Shrimp and Homosexuality: What’s the Difference?
By Vikki Porter on Wed 29 Aug 2007 |
Email This Post
Recently, I came across this interesting animated icon that has been used by several people on different online journals:
First of all, let me declare that I am not one of those rabid bible-thumping individuals frothing at the mouth. Far be from it. I don’t dress in elaborate and flamboyant costumes for Sunday church nor do I get the Holy Spirit that causes me to “stop, drop, and roll” in the church aisles like the fire safety advertisements we see every now and then. I don’t preach my beliefs to people, and I don’t expect people to push their religion on me. This is America, after all. We are supposed to be able to practice our beliefs in peace, whatever they are, as long as those beliefs don’t threaten or intrude on others’ comfort and safety zone.
So I’ve decided to do a bit of informal research to determine if the passages in the animation were actually in the Bible and not from someone’s religious fervor or overactive imagination. Turns out that these passages are real. They all appear in the book of Leviticus. Let’s take a look. Remember, I am not professing to be an expert on religion, so please keep an open mind. Also, in case you’re wondering, the first number before the colon of “XX:XX” means the chapter, and the last number means the verse.
Shaving - 19:27
Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
Gillette and Bics are enjoying strong and steady sales throughout the years despite this proclamation. And there’s an abundance of barbershops and beauty salons that are not lacking in customers. Go to a church or temple, and you’ll see plenty of people sporting neatly coiffed hairstyles and trimmed beards and goatees.
Shrimp - 11:10
And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you.
I love to eat shrimp and lobster, no lie. And I’m not the only one in the boat. But I was puzzled as to why eating shellfish isn’t allowed. I asked a supposedly Christian friend of mine that question. “I don’t know why not” she shrugged, before heading off to an end-of-summer crab feast with her trusty hammer designed to break apart the creatures.
Tattoos - 19:28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
There’s been an explosion of tattooed people in recent years. No longer taboo, people are now crossing off the “get a tattoo” item on their to-do list. Someone pointed out that it was ironic that tattoos would be verboten considering that God put a mark on Cain. Maybe that mark was a tattoo?
Working on Saturday – 19:30
Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
The Bible pointed out how God created the world as we know it in seven days. On the seventh day, he rested. So therefore, to honor his hard work and elbow grease, we are not allowed to work on Saturday, which is the seventh day of the week. Saturdays should be a day for reverence. But the world of commerce continues to turn, even on Saturdays. Now what I would like to know is how did Sunday become known as a day for services for most religions in most cases?
Polyester – 19:19
Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
Nearly 100% of the world’s population is automatically guilty. Take a look at the label on your favorite and oft-laundered shirt. I bet polyester is in the mix.
Bunnies – 11:6
And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Ok, round up your pet bunnies. Those cute animals are abominations! Time for Bugs Bunny to chomp on his last carrot and ride off into the sunset. But wait, I just thought of something. Why is the mascot for Easter, one of the biggest days in the Christian religion, a rabbit? A point to ponder…
Hamburger – 17:10
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
There goes McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s!
Vegetable Gardens – 19:19
Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
This is the same passage attributed to the crime of polyester. This time, broccoli and cauliflower aren’t allowed to mingle in the same place. Too bad, because my garden was a lively spot to cultivate and grow as a person, or in this case, a vegetable.
Homosexuality – 18:22
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
This is the big one, and the one that is almost always quoted and bandied about. To put it in a nutshell, it’s not a very good idea to sleep with someone of your own gender.
Now this is what gets me: If this particular sin is frown upon and violently discouraged so badly, why do most of us commit some of these other sins mentioned above without a second thought? If being a homosexual is such a huge problem in our society, what about us evil shellfish eaters? According to Dr. Rex Russell, author of What the Bible Says About Healthy Living, “…”it has long been recognized that the meat of shellfish-shrimp, crabs, lobsters, etc.-is especially dangerous. Many illnesses, including instant paralysis, devastate some people every day as a result of eating shellfish.”
I suspect most people would rather be homosexual and walk/run/skip instead of being heterosexual and confined to a wheelchair. Before I raise the ire of the mobility-impaired, I want to point out that when people start picking and choosing verses that are convenient for them, it can be a slippery slope. Religion is a touchy subject and, like a rose, can be very thorny. But does it smell as sweet with all the apparent contradictions to the way we live? You be the judge. At the end, the animation spouted about the abominations: “Quote one, quote them all. ‘Kay?” That is indeed Common Sense 1:01.
© Copyrighted material. This article cannot be copied, reproduced or redistributed without the express written consent of the author. As with every blog on this website, this blog does not reflect the opinion of DeafDC.com.
43 Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
You need to take a look at the New Testament. For Christians, the New Testament takes precedence over the Old Testament. Judaism still follows the Old Testament. There are groups in Judaism, especially the Hasidim, who will follow the commandments laid down in Leviticus as closely as possible. Do a little more research before you make conclusions.
Lolaji:
If you read my blog in its entirety, you would have seen that I do not claim to be a religious expert. And this blog isn’t a dissertation, to quote: “So I’ve decided to do a bit of informal research to determine if the passages in the animation were actually in the Bible and not from someone’s religious fervor or overactive imagination.”
I simply commented on each abomination that the animation mentioned. If it is indeed true that the New Testament takes precedence over the Old, then why do so many people, especially from the conservative right-wing, still espouses that homosexuality is a sin? I have several friends who are Catholic that felt SO guilty about getting tattoos. That’s the Old Testament, so why were they so worried?
So even though the New Testament is accepted by Christians and not the Jews, the Old Testament still has a powerful hold, anyway.
I think her point was that there are groups of people, such as Christians (not all, just a select few) that DO cherry pick those verses, for their own convenience.
Also, be careful of selectively picking out verses to make a point. There is such a thing as content, and you have to take account of the customs and way of living during the time these verses were written.
Lola… you totally missed the point — or actually, you hit the nail on the pointy end. Vikki’s point is that people pick and choose content to justify THEIR own actions and beliefs, without taking into account the customs and social way of life back over 2000 years ago. If people today can pick one thing out of the Old Testament to decry, but then not follow other “rules of society” then is that not something to think about?
Oh, and as for your Old Testament comment… It is just as Christian as the New Testament — only the first 5 books of the Old Testament are found in the Torah.
Judaism is more about acts as opposed to beliefs. Christianity is more about the belief and faith in the existence of Jesus as the son of God/G-d/Yahweh/Allah/Him/Her/What-Have-You than about acts. Catholicism is the only “Christian” sect that really puts an emphasis on penance for acts of sin.
Sincerely,
An agnostic Catholic who grew up with a whole bunch of Jewish friends and knows more about Judaism than most of them do.
Again, I wasn’t selectively picking our verses. If what you said was true about taking “in account the customs and way of living during the time these verses were written,” then the Bible should be considered obsolete and out of touch. Why then are people still holding steadfast in their faith in the Good Book?
Haha…Vikki, is your life *that* boring to the point where you need to look for trouble? ;-)
Seriously, I agree with you about keeping one’s religion to oneself. I really wish people would follow that simple concept, because since I moved to Indianapolis last January (after having lived my whole life in Maryland, a year in New York City, and a couple of years in upstate New York), our house has been routinely visited by various religious representatives wanting to recruit us to join their church, and this happens every weekend.
And my husband (who is a native upstate New Yorker) and I have never seen anything like it: we rarely had this many religious people coming to our house, ever. The only time in Maryland or upstate New York would be when Mormons came to visit, but that was once or twice a year thing.
But here in Indiana, the gloriously RED state, where there are many religious bookstores all over and various churches…people here in Indiana *push* religion HARD.
To the point where we have actually made 8 1/2 x 11 size poster saying “Religious representatives are not welcome here” on our front and back doors.
As for people not following the verses you highlighted above, I’m not surprised. Other religions show the same kind of contradictions, and that’s why my husband and I don’t practice organized religion of any kind at all.
Michelle…*yawn* my life is SO dullsville! LOL. Besides, I don’t look for trouble…trouble finds me!
I just thought the animation was on point about giving equal weight to all abominations, not just one.
I find it increasingly frustrating that religion and politics have somehow fused together. Didn’t the pilgrims come to the New World in search for a separation of Church and State?
I am a Christian and I get frustrated when Conservative Republicans bring their Christian beliefs into politics. I wish it would be kept separate. The U.S. Government should not interfere with people’s individual beliefs.
Hear, hear!
I’m all for the discrete separation of the Church and State. And it’s for this reason why I’m an advocate of civil unions as opposed to gay marriage. I never really understood why the non-religious, straight or gay, would want to participate in a ceremony meant for those who are religious?
Is it because it’s just the popular thing to do?
ALL marriages are “civil unions.” When you get married, you must register with your local government, pay the fee, and fill out the form.
I agree about the churches; the pastors/priests/rabbis are perfectly free to refuse to marry people, but lots of marriages take place outside of churches/synagogues/temples these days, and are officiated over by secular officials.
So why do we need the distinction between “marriages” and “civil unions”? I’ve never understood why this “separate but equal” policy even needs to be promoted. Those of us who are heteros certainly haven’t done a great job with the institution of marriage. Just take a look at that fine, upstanding paragon of heterosexual union, Larry Craig. *cough cough* Newt Gingrich, perhaps. Rudy Giuliani certainly seems to have gotten a lot of practice. Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney could write their own books on this venerable institution…
off on a tangent: funny how often unions are anything but civil.
What those gay and lesbians who are religious and would like to have a religious ceremony????
Not all gay and lesbians are heathens so to speak, many are Christians and even participate in other world religions.
Bobby, then they’ll need to work to reform their church/religion from within, put up with the rules, or leave. Those are the three options. Religions and churches aren’t cafeterias– you can’t pick and choose what you like or don’t like.
Some denominations are starting to change, and as a result, there are schisms developing. The Episcopalians are a good example of this.
Each to their own, but if it was me, I’m not sure I’d want to get married in a church/faith that didn’t accept me, warts and all.
Like David Evans said, a marriage is a civil union, and a legal action at the same time. You must get a license to get married.
You can get married just about anywhere…you don’t have to get married in a church.
My husband and I didn’t get married in a church, and we didn’t use a priest. What we did instead was to hold our wedding ceremony outside of a Victorian-style inn specializing in wedding and events, and then we had our reception indoors. We also did our best to find a non-denominational person to perform our marriage…and since we both are Deaf, we wanted someone who either knew ASL or was Deaf herself/himself. We ended up with a Deaf pastor from the Church of Light, and we had her customize our marriage vows so that it didn’t mention God or anything remotely religious in them.
Doing all of that made our union extra special, and that’s why it’s worth doing it. It’s not just a “popular” thing to do. It’s still a great way to celebrate getting together with that special someone in your life.
Here’s how I see it…
civil unions — everyone is in a civil union, whether they elope to Vegas, are joined by a justice of the peace, or have a wedding (religious or non-religious ceremony)
marriages — ceremonies in which an ordained preacher/rector/priest leads the person through their vows. These are the “wedding ceremonies.”
My feeling is that not enough people are recognizing that wedding ceremonies are actually church or temple ceremonies. The actual act of filling out the marriage certificate indicating intent to cohabitate and join their lives together is the civil union part.
Bah.
Heh. I agree with you…why focus on select few abominations? Might as well do ‘em all…problem is, there are so many, and it’d take hours to go through them all.
Vikki,
this could be another “Greatest Irony” kind of post. I found it entertaining, comical, well written, as well as poignant! Definitely makes one pause and think.
I applaud your courage and skill in writing this post!
Brava!
~ LaRonda
Thanks, LaRonda, for the compliments…this is one of those things that gives you food for thought.
Great post, Vikki! This is already one of my favorites. I’m gonna bookmark this. I’m also going to make a list on my pager, so I can whip it out (replete with chapter / verse) whenever I get preached at …
Cool post, Vikki.
I’m not sure if this is the right book, but author Peter McWilliams wrote a lot about the same topic… weird things listed as sins/sinful in the bible that form at least a partial basis for the reason that so much sexual behavior (including homosexuality) is now considered taboo… worth looking at:
http://books.google.com/books?.....s%22+books
great blog!
if anyone cares, jews don’t eat shellfish because of the perceived impurity of crustaceans. shellfish are bottom-feeders, and this is the same reason why jews don’t eat pork & carrion/scavengers. the diet of these animals is basically waste. just as with the diet of that 11-year-old down the street who eats only donuts from 7-Eleven.
if i had to be devil’s advocate here, i’d challenge the translations. i’d ask someone well-versed in latin, ancient greek and arabic to compare these modern-day translations with the original text. who, who to ask? so NOT that 11-year-old down the street.
Which reminds me. Just the other day, a hearing guy was amazed that the “telephone game” also applied to sign language!
oh man… *shaking head*
2,000 years of telephone… wish we all knew what the original words were!
Leave it to Vikki pick a topic of this nature. Yesterday I opened this blog with the intent of being the first to comment, however I was left speechless. I didn’t for once in my life know what to say. I had to take some time to think. I’m sure Vikki is shocked at this very notion - CRW being SPEECHLESS! Well … thats done - Here comes my comment:
First of all, fact is that the Bible is the most published book in the world. For centuries billions of people have used it as a guidebook or textbook on how to live. Countless people have lived and fought by and for the values the bible teaches. The cultural war in America is just basically a war between those who believe the Bible gives absolute values to live by and those who reject those Judeo-Christian virtues.Every President of the United States has put his hand on his personal Bible at his inauguration.
Yet, I have to ask - how many of you out there believe women are inferior to men? Did you know the bible says so? Check out Deuteronomy 22:5
“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.”
Why is it still legal for women who wear pants to get married in America?
There are so many other verses that declare women to be inferior to men:
Corinthians 11:3 “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man; and the head of Christ [is] God.” (Head of every woman is the man)
Ephesians 5:22 – 24 (22) “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. “ (23) “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”(24) Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing.”(Wives must submit themselves to their husband, they are his possession)
And the favorite of all : Leviticus
Leviticus 12:2 “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. Leviticus 12:5 “But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.(Woman unclean for 7 days if she gives birth to a boy, however she is unclean for 14 days to 66 days if she gives birth a girl)
YET, I don’t see anyone getting into an uproar over Corinthians 11:14 “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” This forbids men to have long hair, now that’s an abomination!
I have this quote on my office desk wall because there are many religon workers — when they saw the quote, they left me alone.
Here is the quote: “I accept Religious and spiritual beliefs of everyone in my world. No one is right; no one is wrong. We are all searching.”
A guy that I know beat you to the punch:
http://implanteddeafguyatthemo.....atics.html
That post made me laugh so hard tears almost ran!
Vikki - I must say I really wonder what the reaction would had this been a satire of Judaism or Mormonism.
And may I ask, what exactly makes you “stop, drop, and roll”? :)
It’s my take on some people, particularly Baptist, who “catch” the Holy Ghost in their bodies. They start spasming, moaning, and their eyes roll in the back because the Ghost touched them. In extreme cases, they actually plop down in the aisles and start shaking.
But that doesn’t make me stop drop and roll, though. I’ll never tell!
I believe Vikki is referring to “speaking in tongues.” It’s mostly the Pentecostalist.
The book of Leviticus was written primarily for the Jews to follow the religious laws that Moses got from God, these laws weren’t made for anyone else but the Israeli Jews who were just about to settle in the “promised land” and must adhere to their ancestors’ holy ways and traditions as a way of remembrance and fellowship. Remember these Israeli Jews endured slavery under the ancient Egyptians for hundreds years, nearly forgotten their old ways and became accustomed to the Egyptians’ ways. Ironically, it took an Egyptian-bred Jew who freed the Israelis, led them out of Egypt and into the promised land.
If laws are made for a people, then there are good reasons why laws are necessary for these people. Otherwise, you have anarchy, war, chaos, disrespect, insensitivity, inappropriate or criminal behaviors toward others. Many secular and constitutional laws today are descended from Jewish, Mesopotamian, Greek and Biblical laws.
You’re mostly right about that, but there are quite a few laws that should not be on the books. There’s no real reason why they’re existing. It’s not there to prevent anarchy, war and so on. They’re just there because someone wanted it to be there.
To see what I mean, check out http://www.dumblaws.com/
Not surprising. Dumb laws were made by people who either don’t have common sense or have bad experiences that led them to legislate dumb laws.
Vikki, regarding your comment about Easter bunny related to Christian Easter, here’s the real reason.
Happy reading.
Why do you bow down before Leviticus as if he were the Lord? This is the problem.
Vikki, thanks for the entry! Shellfish? I was told that eating them in the past can be fatal if not properly cooked. Same thing with pork. Back then, we do not have a refrigerator.
As for bunnies? I have no idea that it is an abomination to have one! Jeez.
Vikki, I’m not a fan of DeafDC.com/blog but you and Josh are two contributors that I enjoyed the most. The rest? *retching*
Cheers,
R-
Hilary, I’m guessing by your post about your definition of civil union and marriage, that you are NOT married.
Because only a single person would talk about getting married in that tone you did.
Getting married is still a ceremony even if it is held in a Victorian inn.
Trust me on that…my husband and I definitely felt it was a beautiful ceremony, even if it wasn’t in a church or a temple.
And for you to say otherwise is very dismissive of the beauty and joy of our wedding ceremony.
I never said wedding ceremonies weren’t joyous. Even a civil union in front of a clerk of the court or justice of the peace can be really nice. So can elopements to Vegas or wherever.
I love weddings, don’t get me wrong. The history of wedding ceremonies, however, has its roots in religion. I apologize if I didn’t make myself clear on that.
It’s the distinction between wedding ceremonies and civil unions that has so many people up in arms. People view them as one and the same. They’re not. Wedding ceremonies are a celebration of the union — it’s possible to get married/enter into a civil union without having that ceremony.
I view all marriages as civil unions and vice versa, but for the sake of wording and thinking about the religious viewpoints, I’ve had to explain them separately.
I’m Catholic and I absolutely abhor the Catholic Church’s viewpoints on “gay marriage.” I believe marriage is a sacred union between two people, and no one, not even the Church or our government, has the right to stigmatize any union between two people or say one is worthier than another of rights and privileges.
And, yes, I’m single.
My point is that it’s do-able to remove religion from a wedding ceremony, and that’s what my husband and I did to the best of our ability.
But if you are concerned about religion being part of the history of a ceremony…look at Christmas, Easter, etc. Those events are loaded with religious significance/history.
After all, Christmas is essentially a celebration of Jesus’ birthday. And Easter is essentially a celebration of Jesus’ getting up from the dead.
But to hear people talk about Christmas and Easter, you’d think Christmas was just about giving & getting presents and decorating your Xmas tree and your house, and Easter was about dyeing eggs and getting a decent supply of chocolate bunnies/eggs.
My husband and I eloped to Hawaii. We asked for an Unitarian minister to marry us, with tourists as our witnesses. No, there was nothing “Christian” about it… just joining, loving, forgiving, being together through best and hard times, blah blah. Some people (especially Christians and Catholics) think our marriage is invalid… Whatever. It is legally binding, since we obtained and signed the marriage certificate.
I learned that shellfish, lobsters, pigs, you name it, that the Bible deemed them to be unclean… becasue they consume dead animals (therefore, they are called scavangers) as part of “janitors” of the ecology… along with bugs. So when we eat shellfish, pigs, etc., we also eat toxins of dead bodies that the scavengers consume. Eww… no wonder they are “unclean” (yeah, that makes us “unclean”, huh?)
I *love* this! The animation, and your research on it. :-)
I’m here, though, because I just referenced an older post of yours in my blog:
http://www.reflexivity.us/blog.....02656.html
I wanted to let you know but that post is closed to comments now.
Thanks for sharing your thinking with us!