If you are a Bible-believing Christian, you believe in the whole Bible, the Old Testament and the New, as the inerrant word of God. If your faith is based on such a belief, you do not pick and choose which passages of the Bible you are going to believe and follow. Or do you? There are people on the extremes of the political spectrum who have lost political battles over whether all citizens of the United States have the same rights under the Constitution and civil law. Because they have lost in the political arena, they are now attempting, in states controlled by Republicans, to trump the law with claims to religious beliefs that would permit them to discriminate against whomever they choose.
Of course, the only religious belief in question derives from Chapter 18 of Leviticus, and specifically verse 18:22: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” (KJV). As any Bible scholar knows, the original Hebrew text was translated into Greek and then into English with changes in meaning at each stage. And as any Bible scholar should know, the original name of the Book of Leviticus in Hebrew was “ ספר תורת הכהנים : SEFER TORAT HAKOHANIM : The Instructions of the Priestly Officiants.” The prohibitions in Leviticus were originally meant to keep the Hakohanim (priestly caste) from imitating foreign, non-Israelite, cultic fertility rituals in the Promised Land.
Of course, the only religious belief in question derives from Chapter 18 of Leviticus, and specifically verse 18:22: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” (KJV). As any Bible scholar knows, the original Hebrew text was translated into Greek and then into English with changes in meaning at each stage. And as any Bible scholar should know, the original name of the Book of Leviticus in Hebrew was “ ספר תורת הכהנים : SEFER TORAT HAKOHANIM : The Instructions of the Priestly Officiants.” The prohibitions in Leviticus were originally meant to keep the Hakohanim (priestly caste) from imitating foreign, non-Israelite, cultic fertility rituals in the Promised Land.
Over a number of years, religious conservatives have produced what they call "new translations" of the Bible that, coincidentally, support their opinions. They are, of course, not translations but editorial revisions to support philosophical points of view unrelated to textual scholarship.
Okay, with that out of the way, back to Christians believing and acting on what the Bible says. As many have explained before, if you are a Bible-believing Christian who believes in the whole Bible, in its entirety, as the inerrant word of God — and who does not pick and choose which verses to follow in your private and public life — you must not do any of these things that carry as much significance as Leviticus 18:22...
Okay, with that out of the way, back to Christians believing and acting on what the Bible says. As many have explained before, if you are a Bible-believing Christian who believes in the whole Bible, in its entirety, as the inerrant word of God — and who does not pick and choose which verses to follow in your private and public life — you must not do any of these things that carry as much significance as Leviticus 18:22...
- burn yeast or honey in offerings to God
- fail to include salt in offerings to God
- consume fat (like French fries cooked in grease)
- consume blood (like bloody rare steaks)
- touch an unclean animal or its carcass (like pork and footballs)
- let your hair become unkempt (like Duck Dynasty)
- tear your clothes (like Grunge rockers)
- consume alcohol in holy places (like taking communion)
- eat an animal that doesn’t both chew cud and has a divided hoof, such as camels, rabbits, pigs (no more rabbit stew or pork chops)
- eat or touch the carcass of any seafood without fins or scales (no more calamari and, worse, no more shrimp!)
- attend religious services within 33 days after giving birth to a boy
- attend religious services within 66 days after giving birth to a girl
- marry your wife’s sister while your wife still lives
- have sex with a woman during her period
- have sex with your neighbor’s wife
- give your children to be sacrificed to Moloch
- make idols or "metal gods" (no more rock stars)
- reap to the edges of a field
- pick up grapes that have fallen in your vineyard
- hold back the wages of an employee overnight
- curse the deaf or abuse the blind
- pervert justice by showing partiality to either rich or poor
- spread slander (no more gossip)
- seek revenge or bear a grudge
- wear clothing made of more than one fabric (no more poly blends)
- cross-breed animals (no more high end dogs, cats, etc., etc., etc.)
- plant different seeds in the same field
- eat fruit from a tree within four years of planting it
- trim your beard (no manscaping)
- cut your hair at the sides (no Mohawks)
- get tattooed
- consult mediums, spiritualists, or astrologers
- remain seated in the presence of the elderly
- mistreat foreigners – "the foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born" (no anti-immigrant fanatics)
- use dishonest weights and scales
- curse your father or mother
- slaughter a cow or sheep and its young on the same day
- work on the Sabbath
- take the Lord's name in vain (punishable by death)
- sell land permanently
- sell an Israelite as a slave
Or, if you're a rational human being, you could conclude that while some of these things might (or might not) have made sense in ancient times and places in the Middle East, maybe they don't any more.
