As The Good Book Says…
The well-known musical Fiddler on the Roof introduced us to Tevye, known for his simple grasp of life, his distrust of change and his home-spun interpretations of the Torah. This poor milkman would gather with others in the village square of Anatevka and try to make sense of the rapid changes the world was throwing their way. The best way to understand was to interpret the ancient Bible’s messages as God’s word and God’s message for their time and place.
Tevye knew bits and pieces of the Biblical stories, just enough to get them amusingly confused. [Tevye]“As Abraham said, ‘I am a stranger in a strange land.’ [Mendel] Moses said that. [Tevye] Forgive me, forgive me. As King David said, ‘I’m slow of speech and slow of tongue.’ [Mendel] That was also Moses. [Tevye] For a man with a slow tongue, he talked a lot!” In other dialogue, Tevye proclaims, “As the good book says, when a poor man eats a chicken, one of them is sick. [Mendel] Where does the book say that? [Tevye] Well, it doesn’t say that exactly, but somewhere there is something about a chicken!”
Misquoting the Bible in contemporary culture is a popular pastime. Have you ever heard—or ever said—these misquotes from the Bible? God helps those who help themselves...(Ben Franklin, not the Bible). Or Money is the root of all evil...(Actually, LOVE of money is the root of all evil).
These misquotes are all fine and good, and ultimately harmless, but misquoting and misusing the Bible has brought untold harmful consequences to countless people over time. The Bible was used to justify slavery. The Bible was used to keep women from being involved in politics and leadership. The Bible is now used to condemn those who are homosexual or transgender.
When there are prejudices that need to be substantiated, there is no better source for support than the Bible. And this has been done by scores of people, clergy included, for centuries, if not millennia. A myriad of completely false beliefs and interpretations have been conceived following misinterpretation of scripture.
In light of all things LGBT, there are several passages that hit too close to home, if viewed through a certain lens. Leviticus 18:22 reads, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” And Leviticus 20:13 reads, “If a man lies with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.”
Then, in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Romans 1:26-27 reads, “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”
These Biblical passages seem to make it clear! There is no room for gays in God’s plan for humanity. But take a look at what Jesus himself had to say about homosexuals. “_______________,” that’s right, Jesus said nothing about homosexuals. He did not address this issue at all! Yes, Jesus had a lot to say about money, about hypocrisy, about not losing faith. But he said nothing about homosexuality. If being gay would be such a mortal sin that anyone who is gay is going to hell in a handbasket, then why did Jesus not address this? Certainly he was very concerned with attacking the sins of his day, in many forms. Homosexuality was not among them.
There is an in-depth study of LGBT-related Bible verses that will commence on Thursday, September 14, at Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach. The facilitators of this course have made it known that this offering is open to everyone. This is not just for those who attend or belong to Epworth. The intention of the study is to bring together those who are Jewish, Muslim, Roman Catholic or Protestant. All may come together and explore what scriptures have to say in fresh ways.
Interestingly enough, even those who do not hold to any faith are welcome to join the conversation. The reason for this open welcome mat is that anyone who identifies as LGBT faces others in their lives who harbor prejudices and judgments based on scripture, even if they themselves are not affiliated with institutional churches. This makes it imperative that whatever faith one holds, or lack thereof, it is beneficial to be informed and to be able to speak intelligently to those who are not. If any reader is interested in being part of this group study, you are invited to contact Epworth UMC at 302-227-7743.
When stripped of their context, portions of the Bible can be misconstrued to accommodate any particular belief or position in our culture. The Bible has been used to justify the policies of the NRA, validate ultra-conservative constituencies, and vindicate theological positions that are oppressive and damning of the less-fortunate and outcasts of society.
Suffice it to say that the Bible itself is a compilation of writings of faulty human individuals. It is a book of stories collected over thousands of years, many passed by word of mouth for generations. There were no scribes poised to record every event as they happened. The Gospels themselves were written decades after Jesus left this earth. Imagine if the stories and recollections of John F. Kennedy were not written until the year 2000!
It is imperative that we be informed, approach topics of faith with insight and intelligence, and speak knowledgeably and intelligently about these issues. This course of study at Epworth UMC will help each participant to reach that status. Any reader of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth is welcome to join the discussion and study. Call Epworth United Methodist Church at 302-227-7743.