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Name: Kristen DiLemmo
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Bible is not meant to be taken so literally!
If one wishes to make the argument that the Bible is the literal word of God, it is subsequently necessary to read the ENTIRE text as such. (Otherwise one's approach to the Bible would be unscholarly as well as ignorant.)
Therefore, if the Bible condemns homosexuality, let's look at what else it literally says: Everyone get out your handy dandy bedside Bible and flip to Genesis 16.6. If you notice, the word of God is directly condoning slavery.
In fact, there are over 30 such passages in the Bible. So if we want to say that God is literally anti-homosexuality, then he's also pro-slavery.
Does your head hurt yet?
Now unless one happens to have a radical racist agenda, I don't think too many good Americans are all about the enslavement of another human being.
So what does this mean?
The context of the Bible has to be read considering its’ historical and cultural influences. The authors of the Bible were homophobics, (mostly because they didn't like their economically better-off Greek neighbors) and they were also slave owners.
The Bible, the last time I checked, has fundamental themes addressing love and acceptance. So unless Christians are willing to embrace slavery, it's probably not a good idea to rant about the 'literal word of God.'
As for your argument pertaining to the physical objections to homosexuality, I'm tempted to not even address something so absolutely unworthy of my time.
However, I don't want a rebuttal along the lines of, 'but what about THIS!'
First the STDs- convenient to leave out that, according to the Center for Disease Control, if engaging in unsafe sex, one's risk of being infected with any STD is equal to any other regardless of the gender of your sexual partner.
In fact, risk tends to increase only when considering the state of the economy. (I.E: 3rd world vs 1st.)
In addition, I find it most entertaining that your source for the
'99% of male homosexuals have sex with complete strangers' was a Right-Wing Christian Organization whose claim is supported by the line, 'studies have shown...' Very convincing documentation, I must say.
Although I've clearly won this War of the Footnotes, I don't like to think of this discourse as a fight. Even if you personally believe that homosexuality is wrong, there is no reason why we cannot live as the civilized species that we claim to be.
I would no more rob an individual of African American decent their freedom and human rights than I would tell someone that they cannot love whom they choose.