There are homosexual stories in the bible
While the bible passage Leviticus 20:13 advocates the killing of queers, there are other stories in the bible that feature what might be gay and lesbian love affairs.
So says Reverend Heather Creighton of the Metropolitan Church in Burnley, a Melbourne chapter of an international queer-friendly church network that began in California in 1968.
“To keep out of people’s bedrooms,” is the message that Heather would like to send out to the elements of the mainstream church that advocates homophobia. “There are homosexual stories in the bible, if you really want to look at them,” she suggests. “The love between Ruth and Naomi and the love between David and Jonathan. If you look a bit closer at the story of the Centurian, his servant could possibly be viewed as a homosexual too,” she says, adding “but I wouldn’t want to go there.”
She is but one voice in a worldwide chorus of Christians who insist that Jesus never said anything forbidding about homosexuality; that it is the words and agendas of others since who have written those hateful words into the bible. Two thousand years is a long time to change the script from the original, she says: “Of course it’s not the same as when it was first written,” she insists. “Why isn’t there any strong women in the bible, or any of the gospels that were written by women? Because the gospels that were chosen to be in the bible were chosen by men who have an agenda; which is to keep the role of the men at the head of the family, and the roles of women in their place.” She says that the bible has also been used to condone slavery, as well as, of course, homophobia.
Yet it’s the fundamentalist Christians who are saying that they have all the right to dictate everybody else’s life.”
“The bottom line is, how to we tackle homophobia anywhere, whether it’s inside or outside the church? You’ve got to start with looking at what you’re actually teaching people – are you really preaching the word of god and the love that Jesus Christ had for people, or are you teaching your own agenda?”
It’s hard to go back once someone has stood you up in front of a congregation and called you a sinner because you’re homosexual. That has happened, and still happens to gay and lesbian people today. But it’s not God who’s rejected homosexuals. The message from Jesus and God is love. Love is what all relationships are about – not necessarily sex by the way, but it’s really nice to have it.” It’s so nice hearing a church leader say that. Especially when you know she’s talking about gay sex!
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