Scripture outdated on homosexuality

As I read the viewpoint by Lydia Claudio ("More than the ten Commandments?" March 2), I was extremely disappointed and disheartened. The article lacked depth and clear argumentation. Her article has three key points: scriptural support against homosexuality, her own opinion, and an argument supporting the evaluation of the context of a scripture passage. These points are ultimately contradictory in her article.

If one wants to debate homosexuality through a religious text, there needs to be greater scholarship of hermeneutics, or critical interpretation of the Bible. She argues that "God established," "God does not approve," etc. This is incorrect. God did not write the Bible. There are only four scriptures that are taken to discuss homosexuality, albeit remotely: Leviticus laws, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah found in Genesis 19, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and Romans 1:26-27. Claudio mentions three of these. I will debate these scriptures but, first, I would like to point out that those passages were written by men years, in some cases hundreds of years, after their supposed occurrence, during a time when Judaism (Genesis & Leviticus) and Christianity (1 Corinthians, Romans) were trying to establish themselves among a time of conflict.

First, Jewish commentaries of Maimonides, a Jewish scholar, and others agree that passages from Leviticus 18-20 are not moral values but symbols of Jewish distinctiveness. There are over 600 individual laws in the Levitical code, the breaking of any of which would make the sinner unclean and unacceptable to God.

Second, the sins of Sodom (derived from the Hebrew word "S'dom" for "burnt") and Gomorrah (derived from "Amorah" meaning "a ruined heap") have nothing to do with homosexuality. God tells Abraham that he will destroy the two cities if ten righteous people cannot be found. God sends two angels to Sodom and stays with Lot, Abraham's nephew. "All the people from every quarter" surround the house demanding "to know them" (Genesis 19:5). ALL of the people took part in this assault. In response, Lot offers his daughters to be raped, clearly not an action associated with either homosexuality or heterosexuality. In Ezekiel 16:48-50, the specific sins of Sodom are given: pride, idleness, plenty, uncaring for the poor and needy, haughty and committing an abomination. If one read the word "abomination" throughout the Hebrew Bible, it is always connected with idolatry, never homosexuality.

Third, Romans 1:26-27 mentions homosexual acts performed by people who are described as heterosexual and about men in a patriarchal culture exerting dominance not only over woman but over younger males too. The nature of these acts is different from what we know as homosexuality today and has no application to today's homosexuality.

In Claudio's article, she writes, "Before you use a Scripture passage as the basis of your argument, read the context." Well, here is the context and God does NOT say flat out that homosexuality is a sin. In the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, God is indifferent to homosexuality.

On an end note, I would like to address the issue of concern that the Tufts campus is not receptive to minority viewpoints. Resistance comes with any minority opinion in free speech. Opponents of gay marriage will be met with this resistance at Tufts. The Tufts student body is looking for an intellectual conversation about gay marriages, as it is with every other issue. Why does one support it or not? Arguing that the Bible is the Word of God and divinely inspired will cause a stalemate in this conversation. Historical critical method and hermeneutics should be applied and be a part of any conversation that uses ancient texts as the foundation for an argument.

Natawnee J. Fritz is a sophomore and has yet to declare a major.