Biblical hypocrisy
On the radio news this evening I caught a local preacher (I didn’t hear who it was) denouncing Renee Webb’s private member’s bill on the grounds that the Bible says that homosexual behaviour is sinful. Sorry, I didn’t write the Bible, he shrugged. That’s just what it says.
Well, here are a few other things the Bible says:
Deuteronomy 22:13-21 says that if it is discovered that a bride is not a virgin, she should be stoned to death.
Deuteronomy 22:22 and Leviticus 20:10 say that if a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both should be put to death.
Mark 10:1-12 says that anyone who divorces their spouse and marries another is committing adultery.
Few preachers would say we should follow these teachings, especially the first two.
Why should the Bible's teachings on homosexuality be any different?
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Remeber, these are the same folks that protested Harry Potter based on the fact that it was teaching witchcraft to our youth (youff). As for "that's just what it says", fair point, but the Bible can be used to illustrate almost any point and has been the source of debate and even wars for centuries.
Wonder how long before we interject race or partisan politics into this thread?
Posted by Adjustah on 26.05.06 at 05:45
Probably in it's very Genesis? ;)
Yeah I really don't like how people use the Old Testament at it's kookiest.
Posted by Combat Banker on 26.05.06 at 06:03
Look. I-- I'd had a lovely supper, and all I said to my wife was, 'That piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah.'
Posted by sandgrownan on 26.05.06 at 08:18
I would wager that most Bermudians are related to or are friends with a gay person...so why the retarded approach to Gay Rights? P & his wanker buddies can be as homophobic as they like, but that doesn't represent the populous' opinion, does it?
BTW Phil, getting into an argument with the Church & it's representatives is a losing battle. Holyer than Thou, etc., etc.
Don't get me going on Ewan Rat-tary either...
Posted by OnDeWata __/)__ on 26.05.06 at 08:26
PS: Nice one sandy!!!
Posted by OnDeWata __/)__ on 26.05.06 at 08:27
What about slavery- the bible (new and old testament) is packed with rules about how you can buy, sell, treat, etc slaves. I guess that pastor wouldn't mind me coming around on Sunday and buying up a couple of his family... You know, just some for the house and a couple for the field.
Leviticus 25:44-46: "Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly."
Ephesians 6:5-9: "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."
Posted by Shipwrecked on 26.05.06 at 08:31
So, let me get this straight, if Jesus apologises for slavery, everything is cool?
Posted by sandgrownan on 26.05.06 at 08:37
"So, let me get this straight, if Jesus apologises for slavery, everything is cool?"
....Sandgrownan thanks for the 'coffee out the nose' first thing this morning!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Two Cents on 26.05.06 at 09:14
I aim to please....
Posted by sandgrownan on 26.05.06 at 09:18
Okay sandgrownan ... that's two coffees out the nose this morning (so far) ... you should come with a warning label.
Posted by Darkside on 26.05.06 at 09:33
I'm sorry, taking the piss out of bible thumpers is too easy!
Posted by sandgrownan on 26.05.06 at 09:51
Okay...nobody is to take the piss out of anybody until I blow this whistle.
Even, and I'll make this perfectly clear, even if they do say Jehovah
Posted by ace on 26.05.06 at 09:54
Reverend Mike just sits back and waits, settling in for the show.
This is gonna be good!
Posted by Uncle Elvis on 26.05.06 at 10:08
....blessed are the cheesemakers.
Posted by Wickering Banker :-) ---: on 26.05.06 at 10:10
In typical Bermudian fashion, I wonder how many pregnant teens go to his church, along with their adulterous parents?
Clean up your own house first.
Posted by Wickering Banker :-) ---: on 26.05.06 at 10:17
Ephesians 6:5-9: Explains the whole Hookers in Habits Convention in Las Vegas.
Posted by SmokingGun on 26.05.06 at 11:29
Jesus only had one message and that is of love, compasion and understanding. He teaches us to be forgiving and be magnanumus (which can be diffcult at times).
It is true whats written in the bible can be used to support any point that you are comming from. And it despares me when its used to condem a group of people to serve a persion own personal veiew point.
Posted by Shark on 26.05.06 at 15:35
"Leviticus 25:44-46: "Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country."
That could explain a lot about the attitude to guest workers...
Posted by Bundy & Coke on 26.05.06 at 18:25
"Reverend Mike just sits back and waits, settling in for the show.
This is gonna be good!"
Oh! I forgot that our very own Uncle E. is an ordained Minister (and, no, I'm not joking, am I, Uncle E.?)
Posted by loki on 26.05.06 at 18:33
Nope. Been ordained for... what.. 3 years now?
Can't marry people here, but I can in 48 of the United States!
Any of you lawyerly types have any ideas on how I can set m'self up to be able to marry people and, if so, anyone got a link to the laws about marriage here? Does it actually say "Man and Woman", or is it "between two people"?
ANNND, if it's the latter, anyone wanna help me take 'em on? *grin*
I'll show THEM holy!
Posted by Uncle Elvis on 26.05.06 at 18:58
Nope. Been ordained for... what.. 3 years now?
Posted by Uncle Elvis on 26.05.06 at 18:58
Heaven help us! :O
Posted by silencedogood on 26.05.06 at 22:08
"Heaven help us! :O"
It shall, my son... it shall.
Heee
Posted by Uncle Elvis on 26.05.06 at 22:24
Just a note...
Sodomy is forbidden by the bible, yeah?
No more blowjobs, fellas.
And THAT would be a sin...
Posted by Uncle Elvis on 27.05.06 at 11:03
With not one shred of physical evidence to support that any of the fictitious biblical characters even lived it’s nothing short of genius how at present day we allow these church bodies to dictate our lives. There is more evidence of Jesus being a story of the sun than there is of him being a son. Likewise there is more support on the theory of the bible being 100% misunderstood African Astrology than there is of anything mention in the bible actually taking place.
It’s a good read at the end of the day, lots of power play, sex in all its flavours, crime, violence, rape, murder, heroes and villains, prostitution, magic. All around awe & wonder for an avid reader, shame so many take it to heart and bypass the brain altogether.
Posted by Ethiops on 30.05.06 at 00:46
How about a little biblical history from a recovering Catholic?
I once broke bread (pita and hummus, actually) with a religious scholar of the Muslim faith He happened to be a professor of religious studies at a major Canadian university. He could quote, chapter and verse, from any major religious book, be it Bible, Torah, or Quran. The conversation was interesting, particularly the discussions concerning the bastardization of all of these texts through oral tradition and subsequent literary translation. I was most impressed by how he managed to be educated and still maintain his faith while having a balanced and realistic view of the evolution of religion. It prompted me to do a little of my own research so I could speak to religious subjects from a position of enlightenment.
With the Bible, today's "King James Revised English Edition" bears little resemblance to the stories that were perpetuated orally for years prior to the first known Hebrew rendition. From tribal languages, to Hebrew, to Greek, to Latin and, after some considerable delay, finally to English. In late 300's (AD) the Pope decided it needed to be "updated" and the Latin "Vulgate" (common) edition was created. By 500AD it was available in 500 languages. By 600AD, the Roman Catholic Church had eliminated all but the Latin version. It continued to "evolve" in Latin. By the 1500's, Oxford religious scholars compared the Latin Vulgate Bible to early Greek versions and concluded (paraphrased) that "Either these Greek books are not the Bible, or we are no longer Christians".
Some Christians decided that 80 books were needed. Others decided 73 books were needed. Still others decided 66 were enough. Although the Roman church fought hard to suppress the various non-Latin translations, English and German translations survived. The English version gained acceptance when King Henry VIII decided he didn't care for his wife. To marry his mistress, he used his power and influences to remove the Roman church from power in England. As a defiant act, he supported the production of the Bible in English. The content and tone of these English translations varied greatly. Comparing two of them side by side is an eye opener, revealing that the tone was changed to suit the powers that be at the time. These floated around until the early 1600s when King James let his scholars produce an "authorized" version. In the late 1800's, the 14 books, known as Apocrypha, were inexplicable removed. In fact, the Church of England's King James' Bible is used by many Protestant faiths, replacing the Protestant "Geneva" translation - even though the Church of England persecuted protestants for many years.
Of course, the early English versions may have caught on sooner and been a little closer to the original intent had the possession of one not been a crime punishable by a fiery death at the stake. By preventing the translation of the Bible into the language of the common folk, the church maintained power over the populace, particularly economic power. Without the ability to sell "indulgences" - forgiving sin for a price; payment for masses to save the recently departed, etc, the church was in a position of risk. Keeping the masses ignorant ensured that they remained in a position of power. Unfortunately, this position of power remains, influencing society in ways that are very contrary to what society should be in a caring and compassionate “Chistian”-influenced society.
Posted by Andrew on 31.05.06 at 01:09
I sure hope that when the independance advocates eventually succeed and "throw off the yoke of colonialism" they will display consistent principles and throw off the religion the wicked English man forced on them too! At least then we could have a better chance at equal rights and justice.
If they think the book on their shelf is the true word of God, they might want to ask Max Romeo what "Macabee Version" is all about.
Posted by Michael Taylor on 31.05.06 at 14:40
Add this faith-based event to the long list of reasons why government is so scared to do anything about sexual orientation discrimination.
Posted by observor on 20.06.06 at 08:53
"Bermuda, the vacation spot for the fundamentally religious, bigoted and rich folk"
Posted by jsm on 20.06.06 at 10:16
I think I have you beat Rev. Elvis, Ordained in 1969 by the Universal Life Church of Modesto, Ca.
From an ad in the back of Popular Meckanics. $1+ postage stamp. Might go the extra for a D.D.
Regards, The Right Reverend Bill
P.S. www.ulchq.com
Posted by Bill Akin on 20.06.06 at 10:26
Well done, my brother in the cloth!
I, personally, was thinking about getting my PHd in UFOlogy!
While on this subject, I'm gonna ask again if one of the lawyerly types what the procedure would be to get a license to marry people AND what the actual wording is of the law regarding marriage.
Thanks, amigos.
Posted by The Right Reverend Uncle Elvis on 20.06.06 at 11:19
Get a boat, a captain's license and enough fuel to take you to international waters and you should be all set. ;-)
Posted by SmokingGun on 20.06.06 at 11:31
On a not unrelated aside, does any scholarly soul have the time to post their thoughts on how religion in Bermuda developped? I bet its really interesting to see how everything fit together, from the English settlers to the Carribean influence from the south and how these (primarily) different forms of Christianity all fit together. What is our official religion? Do we have one, is it Church of England? I honestly have no idea about this stuff, and am always keen to learn something new!
Posted by lost in flatts on 20.06.06 at 13:48
First, the laws of the Old Testament no longer hold true in Christian Biblical teaching. Jesus re- lays down the commandments in the New Testament and abhors the Law (Old Testament Laws). Furthermore, Jesus does say that anyone who divorces their spouse and marries another is committing adultrey, however, if you read the rest of the passage, it carries on to say except in the case of marital unfaithfulness.
Posted by Katrina Harper on 09.11.06 at 20:19