How to Love Your Neighbor and Love Yourself

by Reading the Bible for Pride

autostraddle.com /reading-the-bible-for-pride-383037/
6/27/2017

Many conservative Christians use June as a month to get out there, get some vitamin D,
and harass LGBTQ+ people. They show up at Pride parades with huge signs that are just
lists of scriptures out of context, they protest in front of progressive churches, and work
extra hard at being extra annoying. And I hate it. June is the month when many people
finally feel safe enough to come out because of the excitement of Pride. Its one of the
only months of the year that its possible for a newly out person to gather in a public space
with a large group of other queer people and be celebrated! And for someone to ruin it in
the name of my God really grinds my gears. It makes me sad; Im not big on evangelizing,
but I do think that Christianity is there for those who want it, and for some to behave as if
the Bible teaches us otherwise is wrong. When these Christians use the Bible to spread
hatred, to judge people who are marginalized, and to maintain their positions of power in
society, it makes me remember when I was thinking about coming out and then eventually
came out, and how hurt I felt by the things I saw people saying in the name of Christianity.

As I grew in my queerness and my faith, I decided that I had to read the Bible for myself if
I wanted to really understand what they were saying. Taking the time to read through the
passages that made me uncomfortable wasnt easy. Some of the things that are written in
that collection of books feels hurtful on first, second, or even on a third read. But I wanted
to read them. I wanted to read the whole Bible. But its not easy! Its thousands of pages,
covers thousands of years, and in English alone has over 50 translations to choose from.
Its a lot of information to take in at one time and different groups have been interpreting
the Bible for their benefit since it was written, yall. (If youre looking for translations, Im
totally into the NRSV and the CEB; both of which consulted many progressive
denominations in their creation).

I took about a year to read the Bible, and what I learned was this: at its best, the Bible is a
story about a God that loves their creation so much that they will do anything to let that
creation know that they are loved and treasured. Its a story for people who have been
gaslit into believing they arent whole; its for people who have been told that they are
inherently wrong or bad; its a story for rebels and revolutionaries who hope and work for
a future they probably wont ever see. If we were to believe conservatives though, the
Bible is a rulebook meant to keep people out. I didnt want to believe that though, so I
made sure be especially critical when reading some of the most controversial scriptures.
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In the long list of passages from the Bible conservatives use to discriminate against queer
folks, I think Leviticus 18:22 is the most well known. In the CEB it reads, You must not
have sexual intercourse with a man as you would with a woman; it is a detestable
practice. Most other translations read similarly, many replacing a detestable practice
with an abomination or abhorrent. An especially conservative translation (New Living
Translation) even says homosexuality in the verse. It doesnt sound promising, I will give
it that.

When I recently came upon this passage in my daily devotional, I almost skipped it. But I
hate not knowing things for myself, and I realized that Id never really read that verse in
context with the entire book of Leviticus. When I read it in relationship to the entire book,
my perception of the passage changed. The whole book of Leviticus is introducing this
new law for the Israelites. And basically, the law is saying if you want to be righteous,
think about God first, then others, then yourself. This just seemed like a continuation of
that message, applied to sexual behavior. If God wanted these people to be thinking of
God in every aspect of their lives, then that obviously included sex.

I journaled next to the passage after reading it: It feels like God is saying, Hey, so I
recognize that Ive created different cool bodies on different people and it would be cool if
you also recognized that and made love to them being mindful of who they are and what
their body wants and needs. Doing otherwise would be detestable.' And maybe its
because Im a bisexual non binary human who reads the Bible with those intersections in
mind, but I think that all God is saying here is to honor the body that youre having sex
with. If God is telling Moses to have his community think about others before themselves,
is it such a stretch to think that extends to sexual behavior? God wanted the Israelites to
think about their partner when they were having sex, and less about themselves. I believe
this is a passage about sexual selflessness and respecting bodies as a way to live the life
God wants us to live. How rad is that?

Not only was it comforting to read the passage in a fresh way, it also made more sense
when thinking about the law thats being introduced throughout the book. Later in the Old
Testament, we see the law spoken about in different ways that all essentialize love, honor,
and respect. Deuteronomy 6:5 distills it this way, Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, all your being, and all your strength (CEB). Part of loving God is honoring those
around you and treating them with respect.

This is where it gets exciting. Because if we read the law this way, then every other
homophobic argument in the Bible just sort of falls apart. The story of Lot and Sodom in
Genesis can be read as a warning against sexual harassment and assault, or as an
allegory against discussing the importance of hospitality. Its read the way it was intended

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to be read not as a literal historical narrative, but a parable thats useful to help a culture
understand their laws and customs.

Even Paul, who is like the ultimate jerk in all the New Testament, becomes more palpable.
Paul says at least three things in three different letters that have been used against queer
people. In 1 Timothy, 1 Corinthians, and Romans, Paul pretty crudely associates having
queer sex with depravity. And, yall, I dont know. There are some experts who read it as a
condemnation of lustful behavior associated with prostitution in the Roman empire. Some
people read it as being against pederasty. But I dont know. Because I wasnt there, and
so I dont know the culture Paul was writing in, or the people he was writing to, or what
there experiences were. I only know what Ive been told, but all history is subjective, so
Im cautious to wholly believe any single interpretation.

Heres the thing about Paul: he maybe says that queer sex is sinful, but he also is very
clear that all people are sinful, period. And he says that because of that, we cant trust
things that are said to us by people who claim that they have the power to judge us,
because no one can judge anyone anymore. He also says that acts such as those are
against nature and the law, but that Christ came to replace the law, and that if one follows
Christ, they are following the law. So, to quote Oprah, Whats the truth?

Im not an expert at the Bible or religion or Christianity, but this is what I think is the truth.
In Romans 14, Paul recognizes that all Christians wont agree with each other, and warns
that we dont judge each other in our disagreement. I think he understood early on that in
the spread of information, there are bound to be different interpretations. And I think the
truth he wants us to understand is this: no matter who we are now, because of Christ, God
is for us. I think he wants us to love each other as a way to show our love of God.

I cant make every passage better. There are some passages that are still, even after
months of study, hard to accept. But I try to remind myself that its okay to be critical of
whats written and that questions can help my faith grow. I remind myself that its okay to
have my own interpretation because everyone is interpreting the Bible all the time. I think
the best interpretations of the Bible are ones that encourage us to love one another
deeply as a way to love God. And I remind myself that love is one of the most mentioned
words in the Bible and it is the core of my faith. And even if I cant figure everything out, I
can still love.

Ive been thinking a lot about how queer Christians read the Bible during Pride and how
we practice the tenets of our faith. What does loving God look like for me as a queer
person? Even though I still wont agree with everything he wrote, Paul does say this,
Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. Love
each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other
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(Romans 12:9-10, CEB). As an action, this love looks like caring for Gods creations. It
means that Im listening to trans women of color, protesting unjust laws, showing up for
queer youth, or sending silly mail to my friends to encourage them. This is how I follow
Christ. I take care of creation, I dont judge, and through giving love, I am able to feel
Christs love all the more in my own life.

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