A Way Forward?

Last Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I attended a church meeting. It was unusual for either Randie or I to participate in such an event but the topic was of special interest to Randie and I agreed to go along for support.

The purpose of the meeting was to look for a way forward on the subject of LGBTQ representation in the clergy and whether to support same sex marriage. 

My daughter came out as gay a couple of years ago, a status that she herself has referenced in posts she has made on this very blog so I think it’s OK to mention it here. I’ve been OK with it because, really, what choice do I have? She’s my daughter, I love her and she has to be true to who she is. Besides, we have similar tastes in women. When we’re watching Brooklyn Nine Nine together, we both agree that Rosa Diaz is HOT. 

I am what the LGBTQ community calls an ally. It was in that capacity that I attended a Pride event in Winston Salem last year with Randie and her friends. 

The relationship between Randie and religion is a bit contentious. Christianity seems particularly aligned against her and her friends who are gay and transgender. It is to her credit that she hasn’t completely given up on the church she grew up in and her hopes that there is still a place for her in it. Hence her interest in this meeting on a way forward on the subject of LGBTQ people in the church.

I was concerned that a meeting looking at “a way forward” did not mean everyone in attendance is actually looking to take move forward. I advised her there would be those looking to stop any movement and just stay put.  She understood that but was still curious to see how this would go.  As an ally, I was there to support her.

The meeting was conducted by the church ministers and a lay leader with discretion, respect and candor. As I looked about the room, I wondered how many were there to move us forward and who was there to keep us from moving. There was one man who removed any doubt.

A woman asked a question about how a minister would handle differing positions on same sex marriage and this old man held up a thick, brown leather bound Bible and said, “He’ll read from this!” 

The implication of that statement was clear to me. Yeah, this guy’s not moving forward. And the nods in ascent that I saw indicated he was not alone. 

This is the blockage in the colon of certain Christians. There are some passages in the Bible that say, more or less, don’t do gay stuff. I think that stuff is there for a reason. In an agrarian society with short life spans, you want to encourage men to have sex with women to make babies and keep the population up. You need a lot of people to bring in the crops and replenish a population that’ll be dead by age 40. 

There’s a lot of stuff in the Bible that might make sense in the context of the time it was written but may not be as important or meaningful as we move forward. If you’re a dude who is attracted to other dudes, there’s not that same urgency to push those feelings down and stick your dick in a woman instead because, damn, we need more people. 

I think homosexuality is an important genetic brake on excessive procreation. If you think the planet is overcrowded now, think about if every single woman was attracted only to men and every single man was attracted only to women, the resulting population surge would decimate any elbow room. We know homosexuality occurs in nature; there are, for instance, gay penguins. 

The preceding paragraphs may be utter bullshit. I'm not a scientist. It makes sense to me. For all I know, it may be offensive to the the LGBTQ community.  "We're more than just some genetic brake on excessive procreation", someone might say. But for however flawed my reasoning might be, that reasoning tells me that being different from the "male/female heterosexual breeding model" makes sense to me.  Then I couple that with how I think Jesus is supposed to work.  

The whole basis of Christianity is centered around Jesus Christ, son of God and all around swell guy who had this radical idea that we should love each other, no exceptions. Yeah, that’s crazy talk but Jesus went out and shared that message with everybody, including folks other people didn’t like such as tax collectors and prostitutes.  

The insistence of those who proclaim themselves devout believers of their religion that the Bible is literal and infallible runs counter to the mission statement of the dude whose life, death and return to life started that religion. Unable to navigate that dichotomy, many just hold up their thick, brown leather bound Bibles and proclaim, “He’ll read from this!” For these persons, there is no way forward for LGBTQ persons in the church. 

One more story: Randie and I were sharing a table at this meeting with a woman I will call Joan. Joan has known Randie her whole life. So here’s Joan’s take on being gay.

It’s OK to be gay; just don’t be gay with somebody.  

Yep, her view is, if you’re attracted to other people of the same sex, you are who you are and you can’t help that. Just don’t do gay stuff with other people. 

So much for a way forward.  

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OK, I want to include this, an excerpt from a script from The West Wing where President Bartlet encounters a woman who hosts a right wing conservative call in talk show.  

Here Bartlet addresses head on Leviticus 18:22. Then he shows he's read the rest of the Bible.  

BARTLET
I'm sorry, um... you're Dr. Jenna Jacobs, right?

JENNA JACOBS
Yes, sir.

BARTLET
It's good to have you here.

JENNA JACOBS
Thank you.

BARTLET
Forgive me, Dr. Jacobs. Are you an M.D.?

JENNA JACOBS
Ph.D.

BARTLET
A Ph.D.?

JENNA JACOBS
Yes, sir.

BARTLET
In Psychology?

JENNA JACOBS
No sir.

BARTLET
Theology?

JENNA JACOBS
No.

BARTLET
Social work?

JENNA JACOBS
I have a Ph.D. in English Literature.

BARTLET
I'm asking, 'cause on your show, people call in for advice and you go by the name of Dr. Jacobs on your show. And I didn't know if maybe your listeners were confused by that,
and assumed you had advanced training in Psychology, Theology, or health care.

JENNA JACOBS
I don't believe they are confused, no sir.

BARTLET
Good. I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.

JENNA JACOBS
I don't say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does.

BARTLET
Yes, it does. Leviticus.

JENNA JACOBS
18:22

BARTLET
Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I had you here. I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7.

She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, and
always clears the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? 

While thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry, insists on working on the Sabbath, Exodus 35:2, clearly says he should be put to death. Am I
morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police? 

Here's one that's really important, 'cause we've got a lot of sports fans in this town. Touching the skin of a dead pig makes us unclean, Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? 

Can Notre Dame? 

Can West Point? 

Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother, John, for planting different crops side by side? 

Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads?

If you want to see this for yourself, click here.  

And that, my friends is a classic take down of someone peddles a literal view of the Bible for the one thing they don't like.