On the Bible and homosexuality

I think by now it's no secret that I've been traveling along my spiritual journey for some time now, and it's led to some unexpected roads. Someday I will write more in detail about it and about the events that shaped every turn in the road so far, but for now I wanted to touch on the main thing that has led me along my journey thus far, and that is the wealth of rational, logical arguments for the Christian faith. Anyone that knows me knows that I can't stand abstract thought, I prefer my thinking to be based on concrete logic and firm, tangible facts. It is why I have zero aesthetic sense, wouldn't know the first thing about decorating a home, and cannot appreciate art or music beyond it's immediate sensory appeal.

So it comes as no surprise that it was Christian apologists such as Lee Strobel (a former atheist) and C.S. Lewis (a former agnostic) that made the case for me. I think what made their books all the more compelling was the fact that they themselves came from the same background of unbelief and skepticism that I did, wrestled with the same doubts and questions I did (and still do) and that they also preferred to go about faith using a rational approach. It opened my eyes.

Now, there's no question that I'm still rather new at this journey. There are still things I don't quite comprehend, and while I accept the fact that I will never have ALL the answers, that's not stopping me from thinking about the issues foremost on my mind and continuing to seek out answers. An important part of this journey is studying the Bible. Now, I don't know if the Bible is supposed to be literally true, but even if none of the events actually happened (and we know there's archaeological evidence for some of it) the fact remains that there's a lot of wisdom and truth to be obtained from it. Jesus himself illlustrated his teachings with parables.

Having said that, one of the issues I wrestle with is that of reconciling what the Bible says about homosexuality. On the surface, the anti-gay rhetoric that many Christians spout while referencing Scripture seems to go against every sensibility I have. I have gay and lesbian friends. I voted No on Prop 8. That whole "hate the sin, love the sinner" spiel never sat well with me, and I never for a moment believed that a loving God would condemn people based on something that they cannot change, something that's as inherent to them as skin color.

So, what to make of it? How to refute those that would use the Bible, the same book to which I'm trying to adhere my life, to make such bigoted arguments? Sure, there was the whole argument that if you think homosexuality is a sin because of the Bible, then you should also refrain from wearing clothing made of mixed materials, or going near a woman when she's on the rag, etc etc... but even those arguments, like the ones they were meant to rebuff, only scratched the surface.

Then John Shore, a writer whose blog I follow (despite his having called me a freak and a loser-- all in jest, mind you! :-P) summed my feelings up perfectly with this (putting sin into the perspective of temptation):

But I AM tempted to drink too much alcohol. I AM tempted to gossip. I AM tempted to cheat on my taxes. I AM tempted to have emotional affairs on my wife. EVERY kind of sin, in one way or another, at one time or another, really and truly tempts me--and pretty regularly, too. But I am never, ever tempted to be gay--and I'm sure I cannot be. So ... it... very, very obviously not the same thing at all. There's something categorically different from all the kinds of sins you (and everybody else) ever mentions, and the "sin" of homosexuality. Putting them in the same category is ... not rationally defensible. I'm not advocating any position whatsoever---but I'm not giving up plain, simple reason. I KNOW that doesn't please God.

And then I came across this site, which I found from a link through Anita, one of the commenters on his blog:

http://www.sisterfriends-together.org/the-bible-and-homosexuality/

The site as a whole is mainly oriented towards women, but there's a lot of nuggets in there that apply to anyone-- gay, straight, man, woman, child. And that link above? Was exactly what I was looking for. A detailed refutation of the "clobber passages" you hear fundamentalists (and even more moderate Christians) quote. I felt... uplifted by what I read. Between John and Anita I felt like the things I'd been feeling and just known intuitively all along had finally been ascribed words. Detailed words. Which, as everyone knows, suits Helly (aka Miss Verbose) quite well ;-)

Food for thought. Lots to chew on. What do you think?