Another gay myth debunked. If it wasn't so sad and riddled with ignorance and stereotypes, some of the most common anti-gay statements might be funny. One of the most pernicious is that gays recruit straight people to their 'lifestyle'. While recent studies point to a whopping 40-50% of straight people that have tried some form of same-sex experience, the truth is that no one is recruiting anyone and anyone who 'tries it' does so quite willingly and perhaps our of sheer curiosity. Bravo I say !. BravOH I say for lightening the yoke of sexual rigidity and puritanism. Sex is one of the many gifts from God to be shared, embraced and rejoiced in.
Related to the idea of recruiting others is that gays want everyone to be gay and that if we let that happen, well, what would happen to the next generation? There won't be any ! Yikes! Can't let that happen now can we? Honestly, what a stupid idea.
Some of the religious right wing nuts who teach such tripe and quote scripture ( like today's ) to allegedly support their position are misreading this passage or worse, take the word of some hack's interpretation of it and co opting it as their own 'facts'.
If I were to take this passage and try to take a literal translation I could argue that no one , not even heterosexuals, should engage in sexual relations as lustful. Then really, where would our next generation come from??
Truth be told, here is a much more accurate account of this passage and it's translation. This passage was written when Christianity was spreading out to areas of the world that were multi-cultural with much different foundations philosophically and had many different competing ideas and certainly practises. For example, pederasty and prostitution were common. The Christian leaders found this contrary to what they were trying to preach and achieve. Certainly it gave a broader meaning to love one another.
To clarify, they did not argue against right minded loving committed sex or homosexuality ( even though the term would not be invented for nearly 2000 years in the future ), they were just against lustful, abusive sex. In our time that would be anonymous sex, one night stands and general promiscuous sex. They did not argue against loving committed sex of any kind.
If we are to paint with a very broad anti-gay brush then it is equally correct to paint ALL sex, even heterosexual sexual relations as bad and prohibited.
Context and translation can make a big difference just as ignorance can. Sadly it is often ignorance that make the news and gets the voice.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you knows how to control your own body in holiness and honour, not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one wrongs or exploits a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.
Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly towards outsiders and be dependent on no one.
No comments:
Post a Comment