It's not even hate mail.
Jun. 6th, 2002 02:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hermionesviolinI got mail today. My name and address was printed on the envelope from a computer and there was no return address. I opened it up and found three pieces of paper.
The first page is a photocopy from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. I know this because it says "Revised Standard Version" in blue pen, block letters in the upper lefthand corner. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is bracketed with red pencil and parts of it are underlined.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
The next piece of paper is the same thing, but from the "New King James Version."
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covertous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
And the final piece of paper is short typed document:
Homosexuality and the Bible
I couldn't help laughing.
Totally anonymous. I mean, heaven forbid we open ourselves up for debate.
As i was typing up these up, i noticed a footnote after "homosexuals" in both versions. The RSV says "Two Greek words are rendered by this expression." What kind of footnote is that? Lengthy book chapters have been written about those "two Greek words" (malakoi and arsenokoitai). The NKJV footnote says "That is, catamites." Yeah, because we all know what those are. (The American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd ed., defines "catamite" as "A boy who has a sexual relationship with a man.") I told my dad, and he made an extended joke about the fleas that cats have and that's why he doesn't like cats, but it's a free country and who is he to dictate what people do behind closed doors and so on. I was so punchy.
And then that last page. The whole "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" argument is so weak that i always forget about it. Other than that it's such an incomplete listing, though. There's a verse in 1 Timothy (1 Timothy 1:10) much along the same lines as the 1 Corinthians one, and of course there's the classic Leviticus (one of the most definitive, but also one of the most easily shot down). Oh and how can we forget Paul's Letter to the Romans. That's the only time the Bible ever mentions lesbians.
Anyone who's interested in my arguments can read the essay i wrote a couple years ago. I'm sure it could use editing, and i need to do some more reading and add some information to it, but it's still fairly good.
The first page is a photocopy from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. I know this because it says "Revised Standard Version" in blue pen, block letters in the upper lefthand corner. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is bracketed with red pencil and parts of it are underlined.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
The next piece of paper is the same thing, but from the "New King James Version."
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covertous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
And the final piece of paper is short typed document:
|
|
I couldn't help laughing.
Totally anonymous. I mean, heaven forbid we open ourselves up for debate.
As i was typing up these up, i noticed a footnote after "homosexuals" in both versions. The RSV says "Two Greek words are rendered by this expression." What kind of footnote is that? Lengthy book chapters have been written about those "two Greek words" (malakoi and arsenokoitai). The NKJV footnote says "That is, catamites." Yeah, because we all know what those are. (The American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd ed., defines "catamite" as "A boy who has a sexual relationship with a man.") I told my dad, and he made an extended joke about the fleas that cats have and that's why he doesn't like cats, but it's a free country and who is he to dictate what people do behind closed doors and so on. I was so punchy.
And then that last page. The whole "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" argument is so weak that i always forget about it. Other than that it's such an incomplete listing, though. There's a verse in 1 Timothy (1 Timothy 1:10) much along the same lines as the 1 Corinthians one, and of course there's the classic Leviticus (one of the most definitive, but also one of the most easily shot down). Oh and how can we forget Paul's Letter to the Romans. That's the only time the Bible ever mentions lesbians.
Anyone who's interested in my arguments can read the essay i wrote a couple years ago. I'm sure it could use editing, and i need to do some more reading and add some information to it, but it's still fairly good.
no subject
Date: 2002-06-06 01:26 pm (UTC)The first thing my New Testament professor taught us is that Context is Everything, and that the most dangerous thing you can do is to interpret bible verses outside of their first-century context....but most readers do that (I've certainly been guilty of it for most of my life) and think they've got scriptural ammunition...
no subject
Date: 2002-06-06 07:37 pm (UTC)And yes, it's so all about the context. It takes a lot of extra effort, of course, to learn about the historical context and the different ways words can be translated and so on, but it's so worth it. I get accused of doubting God when i talk about other interpretations of the Bible, but i'm not saying God erred, i'm saying people erred in interpreting what God said. I hate hearing, "But the Bible says..." because i know i'm going to have such a difficult time convincing the person that really the Bible doesn't necessarily say what you've been taught it says.
But i'm rambling.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-24 02:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-24 08:46 pm (UTC)You can read all the entries about it here (http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=hermionesviolin&keyword=Gay+Pride+Norwood&filter=all).