Re: mr. antolini & other thoughts

Malcolm Lawrence (malcolm@wolfenet.com)
Fri, 05 Dec 1997 12:32:07 -0800 

Matthew_Stevenson@baylor.edu wrote:

> to begin with, and this may come as a shock to you, the Bible is not
> universally accepted as absolute truth.  i for one don't think anything should
> be accepted as absolute truth other than the fact of existence.  albert camus,
> my light and my salvation.  jean-paul sartre, my strong right hand.
> but back to the issue in my left hand...to quote an old post of malcolm's that
> stuck with me: homosexuality has a lot more to do with homo than with sex.

I personally find research on how the things came to be put in the Bible a lot
more fascinating than the Bible itself. E.g.: why not eat pork? Well, when you've
got a set of beliefs that originated in a desert land, it takes a veritable ocean
of water to keep a pig alive in such a harsh climate, which would be a drain on
the water resources for everyone else.

I've never done the research on how and why homosexuality became an "evil" in the
Bible but when you consider that homosexuality is a natural occurrence in every
species of animal life there is, not to mention it keeps the population down in
this oh so overly crowded world...and if you took the cultural gifts homosexuals
have given to the world and tossed them out, this world would be in a sorry state.
I've been thinking about this train of thought for a while. I think one of the
reasons most artists are gay is because most heterosexuals REproduce, which takes
about as much time and energy as is does to produce art.

> get it...it's about love and accepting that someone of the same sex may have a
> soul complementary to your own.  it's not about who takes it in the arse or
> who straps on a dildo (excuse my vulgarity please, i feel i must be frank).
> and even if you do believe that any form of homosexuality is morally
> unacceptable, you should not accept homophobia.  you should instead attempt to
> love those who need it most, according to your (presumed) beliefs they would
> be homosexuals.  don't hate them.  don't join them.  don't preach to them.
> just love them and see how much further you get.
>
> matt
>
> ps i'm not only straight but a roman catholic, so there!

Totally cool, Matt. I was so attuned to beauty and sensitivity at such an early
age that I was called a fag all throughout high school, so I immediately
empathized with gays and have always had a number of gay and lesbian friends. When
I was on the newspaper staff at college I read a newspaper story about Christian
gays and decided to write my own in-depth feature story about one particular guy
on campus who was a very devout Roman Catholic as well as a homosexual (he was
also in a volunteer branch of the military). One of the most clear headed and
intelligent persons I've ever met. I wish I'd kept in touch with him.

I'm actually glad that the "stigma" of homosexuality has come down in this day and
age because if anything it will let boys and girls growing up realize that they
don't HAVE to find a boyfriend or girlfriend to relate with if in fact it means
being with someone they don't really connect with just because they have opposite
plumbing.

Speaking of which, Salon online magazine had an article last week called "Let
Jesus Be Your Sex Therapist." Pretty eye-opening stuff about the sex manuals that
Christians are writing these days. Even addresses such questions as "Would Jesus
approve of anal sex?"

http://www.salonmagazine.com/col/brig/1997/11/nc_21brig.html

Malcolm

>
>
> On Fri, 05 Dec 1997 10:38:07 +0100 sam.rosenthal@ucop.edu (Sam Rosenthal)
> wrote:
>
> >>p.s.  for those who wondered, i am straight.  homophobia is a social
> >>disease:  are you infected?
> >
> >
> >
> >but Leviticus 20:13 sez --  "And if a man also lie with mankind, as he
> >lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall
> >surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
> >
> >so waddaya saying? -- jahweh's homophobic? -- he gots a social disease? --
> >he's infected?
> >
> >mebbe he just hasn't had any gay friends?