I had to reprint this with permission from my boy's blog at "Black Sissy" about his experience during Easter 2007...Happy Sunday!
-----------------------I hope that you all had a great Easter. Mine was slightly bizarre.
Let me first explain that I am a man who has since I was a little boy, read the Bible often and have sought the approval of my fellow christian brothers and sisters.
I am also a man who since I have become an adult won't stand for any of their bullshit.
I am not in church often, but when I am in church, I have a low tolerance for preachers who use Bible passages to condemn homosexuality and this past Easter was no different.
I was in the midwest visiting a friend over the Easter break and decided to join him and his family at the family's church. It just so happened that the preacher decided that this was the day to attack the homo's."And the book of Leviticus verse 22 chapter 8 says 'do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."He went on to quote the book of Genesis which includes the story of Sodom & Gomorrah blah, blah, blah.
As I listened to his out of context ranting about homosexuality, I suddenly had an out of body experience. I found myself standing up in a congregation of about 1,200 people. I stood silent as the people around me begin to take notice. Suddenly the preacher, noticing that I had stood up and was beginning to get attention from the congregation said "Come up to the stage young man." As I made my way through the aisle to the stage I thought, what the hell am I doing?When I reached the stage the preacher said "Son, you seem to have something heavy on your heart, let the Lord use you." and he gave me the microphone. What happened next could only be described as....DEEP!
I said, This is not right...it is not right that your preacher is using Leviticus to condemn homosexuality. Let me explain. The book of Leviticus says a lot of things to include:Chapter 20 verse 13 "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." So according to the book of Leviticus homosexuals like me should be put to death?
Chapter 19 verse 19 "Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals, Do not plant your fields with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing of two kinds of material." So everybody should check your clothing to see if you are wearing woven blends or you are in violation of God's laws.
Chapter 19 verse 27 "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." Verse 28 "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves I am the Lord." So everyone with fades or trimmed beards or tattoos is in violation of God's laws according to Leviticus.
And have you all really read the bible story of Sodom and Gommorah? If you haven't you should read it because nowhere does it say that the reason that those cities were destroyed
is because of homosexuality. I also find it strange that it was ok for Lot to exchange his two virginal daughters to appease the crowd of men seeking sex with the men (angels from God).
As a matter of fact, it is strange....because that was then...a different culture, a different understanding of humanity, thousands of years ago, among a people desperate for law and order during a difficult time in their historic evolution, similar to many black people today.
And while many of the values espoused in the book of Leviticus are interesting religious reading and food for thought, much of what you read here are ancient efforts to put an out of control community in check. And if you plan to use these scriptures as a way to condemn and put homosexuals in check then you are perpetrating a fraud. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
I then walked off of the stage.....waiting for stones, rocks and boulders to be hurled at the back of my head as I made that very long walk across the stage to the stairs and sensing the hysteria that I had caused, I walked right off the stage and out of the door.
Let me first explain that I am a man who has since I was a little boy, read the Bible often and have sought the approval of my fellow christian brothers and sisters.
I am also a man who since I have become an adult won't stand for any of their bullshit.
I am not in church often, but when I am in church, I have a low tolerance for preachers who use Bible passages to condemn homosexuality and this past Easter was no different.
I was in the midwest visiting a friend over the Easter break and decided to join him and his family at the family's church. It just so happened that the preacher decided that this was the day to attack the homo's."And the book of Leviticus verse 22 chapter 8 says 'do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."He went on to quote the book of Genesis which includes the story of Sodom & Gomorrah blah, blah, blah.
As I listened to his out of context ranting about homosexuality, I suddenly had an out of body experience. I found myself standing up in a congregation of about 1,200 people. I stood silent as the people around me begin to take notice. Suddenly the preacher, noticing that I had stood up and was beginning to get attention from the congregation said "Come up to the stage young man." As I made my way through the aisle to the stage I thought, what the hell am I doing?When I reached the stage the preacher said "Son, you seem to have something heavy on your heart, let the Lord use you." and he gave me the microphone. What happened next could only be described as....DEEP!
I said, This is not right...it is not right that your preacher is using Leviticus to condemn homosexuality. Let me explain. The book of Leviticus says a lot of things to include:Chapter 20 verse 13 "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." So according to the book of Leviticus homosexuals like me should be put to death?
Chapter 19 verse 19 "Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals, Do not plant your fields with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing of two kinds of material." So everybody should check your clothing to see if you are wearing woven blends or you are in violation of God's laws.
Chapter 19 verse 27 "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." Verse 28 "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves I am the Lord." So everyone with fades or trimmed beards or tattoos is in violation of God's laws according to Leviticus.
And have you all really read the bible story of Sodom and Gommorah? If you haven't you should read it because nowhere does it say that the reason that those cities were destroyed
is because of homosexuality. I also find it strange that it was ok for Lot to exchange his two virginal daughters to appease the crowd of men seeking sex with the men (angels from God).As a matter of fact, it is strange....because that was then...a different culture, a different understanding of humanity, thousands of years ago, among a people desperate for law and order during a difficult time in their historic evolution, similar to many black people today.
And while many of the values espoused in the book of Leviticus are interesting religious reading and food for thought, much of what you read here are ancient efforts to put an out of control community in check. And if you plan to use these scriptures as a way to condemn and put homosexuals in check then you are perpetrating a fraud. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
I then walked off of the stage.....waiting for stones, rocks and boulders to be hurled at the back of my head as I made that very long walk across the stage to the stairs and sensing the hysteria that I had caused, I walked right off the stage and out of the door.
I haven't talked to my friend since Easter, however, I have conversed with God and you know
what...we really do love each other.
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Thanks to blogger "Black Sissy" for letting me post this on my blog. You really need to write more.
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Thanks to blogger "Black Sissy" for letting me post this on my blog. You really need to write more.
Joe
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