In Light of California's "Proposition 22"
I offer the following insightful quotations from numerous sources
(dark vertical lines appear instead of quotation marks)
Without a doubt the most peaceful species of chimpanzee is the "bonobo,"
whose members engage in French kissing, face-to-face sex in the
"missionary" position, promiscuity, and even homosexuality. The discovery
of such behavior apparently disturbed a creationist Christian reviewer of
the book, Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape, who wrote, "In an evolutionary
framework the integration of such sexual features [as promiscuity and
homosexuality, both of them favorite pastimes among bonobos] into human
society is out of the question, but the Judeo-Christian tradition indicates
that promiscuity and homosexuality are secondary events, coming into the
world after man's 'fall' and dragging the whole of creation into a new
pattern of life." Aside from the fact that this "Christian" explanation for
the "sexual features" of bonobo behavior doesn't explain why the other well
known chimp species (pan), does not engage in such behavior [Is the other
species less 'fallen?' By how many degrees of 'fallenness?'], it also seems
to me most unfair that these attractive, harmless chimps should have been
affected in any way by Adam eating a piece of fruit. But I will admit that
they seem to enjoy the results.
- Dr. Colin Groves, commenting on a book
review in Current Anthropology, Vol. 40, no.
1, 1999 that was written by creationist,
Sigrid Hartwig-Scherer
An engineering professor is treating her husband, a loan officer, to dinner
for finally giving in to her pleas to shave off that scraggly beard he grew
on vacation. His favorite restaurant is a casual place where they both feel
comfortable in slacks and cotton/polyester-blend golf shirts. But, as
always, she wears the gold and pearl pendant he gave her the day her
divorce decree was final. They're laughing over their menus because they
know he always ends up diving into a giant plate of ribs but she won't be
talked into anything more fattening then shrimp.
Quiz: How many biblical prohibitions are they violating? Well, wives
are supposed to be "submissive" to their husbands (1 Peter 3:1). And all
women are forbidden to teach men (1 Tim. 2:12), wear gold or pearls (1 Tim.
2:9) or dress in clothing that "pertains to a man" (Deut. 22:5). Shellfish
and pork are definitely out (Lev. 11:7) and clothes of more than one fabric
(Lev. 19:19). And since the Bible rarely recognizes divorce, they're
committing adultery, which carries the rather harsh penalty of death by
stoning (Deut. 22:22). So why are they having such a good time? Probably
because they wouldn't think of worrying about rules that seem absurd,
anachronistic or - at best - unrealistic. Yet this same modern-day couple
could easily be among the millions of Americans who never hesitate to lean
on the Bible to justify their own anti-gay attitudes.
- Deb Price, And Say Hi To Joyce
IF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES WON'T APPROVE OF SAME SEX MARRIAGES, WHAT ABOUT
SEMI-SAME SEX MARRIAGES?
Paul the apostle wrote in the first chapter of his letter to the
congregation in Rome that it was wrong for a woman to "burn" for another
woman. But what if the other "woman" has both a vagina and a penis as in
the case of a human "hermaphrodite?" Are hermaphrodites allowed by God to
marry people of either sex? And if so, then why should they be so
privileged? But if they are not allowed to marry anyone except a fellow
hermaphrodite then their options are limited to say the least, since
hermaphroditism is rare. What decision should the church make? To allow a
hermaphrodite to marry a person of either sex means that the church
approves of "semi-same sex" marriages which would appear to be a slippery
slope leading to the eventual approval of "same sex" marriages. So I guess
Bible believing Christians should condemn hermaphrodites right from the
womb for messing up the neat and tidy categories of human sexuality with
which the Bible deals.
- Skip Church
HOW 500 GAY MEN MAY HAVE SAVED CHRISTIANITY
If the Greeks hadn't beaten back the advancing Persian army at the
battle of Thermopylae, then the Persians might have advanced further into
Europe and occupied not only Greece, but also what was to become Roman
Italy, and the reigning religion in those regions would have become the
Persian one, i.e., Zoroastrianism. Whether Christianity would have arisen
at all, four hundred years later, in a Persian-dominated Middle East, or
how Christianity would have fared under a Persian (rather than a Roman)
empire, is anyone's guess. Lucky, perhaps, for Christianity, an advance
troop of 500 gay warriors from the Greek city of Sparta, sacrificed their
lives to distract the Persian army while the rest of Greece mobilized for
the momentous tide-turning battle at Thermopylae. So, it may be that
Christianity owes an incalculable debt to those brave dedicated gay
Spartans.
- Skip Church
If AIDS is God's punishment to gays for anal intercourse, does that mean
lung cancer is God's punishment for smoking? Do you plan to picket your
Aunt Mildred's funeral carrying signs saying "God Hates Smokers?"
Also, if AIDS is God's punishment for sex, why is a little piece of
rubber so effective in avoiding it? Does that work for all sins committed
in conjunction with rubber, or just those related to sex? Can I, for
example, safely worship graven images so long as they're made out of
rubber?
- Rev. Jim Huber
If I read them correctly, the Religious Right seem to be saying that AIDS
is "god's punishment" for homosexuals, as well as for babies perverse
enough to be born of women raped by hemophiliacs, drug abusers, or Haitian
men?
Why didn't god give AIDS to Socrates or Plato or Aristotle or
Alexander the Great? Or to Shakespeare or Leonardo da Vinci? Did god think
their homosexuality was less wicked than that practiced in California and
New York today??
On the brighter side, this tragic disease has prompted more research
into immune processes in twenty months than we have gained in the last
twenty years. If and when AIDS is cured homosexuals will be safer than ever
before. And where will god's efforts have succeeded then?
- Frank R. Zindler, "AIDS: A Blessing From
God?" Dial-An-Atheist, Greatest Hits from
Ohio
The Bible commands all Christians: "Greet one another with a holy kiss." (1
Cor. 16:20 & 2 Cor. 13:12) "Salute one another with a holy kiss." (Romans
16:16) "Greet one another with a kiss of charity." (1 Peter 5:14) "Greet
all the brethren with a holy kiss." (1 Thes. 5:26) And, when Paul departed
for Palestine "they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him."
(Acts 20:37)
Can't you get AIDS like that?
- David Windhorst, "God May Kill You For
Reading This? And I'm a Little Nervous
Myself"
If AIDS represents God's condemnation of homosexual behavior, what do
measles, mumps, small pox, tuberculosis, and polio represent? God's
condemnation of childish behavior? Half the children who were born two
hundred years ago never reached the age of eight, due mainly to diseases
like those. What did the "flu" epidemic (1918 to 1920) that made half the
world sick and killed nearly 40 million people represent? Maybe God was
condemning people for touching the same things and breathing the same air?
What damnable behavior worthy of death!
- Skip Church
AIDS is a dream come true for some Christians who rejoice to see "God's
will being done." It even says in Psalm 58:10, "The righteous will rejoice
when he sees the vengeance, he will bathe his feet in the [AIDS infected?]
blood of the wicked."
But if you're tossing out Bible verses how about Proverbs 17:5; 24:17
& 25:21, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be
glad when he stumbles?If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink?He who rejoices at calamity shall
not go unpunished." I leave it to ingenious Bible believers to reconcile
such mixed messages from God.
- Skip Church
I was visiting the capital of "born again" America recently, Colorado
Springs, Colorado, and saw a skinny effeminate looking guy standing on a
crowded street corner holding a sign that read, "Help Us Find A Cure For
AIDS." He had an empty bucket at his feet, labeled, "National AIDS
Foundation." Then I noticed on the opposite corner, a loudly dressed woman
with high hair and bright makeup, holding a sign that read, "Help SAVE
Homosexuals From Their Sin! Give to Christian Broadcasting!" and she had a
bucket at her feet too. People were ignoring the effeminate guy and
crossing the street just to toss gobs of money in the lady's bucket after
which they'd smile to themselves or poke a stern look in the direction of
the effeminate guy. After the sidewalk congestion cleared, I walked up to
the guy and said, "You should move to a different corner, can't you see
what's happening? These people are giving heaps of money to Christian
Broadcasting just because you're standing across the street from that
lady." And the effeminate guy yelled to the lady across the street, "Yoo
hoo! Harold! This guy says we've got it all wrong!"
- Skip Church
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Mar 07 2000 - 23:28:52 EST