Videos: Believe in the Bible? Then kill me.

Believe in the Bible? Then kill me.

28 January 2009

ZJ: California Lutheran High School is a private Christian school. In 2005, two girls were expelled for violating the school's Christian conduct code, which prohibits immoral or scandalous contact. The principal, Reverend Gregory R. Bork, questioned both girls about whether they were bisexual, if they had kissed each other, and if they had done anything "inappropriate". He concluded that they had, quote, "a bond of intimacy characteristic of a lesbian relationship". And he sent a letter to their parents telling them about this. And the school's board of directors voted unanimously to expel both of them.

The students then sued the school for violating California's Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination by businesses on the basis of sexual orientation. A few days ago, an appeals court found that the school can discriminate against anyone they want to, because it isn't considered a business.

Now, people sometimes ask why I criticize religion, Christianity in particular. Well, it's because of incidents like this. In the United States, so many people use their religion to justify discriminating against anyone who isn't straight, because their religion teaches them that being gay, or lesbian, or bisexual, or transgender, is wrong. Not just wrong for themselves, but wrong for everyone on earth, regardless of whether they follow the same religion.

So they try to force their discriminatory values on everybody. They refuse to recognize our right to marry someone of the same sex. They won't let us adopt children who need a home. They won't include us as a protected class in hate crime laws. They think it should be legal for employers to fire us on the basis of sexual orientation and nothing more. All because their religion, their church, their pastor, their Bible, their God says it's wrong to be gay.

Now, California Lutheran High School is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. And I actually attended a church that was part of the Wisconsin Synod. Yes, I really did go to church at one point in my life. Do you know what they taught us at this church? The pastor, who was a very nice guy, said that humans didn't evolve, dinosaurs never existed, fossils are there "to test our faith", carbon dating is a conspiracy, the Pope is the antichrist, and the devil can talk to us through Ouija boards.

Oh, and of course, being gay is immoral and wrong. Because the Bible says so.

Well you know what? That's not fucking good enough. The fact is, these people are wrong. They think the earth is 10,000 years old, and they actually expect us to listen to their moral judgements? Their religion is wrong, their Bible is a terrible source for moral guidance in modern society, and there's never been any evidence that their God even exists. They are discriminating against gay people for no good reason at all, and that's bullshit.

This is why I criticize religion: because we should not put up with this for any longer. Maybe if more people realized their religion is wrong, their Bible is inaccurate, their value system is backwards and their god doesn't exist, they would also realize that there's no valid reason to discriminate against gay people.

I have a challenge for California Lutheran High School, and anyone else who still thinks the Bible is a good reason to hate gay people. Now, their student handbook says, "CLHS exists to glorify God by using his inerrant Word to nurture discipleship in Christ".

His inerrant word, huh? Lots of Christians cite the Book of Leviticus, chapter 20, verse 13 as the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality. It reads: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination". And sometimes they just stop right there, but there's more to that verse. It continues: "They shall surely be"... well, fill in the blank here. They shall surely be expelled from school? No. They shall surely be outed to their parents? Nope.

It says, "They shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

Now, if you think the Bible is the inerrant word of God, then why are you using it to justify removing gay people from your school? The Bible doesn't say that. The Bible says you should kill them! Why use the Bible to justify banning gay marriage, or gay adoption, or firing someone for being gay, or disowning your own child for being gay? It doesn't say that. It says you should kill them!

Why follow one half of a Bible verse if you're not going to follow the other half? It is inerrant, isn't it? If you think "the Bible says so" is a good enough reason for anything, then why aren't you getting a lynch mob together to execute every gay person you can find? Either go all the way on following what the Bible says, or stop using the Bible to support your bias.

If you really believe in the Bible, then you shouldn't have a problem with killing me, along with all the other gay people on earth. If you aren't willing to put us in front of a firing squad because your God says so, then put your goddamn Bible away and shut the fuck up.

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