Don't Blame It on the Bible

[Meshuga]

25. I disagree with your claim

Gay + Male = Dead isn't "the only allowable view." It's the only possible interpretation of Leviticus. Yes, you can place it in a broader context, but the message remains the same.

Not true. First, the text does not say "gay+male=dead" because this biblical prohibition addresses an act and not the nature or sexual desire/preference of a person. Second, given the scholarship and the broader context one can come to the conclusion that the text addresses a pagan religious practice that was rejected and seen as abhorrent by the ancient Hebrew priests and people.

Again, that is not denying the fact that people use (have been using and will keep on using) these passages for ugly interpretation to attack and discriminate against the gay community in the context of today's world. But I prefer to counter their argument with scholarship than to enable their hateful world view by erroneously persisting that their interpretation is the only valid interpretation.

I don't think anybody here is disagreeing with you that viewing the text "as is" taking it in as the inerrant word of god is ugly and cannot have another way of interpreting it.

However, if you take that mindset from the equation, the conclusions taken from the text are not as simple as you suggest.