Not To Be Alone

This article by Disoriented Theology (via Slacktivist) argues that God doesn't want us to be alone, and has some very interesting things to say about that, both in theological and scientific terms. It's worth linking to and reading simply on its own merits, but it made me think of a few things in turn, and since I'm very bad at Web 2.0 interactions, I rarely leave comments.

While I applaud the author for coming to the realization that homosexuality is not a sin and does not deserve condemnation based in faith, I find it fascinating that he, along with so many other recovering homophobes, came to their "eureka" moments in such specific ways, and need such specific and complex rationales for changing their beliefs. It's usually some obscure verse or some complicated chain of reasoning, or coming to know a homosexual (or someone else in the LGBT rainbow) and realizing that this person is not a sinner.

It's been said, but it bears repeating: Jesus never once mentioned homosexuality. Said nothing on the subject.  The so-called "clobber verses" come from sources other than Jesus, some Old Testament, some from the New.  Since Christians don't follow Hebrew law, I'm hard-pressed to say why Christians should... follow Hebrew law?  I don't know; that part has been said before.  Paul gets the lion's share of the NT verses; Jude gets one, but he never actually says "men lying with mankind" or anything like that, he just makes reference to Sodom and Gomorrah, Old Testament, not really about sex but about hospitality, blah blah blah.

As an aside, I do find it intensely amusing that gay men get all the bad press in the Bible, almost as if Christians believe that God likes Him some hot lesbo action just like every right-thinking man. The Gospel according to Kevin, Chapter 2, Verses 17-20 "And the Lord spake and said, 'Cursed are the men who lie with other men as they might lie with other women, for verily is that a sausage fest and no one wants to see that. But blessed are the women who lie with other women, and sometimes kneel in front of other women or behind, blessed be that in particular, but no fatties."

Anyway, anyone who takes Paul's letters as gospel doesn't understand the meaning of the word "gospel," or does understand the meaning of the word "rubric" but has a Bible in which everything has been accidentally printed in red ink. The man never met Jesus. Not once. Didn't hear JC speak. Didn't get to throw stones at Jesus, even. Not what historians would call a primary source.  So if he says something, it's just possible that he might not be speaking for Christ, if you catch my drift. This point has been made before, but it is worth making again and again and again. Augustine: also never met Jesus. The author of the book of Revelation: probably not the Apostle John, and may not have met Jesus. Yes, Christians value divinely-inspired words just as much as those taken down by actual recorders of Jesus (if you believe that) but Mohammed has just as much call to be in the Bible as Paul does, if Mohammed had decided he was talking to Jesus and not God.

But beyond all that, beyond all the convoluted and arcane reasons for coming to realize that gay ≠ sinner, is the fact that Jesus said love everybody. You can't love someone and call them a sinner. We've covered that before. Love everybody.

Just like that. Except maybe with less tattoo artist and more tax collector. Yes, that's what comes into my mind every time I say that Jesus said we have to love everybody.

So why is it so damn complicated?

I do understand that there's a difference between loving everyone and viewing things as sinful; Jesus never said "Nothing is true; everything is permissible!" (and no, I didn't learn that by playing Assassin's Creed; in fact, I didn't even realize it was in Assassin's Creed until just a minute ago).  Which is why the piece way up at the top there is valuable; it contains more than just "love everybody." If you're a recent convert from Paulgustinianism to Christianity, no doubt you can find resonance there.  I've never been a Paulgustinian (or one of its subsects and offshoots) so maybe that's why I find it obvious.

God doesn't want us to be alone. It's as nice a phrasing as any, and one which I think deserves to be put in as commandment 11 or 12.