For Christians, the Bible is obviously important, but on homosexuality, responses differ. For traditionalists, it is a given that scripture “obviously” condemns all forms of same – sex activities, and that sodomy is “the sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance”. For an expanding pool of revisionist biblical scholars, this is a false reading of scripture, based on mistranslations or mistranslations of the original texts, and distorted by a heteronormative interpretive bias. Canon Derrek Sherwen Bailey first questioned the traditional readings back in the 1950′s, have challenged the traditional interpretations of the clobber texts, even labelling them as textual abuse, and more recently begun to promote affirmative, LGBT inclusive passages as an alternative.
But there’s another view, that even if it is true that the Bible really does condemn homosexuality, it could be simply wrong – just it has been wrong on slavery.
The argument is neatly put by Dan Savage, in his widely reported debate with Brian Brown, of the NOM:
The Bible, if it got something as easy and obvious as slavery wrong, what are the odds that it got something as complicated as human sexuality wrong? I put those odds at about 100 percent. Pat Robertson was recently asked about this. He was asked, “If America was founded as a Christian nation why did we allow slavery?” And his answer was, “Like it or not, if you read the Bible, in the Old Testament slavery is permitted.” That’s a half-truth. In both testaments slavery is permitted and sanctioned. But then Robertson said something uncharacteristically profound: “We have moved in our conception of human beings until we realized that slavery was terribly wrong.” And so what he’s saying there is not just that we realized slavery is terribly wrong. Also, we realized the bible was wrong about slavery. I don’t think LGBT Americans are asking American Christians to do anything that you haven’t already done.
Move in your conception of the value of human beings.
Here’s the full debate, courtesy of YouTube:
Related articles
- Pat Robertson: The Bible Is “Terribly Wrong” (slog.thestranger.com)
- Bible and Homosexuality: Does it Matter? (queeringthechurch.com)
- A faith-based explanation about why Christians could be wrong about God and gay marriage (thesunnews.typepad.com)
From Eternity To Here 
DOES IT MATTER?
My father asked me if I am gay
I said does it matter
He said not really
I said yes
He said, “Get out of my life!”
I guess it mattered
My boss asked me if I am gay
I said: does it matter?
He said not really
I told him yes
He said, “You are fired, faggot!”
I guess it mattered
My friend asked me if I am gay
I said does it matter?
He said not really
I said yes
He said, ”Don’t ever call me your friend”
I guess it mattered
My lover asked me do you love me?
I said does it matter?
He said yes
I told him, “I love you. “
He said, ”Let me hold you in my arms.”
For the first time in my life something’s mattered.
[My God] asked me, ”Do you love yourself?”
I said does it matter?
[My God] said, “Yes!”
I said how can I love myself, I am Gay
[My God] said, “This is the way I made you”
Nothing will ever matter again.
Author unknown
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Thank you for sharing this Greg. I had time today to watch the dinner discussion that you linked above. it seemed clear to me that Brian Brown was never ever really able to articulate what it was that he was going to lose, or how we would be affected if gays were allowed to marry. All he could come up with is that the definition would be expected to change and that the definition is unchangeable. He was irritating and smarmy and his exaggerated fake laugh and fake ease and fake tolerance made it difficult to watch at times. His excuses/rationale for slavery made me equally uncomfortable.
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