This following thought-provoking piece originated in an e-mail by the author and has been posted on various internet sites. With the permission of Mr. Weiss, I reproduce it here:
Sodomy and civil rights, David R. Weiss, November 7, 2008
"This country has a sodomy problem. And until we have the wisdom and the courage to be honest about what that means we’re not going to resolve the question of civil rights for homosexuals. We need to be clear about why sodomy is such a threat to the common good of civil society, why it undermines the family, and why it is such an evil when afoot in faith communities. It’s not going to be easy. But it needs to be done.
The word “sodomy” comes from a biblical text (Genesis 19) where the ancient city of Sodom is marked out for divine destruction because its evil ways so angered God. Sodomy names those who act like the inhabitants of Sodom.
Fine. But listen carefully. Not in this text—nor in any other biblical text—is there a condemnation of committed same-sex relationships. Not one. Not anywhere. There are a small handful of texts that condemn same-sex prostitution in pagan temples, and perhaps military rape and pederasty. But nowhere in the Bible is there a single word that condemns committed same-sex relationships.
To vote on Proposition 8 in California, or on any of the other state initiatives seeking to ban same-sex marriage, based on the Bible is the moral equivalent of using biblical texts to support slavery or apartheid. It is obscene.
So having cleared that up, let’s talk about the real problem here: sodomy. Acting like the inhabitants of Sodom.
The prophet Isaiah (1:10-17; 3:9-15) knew something about the reputation of those who lived in Sodom. He says they despised justice, especially for widows and orphans—those at the edges of family structures in the ancient world. And he says they built an economy that stole the goods of the poor. Likewise, the prophet Ezekiel (16:49) was also acquainted with the sodomy “lifestyle.” He rails against them because in the midst of their abundance they were indifferent to the needy.
Even Jesus, some 2000 years after its destruction, can employ a reference to Sodom with full effect. Twice (Matthew 11:19-24 and Luke 10:12) he invokes the memory of Sodom as a city condemned for its treatment of the marginalized and its lack of hospitality to sojourners.
For both the Hebrew prophets and the Christian Messiah sodomy is not about acting on same-sex attraction; it is clearly and unequivocally about social injustice and horrendous breeches of hospitality, of which the attempted gang rape of Lot’s guests is simply one final bit of damning evidence.
Sodomy, understood biblically, is the sin of creating social structures that systematically isolate those already at the margins of society. It is roundly condemned by the prophets and by Jesus. And for good reason. It destroys the fabric of families by teaching even the youngest children to dehumanize persons simply because of difference.
It undermines the common good of society by scape-goating a minority in ways that contradict the very ideals we claim to hold in a democracy. And it is simply an unforgiveable evil in faith communities where it betrays the very messages of justice, mercy, and compassion that are at the heart of religious faith.
So let’s be clear: the desire to close off the protections afforded by marriage to persons living in committed same-sex relationships (and to their children) is itself an act of sodomy and it has no place in civil society or in communities of faith.
Further, when African-Americans and Hispanics vote in large numbers alongside conservative white Christians to ban same-sex marriage they ally themselves with the same strand of Christianity that in the past quoted other biblical texts just as effectively to justify genocidal policies toward Native Americans, xenophobic laws toward immigrants, and abominations like slavery, Jim Crow, and apartheid.
So, yes, this country has a sodomy problem. But so long as we think it has anything to do with gay sex we’ve missed the point of God’s outrage. Sodomy happens when any group uses their majority or their power to abuse and marginalize another group. That’s what happened in California, Arizona, Florida, and Arkansas on November 4. And it’s time for us, as citizens and as Christians, to stop acting like the inhabitants of Sodom.
David Weiss is a theologian, writer, poet and hymnist committed to doing “public theology” around issues of sexuality, justice, diversity, and peace. His first book is To the Tune of a Welcoming God: Lyrical reflections on sexuality, spirituality and the wideness of God's welcome (2008 / www.davidrweiss.com). He lives with his wife and children in St. Paul, MN."
Friday, November 21, 2008
I join with my former colleagues at St. John's University School of Law, and with her many other friends and academic colleagues in mourning the death of Dean Mary Daly.
I've tried twice to link to the St. John's press release without success. So following is the statement of St. John's University President Donald Harrington, C.M.:
"Our University community is saddened by the death of Mary C. Daly, Esq., Dean of the School of Law and John V. Brennan Professor of Law and Ethics. Since coming to St. John’s in 2004 from Fordham, where she served as James H. Quinn Professor of Law, Director of the Graduate Program, and co-Director of the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics, she has been an energetic and effective leader. We shall miss her presence among us and will be forever grateful for all that she has been and done for us.
"Her impact on the School of Law has been nothing short of transformative. She established a global focus within the School through the creation of new academic programs and initiatives. Among these was the L.L.M. program in U.S. Legal Studies for Foreign Law School Graduates, launched in fall of 2008, that provides opportunities for lawyers from other nations to achieve a grounding in the United States legal system. Another is a program that permits St. John’s Law School students to spend a summer studying in Rome. She also increased the number of law clinics, which provide students with invaluable opportunities for both practical experience and service to underserved individuals within the community.
"She infused within the faculty a desire to enhance their scholarly and professional development activities. And she did so by example. An accomplished and prolific scholar with a national and international reputation, she published widely in law journals and also authored several books. In addition, she broke ground through her expertise in the emerging discipline of transnational ethics, a field which has assumed increasing prominence with mergers among Asian, American, and European law firms to form a truly global legal community.
"Her outreach to alumni was extraordinarily effective. She traveled throughout the country, hosting receptions and other meetings designed to keep graduates abreast of activities at their alma mater. And she increased gifts to the School of Law substantially during her tenure as Dean.
"I know that members of our University community will want to share their memories of Dean Daly, to come together to remember her at the prayer service slated for next Tuesday, and to pray with her family at the wake and at the funeral service which we will hold on campus on a date that will be announced soon. I am sure I speak for all of us in extending our deepest sympathy to her family as well as our appreciation to them for sharing her with us. St. John’s is a stronger and better University because she was part of it."
Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M.
President, St. John’s University
