The next most-quoted "clobber passages" come from the book of Leviticus, so let's move on to those next. Just like non-Christians are familiar with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, the two anti-gay passages in Leviticus are familiar to many. The first comes from Leviticus 18:22 and the other comes several verses later in Leviticus 20:13.
Leviticus 18:22 states: "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable." I chose this quote from the New International Version (NIV); most translations in this book will be from the NIV and the New Living Translation (NLT). However, you may have heard the King James Version (KJV) of this passage, which states, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." Ah, yes, anti-gay Christians love to pull out the KJV Bible, if only so they can use the word "abomination."
Meanwhile, Leviticus 20:13 states: "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
Whoa, okay, let's pause for a second. You want us to put two human beings to death because a man had sex with another man? Once again, it baffles me how modern-day Christians could look at this passage and think that it applies to us in the twenty-first century. However, that aside, what is really going on here?
The reality is that the passages in Leviticus only make sense within the context of the chapter around them. First, let's look at Leviticus 18. The 18th chapter of Leviticus is all about forbidden or unlawful sexual relations, beginning with the decree to avoid sexual relations with close relatives. A long list of examples follows, although savvy readers will notice that the commandments are solely written for men and do not forbid all possible familial relationships. For example, the chapter says nothing about a man having relations with his daughter, although we would shy away in horror from such a thing today. However, included in the list are commandments to not have sex with a woman while she is on her period, to not sacrifice your children to pagan gods, and to not have sex with animals. Sandwiched in between the commandments against child sacrifice and beastiality is the commandment against man on man action.
On the other hand, Leviticus 20 is all about punishment for sin. The punishments consist of two main things: cutting the sinner off from the community or putting them to death. I am greatly disturbed and horrified that anybody could think these passages apply to us today, but for the sake of thoroughness, what does Leviticus 20 say? It says that the main sins punishable by death are child sacrifice (to pagan gods, I should add; it says nothing about child sacrifice to the God of Israel); dishonoring your parents; adultery; marrying a woman while also marrying her mother; having sexual relations with animals; acting as a spiritual medium; and yes, having "sexual relations with a man as one does a woman." The rest of the punishments involve cutting the sinner(s) off from the community or childlessness. (How they would enforce childlessness is beyond me, and I really doubt I want to know.) These sins include consulting a medium, known as "spiritual prostitution," and other sexual sins, like a man sleeping with his aunt or daughter-in-law; a man marrying his sister or his brother's wife; or a man sleeping with a woman during her period.
However, it is time to take a few steps back and look at the bigger picture. What is the rest of Leviticus about? What was the author's purpose in writing Leviticus? When was it written, and to whom and by whom? Are these commandments really something that modern-day Christians should worry about following?
In an attempt to find out, I spent the day reading and annotating the entire book of Leviticus. I found out that the book consists of the following:
⇒ Chapters 1-7: how to make offerings and sacrifices in the Temple, which was destroyed in 587 BCE and again in 70 CE. It was never rebuilt, although rebuilding efforts continue to this day.
⇒ Chapters 8-10, 21-22: how the first Jewish priests were ordained and how the priestly class should act.
⇒ Chapter 11: which animals should not be eaten.
⇒ Chapter 12: purification after childbirth.
⇒ Chapters 13-14: what should be done about skin diseases, as well as clothes and houses contaminated by mold or mildew.
⇒ Chapter 15: the ceremonial uncleanliness of bodily fluids, such as semen and period blood.
⇒ Chapter 16, 23-25: how Jewish festivals and holidays should be celebrated.
⇒ Chapter 17: prohibitions against eating blood or sacrificing animals outside of the Temple.
⇒ Chapter 18: forbidden sexual relations.
⇒ Chapter 19: an assortment of commandments about holy personal conduct.
⇒ Chapter 20, 24, 26: the punishments for disobedience and blessings for obedience.
⇒ Chapter 27: how holy gifts and offerings should be presented to God.
From this, it is clear that the two verses about men having sexual relations with other men are a very small part of the book of Leviticus. The fact that many Christians focus on these two verses without a thought for what the rest of the book says is a big problem.
Now, let's look at the history of Leviticus. Leviticus is traditionally said to have been written by Moses, although many of today's Bible scholars say it was written by several different authors. For those who believe it was written solely by Moses, they give dates between 1445 and 1400 BCE. For those who believe it was written by several authors, the date they give is much later, anywhere from 900 to 600 BCE. Either way, scholars agree that Leviticus was written as a handbook for the priests and Levites of ancient Israel. The priests were descendents of Moses's brother, Aaron, while the Levites were a class of Israelites just below the priests, set apart from the other tribes of Israel. Leviticus was not written for the regular lay-people of Israel, or for Christians, for that matter. Rather, it was written for the holy Jewish classes of Ancient Israel, given what they knew about holiness and morals. When one looks at the bigger picture of Leviticus, it becomes clear that these are not laws that modern-day Christians are required to follow. Leviticus passages were never meant to be used as guidelines for Christians. I repeat, Leviticus passages were never meant to be used as guidelines for Christians. Isn't that quite a relief?
As a final point, remember that the Christians who insist on using the "clobber passages" from Leviticus are the same people who do not follow the Levite dietary restrictions, purifying rituals, Israelite festivals, animal sacrifices, or commandments to stone sinners to death. Why, then, do they insist on homosexuality being an "abomination," when they do not follow the rest of the rules of Leviticus?