Having just read the letter arguing against same-sex marriage from Jane Atwood, I find her arguments creative and self-serving. She states, “From Genesis to Revelation, homosexuality is listed as a sin.” Well, no. Leviticus’ author lists that a man “shall not lie with a male as with a woman” as one of many things he condemns in a long-winded, spiteful and seemingly arbitrary tirade. (It baffles me how anyone could read Leviticus and believe that this nasty, little man was speaking “God’s word.”)

Homosexuality isn’t mentioned again until Paul (the Zealot Formerly Known as Saul) rails against it (and nearly everything else) in his endless epistles. (Although, it could be argued that he was actually condemning what, 2,000 years later, would be referred to as “recreational sex.”)

Jesus had more important things to talk about, like “Know thyself” and “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In other words, think for yourself and develop compassion (and don’t be inventing gods to justify your own prejudices). Really: is love a sin?

Steven Priestley
Portland

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