-Caveat Lector-
One of the most important things to remember in dealing with the biblical
injunction against homosexuality is that Leviticus 18 addresses issues of
pagan religious practices, particularly those associated with the
Syrian/Phoenician/Canaanite goddess known variously as Astarte, Ashteroth,
Asherah, and Ishtar. The "dog priests" of the goddess ritually castrated
themselves and engaged in (again ritual) anal intercourse with worshippers,
and it is this form of homosexual sex, IN THIS SPECIFIC CONTEXT, that
Leviticus prohibits.
Note also, following Graves and Patai, that there is a substantial body of
evidence that before the Deuteronomic reforms under Josiah, Asherah was
worshipped by many of the Israelites as Yahweh's consort. During this time,
Yahweh was apparently seen as the supreme god among many; this is known
technically as "henotheism." Evidence of this includes the Ten Commandments
themselves: "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of
Egypt. You shall have no other gods before me..." It *doesn't* prohibit the
worship of other gods, but insists only on the primacy of Yahweh Elohim. The
Hebrew people only became truly monotheistic at the time of the Babylonian
Exile, which is also the point at which they finally took on their identity
as "Jews" and focused their worship on the Temple in Jerusalem.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: YnrChyldzWyld [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Saturday, November 27, 1999 10:24 AM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: [CTRL] Another take on Lev. 18
>
> -Caveat Lector-
>
> It's interesting that those who trot out Lev. 18 to try to lend some
> veneer of credibility to their homophobia, conveniently neglect to follow
> all the other commandments and prohibitions laid out in that book.
>
>
> ========================================================================
> Bible Review, December 1993, p. 11
>
> DOES THE BIBLE PROHIBIT HOMOSEXUALITY?
> Jacob Milgrom
>
> The biblical prohibition is addressed only to Israel. It is incorrect to
> apply it on a universal scale.
<snip>
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