Fundamentalist Hypocrisy: Literalism for You, Not Me August 29, 2006
Posted by newsfittopost in lgbt Issues, religion, religion distorted.trackback
In a wonderful column in the Miami Herald, Leonard Pitts Jr. criticizes fundamentalists who use the literal meaning of Bible verses to condemn gay people but then ignore the literal meaning of other passages that condemn their actions. The double-standard is glaring, and Leonard Pitts’ column is a more eloquent version of my earlier post on right-wing Christian hypocrisy. I encourage you to read the entire column, but here are some highlights:
…it illustrates a point I’ve made on many occasions when people bring out Bibles to explain why gay folk deserve no civil rights. Maybe now, without the reflexive emotionalism that gay brings to cloud their view, a few more people will see the obvious: Bible literalism is impractical and impossible…
…has no one else noticed how literally some Christians interpret those Scriptures that give them license to condemn, yet how elastic and liberal their readings are when dealing with Scriptures that convict their personal behaviors? Meaning that it’s always a little more difficult to catch people being literal about turn the other cheek, do not store up treasures on earth, do not turn away the borrower, love your enemy.
Yet, you can’t go to the store without tripping over someone who wants you to know the Bible calls homosexuality an abomination.
Great column! So many people have used the Bible as justification to do horrible things and now we see it again. Should we really stone someone to death if they touch pigskin?
You have one informative and very moving blog! And I detest the fact that a few people undoubtedly use the bible for justification of their beings or acts. I am a Catholic and I just find this intolerable. Bible is a holy book, it should be respected and not mocked!
I’m a pretty orthodox Christian but I’m just as disgusted people who try to make the Bible a vehicle for sectarian prejudice and stupid partisanship. In some ways they are worse than those who ignore it. Is the bible true? yes. Is it true, in all places, at face value? We’d better hope not. God is not gratified by your willingness to not use your brain. He made the damn thing and is going to be pretty cross if he finds it still in the packaging when you meet him.