From: nkraft@bkhouse.cts.com (Norman Kraft)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: The sin of shaving? (was Homosexuals anywhere...)
Date: 28 Jul 92 17:04:19 GMT
Organization: Argus Computing, San Diego, CA
X-Newsreader: Arn V1.00 beta rel2

In article <22789@oasys.dt.navy.mil>, Terence Lung writes:

> lfoard@Turing.ORG (Lawrence C. Foard)
> Message-ID: <1992Jul26.083543.10897@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
> >Do you shave your beard?  If so why is it ok to sin in this way? 
> >(yes shaving your beard off is against the teachings in leviticus)
> This is new to me.  Could you please reference the text and possibly
> paraphrase it for me here?  Thanks.

This is one of the fun parts of the Old Testament. Those who site it
as support for anti-homosexual arguments often are being *very* selective
about what they choose to read. There are few things more fascinating
than someone who says they read the Bible "literally", and find it
"inerrant in every word", yet ignore most of Leviticus and accuse others
of being "cafeteria Christians". I'll tell you what, folks: we all
so some shopping.

Some examples from Leviticus 19: (Jerusalem Bible)

19 You must keep my laws. You are not to mate cattle with those of 
   another kind; you are not to sow two kinds of grain in your field;
   you are not to wear a garment made from two kinds of fabric.

   [So, what about all the meat we eat that is the result of breeding
   various types of cattle together to arrive at a stronger breed?
   What about our fields, which often have two or more grains in them,
   or grow hybrid grains? What about 50/50 cotton/polyester shirts? 
   Do you own one?]

23 Once you have entered this land and planted a fruit tree of any
   sort, you are to regard its fruits as its foreskin. For three years
   it shall be a thing uncircumcised, and you must not eat it. In the
   forth year, all the fruit shall be a thing consecrated to Yahweh in 
   a feast of praise. In the fifth year, you may eat the fruit and
   gather the produce for yourselves. I am Yahweh your God.

   [Is this done? Though the land spoken of is Israel, is this done
   by Christians even there? Are you aware that this is all part of
   a discussion that derives from the consideration of those who are
   uncircumcised are unclean? What about uncirsumcised Christians?]

27 You are not to round off your hair at the edges nor trim the edges of
   your beard. You are not to gash your bodies when someone dies, and
   you are not to tattoo yourselves. I am Yahweh.

   [Uh, oh. Haircuts and shaving are out, as are tattoos. Seems like
   that "clean cut" look that is so popular among some groups of 
   Christians is quite contrary to God's law.]

32 You are to rise up before grey hairs, you are to honor old age and
   fear your God. I am Yahweh.

   [Do we all rise when a grey haired person enters a room? Do we give
   honor (not just politeness, but honor) to the old people in our lives?]

Now I realize that some Christians are fond of saying that Christ in
the New Testament abrogated these laws, and instituted new laws that 
they are following. If one wants to stay with a "literal" reading, however,
Christ did no such thing, and in several cases confirmed that the Old 
Testament laws are still fully applicable: 

   "Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.
    I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly,
    till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke
    shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore,
    the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments
    and teaches others to do the same will be considered least in the
    kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will
    be considered great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-19)

    "After he had come down from the mountain large crowds followed
    him. A leper now came up and bowed low in front of him. 'Sir', 
    he said, 'if you want to, you can cure me.' Jesus stretched out
    his hand, touched him and said 'Of course I want to! Be cured!'
    And his leprosy was cured at once. Then Jesus said to him, 'Mind
    you do not tell anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest
    and make the offering prescribed by Moses, as evidence for them."
    (Matthew 8:1-4)

    "Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps
    the Law!"  (John 7:19)


I'm sure there are all sorts of complex justifications for the
fundamentalist position of picking out Leviticus 18:22:

"You must not lie with a man as with a woman. This is a hateful thing"

yet ignoring the entirety of chapter 19. For all of that, however, it is
clear that fundamentalists and literalists are as much the cafeteria
Christian as they are always accusing others of being. If homosexuality
is damned by this passage, then so are those that shave and wear 
permanent press shirts.

Norm.

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