Precious Religious Patriarchy

I’m sorry God, but your followers continue to focus on the sex life of others and assume they understand your stance on such things. Their actions do not depict love for their neighbour; rather they apply judgementalism and inflict derision on an already vulnerable sector of society. The so-called Manly 7 have protested their team’s inclusion of a rainbow on this weekend’s jersey by refusing to play rugby league, claiming it’s against their religion. What was meant to be an action of acceptance and inclusion of the LGBTQI+ community by Manly Sea-Eagles has now become a debate on religious dogma in a modern society.

There are plenty of claims made about how God views aspects of humanity. Most of the Christians can’t even agree on biblical interpretations on many things, including same sex relationships. The Bible doesn’t really make any clear views on same sex relationships and there could indeed be a decent argument mounted that David and Jonathon were in a loving relationship[1]. So, what exactly are the most common religious arguments against homosexuality (I hate that word!) and, therefore, also against love?

The easiest place to start is with Sodom and Gomorrah[2]. This tale even produced the word “sodomy” to depict anal sex, consensual or otherwise. So, as the story goes, Lot and his family lived in a town called Sodom and were visited by two angels/men who told him they were sent by God to destroy Sodom. All the Sodom locals came to Lot’s house asking for the men to be sent out to them so they could have sex with them. Lot refused but, very kindly, offered to give his virginal daughters to the sex-charged mob. As it is, absolutely no sodomy is recorded as having occurred. None whatsoever! Nothing. Nada. Only a very, very precious patriarchy could read that story, clench their cheek bottoms in fear, and create a word out of it. The true crux of the story: females were considered worthless, and Lot was happy to allow his daughters’ gang rape rather than subject two strangers to such an atrocity. Homosexuality was the least of Sodom’s problems!

Another discussion often leads to the Biblical book of Leviticus which sets out plenty of general rules. There is an extremely long list of anti-sex rules[3] applicable to the Israelites who had recently fled Egypt to wander aimlessly in Canaan for forty years. Good times! These were not the ten commandments, but additional godly information given to Moses. Amongst this long list is “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” Arguably, the absence of a vagina might mean that two men are not in breach of this instruction. Just sayin’. This long list in Leviticus also imparts other vital life tips such as not sacrificing your kids to Molek, not having sex with your mother/sister/aunt/in-laws, and not having sex with an animal. Probably not applicable to too many of us. There are others, however, that many people are quite likely to have breached: having sex with a woman during a period or with your neighbour’s wife.  Leviticus also instructs God’s followers to retain their sideburns[4] and not to tattoo their bodies[5]. I certainly hope the Manly 7 aren’t sporting any tattoos and haven’t cut off the sides of their beards – otherwise their stance against a rainbow guernsey is likely to be rather hypocritical.

The New Testament also references same sex issues: “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.[6]” Seems like a simple statement useful to condemn…except that the context of this verse cannot be ignored. The following sentence continues the condemnation well beyond any reference to sexuality: “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;[7]” This chapter of Romans doesn’t single out homosexuality as being any worse than deceit, gossip or disobeying parents. I rather suspect the Manly 7 may have frequently fallen afoul of the other parts mentioned here; risking hypocrisy yet again.

1 Timothy 1:9-10 is another Bible reference frequently rolled out against same sex relationships. Once again, however, context is everything. There is a long list of issues that are equally frowned upon. “We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,  for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.” Liars and lawbreakers are mentioned in the same breath as same sex relationships and the term “sexually immoral” opens up a whole can of worms in the world of rugby league. I certainly hope each man of the Manly 7 have maintained sexual morality while never lying!

Just before his death, Jesus gave a new instruction, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.[8]” Jesus didn’t tell people to love only the people in the community whose lifestyle of which they approved. Quite the opposite. In order to avoid hypocrisy, Jesus had always encouraged his followers thus, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?[9]”

There is significant conjecture by modern Christians on the Biblical stance against homosexuality. If anything, it’s much safer for Western Christianity to abide by the tolerance and acceptance of Jesus’s teachings; better to err on the side of caution. I’m pretty sure the Bible also tells its adherents to fear the lord your God[10]. Are the Manly 7 brave enough to face their own equivocal judgement from their God upon their death at Heaven’s gates more than being brave enough to show love to those of whose lifestyle they disapprove? The actions of the Manly 7 should render them very nervous about the commandment, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.[11]” They’d want to make sure they were dead certain they hadn’t muddled up God’s viewpoint. Given he’s a deity and they’re mere mortals, I can virtually guarantee that modern Judeo-Christianity have muddled it all up. Fingers crossed for judgement day, guys!

[1] 1 Samuel 18:1-4

[2] Genesis 19:1-20

[3] Leviticus 18:1-30

[4] Leviticus 19:27

[5] Leviticus 19:28

[6] Romans 1:26-27

[7] Romans 1:28-29

[8] John 13:34

[9] Matthew 7:1-3

[10] Deuteronomy 10:20

[11] Exodus 20:7