Well, maybe it isn’t exactly your Bible, because we’ve got a multiple ethnic world these days, but probably you know which Bible we’re talking about. Or what Rev. Jennifer Wright Knust is talking about, anyway, because we’ve borrowed some extracts from her new book, Unprotected Texts.
So here are four questions for you, all multiple-guess to make it easy, because by the law of averages you should get at least one right:
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The Bible says of homosexuality:
- Leviticus describes male sexual pairing as an abomination.
- A lesbian should be stoned at her father’s doorstep.
- There’s plenty of ambiguity and no indication of physical intimacy, but some readers point to Ruth and Naomi’s love as suspiciously close, or to King David’s declaring to Jonathan: “Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” (11 Samuel 1:23-26)
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In the Bible, erotic writing is:
- Forbidden by Deuteronomy as “adultery of the heart.”
- Exemplified by “Song of Songs,” which celebrates sex for its own sake.
- Unmentioned.
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Among sexual behavior that is forbidden:
- Adultery,
- Incest.
- Sex with angels.
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The people of Sodom were condemned principally for:
- Homosexuality.
- Blasphemy.
- Lack of compassion for the poor and needy.
All right, pencils down, but wait for the answers until next week when they will probably appear in this space,
Margaret says:
Oh wow! I believe I covet that book. Thanks for the pointer.
June 24, 2011, 8:50 amShakatany says:
I think I know the bible rather well even though I’m an atheist. I’ll see how well I did next week.
June 24, 2011, 10:10 amKen Houghton says:
Is it safe to assume that “all of the above,” or at least multiple answers, may be the correct answer?
The only one I would swear has only one answer is 4. (The answer, to pun badly, is predictive.)
June 25, 2011, 9:02 pmH. E. Parmer says:
“Most people read the Bible in small enough doses to innoculate themselves against the sense of it.”
June 26, 2011, 10:56 pmjoe from brooklyn says:
1. All of the above. And don’t forget St. Paul’s unsavory obsession with young St. Timothy’s foreskin!
2. C.
3. C.
“sex with angels” is def. out — no ambiguity there. Everything else is permitted, or allowed by notable characters.
4. B. If I were God, blasphemy would be the only sin a gave a good goddamn about.
June 27, 2011, 6:40 pm