Not Another Word on Gay Marriage Until They Execute an Adulterer

The religious right picks and chooses which parts of the Bible they want to apply. And they choose based on which outsider group they would like to hate next. First, they emphasized slavery in the Bible when they wanted to hate black people. Now, they emphasize the parts condemning homosexuality so they can hate gay people.

They are completely and utterly disingenuous. They don't mean a word of it. They don't give a damn what the Bible says. They just want to use it as an instrument of hate.

The Bible says eating shellfish is an abomination. Yet there are no Red Lobster Amendments. The Bible says you shall not wear two different types of cloths at the same time. Yet there are no Propositions against cotton and wool combos.

The Bible says you should leave your family and join Jesus Christ. The religious right pretends that Jesus was about family values. He wanted you to abandon your family. Read the Bible.

The religious right pretends that the Bible says marriage is between one man and one woman. But that is a bald faced lie. Have any of these people ever read the Bible? The Bible is full of men taking on second wives, servants, prostitutes and concubines. And all the while, God heartily approves. How many wives did King David have? Eight? Twelve? Let alone his possibly gay lover, Jonathan.

Now the Bible says that a man shall not lie with another man. That is true. But it also says, in the same exact book, that adultery is an abomination. And the just punishment for this sin is execution. So, who will execute the first adulterer? Please step on up. May the one without any Biblical sin cast the first stone.

Here is a question no one can answer -- and lucky for the right wing, the media never bothers to ask -- why do you only focus on the part of the Bible against homosexuality but not on the part against adultery? It's one thing to say you're against adultery; it's another to take away their rights. How come no religious figure in this country has mounted a campaign to take away the rights of adulterers? Let alone execute them.

I'll tell you why. Because there are too many of them. Their followers are adulterers. They don't make for good scapegoats. They are not an easy target to ostracize and focus your hatred on. Gays are perfect. They are a small enough percentage of the population and different enough from the rest of us to be able to get people to focus their negative, barbaric instincts on them. The Bible is only a tool for this tribal, ugly tactic.

But I am tired of hearing people saying that homosexuality is a sin in the Bible when they never quote the rest of the Bible (probably because a great majority of church goers have never independently read the Bible or they have built up a reservoir of excuses for the parts they find inconvenient). So, from now, I would like to tell the Rick Warrens of the world, you are perfectly allowed to say how much you would like to take gay people's rights away from them based on the Bible so long as you agree to do one thing first -- execute an adulterer.

If you can do that for me, then I'll believe that you actually believe in the Bible literally and will accept your literal argument against homosexuality. Fair is fair. Step on up.

Watch The Young Turks Here

PS -- In case anyone is a maniacal literalist, please do not actually attempt to execute any adulterers or anyone else. Check yourself into a mental hospital instead because the seven headed dragon in Revelations could be out to get you.

< Weak Bitter Movie Critic | American conservatives are fuming >
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Once again Cenk is right on the money. These pretend "Christians" pick and choose a word or phrase and attemp to manufacture a rational position from the nonsensical assertion that the Bible is a literal "word of God" document. This supposed "word of God" says in Deuteronomy, Leviticus and elsewhere that it is, as with adultery, a similar abomination in the eyes of the Lord to touch the skin of a dead pig, making it imperative for "Christians" to stop playing football immediately and REPENT. I might, however, consider a minor attenuation of my disdain for these hypocrits if they would allow ME to choose which passages are allegory and metaphor and which I might deem to be "literal". Fat chance heh? 

by cjetmusic on 12/19/2008 02:21:36 PM EST

The religious right picks and chooses from the Bible in the same way the liberals pick and choose from the Constitution.

by Macai on 12/19/2008 02:31:52 PM EST

The only Amendment RWnuts ever seem to care about is the 2nd.

How about occasionally supporting the 1st, 4th and 5th?

"No, you are a paid blogger assigned to counter anyone that posts something negative about the government or Obama." by Mcamelyne II on 05/17/2011

by Robrob on 02/20/2010 11:39:47 PM EST

[ Parent ]
I don't see how anyone could believe a completely fact less bed time story. If we used our court system like this DNA evidence and eye witness testimonies would be pointless. It disgusts me how far some people will go out of the fear of change. The religious need to grow a pair and stop trying to step in on others life's.

P.S. I'm not singling out the religions that pertain to the bible, I'm talking about all of them.

by GR33NeyedDEVIL on 12/19/2008 03:02:43 PM EST

Although I am as much as an atheist can be, I'm feeling what Daniel Dennett felt when he said; "There's nothing I like less than bad arguments for a view that I hold dear."

Most christians believe that the Mosaic laws were "fulfilled" by Jesus' so called "sacrifice", which is why they don't need to bother with it. Homosexuality is mentioned in the *NT* as being wrong as well as the OT, this is the reasoning (???) christians give for homosexuality as a sin.

So the whole crab-fish and clothes of multiple fabrics thing is a faulty argument. I agree with the point about adultery though.

Also, the bible says nothing about homosexual marriage only homosexual "behaviour", banning gay marriage does nothing about the behaviour - so it's totally irrelevant, therefore I can't help but feel that the christian movement to ban gay marriage is a result of tribalistic thinking.

by Polymath on 12/19/2008 04:08:32 PM EST

"You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do." - Anne Lamott

by mr science on 12/19/2008 04:43:53 PM EST

27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.

28 You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.

31 “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.

10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

11 If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them.

13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

14 If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you.

15 If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.

16 If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

17 “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity.

18 If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or of your father's sister, for that is to make naked one's relative; they shall bear their iniquity.

20 If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

21 If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity.  He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

 There was a lot of lying around back then.

by designs on 12/19/2008 06:18:20 PM EST

Warren quoted Leviticus to argue that gays are an evil people. Yet he very carefully left out the complete passage. The next sentence after the part his quoted calls for the Death Penalty for gays. Where is the goddamn media? Why isn't anyone asking Warren why he is quoting Leviticus when it specifically calls for gays to be executed?

by designs on 12/19/2008 06:21:58 PM EST

[ Parent ]
This is one of the best things you've written Cenk.

by Tom Hanc on 12/19/2008 06:32:09 PM EST

If Christians used enough logic to be able to rationalize that point we wouldnt have this issue in the first place.

Youre preaching to the choir, Cenk. You have to take the good word to the people you make fun of the most--this is the inherent problem.

Basically you want to express your freedom to attack their freedom so they will give up part of their freedom to gays so they can use religion to mean what religious people dont want it to mean.

Rrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiggggghhhh hhhtttttttt.

by calturner on 12/19/2008 10:12:30 PM EST

WHAT ARE YOU JUST STUPID OR ARE YOU FROM A CONFUSED AND DISFUNCTIONAL FAMILY. FIRST YOUR POST IS FULL OF HATE WHICH IS PROBIBLY WHY YOU YOU THINK THESE PEOPLE HATE GAYS. AND SOMETHING ELSE YOU ARE CONFUSED ABOUT IS THAT THE GAYS ARE THE ONES ON THE OFFENCE NO ONE IS TRYING TO TAKE AWAY THEIR RIGHTS BEFORE SOMETHING CAN BE TAKEN AWAY  YOU HAVE TO HAVE THEM. IT IS ALSO OBVIOUS THAT YOU ARE AN ATHEIST BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO DESERNMENT WHEN IT COMES TO TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE HELL  THE PRESIDENT ELECT  DOESNT  THINK  MEN SHOULD MARRY  EACH OTHER  OR WOMAN SHOULD BE ALOUD TO DO IT EITHER. GAY PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE GONE FROM BEING PASSIVE AND HAPPY TO BEING HATEFULL  AND DANGEROUS HELL I SAW SOME GAY RATICALS BEAT DOWN AN OLD WOMAN BECAUSE THE DID NOT LIKE THE SIGN SHE WAS HOLDING.

by maximus on 12/19/2008 10:36:18 PM EST

You did not see gays beat down an old lady. It never happened. Everyone knows you just pulled that out of your butt, I see your ilk do that all the time. You want to demonize those you don't agree with, but when they won't do the evil things you wish they would do so that you can rant about them, you just make it up.

I would refer you to Exodus 20:16: Thou shalt not bear false witness.

by diguardi on 12/20/2008 09:12:51 AM EST

[ Parent ]
BLACKS WERE INSLAVING EACH OTHER LONG BEFORE WHITE CHRISTAINS BECAME INVOLED.

Actually men of all colors were Enslaving others since we started banding together in groups. The Bible does endorse slavery, so I suppose to a “TRUE” believer slavery is perfectly fine as long as you conform to the Bibles guidelines on how to treat them. You know if you beat one and cause it to lose an eye you must set it free. That kind of thing. Of course if you by a Hebrew slave you only get to keep him for six years.

GAY PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE GONE FROM BEING PASSIVE AND HAPPY TO BEING HATEFULL  AND DANGEROUS HELL 

Gays like Slaves I suppose should follow the Bible when it tells them to shut the fuck up and take whatever their masters dish out. 1 Peter 2:18  Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

In other words you will have the rights we decide you should have and no more.

NO ONE IS TRYING TO TAKE AWAY THEIR RIGHTS BEFORE SOMETHING CAN BE TAKEN AWAY  YOU HAVE TO HAVE THEM.

First, that's the point that gays are making there Sparky, is in a Constitutional Government ALL individuals are guaranteed the same rights and they would like the same rights as other couples in a committed relationship which should indeed be their right.

Although it can be argued that in some states gay marriage has been allowed and there is and has been a consorted effort to now take that right away from them, Again demonstrating your statement to be uninformed.

Your obvious inability to grasp that simple concept makes the rest of your argument immaterial. I would suggest that first you understand an issue before you try to discuss it.

I prefer Bible versus that share my personal philosophy.

Blessings are for the head of the just, but a rod for the back of the fool.   (Proverbs 10:6)

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative." John Stuart Mill

by Hubble on 12/21/2008 11:09:39 AM EST

[ Parent ]
You want to be right or do you want to win?

Gays will not rip marriage away from the Christians without, a fight.

But, if you were smart, you would JUST START YOUR OWN RELIGION.

Problem solved, ordain your own Reverands and marry yourselves--they cant stop you using their own rationale.

But if you want this fight, go ahead, I'll watch and giggle.

by calturner on 12/21/2008 02:25:51 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Who says gays are trying to take marriage away from anyone?

Im giggling too. At your rather ignorant posts


by Chinese Democracy on 12/21/2008 03:07:39 PM EST

[ Parent ]
And they did kill Prop 8 remember?

by calturner on 12/22/2008 01:58:10 AM EST

[ Parent ]
is a sign of mental illness

As is the content of your post


by Chinese Democracy on 03/09/2010 11:13:59 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Good to see you again, Gluteus. I see you've been practicing with that caps lock. Good boy.

by OneHitKill on 06/08/2010 04:20:08 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Something led me to believe that Maximus's comments were new. I don't know where I got that idea. Carry on.

by OneHitKill on 06/08/2010 04:23:25 AM EST

[ Parent ]
 FYI  YOU GIVE THE FALSE IMPRESSION THAT SLAVERY  STARTED IN THE AMERICAS. WRONG AND A COMPLETE ALLUSION ON YOUR PART. BLACKS WERE INSLAVING EACH OTHER LONG BEFORE WHITE CHRISTAINS BECAME INVOLED. WHAT KIND OF LESSONS HAVE YOU BEEN TAUGHT. JUST A SUGGESTION BUT IT MAY BE TIME FOR YOU TO DO A SELF EXAMINATION ON WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LESSONS AND WHAT WAS THIER MOTIVES

by maximus on 12/19/2008 11:05:13 PM EST

Quiet down dude, put a maxi(mus) pad in your pie hole.

Take the caps off, and calm down.

by rolodex on 12/20/2008 02:00:36 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Slavery is an inherent part of this country's history, without slavery we wouldnt have grown so powerful so fast.

Youre missing the point completely. The fact that gay knows no racial boundaries is not an advantage for the community in the eyes of non-gays--it places it in its own circumstance and hence you cant use race as a comparison.

Until you organize and come up with rational, valid talking points instead of saying the gay struggle is just like someone else's struggle will not draw support from that group (Especially when that group is very religious and unlikely to support you).

Find your own leadership, take civil unions to get your foot in the door or get ready for a long, rough fight.

It doesnt mean youre not right or have a valid point, it just means society has certain limits to what it will accept and for now gays need to adjust fire and move forward.

by calturner on 12/21/2008 02:35:29 PM EST

[ Parent ]
It doesnt mean youre not right or have a valid point, it just means society has certain limits to what it will accept and for now gays need to adjust fire and move forward.

Funny if you substitute the word gays with blacks that is EXACTLY the argument that many "non prejudiced" white's were making about MLK and the Civil Rights movement of the 60's.

Nice to know blacks have made it so for into the mainstream they can now tell another group to do exactly what they were told, but refused to do 40 years ago.

Now I know that blacks have had the worst time in history of mankind,  more so than the 3 million Irish people who were allowed to starve to death during the Great Famine, and when they came to this land were met with signs that said Irish Need Not Apply, or the Asian Immigrants who came to this country and were used like slaves while building the west, or the American Indians who were driven off their lands and deliberately given Small Pox infected blankets to kill them off, destroying entire Native American tribes and nearly destroying the rest until their population was a mere fraction of what it once was.

Yes one can argue that Blacks have certainly had it worse than any other group ever, so it is a relief to see that they are now part of the mainstream to the point that some members of the black community are comfortable enough in telling another group asking for equality that they just need to wait their turn, step back and quit making so much noise.

WELL DONE YOU!

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative." John Stuart Mill

by Hubble on 12/21/2008 10:09:24 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Youre arguing hypothetically, while Im making a case based in reality and the nature of the actual problem.

This isnt a matter of coming to a reasonable conclusion over an issue.

This isnt about relating one experience to another--its the illogical idea that you can tell religious people that religion no longer belongs to them and the State should tell religious people who should be allowed to get married.

Theres no way the SCOTUS will rule that the right to marry people is no longer the jurisdiction of churches and only the State can decide who the Churches have to marry by law. That screams a violation of the Constitution's protections of religion.

Some churches often dont even believe in divorce and many churches wont allow a divorced straight person to remarry in their church but those folks dont insist that the decision somehow violates Civil Rights.

The SCOTUS is much more likely to rule that Civil Unions are equal under the laws of all states, but theyre not going to be able to force the hands of churches.

Black Civil Rights had religion on its side, Gay Marriage doesnt--theyre not the same thing.

Of all the rebuttals about this topic, NOT ONE has addressed this inherent falsehood in linking civil rights to gay marriage.

by calturner on 12/22/2008 02:14:15 AM EST

[ Parent ]
This isnt about relating one experience to another--its the illogical idea that you can tell religious people that religion no longer belongs to them and the State should tell religious people who should be allowed to get married.
Theres no way the SCOTUS will rule that the right to marry people is no longer the jurisdiction of churches and only the State can decide who the Churches have to marry by law. That screams a violation of the Constitution's protections of religion.

Of course it’s about relating one experience to another.

For the record the State does indeed tell people who can and can’t get married that is why you are required to have a “Marriage License” before the “State” will recognize it.

All the ceremonies in the world does not make a “Marriage” legally binding until the “State” recognizes it as such, and that “Marriage” is not required to be performed by any clergy to make it legally binding.
Your argument that marriage it the jurisdiction of the churches is bunk.

Some churches often dont even believe in divorce and many churches wont allow a divorced straight person to remarry in their church but those folks dont insist that the decision somehow violates Civil Rights.

All States allow divorced people to “Marry” and it has nothing to do with what the Churches recognize or don’t recognize.

The State has never told the Catholic Church that it must marry divorced people or even recognize them as being married “In the eyes of the Church”. I know because I was raised Catholic, have been married for 32 years, but in the eyes of the Church my “marriage” does not exist, because my wife was divorced when we got married.

Black Civil Rights had religion on its side, Gay Marriage doesnt--theyre not the same thing.

When the Civil Rights movement began it did not have “religion” on its side. In fact many mainstream churches supported Segregation as being Biblical, as well as supporting government bans on interracial marriage.

 It took a long hard effort to actually bring the mainstream churches around to support Civil Rights.

Using your argument couples who wanted to get married that were not of the same race should have just shut up, because once they became legal they were telling religious people that marriage no longer belonged to them and the State was telling them who should be allowed to get married.

The bottom line is “Marriage” is a legal partnership that may or may not be recognized by a Church. Just like no one is telling the Catholic Church it must recognize my marriage, Gays or not asking Churches to sanctify their marriage just asking the State to recognize them.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative." John Stuart Mill

by Hubble on 12/22/2008 09:03:41 AM EST

[ Parent ]
is a sign you have a small penis?


by Chinese Democracy on 12/21/2008 03:08:23 PM EST

[ Parent ]
. ... .. .. ... . ..... .. . ...

(Not too small to read, is it?)

by OneHitKill on 06/08/2010 04:22:09 AM EST

[ Parent ]
This letter has been going around for years. But it is still good

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Leviticus 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. How should I deal with this?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as it suggests in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? I also know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Leviticus 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Now I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? Then, Exodus 25:44 states that I may buy slaves from the nations that are around us. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Can you clarify?

A friend of mine also feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Leviticus 11:10.), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? And Leviticus 22:22 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.


by Chinese Democracy on 12/20/2008 05:11:47 AM EST

I am astonished at how quick witted Cenk is. I love how you get to the crux of the matter in one sentence.  You are as clever as Bill Maher, but a nicer guy so you get my vote for favorite political commentator. 

by lynnes1 on 12/20/2008 10:41:17 AM EST

I am not sure who cenk is refuring to when he says not another word until they exacute an adultrist. but look who is talking.

by maximus on 12/21/2008 08:18:20 AM EST

I'm not sure who you are refuring [sic] to when you say look who is talking.  But look who is talking.

by OneHitKill on 12/21/2008 11:38:37 AM EST

[ Parent ]
That's unpossible!

by jarett on 12/21/2008 11:06:06 PM EST

[ Parent ]

Does any rational person actually believe that Pat Robertson, Rick Warren, and the other televangelists and mega-church con-men have anything to do with real Christianity?

Matthew 6:1-8 says it all when it comes to Jesus' view of public displays of religion. Whether it is public boasting about your good works or public prayer, hypocrites like Warren and Robertson do their religion in direct contradiction to the word of Jesus.

<h4>New International Version:
</h4><h4>Matthew 6</h4><h4> </h4> <h5>Giving to the Needy </h5><h5> </h5> 1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

 2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

<h5>Prayer</h5><h5> </h5> 5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 

 

by Gregory Wonderwheel on 12/24/2008 11:57:06 AM EST

Do you think it matters if theyre Christians according to the letter of the Bible?

No, it never has. They consider themselves Christians and thats all that matters to them.

Theres a completely alien mindset involved with highly religious thinking that secular and part-time, easygoing religious people cant understand.

by calturner on 12/24/2008 11:56:16 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Goddammit, it's the spammers again! Off with their heads.

by OneHitKill on 06/08/2010 04:25:05 AM EST

Muslims follow the bible more closely than christians...

would post a video of an alleged adulterer woman being stoned to death but that would be in poor taste.

not denouncing all muslims here, just pointing out how bible followers could go far the deep end if they took their holy book seriously

"The best lack all conviction, while the worst are filled with passionate intensity."Yeats

by kkdragonlord on 06/08/2010 10:58:57 PM EST

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