of life, I got lost. I don't remember the exact date, but somewhere along the line, life about to be about just trying to get through the day, rather than being thankful to enjoy another day. That bothers me, but not as much as I hoped it would...which bothers me. :o) Anyhow, it's been one of those interesting weeks. The motherboard on my computer got fried this past Friday, but I wasn't really too upset about it. Monetarily, it's worth more than my car and my guitar combined. However, I think I'd be a lot more upset if I dinged my guitar. I think of computers and technology in general as necessary evils. Lots of med students are rushing to get palms, but I'd rather avoid it altogether if I can manage it. I like biking to work, cooking on gas stoves and leaving my cell phone at home. Anyhow, I digress.
In order to get my notes off of the hard drive on my computer, I went to the tech office at the med school. I asked them to put all of my data on a mp3 player that doubles as my usb drive. This whole week, I've been listening to tons of sermons to make a christian case for homosexuality. Anyhow, it was interesting to see the guy's reaction as he was deleting files on my mp3 player as he tried to make room for my files. MP3 files included, dealing with homosexuality, dealing with being gay...lots and lots more titled that that. He looked uncomfortable. haha. Anyhow, here's what I've been able to come up with.
1. The obsolete purity code. The explicit anti-homosexual lines from the bible come from the old testament books of leviticus and deuteronomy. Those books are about the rules and regulations that god instituted on old school jewish society. Homosexual acts are included with rules like, don't eat pork, don't have sex during menses, don't eat mixed fruits and it's unholy to wear robes made of mixed threads such as polyester. Anyhow, the purity codes were made obsolete by the arrival of Jesus. The moral codes, however remained intact.
2. The Church's double-standard. Jesus never made any comments about gays. He did made multiple arguments saying that divorce and remarriage were really bad. These things are forgiven and allowed in the church. Gays, which Jesus never mentioned is banned by a lot of churches. If the church really believes that being gay is that bad, then the same rules should be applied toward other things. Albeit, this is a weak argument.
3. Problems with translation. Using ancient contemporary sources to decipher colloquial uses, the words used to describe gay sex in the OT was found to be non-specific for gay sex. There are two schools of thought. One was prostitution. Little boys in greece and ancient times were castrated so that they wouldn't develop masculine features and sold as prostitutes to form man-boy relationships so fondly referred to by the great greek philosophers. Another translation says the word most closely resembles masturbation, which was quickly changed by the monks. These hardly refer to contemporary gay sex.
These notes were taken from a pastor's convention from a few years back. Overall, educated pastors view the gay issue as secondary to more important moral codes in the overall emphasis of christianity.
A possible solution - the european model
There is an inherent tension between church and state when our religious leaders wed people by saying "By the power invested in me by the state of California." We should have couples get civil unions at the courthouse, and then get married at the church if they so desire. Churches would have autonomy to perform or decline to perform gay marriages as according to their creed. A lot of gay couples are insulted that they can't get married, but drunk fucks can get hitched in vegas or get married for tax purposes. Lets separate all legal rights due couple from the so-called sanctity of marriage.
More of rights. American is founded on the idea expounded by a group of terrorists who threw tea overboard from a ship - No taxation without representation. Gays are taxed. Now lets represent.
My last comment. I guess I'm not a very religious guy, but somehow I find myself waking up early to go to church every Sunday morning. I go because I'm very aware of the disconnect that exists. When people think of the word evangelical christian - dumb, hick, racist, narrow-minded, bush supporting, war waging, people who's names rhyme with chop suey come to mind. When people say Jesus Christ, I think compassionate, intellectual, self-sacrificing, loving, etc. I don't really affiliate with the church, but I wouldn't mind aligning myself with Jesus Christ.
Aiite. Off ma soap box. peace.
-Bender
p.s. - john lennon was wrong.
