Op-Ed: Pastor defends gay marriage opinions
Not really news, but a Paster responds to criticism he took for a pro gay marriage stance he took in the the Springfield, MO, News-Leader. It's good to see liberal people of faith start to "come out" of their closets too.
Editor's note: With the amount of personal criticism generated on the Opinion Page by Roger Ray's religion/ethics column two weeks ago, we thought it appropriate that he have a chance to defend himself. For the near future, this will be the last opinion we print on the topic.
For the last several days the editorial page has featured "attack the messenger" responses to my column about same-sex marriage. The attacks against my character or education are baiting, but I will not post my curricula vita here.
Lemstone Christian Bookstore
At this printing, I am in Washington, D.C., in meetings with members of the Senate and House along with other religious professionals addressing poverty issues because dealing with ethics and economics is what the clergy, from Jesus and the prophets to Martin Luther King, Jr., do.
And as much as it may surprise Mark Thieme, Washington, D.C., is still not a state, and Massachusetts is still the state with the lowest divorce rate in the nation. And, as any freshman New Testament student knows, Pilate was removed from his post as governor in Palestine because of his unpopularity with his subjects.
So far as my comment about the president's intelligence goes, while IQ test scores are not available for most presidents, their IQ scores have been estimated based on the vocabulary they use in public speech and in publication. By this standard, George W. Bush's IQ has been estimated to be 91. If, however, you consider his SAT score of 1206, it has been argued that he could be said to have an IQ as high as 115. So, depending upon which score you go with, he either has the lowest IQ of any president for 50 years or he holds the all-time record low IQ score in his office. And as to the percentage of the population which is gay being only around 1 percent or 2 percent, you have to realize that survey was based on self-reporting and you only have to read all of the hate and judgment in our recent letters to the editor to know why most gay people still are not "out." Most medical and psychiatric researchers place the actual figures between 7 percent and 10 percent.
More importantly, I want to respond to the use of the Bible to bolster prejudice against same sex relationships.
While it is true that the Levitical code forbids homosexual relationships it is also true that the same code forbids eating shrimp (Lev. 11:9-12), cheeseburgers (Exodus 23:19), or a ham sandwich (Lev. 11:7). And it contains the same condemnation for a man who cuts the hair above his side burns (Lev. 19:27) or wearing blended fabric clothing (Deut. 22:11) as it does for same sex relationships. It is also important to remember that the preponderance of Biblical witness regarding marriage is in favor of polygamy, even implying that the more wives a man has the more he is blessed by God. We have always understood that the Levitical code was intended to protect tribal Israel from syncretism and to encourage their numerical growth.
I trust that no one who wrote in pointing out my Biblical ignorance is observing any other part of the Levitical code but they somehow want to be given special status in this democracy for being born heterosexual. As for marriage in the New Testament, Paul did say that we just shouldn't do it if at all possible.
Some wrote to me quoting Paul's reference to homosexuality in the first chapter of Romans where the apostle presents a list of sins which includes both idolatry and murder and concludes with such things as envy, gossip and talking back to your parents to demonstrate that everyone on earth is guilty of sin and that we all must trust in God's grace:
"Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things" (Romans 2:1).
And we should never forget that great Protestant cornerstone belief: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Whatever the modern critics' reasons for condemning homosexuality, it has nothing to do with scripture.
Jesus was the great teacher of compassion. Religious folk need to embody that compassionate spirit in dealing with people who are different from them in race, national origin, sexual orientation or class.
Roger Ray is the pastor of National Avenue Christian Church.
Whatever the modern critics' reasons for condemning homosexuality, it has nothing to do with scripture. Jesus was the great teacher of compassion. Religious folk need to embody that compassionate spirit in dealing with people who are different from them in race, national origin, sexual orientation or class.Pastor defends gay marriage opinions
Editor's note: With the amount of personal criticism generated on the Opinion Page by Roger Ray's religion/ethics column two weeks ago, we thought it appropriate that he have a chance to defend himself. For the near future, this will be the last opinion we print on the topic.
For the last several days the editorial page has featured "attack the messenger" responses to my column about same-sex marriage. The attacks against my character or education are baiting, but I will not post my curricula vita here.
Lemstone Christian Bookstore
At this printing, I am in Washington, D.C., in meetings with members of the Senate and House along with other religious professionals addressing poverty issues because dealing with ethics and economics is what the clergy, from Jesus and the prophets to Martin Luther King, Jr., do.
And as much as it may surprise Mark Thieme, Washington, D.C., is still not a state, and Massachusetts is still the state with the lowest divorce rate in the nation. And, as any freshman New Testament student knows, Pilate was removed from his post as governor in Palestine because of his unpopularity with his subjects.
So far as my comment about the president's intelligence goes, while IQ test scores are not available for most presidents, their IQ scores have been estimated based on the vocabulary they use in public speech and in publication. By this standard, George W. Bush's IQ has been estimated to be 91. If, however, you consider his SAT score of 1206, it has been argued that he could be said to have an IQ as high as 115. So, depending upon which score you go with, he either has the lowest IQ of any president for 50 years or he holds the all-time record low IQ score in his office. And as to the percentage of the population which is gay being only around 1 percent or 2 percent, you have to realize that survey was based on self-reporting and you only have to read all of the hate and judgment in our recent letters to the editor to know why most gay people still are not "out." Most medical and psychiatric researchers place the actual figures between 7 percent and 10 percent.
More importantly, I want to respond to the use of the Bible to bolster prejudice against same sex relationships.
While it is true that the Levitical code forbids homosexual relationships it is also true that the same code forbids eating shrimp (Lev. 11:9-12), cheeseburgers (Exodus 23:19), or a ham sandwich (Lev. 11:7). And it contains the same condemnation for a man who cuts the hair above his side burns (Lev. 19:27) or wearing blended fabric clothing (Deut. 22:11) as it does for same sex relationships. It is also important to remember that the preponderance of Biblical witness regarding marriage is in favor of polygamy, even implying that the more wives a man has the more he is blessed by God. We have always understood that the Levitical code was intended to protect tribal Israel from syncretism and to encourage their numerical growth.
I trust that no one who wrote in pointing out my Biblical ignorance is observing any other part of the Levitical code but they somehow want to be given special status in this democracy for being born heterosexual. As for marriage in the New Testament, Paul did say that we just shouldn't do it if at all possible.
Some wrote to me quoting Paul's reference to homosexuality in the first chapter of Romans where the apostle presents a list of sins which includes both idolatry and murder and concludes with such things as envy, gossip and talking back to your parents to demonstrate that everyone on earth is guilty of sin and that we all must trust in God's grace:
"Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things" (Romans 2:1).
And we should never forget that great Protestant cornerstone belief: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Whatever the modern critics' reasons for condemning homosexuality, it has nothing to do with scripture.
Jesus was the great teacher of compassion. Religious folk need to embody that compassionate spirit in dealing with people who are different from them in race, national origin, sexual orientation or class.
Roger Ray is the pastor of National Avenue Christian Church.
posted by JimG at 9:46 AM
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