AlyssaV

I had this whole post planned out about bible learnings.  about how political Roman Catholicism really is.  about how different early Christianity was, Back Then, in Acts.  about the Nicene creed.  about the fact that the bible is cultural.

but then I realized that the people who read this blog (all one of you, for serious) are not religious.  I don’t have to try and sell you on having sex. 

because if I were going to “sell” anything, I’d sell it to religious people.  what bothers me is the Christians who are like “hey, Leviticus says gayness is an ‘abomination’” (Leviticus 18:22) when in the next breath they’ll argue that Leviticus plus every other book in the Old Testament is “cultural” and thus irrelevant to life, and that’s why they’re no longer obligated to eat kosher (Leviticus 7:19-27) and avoid wearing polyester-blend sweatshirts (Lev 19:19). 

or, even better, they’ll quote Paul talking about how homosexuality is evil (Romans 1:18-27), and then turn around and tell me that women are now allowed to talk in public (1 Corinthians 14:34-35) and not cover their heads anymore (1 Corinthians 11:2-6).  even though Paul says that’s not allowed, either.  why?  because that part is cultural.  the women-not-talking-in-public-or-having-autonomy thing is a forgotten prejudice of ancient judea.  but hating gay?  hating gay is eternal.

I think you just need to think for yourself.  think about the context of what you’re reading.  what are the social implications of homosexuality, for example, in a nomadic, paternal, polygamist society, where a woman’s worth and livelihood depends on how many sons she can bear?  what are the implications of random, free-spirited premarital sexing in an era without birth control, in an age where a woman’s value as a human being depends on whether her hymen is intact?  in a society where marriage is as much a political maneuver or a financial contract as it is (supposed to be) a love union?

it IS cultural.  because the bible is very much a history of a people, and it’s a narrative of that people group’s searching for meaning and identity and stability.  those issues need to be there, not to be followed blindly, or to be used to justify your own hangups, but to tell the whole story of the social evolution of those people.

and remember, the majority of the people who are telling you that premarital sex/homosexuality/oral sex is bad are either:

• still virgins
• repressed and terrified of their own sexuality since they’ve been taught that it’s evil
• virginal AND terrified, and likely to stay that way