____________________________________________ Steve Parelli presents: Other Sheep Executive Director Alternative... Copyright © 2012 by Stephen Parelli

... theological perspectives on key Bible passages concerning sexual minorities Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 Part I and II

Leviticus 18:22 KJV Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Leviticus 20:13 KJV If a man also lie with mankind, 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 them.

Male-Male Sex Chapter IV Jeff Miner and John Tyler Connoley-Jeff Miner and John Tyler Connoley- Homosexual Temple Prostitution Robert E. Goss-Robert E. Goss- Gender Role Confusion L. William Countryman-L. William Countryman- Prohibition of Mixing Kinds

Male-Male Sex Chapter IV Part One Jeff Minor and John Tylor Connoley- Homosexual Temple Prostitution Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13

Leviticus 18:22 KJV Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Leviticus 20:13 KJV If a man also lie with mankind, 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 them. I Does this commandment apply to us today? II Yes, if the same conditions exist today that existed when the law was first given. III To illustrate this principal...

In Civil Law Leviticus 18:22 is “limited to” its historical and contextual setting. The rule established is limited to the facts of the case. This illustration is taken from The Children Are Free, Miner & Connoley, p. 8 Leviticus 18:22 KJV Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind is limited to the facts of the case

The rule established is limited to the facts of the case. When a lawyer wishes to argue his position by referring to a decision handed down by the courts on a former case, the facts of the former case must be similar to the facts of the present case. This illustration is taken from The Children Are Free, Miner & Connoley, p. 8

In other words, you cannot take a rule that a judge issued in one context and automatically apply it to a different set of facts. The facts of both cases must be carefully examined to determine whether they are similar enough for the rule to apply to both cases. This illustration is taken from The Children Are Free, Miner & Connoley, p. 8

The text itself tells us three times that “the rules set forth in chapters 18 and 20 are meant to prevent the Israelites from doing what the Egyptians and Canaanites did. The Children Are Free, Jeff Minor and John Tylor Connoley, p. 10 Miner & Connoley: Homosexual Temple Prostitution

“After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do.” Lev. 18:3. Cf. Lev. 18:24; Lev. 20: 23

Miner & Connoley: Homosexual Temple Prostitution If we can determine what type of homosexual behavior was common among the Canaanites and Egyptians, we will better understand what these verses meant to prohibit. The Children Are Free, Jeff Minor and John Tylor Connoley, p. 10

Miner & Connoley: Homosexual Temple Prostitution Many Canaanites and Egyptians worshipped a goddes of love and fertility called Astarte or Ishtar. The Children Are Free, Jeff Minor and John Tylor Connoley, p. 10

Miner & Connoley: Homosexual Temple Prostitution Every kind of sexual practice imaginable was performed at these rituals, including homosexual sex. The Children Are Free, Jeff Minor and John Tylor Connoley, p. 11

Miner & Connoley: Homosexual Temple Prostitution Sexual intercourse was considered especially effective for gaining the goddess’s favor, because the male worshiper was offering his greatest possession, semen – the essence of life. The Children Are Free, Jeff Minor and John Tylor Connoley, p. 11

Miner & Connoley: Homosexual Temple Prostitution It cannot be emphasized enough that Lev. 18 and 20 specifically say they were written to address pagan religious practices, and that both chapters include long lists of sexual practices common in these Canaanite and Egyptian cultic rituals The Children Are Free, Jeff Minor and John Tylor Connoley, p. 11

Cf. Daniel Helminiak with Miner & Connoley The Canaanite religion included fertility rites. During these rituals whole families and groups of families all might have sex with one another. What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality, Daniel Helminiak, p. 46

Cf. Daniel Helminiak with Minor & Connoley Leviticus condemned homogenital sex as a religious crime of idolatry, not as a sexual offense. What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality, Daniel Helminiak, p. 45

Thou shalt have no other gods before me The argument in Leviticus is religious, not ethical or moral. No thought is given to whether the sex in itself is right or wrong. All concern is for keeping Jewish identity strong. What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality, Daniel Helminiak, p. 47

Miner & Connoley: Homosexual Temple Prostitution Lev. 18 and 20 are clearly directed at homosexual temple prostitution, and that is how they should be applied. The Children Are Free, Jeff Miner and John Tyly Connoley, p. 12

Leviticus 18:22, 20:13 Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 are the only direct references to male homoeroticism in the Hebrew Scriptures. Orthodox Jews and fundamentalist Christians take the verses as a blanket condemnation of all homosexual practices. Queering Christ, Robert E. Goss, p. 189 Leviticus 18:22 KJV Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind is limited to homosexual temple prostitution.

In Civil Law Leviticus 18:22 is “limited to” its historical and contextual setting. The rule established is limited to the facts of the case. This illustration is taken from The Children Are Free, Miner & Connoley, p. 8 Leviticus 18:22 KJV Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind is limited to homosexual temple prostitution.

Lev. 18:22 and 20:13 have nothing to say about whether it is possible for two humans of the same sex to have an intimate, loving relationship with the blessing of God. The Children Are Free The facts of the former case are not similar to the facts of the present case.

Leviticus 18:22 KJV Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Leviticus 20:13 KJV If a man also lie with mankind, 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 them. What does the word “abomination” mean? abomination The Hebrew word translated abomination appears six times in chapters 18 and 20 (Leviticus) of the Holiness Code. It occurs nowhere else in Leviticus. It signifies ‘ritual impurity.’ Queering Christ, Robert E. Goss, p. 191

What does the word “abomination” mean? Depending on its context, abomination can mean moral indignation, visceral disgust, or mere social rejection. Wrestling With God & Men, Rabbi Steven Greenburg, p.82 moral indignation, visceral disgust, or mere social rejection What does “abomination” mean in Lev. 18:22? What is meant in the Hebrew is not so clear. Wrestling With God & Men, Rabbi Steven Greenburg, p.82

However “abomination” may be defined, the passage still says nothing about whether it is possible for two humans of the same sex to have an intimate, loving reationship with the blessing of God. We can, therefore, set aside this “clobber passage.” The Children Are Free Leviticus 18:22; 20:13

Male-Male Sex Chapter IV Part Two Robert E. Goss- Gender Role Confusion Gender Role Confusion Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13

-And with a male -you shall not lie -the lyings of a woman -it is abhorrent וְאֶת־זָכָר לֹא תִשְׁכַּב מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה תֹּועֵבָה הִוא׃ לֹא תִשכב מִשכב אִשָּׁה “And with a male you shall not lie the lyings of a woman.” The Hebrew Text Leviticus 18:22

“And with a male you shall not lie the lyings of a woman.” “Lying down” is a euphemism for “bedding someone” without specifying the sexual act Queering Christ, Robert E. Goss, p Goss: Leviticus is about Gender Role Confusion:

“And with a male you shall not lie the lyings of a woman.” Goss: Leviticus is about Gender Role Confusion: However, “the lyings of a woman,” means male-to-male penetrative sex. Queering Christ, Robert E. Goss, p

“And with a male you shall not lie the lyings of a woman.” Because the ‘lying down of a woman’ refers specifically to penetrative sex, Lev. 18:22 and 20:13 do not prohibit other male-male sex …. male-male oral sex male-male masturbation any range of female-to-female sex a bisexual male from engaging in group sex (as long as he doesn’t penetrate a male) Goss: Leviticus is about Gender Role Confusion intracrural sex frottage

“And with a male you shall not lie the lyings of a woman.” “The male-male sex laws of the Holiness Code appear to be: limited in their meaning, refer specifically to intercourse, and suggest that male-male anal penetration was seen as analogous to vaginal penetration on some level.” Queering Christ, Robert E. Goss, p. 190 Goss: Leviticus is about Gender Role Confusion: Leviticus 18:22

The lyings down of a woman is constructed as appropriate exclusively to females; it is gendered as feminine. Saul Olyan Goss: Leviticus is about Gender Role Confusion: “And with a male you shall not lie the lyings of a woman.” What follows is a Talmudic interpretation of the male-male texts of the Holiness Code. Though it is historically much later, it is consistent with the gender codes of the earlier period (Queering Christ, p 191):

It is sex-role reversal, or gender deviance, that is problematized here.... a consignment of him to the class of females... a degradation of status; this constituted a sort of mixing of kinds, a general taboo occurrence in Hebrew culture. Goss: Leviticus is about Gender Role Confusion:

Bob Goss understands Leviticus 18:22 as indicative of the Hebrew culture, or ancient times in general, as being sexist or misogynous, something modern society repels. Goss: Leviticus is about Gender Role Confusion: “... penetration of a male constituted a consignment of him to the class of females..... a degradation of status...” “It is sex-role reversal, or gender deviance, that is problematized here.”

“... penetration of a male constituted a consignment of him to the class of females..... a degradation of status...” Women’s Rights Women’s Reform

“It is sex-role reversal, or gender deviance, that is problematized here.”

In Civil Law Leviticus 18:22 is “limited to” its historical and contextual setting. The rule established is limited to the facts of the case. Leviticus 18:22 KJV Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind is limited to the Jewish idea of gender roll confusion

Lev. 18:22 and 20:13 have nothing to say about whether it is possible for two humans of the same sex to have an intimate, loving relationship with the blessing of God. The Children Are Free The facts of the former case are not similar to the facts of the present case.

Male-Male Sex Chapter IV Part Three L. William Countryman- Prohibition of Mixing Kinds Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 Go to the Second and Final Power Point Presentation for this Segment

Male-Male Sex Jeff Miner and John Tyler Connoley- Bob Goss- and L. William Countryman- CONCLUSION Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 Go to the Second and Final Power Point Presentation for this Segment