Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Hypochristians and "Truth"

Truths, although perspectively relative to certain sections of the population, are most certainly not. For something to be considered a truth, scientifically, is almost unheard of as it has to withstand the scrutiny of peer-review and constant challenge. Sometimes what we thought was true is only so contextually. What we know about the Bible and the times in which is it was written aren't unequivocal as its own content is where we draw most accounts of its setting (especially among Christians). So, when someone says something is "true" in God's Word or by what Jesus said (in today's Bible) we can easily determine the accuracy of the statement. What's "true" is that in Leviticus homosexuality is listed as an abomination. Now Hebrew translation can contest what "abomination" meant as it likely meant mere a violation of sacrificial law, but nonetheless, other abominations in the same book include: wearing cloth of more than one fabric, letting to two types of cattle graze together, planting two types of crop in the same field, eating shellfish, eating pork, cutting your hair or beard, and many more. In addition, Leviticus also recognizes that you must put to death whoever curses her father or mother, put adulterers to death, ostracize the woman and whoever she has sex with on her period, stone priests' daughters who are whores (without providing a working definition), prevent the blind and lame from approaching the altar of God, put to death whoever curses God (Oh God, I know I've done that one), among others. Now if I just gave you a bunch of good ideas, you aren't getting the point.

At this stage you're probably saying to yourself, that was old Mosaic law, that wasn't Jesus, who fulfilled the covenant. Okay. However, by that logic, then homosexuality shouldn't be disparaged today, either. I was sifting through all that Jesus said about homosexuality (and abortion for that matter) and found that....wait, nevermind, there isn't anything. That's right, if homosexuality was such a profound issue (as there were just as many homosexuals per capita in his day as there are today), why wasn't it ever mentioned? The "truth" is, I'd question the sexuality of anyone who asks his male friends if they love him more than once and if he had 12 guys follow him around incessantly, but wasn't on a rugby team, I'd maybe delve a little deeper. Another matter that is most certainly true is that homosexuality isn't a "choice." Unless of course that is you wake up every morning and make the conscience choice to continue to be sexually attracted to the opposite sex, or do you? That actually sounds kind of gay, Herman Cain. Another thing that's true is that marriage pre-dates Christianity and historically has been a status of ownership and alliance, not a holy union between man and a woman. Christians didn't even start marrying until many years after the religion's sparse cult beginnings until its eventual consolidation by a converted secularist who may have had a political agenda in keeping the empire "praying together and staying together." Thus, a Christian's notion of "traditional marriage" isn't even rooted in "truth" either.

What we've determined is that Christians don't follow the "truth" of the Bible. They often clamor about it then stifle any chance of it being ascertained, whether it be through objective inquiry or self-reflection. Why do Christians disobey all these other, equally weighted laws of the New and Old Testament, but hold on to the gay thing? Religion is just a ratification of the social conscience. If you hate homsexuals and want to withold their rights, it's not because Jesus told you so (because he didn't), it's because you're a bigot and are looking for means to justification. As the moral Zeitgeist continues to evolve, there will come a time when Christianity is still distributed throughout, but homosexuality isn't denigrated. That time isn't far away. You are all on the wrong side of history.

So why boycott Chick-Fil-A? Well, assuming Christians are still predominately Republican because that's the way they vote, let's just say Chick-Fil-A offers a service we don't necessarily agree with so we're deciding to eat elsewhere and let capitalism do its bidding-- as we have every right to do so. As do all of you have the right to stand in long queues to get their product and support their political views when KFC is across the street, multinational, and twice as good. It's funny though, I've never seen lines of Christians at a soup kitchen to volunteer or outside of the City Council meeting trying to lobby for the poor...and Jesus actually did mention those things. A lot. I also believe he said a thing or two about hypocrites.