Hazzard Ahead
Johnny Hazzard Blog

Wednesday, June 13th 2007

Know Thine Enemy

Posted by Boy Wonder

People that are threatened by homosexuality often seek justification from the Bible. It’s a common strategy to align yourself with scriptures to gain support in a fight against those that challenge your way of life. People that operate outside the lines of your convenient constraints aren’t likely to be controlled by your condemnation so why not enlist the assistance of the lord? Of course, this tactic is immediately shattered by the fact that the words used to condemn are not, in fact, the words of the lord at all. Unfortunately for many of us, that particular fact is of little importance to the greater part of the Christian world, which is why it is so shockingly simple for a few insecure individuals to secure legitimacy for their ridiculous claims about the detrimental effect of homosexuality on their world.

From religioustolerance.org:

This is almost identical to Leviticus 18:22. In transliterated Hebrew, the verse is written: “V’ish asher yishkav et zachar mishk’vei ishah to’evah asu shneihem mot yumatu d’meihem bam.” However, it adds a compulsory death penalty to the participants. In various translation the passage has been translated:

  • ASV: (American Standard Version, 1901) “And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
  • Darby: (J.N. Darby Translation, 1890): “And if a man lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall certainly be put to death; their blood is upon them.”
  • ESV: (English Standard Version): “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”
  • HNV: (Hebrew Names Version): “If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
  • KJV: (King James Version): “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.”
  • LB: (Living Bible): “The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have brought it upon themselves.”
  • NASB: (New American Standard Bible): “‘If {there is} a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. “
  • Net Bible: “If a man has sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman, the two of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.”
  • NIV: (New International Version) “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
  • NKJV: (New King James Version) “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.”
  • NLT: (New Living Translation): “The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have committed a detestable act, and are guilty of a capital offense.”
  • RSV: (Revised Standard Version): “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.”
  • Webster: (Noah Webster Version, 1833): “If a man also shall lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them.”
  • Young: (Robert Young Literal Translation, 1898) “And a man who lieth with a male as one lieth with a woman; abomination both of them have done; they are certainly put to death; their blood [is] on them.”

Death is sometimes required by the Hebrew Scriptures as the punishment for ritual transgressions. These included the worshiping of other Gods, gathering sticks on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-36), improper eating of ritual offerings (Numbers 18:32), ineligible persons acting as priests (Num 3:10).

Over the last few centuries, most Christians and Jews have rejected Leviticus 20:13. They no longer call on the death penalty for homosexuals. Only Christian Reconstructionists and a few Christian hate groups wish to revert to mass executions of gays and lesbians today.

I do not wish to condemn Christians with this post. Rather, I would like to applaud the Christians, Jews and all other faiths that have discarded the anti-homosexual parts of their religion.



9 Comments for this post

 
p_paolo Says:

Next Saturday the National Italian Pride will take place in Rome, after polemics from both left and right politicians who had already blamed a tv documentary on the efforts of the Roman Church to hide the pedophile priests. Either machos and moderates blames gays to show off.

All Italian society still follows the pope’s and his hitmen’s advice on almost everything aspect of our life. Following the Church any aspect of life matters them, nothing excluded.

Our republic is still very young, just one hundred years after 2.000 years of Christian power (the real heritage of the ancient Roman empire). And still now the pope rules us as a king, keeping all institutions in his fist, just as efficiently and aggressively as a multinational Company.

Here it appers clear that it is not matter of religion or philosophy, it is merely a question of power. Ratzinger knows it very well, holding it fast and rudely for such a long time (and more still to go). I feel compassion for those in good-faith supporting this system and don’t blame them for it. Humans are humans after all, but I don’t shut-up. :o )

 
Genor Says:

Once again Johnny, I’m blown away by the depth of your character!

 
Rita PHL Says:

BW: I hear ya baby! My brother’s mother-in-law is one of these haters.

My hubby Jim is currently reading Christopher Hitchens, “God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.” Give it a read … it’ll help make you feel good about having both a brain and a heart! (Humm… courage anyone?)

 
Boy Wonder Says:

Rita – The title alone made my afternoon! xo

 
gcracker Says:

The topic of religion and sexuality fascinates me. Being that I’m Christian, that’s really the only religion I know about though. It’s really interesting, because in the denominations that don’t have a Pope to say “Hey, I’m a former Nazi so we’re gonna say the gays are bad” it’s a huge debate, and it’s becoming increasingly more and more a major and urgent topic in these faiths.

The incredible thing though is the way people who choose to be against homosexuality have to make excuses and try so hard to use the Bible to support their opinion. Anyone who’s done a little bit of research and supports homosexuality can easily make it all work and still use logic and common sense. Funny, isn’t it? :P

 
Boy Wonder Says:

I like it when people work so hard to defend their sex and their marriage as the will of god. They can barely complete a paragraph without contradicting themselves.

 
gcracker Says:

I think the fact that they’re also defending every marriage performed in Vegas kinda kills their arguments right from the get-go. :P

 
DarkWarrior-413 Says:

It amazes me the energy people put into condemning homosexuality! It really messed with my head as a teen. The recent embarrassment know as the Protect Marriage Act campaign really put the icing on the dung heap! With 6 of every marriages ending in divorce, how can what any gay couple does affect your hetero marriage? It’s stupid and blatant bigotry. My parents’ marriage was determined by their own dictates and standards of behavior. Want to really protect marriage- ban divorce!

 
DarkWarrior-413 Says:

Johnny, here’s a less political post. When parents turn their backs on their offspring because that offspring isn’t a carbon copy of their own sexual ID, that act really tears at the very fabric of family, love and marriage. As children we are innocent of the tools provided us by our parents and must suffer them in the course of our own lives. I’ve yet to read where science says anyone is born a child sexual predator.

I tried to be less forceful but I guess it’s just not in me. I enjoyed living in Germany. Found being gay wasn’t the closet case jungle that stateside tries to foster. Give me Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Berlin and I’m a happy camper!

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