From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon)
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject: Re: Call/Fax/Write Fernandez
Date: 17 Dec 92 22:54:23 GMT
Organization: Green Hills and Cows


In article <1gncmtINNscs@hp-col.col.hp.com> smithw@col.hp.com (Walter Smith) writes:

>Do you accept religion's "right" (for lack of a better word) to teach 
>that homosexuality is an "abomination" (I think that's the word I've
>heard used) against God, and is therefore immoral and evil? 

This really begs the question. As a Bible scholar (of many years past),
I can state unequivocally that there are many more sins of much greater
concern than homosexuality with which the churches should concern
themselves. The sin of condemnation of homosexuals is one of them.

Is it not amusing that a minister will pound his fist on the pulpit
condemning homosexuality to a congregation consisting of liars,
adulterers, blasphemers, and stealers (e.g. tax cheats)? Except as a
mention in the old testiment and in some of Paul's rantings in the new
testiment, the sin of homosexuality gets scarcely a mention. Those other
sins, however, are quite a different matter. Some are punishable by
death. So why do homosexuals get so much attention by today's
religious zealots?

For the very simple reason that they are convenient boogeymen. In the
fundamentalist mentality, there must always be "the adversary". The
Devil himself does not play well these days because he is not tangible
enough. "Uppity" blacks used to work, but picking upon people for
racial reasons is much too politically incorrect today. Left-handed people
could easily be used ("left-handedness is not 'natural' since most
people are right-handed"), but it is hard to stir people up over
something so innocuous. But gay people are numerous, are usually not fellow
church members (keeping things non-personal), inspire irrational fear
(homophobia), do "unmentionable" things in private, are not going
to go away (obviating the troublesome need to look for other boogeymen),
and it is still socially acceptable in many places to arbitrarily
discriminate against them (such as in the military).

And since this country has a preoccupation over matters sexual, gay people
make the perfect target. Most of the faithful seem to feel that what goes
on in the bedroom is far more important than what goes on in the
boardroom. What you do during the day is insignificant. You may lie,
cheat, and steal in your work, but if you go home and do the "wrong"
things in the privacy of your home, you go to hell.

Many countries (and scientests) simply consider what we refer to in
the broad category of "sex" to be just another bodily function. This
includes all of its variants--heterosexuality, homosexuality,
bisexuality, and everything in between are simply normal variations
of a natural activity participated in by humans and animals.

But the to the fundamentalist, sex is the most important thing in life.
From the way many act, God is a sex maniac who is concerned with
nothing else. There is the "one true sex" (het) and there is only one way of
having sex (missionary position, I presume) and all else is an
abomination in God's eyes.

Now after all of that blather, the answer to your question:

Does the church have the right to preach and teach that homosexuality
is an abomination, immoral, evil, etc., ad nauseum? Certainly. But let
me ask you a question. What about your son or daughter who has
heard this rot for a lifetime and finds at long last that he or she is
gay?

As a person who has had to deal with this first hand, I would be
interested in your answer.
-- 
 John Higdon  |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 264 4115     |       FAX:
 john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | 10288 0 700 FOR-A-MOO | +1 408 264 4407