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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwE00w4ddSM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXp8V97HAXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUjMV3RdeOg
I spent a lot of time on this, searching for something I felt would be relevant, because this is important to me. I ended up choosing 3 videos. You can watch them all, watch one of them or watch none of them. That's up to you. I do realize that what I'm posting is a bit much, but this is the place where I can respond to how I feel.
So I'll start:
Gay marriage. The most relevant position lately was California's Proposition 8, which was on the ballot in the November 2008 election. It passed, and when it did it over rode all previous rulings, changing California's state Constitution so that it restricted the definition of marriage to male-female couples only; thereby eliminating same-sex couples' right to marry. The new constituional measure reads: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." After this happened, there were demonstrations and protests throughout California and the US. Numerous lawsuits have been filed with the California Supreme Court by same-sex couples and government entities, challenging Prop 8's validity and its effect on previously administered same-sex marriages. The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments on March 5, 2009 and is expected to reach a decision within 90 days.
Why did Prop 8 pass? It seems to me that many people based their decision of this proposal on the biblical teaching of "one man-one woman", and I feel very differently about this.
You can base your reasoning on that if you want. However, I personally believe that the Bible says a lot of things. We can either take it for what it is or we can choose to use it as a weapon by focusing on particular passages and using them to discriminate against certain segments of society. I feel that certain passages have been taken out of the entire context and used, throughout our American history, to discriminate against segments of our society that were felt to be "less than". In the past, the Bible has been used to justify slavery and to discriminate against blacks and females. Now that those issues have been somewhat resolved, we have now turned to using God's Word to discriminate against gays and lesbians.
Many people believe that the Bible is God's Word and, therefore, it cannot and does not change. I disagree. I feel it does change because people change it to fit the current time and the issues at hand. The Bible was originally written thousands of years ago, and it has been interpreted and reinterpreted and reinterpreted again throughout history. I believe that the basis of what is written does not change, but people change their understanding of it to fit with their current beliefs. When we do that, certain passages are brought to the forefront and then used to discriminate, sometimes hatefully, towards certain segments of society. In the meantime, everything else tends to be ignored or forgotten.
For example 1st Corinthians 11 verse 5-6:
"And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head."
Wait. What happened here? Why does no one bring that up or want to talk about this? It's a passage in the Bible and should be no less important, right? As I read it, if I pray then I should cover my head or shave my head. I'm a little confused. If I pray after my shower, with a towel over my head, does that count? Or, maybe I should just cut or shave my hair. Then again, if it's a disgrace (i.e. people would look at me strangely), then I should just cover my head when I pray. It doesn't specify with what. My hands? My towel? A veil? Oh yes. It must be a veil because that's what the Catholic church used to expect of women many years ago. That must be right, then. Well, maybe not because that religion no longer expects that of women.
This is what I mean. Our society and different religions base customs and beliefs on Biblical passages, without considering everything else surrounding it. If we want to take everything that the Bible says, literally, then that passage above also should be adhered to. Right? But we don't anymore. We pick and choose what we think is relevant to the current time.
Let's look at this one, from Galations 3:28:
Because all of you are one in the Messiah Jesus, a person is no longer a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a male or a female.
Hmmm...I guess that kind of takes care of transgendered people. That's how I see it, anyway. Of course, 150 years ago, I could have said that it relates to the slavery issue.
Then, there's this one, from Matthew 7:12:
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
I think that one's very important. Treat others as you would want to be treated. As I read it, we are all one. Equal. That includes gays and lesbians. It is not a choice. It is who they are, and I believe they were created that way. And they do not deserve to be treated as being any less than others in our society.
Consider Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
As the current saying goes, "What would Jesus do?" Personally, I think he'd be about love and the "human heart". I think he would not judge, but love and accept....and advocate for what is right. Well, that's how I read and interpret the Bible, anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXp8V97HAXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUjMV3RdeOg
I spent a lot of time on this, searching for something I felt would be relevant, because this is important to me. I ended up choosing 3 videos. You can watch them all, watch one of them or watch none of them. That's up to you. I do realize that what I'm posting is a bit much, but this is the place where I can respond to how I feel.
So I'll start:
Gay marriage. The most relevant position lately was California's Proposition 8, which was on the ballot in the November 2008 election. It passed, and when it did it over rode all previous rulings, changing California's state Constitution so that it restricted the definition of marriage to male-female couples only; thereby eliminating same-sex couples' right to marry. The new constituional measure reads: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." After this happened, there were demonstrations and protests throughout California and the US. Numerous lawsuits have been filed with the California Supreme Court by same-sex couples and government entities, challenging Prop 8's validity and its effect on previously administered same-sex marriages. The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments on March 5, 2009 and is expected to reach a decision within 90 days.
Why did Prop 8 pass? It seems to me that many people based their decision of this proposal on the biblical teaching of "one man-one woman", and I feel very differently about this.
You can base your reasoning on that if you want. However, I personally believe that the Bible says a lot of things. We can either take it for what it is or we can choose to use it as a weapon by focusing on particular passages and using them to discriminate against certain segments of society. I feel that certain passages have been taken out of the entire context and used, throughout our American history, to discriminate against segments of our society that were felt to be "less than". In the past, the Bible has been used to justify slavery and to discriminate against blacks and females. Now that those issues have been somewhat resolved, we have now turned to using God's Word to discriminate against gays and lesbians.
Many people believe that the Bible is God's Word and, therefore, it cannot and does not change. I disagree. I feel it does change because people change it to fit the current time and the issues at hand. The Bible was originally written thousands of years ago, and it has been interpreted and reinterpreted and reinterpreted again throughout history. I believe that the basis of what is written does not change, but people change their understanding of it to fit with their current beliefs. When we do that, certain passages are brought to the forefront and then used to discriminate, sometimes hatefully, towards certain segments of society. In the meantime, everything else tends to be ignored or forgotten.
For example 1st Corinthians 11 verse 5-6:
"And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head."
Wait. What happened here? Why does no one bring that up or want to talk about this? It's a passage in the Bible and should be no less important, right? As I read it, if I pray then I should cover my head or shave my head. I'm a little confused. If I pray after my shower, with a towel over my head, does that count? Or, maybe I should just cut or shave my hair. Then again, if it's a disgrace (i.e. people would look at me strangely), then I should just cover my head when I pray. It doesn't specify with what. My hands? My towel? A veil? Oh yes. It must be a veil because that's what the Catholic church used to expect of women many years ago. That must be right, then. Well, maybe not because that religion no longer expects that of women.
This is what I mean. Our society and different religions base customs and beliefs on Biblical passages, without considering everything else surrounding it. If we want to take everything that the Bible says, literally, then that passage above also should be adhered to. Right? But we don't anymore. We pick and choose what we think is relevant to the current time.
Let's look at this one, from Galations 3:28:
Because all of you are one in the Messiah Jesus, a person is no longer a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a male or a female.
Hmmm...I guess that kind of takes care of transgendered people. That's how I see it, anyway. Of course, 150 years ago, I could have said that it relates to the slavery issue.
Then, there's this one, from Matthew 7:12:
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
I think that one's very important. Treat others as you would want to be treated. As I read it, we are all one. Equal. That includes gays and lesbians. It is not a choice. It is who they are, and I believe they were created that way. And they do not deserve to be treated as being any less than others in our society.
Consider Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
As the current saying goes, "What would Jesus do?" Personally, I think he'd be about love and the "human heart". I think he would not judge, but love and accept....and advocate for what is right. Well, that's how I read and interpret the Bible, anyway.
