Lavender Starship/Page 10/May 1973

Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went. in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should dive seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: fore he slew him..." (Genesis, 38:8-10).

where-

What is at question here, again, is the necessity for the Jewish tribes to produce as any children as possible It was for this reason that woen a man's brother died childless, he was expected to beget children on his brother's wife to perpetuate his brother's name ("And Onan knew that the seed should not be is...").

God's slaying of Onun, however, is not connected to considerations of morality, but to the fact that he broke a very strong, (and, For the time, very important) social tradition. But it is morally disastrous to apply that kind of Old Testarent social standard to modern questions of morality or ethics.

Another section of the Fible, seemingly less ambigwous than Genesis, is the Look of Leviticus. There are two quotes from Leviticus used to show that God condemns homosexuality.

The first is from Leviticus 13:22 "You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination."

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And the second is from Leviticus 20:13 "And if a man also lie with nankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon then.

Pretty clear, huh: Pretty obvious what that means, right: Wrong! Let's look at it. Leviticus is the third boof the Old Testament.

of the other things Leviticus says.

"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall cat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat" (Leviticus, 7:23); And the Gwine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you" (11:7); "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she scall be unclear seven days...But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks" (12:2 & 5).

"

In I Samuel, 18: 1 & 3, there is a description of the first meeting between Jonathan and David, and their relationship: ...the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him aa his own soul...Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul."

uel, 1:26).

This notion of nomosexuality as being something excluding women is related to the Greek concept of homosexuality, which regarded women as inferior and therefore not capable of as perfect a love Such cultures as two men. obviously held a very low reNeverthegard for women. lesc, such a passage does show that the Bible's attitude is not always one of total condemnation toward

nomosexuality.

When Saul becomes Jealous of David's popularity with the people and attempts to kill him, it is Jonathan who warns and protects David: Another positive aspect "But Jonathan Saul's son dewhich should be noted is lighted much in David; and that nowhere in the New TesJonathan told David, saying, tament does Christ condemn Saul my father seeketh to homosexuality. He does not kill thee..." (I Samuel, 19: even mention the subject.

No Christians that I know of, and certainly very few Jews, except perhaps for the Kost conservative, follow all these "Divine" commandments, 2). or any of the other equally arcane laws set down in Levi-

ticus.

There is, however, one quotation of Christ's which is often used to show that He

Jonathan swears that ne will protect David from Saul "So Jonathan made a covenant aid condens homosexuality. They have decided to pick with the house of David, sayand choose which of God's ing, Let the Lord even relaws they will obey. If quire it at the hand of Dathey're going to quote Levivid's enemies. And Jonathan

IN 1904 1909 ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVERED CANAANITE RUINS DEPICTING THEIR RELIGIOUS WORSHIP OF ABOUT 1500 BC. CITY OF GERON

I'M GOING

TO VOMIT!

PRO MALSTER SE

GOOD LORD, I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES, WE CAN'T PUBLISH THIS, IT'S FILTHY!

THE EVIDENCE CLEARLY SHOWED WHY GOD TOLD ISRAEL THOU SHALT SMITE THEM, AND UTTERLY DESTROY THEM THOU SHALT MAKE NO COVENANT WITH THEM, NOR SHOW MERCY UNTO THEM -DEUT 72

IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP THE FILTH AND BRUTALITY FROM SPREADING caused David to swear again, for because he loved him:

ticus at us, they'd better be prepared to show why the dietary and purification laws no longer apply today, but certain selected sexual taboos still do.

It is obvious from its fina verse that Leviticus Is an historical document which had special application unly for the Jewish tribes of that time: These are the commandments, which the Lord comranded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Si-mai" (27:34). The morality embodied in Leviticus is not valid today, except in a very general way, for either Christians or Jews.

There is also a more posi-

How Leviticus is a very curious book, indeed. It coLtains 27 chapters, and practitive treatment of homosexualLally every chapter begins, And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying..." Then folLovs a long list of prohibiticns and commandrents. The entire book, in fact, is 0thing but an itemized list of What God orders and forbids the people of Israel.

All right, so what? That 'you shall lie with a man" Jazz still counds pretty clear. O.K. Here are some

ity in the Bible. The first and second bocks of Samuel show a very positive and sympathetic treatment of the nomosexual relationship between Jonathan, the son of Saul who was the first king of Israel; and David, the second king of Israel and founder of the family line which would eventually produce the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

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he loved him as he loved his own soul" (I Samuel, 20:1017).

When he becomes convinced that Saul does, indeed, intend to kill David, Jonathan "...David goes to meet him: arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have svorn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee,

and between my seed and thy seed forever" (I Samuel, 20: 41-42).

After Jonathan is killed in battle with the Philictines, David's grief clearly reveals the depth of nie homosexual relationship Jonathan: "I am distressed for thee, my brother Jerathan: very pleasant has thou been unto me: thy love to ne vas wonderful, passing the love of woman" (II San-

"And you, Capernaum, are you to be lifted up to heaven: You shall be brought down to lades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued until today. But I tell you, it shall be more endurable for the land of Soden or the day of Judgement than for you" (Matthew 11:23-24).

It is important to acte that this statement by Jesus constitutes a condemnation of homosexuality only if one assumes that homosexuality vas the sin for waien Sodom was destroyed. But was it? I think an examination of the story of Sodom's destruction will show that it was destroyed for other reasons, NOT because of homosexuality. Here is the section of the Sodom story most often used to show that nomosexuality is evil.

...the men of Sodor, compassed the house round, both cld and young, all the people from every quarter. And they called unto ot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him. And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes; only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof" (Genesis 19:4-8).

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