An Essay - Mavyrk

"Abomination - An Afterthought"



A large portion of Christian society has decided that it is a sin to be homosexual. If you are one of those Christians, or if you are a homosexual being pressured by the wrongful mindset of some unwholesome Christians, read on.

ABOMINATION
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Lev 18:22.

This is the phrase that is most often said by anti-gay Christians. Let's look at this in another bible (this is the King James', which is notorious for having particularly shady and self-serving lingo).

Don't have sex with a man as one does with a woman. That is abhorrent.

It seems as though you should not engage in vaginal intercourse with another man. All right, all clear there!

The whole of Leviticus deals with rituals and cleanliness. Let's take a look at a few other of Leviticus' quotes.

Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. Lev 18:19. - This is another phrase of ritual cleanliness. No one goes to hell for having sex with a woman on her period, no one even mentions it, and yet the ritual unseemliness of laying with another man suddenly makes every homosexual damnable and hell-bound.

Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. Lev 19:3. - According to this, a large portion of the world is going to Hell irrevocably because they don't observe the Sabbath. Oh, they aren't going to hell irrevocably? But you make it sound like everyone who doesn't observe a verse in Leviticus is! Or was it just 18:22? Are we playing favorites here?

It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.

And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted. Lev 19:6-7. Yes, that's right, you shall not have leftovers more than two days old. But oh wait, there's more

Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Lev 19:8. Yes, it did just say you will go to hell for eating leftovers more than two days old.

Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. Lev 19:14. Yes, practical jokes are forbidden too.

Let's skip ahead a few chapters to make sure this nonsense isn't just centered into one part of Leviticus.

And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. Lev 24:17. No trial, no jury. No justifiable reason, no self-defense. You kill a man, not murder, but kill, and you're dead.

And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death. Lev 24:21. They really want to pound that point in.

Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. Lev 24:20. Very Buddhist of you. It's hard to believe some Christians are against the death penalty. Oh, and don't steal anyone's toys, because yours will get stolen back, donchyaknow!

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. Lev 7:23. Leg of lamb is a sin, unless you carve all the fat off it. So make your choice: moist and succulent leg of lamb, or dry leg of lamb. I'll take the moist and succulent leg of lamb.

You can't pick and choose your verses. You follow the whole of Leviticus, or you follow none of it.

KINGDOM OF GOD
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. I Cor 6:9-10

This is a falsity, and a rather disgusting (and admitted) misprint, that still runs rampant through bibles these days.

Fornicators - This term refers to 'sexually immoral' persons, pagan temple prostitutes. This corresponds to the 'Homosexuals' (at least in the original scripture). The writer of this verse condemns both male and female prostitutes in pagan temples, seperately.
Adulterers - This, oddly enough, refers to married women, not married men, so long as the other women weren't the property of another man.
Homosexuals - This word was a mistranslation from the Greek word "malakoi", to mean male prostitutes, usually young boys.
Sodomites - This comes from "arsenokoitai"; arsen, which refers to male, and koites which refers to amoral sexual practices, corresponding to the active person in sex. This essentially means perverts, and child molesters. As none of the rest of the bible defines homosexuality as amoral, it is irresponsible to assume the 'amoral sexual male' refers to homosexuals.

VILE PASSION
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. Rom 1:26-27.

This is the only verse in the bible that specifically speaks of women homosexuality. This is also one of the verses that solidify anti-gay Christians' beliefs. However, the vagueness of these verses raises much doubt.

God is not a very imprecise creator, and the Word of God is very stern on what He disapproves of (The ten commandments).  If God held a burning and seething loathing for homosexuality, it would be one of the Ten Commandments itself. However, anti-gay Christians choose to warp vague verses like this to their own agendas.

These verses speak of an unclean-ness, which is not a moral precept. Shrimp and shellfish were also referred to as unclean in the bible, but eaters of them do not go to Hell, they are merely unclean.

You would also note natural use. This refers to heterosexuals engaging in unnatural homosexual relationships. It is unnatural merely because they are heterosexuals. Please note Paul speaks of homosexual acts not homosexuality, and that he does not detail what homosexual acts he speaks of. This is too vague. If God is looking to denounce homosexuality, he would come out and say Thou shalt not engage in sexual congress with anyone of your own gender, and he does not do that in the bible. God doesn't pussyfoot around.

SODOM AND GOMORRHA
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,

And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD:

Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.

Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Gen 19:1-26

A rather lengthy story, is it not? Quite obviously Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed due to the nature of its inhabitants; not because they were homosexuals, but because they were rapists, and adulterers, and pedophiles. People choose to severely bend verses that have nothing to do with homosexuality merely to suit their own agenda, which is a shame.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
As I stated before, if homosexuality were such an abhorrence to God it would have been one of the ten commandments. Let us go over the Ten Commandments. For the sake of brevity I'm going to be using the Catholic version, though know the Protestant and Hebrew versions are both the same, just more wordy.

I. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.
N/A

II. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
God will hold it more offensible for you to cry His name when engaging in coitus with your same sex, than just engaging in coitus with your same sex.

III. Remember thou keep the Sabbath Day.
As I pointed out before, the Sabbath is mentioned several times in Leviticus (which is where people believe homosexuality is called an abomination), and yet the Sabbath made it to the ten commandments, and homosexuality did not.

IV. Honor thy Father and thy Mother.
N/A

V. Thou shalt not kill.
Many people gay-bash and murder homosexuals in the name of God, sadly. However, you would note that killing a homosexual is more reprehensible than being a homosexual. Do not get in a snivel over the choice of the word 'kill'. We all know it means 'kill humans', but I chose not to use the word murder because the bible doesn't make the distinction. Any definitions of the term 'murder' all have legal explanations, whereas this is an ethical precept. Since you can't use the law of God to explain the law of God, I'm not going to bring that up.

VI. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Having sex with a woman (albeit, a woman that is not your wife) is more reprehensible than having sex as a straight man.

VII. Thou shalt not steal.
Taking candy will piss off God more than sodomizing your boyfriend, it seems.

VIII. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
God tells you to be proud of your homosexuality. Don't hide it or lie to your neighbor. God loves you for who you are, so speak out on it.

IX. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.
Along the same lines as VII. Oddly enough, you can covet thy neighbor, but you cannot covet thy neighbor's wife.

X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.
A rather humorous translation in the protestant and Hebrew commandments state "Do not covet thy neighbor's ass". I'll leave that one be for giggling purposes.

CONCLUSION
If you've read this entire rather lengthy tome, I hope you'll be suitably satisfied. Anti-gay Christian beliefs are more personal agendas and Church Tradition, than biblical. Celebrate your homosexuality, and know that God loves you, and know that now you have the moral and intellectual foundation to tell others that God loves you without fail.

To all that are still not convinced that homosexuality is not denounce in the bible, let me tell you this:

Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.