Since my LGBT brothers and sisters keep getting Leviticus 18 thrown at us (y'know, the part where you're not supposed to "lie with a man as with a woman" because it's "an abomination"), I thought I'd do a little exploration of Leviticus to see what else we might want to include in our next California initiative drives. So far, nothing springs to mind; Leviticus 1 is all about how to properly prepare animal sacrifices--lots of splashing of blood and snapping birds' heads off--and Leviticus 2 is about grain/cereal offerings. That section was fun, because I found out that God likes salt (Leviticus 2:13), and so do I, and that makes me feel a bit more kindly toward him (Him?).
Leviticus 3 brings back the animal sacrifices, only in more detail. More blood-splashing, but also some careful notes on the "fatty membrane over the internal organs" (3:3, 3:9, 3:14--I'm probably missing one, but it's making me a bit queasy). I was a bit alarmed to learn that "All the fat belongs to the LORD" and that I wasn't to partake of it. I mean, what fun is salt if you can't have fat? That's interfering already with the Holy Food Trinity (salt, fat, potatoes). What's next? All french fries belong to the LORD? What a relief to discover in the commentary that it's just internal organ fat that's off limits. I can live with that.
Leviticus 4: wow, more blood, this time with priests dipping their fingers in it and sprinkling it about. A question: If we're going to be held to Levitical law, then are we to be held to Levitical atonement? Because my sense of it is that we "No on 8" opponents might have a hard time finding enough "unblemished goats" to slaughter, gut, and burn. I wonder if they have to be organic or free-range.
More in a bit. I feel hungry for bacon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Great post! As a Christian, what I find interesting is that the Christians who use Leviticus 18 to throw at the LGBT community don’t seem to understand that the atonement negates Levitical law and that they don’t even abide by all those Old Testament laws. According to Jesus, those Christians are Pharisees. This is another great example of how Christianity has become unpresentable and unChristian.
JR: Yes, the Grumpy Ones are constantly quoting "The Bible" and uniformly ignoring some obvious contradictions and passe' thought. Watch out for the fat burning on those "unblemished" sacrifices!
Yes, "Dead Boy and his Grumpy Father" get invoked for a whole list of no-nos. Why? Is it the 'Ick Factor'? (As in "Ick, I don't want to do that!")? Dunno. Seems more about denial and a visceral oppression urge than logic.
This country has split along educational lines; not economic, and now has a drone majority that suspend rational thought and belief whenever making decisions. Let's hope change is imminent, but Prop. 8 makes me wonder. Just be careful not to go into a victimization contest or blame game of "if only" at other groups. It's the dominant Repubs and their culture that objectifies women and denies personhood to the LGBT community.
For now, just remember, here in Michigan, marijuana is more popular!
Post a Comment