Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality? Guest Interview with Jeffrey Siker

Mar 14, 2023

CAUTION: This erudite discussion of the sensitive issue of homosexuality, especially for religious people, is NOT suitable for children at all. It is also not suitable for people who are easily shocked or offended. Beware! But it should be noted that Bart Ehrman is a leading authority on Christianity and the Bible. So is Jeffrey Siker. This is no frivolous discussion! – Mark Alexander

1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture | The Bible

Nov 9, 2023 | 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture is a feature documentary that follows the story of tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946. It chronicles the discovery of never-before-seen archives at Yale University which unveil astonishing new revelations, and casts significant doubt on any biblical basis for LGBTQIA+ prejudice. Featuring commentary from prominent scholars as well as opposing pastors, including the personal stories of the film’s creators, and original music by Grammy winning artist Mary Lambert, 1946 is at once challenging, enlightening, and inspiring.

While other documentaries have been successful in their attempt to treat the symptom of homophobia in the Church, 1946 is working to diagnose and treat the disease - Biblical Literalism.


Did Christian homophobia come from a mistranslation of the Bible?: A new documentary challenges an alleged 1946 mistranslation that helped lead to a justification for Christian anti-gayness … The film hinges its premise on the fact that the word “homosexual” appeared for the first time in the Bible in 1946, in an apparent mistranslation of the ancient Greek words malakoi – defined as someone effeminate who gives themselves up to a soft, decadent, lazy and indolent way of living – and arsenokoitai – a compound word that roughly translates to “male bed”. While people could take it to mean man bedding man, within the context of the time, scholars believed that arsenokoitai alluded more to abusive, predatory behavior and pederasty than it does homosexuality. …»

Would We Behave Better without Religion?

Richard Dawkins tells us what he thinks.

New House Speaker Mike Johnson Praised ‘18th-century Values’ in Speech

GUARDIAN US: Louisiana congressman told audience at 2013 anti-abortion event Americans should live by 250-year-old religious and moral values

Mike Johnson. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA
Before entering elected office, Mike Johnson, the new Republican speaker of the US House, praised “18th-century values” and told an audience that Americans should live by them when it came to morality and religion.

In video footage of a forum hosted in 2013 by Louisiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, Johnson, a devout Baptist and then an attorney for rightwing groups and causes, is asked about the “condition of conscience” in Europe and Canada regarding abortion policy.

Saying he has just given “a seminar … to a bunch of high school kids in Shreveport”, Johnson quotes George Washington and John Adams, saying the first two presidents and other founders “told us that if we didn’t maintain those 18th-century values, that the republic would not stand, and this is the condition we find ourselves in today”.

Johnson, 51, became speaker on Wednesday, as Republicans’ fourth candidate for the job since Kevin McCarthy was ejected by the far right of the party. » | Martin Pengelly in Washington | Friday, October 27, 2023

Geez! Just when you thought things couldn’t get much worse than with Trump, here comes another American screwball! What is there about the US that it keeps on cooking up fruitcakes? Is kookiness the new normal over there in the GOP, or what? – © Mark Alexander

‘Go pick up a Bible’: Speaker Mike Johnson defends anti-LGBTQ+ views: Republican House speaker, who has advanced extreme views as attorney and legislator, says ‘I am a Bible-believing Christian’ / Questioned about comments and actions deemed by many to be homophobic, the new Republican US House speaker, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, told Fox News his worldview was: “Go pick up a Bible.” »

John Corvino - What's Morally Wrong with Homosexuality? (2007)

Jul 10, 2013 | In this widely presented lecture (recorded here in 2007), John Corvino dismantles common arguments against same-sex relationships, including those based on nature, harm, and religion. | Views on YouTube: 1,139,315

What the Bible Really Says About Sex and Gender (According to Scholars)

Aug 31, 2023 | Bible scholars say the Bible says this about sex and gender.

Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality? Guest Interview with Jeffrey Siker | Reupload

Mar 14, 2023

A Scholar's Revelation: Bart Ehrman's Reasons for Not Being a Christian | The Rational Roundtable

Jul 23, 2023

What the Bible Really Says about Death, Afterlife, and Resurrection?

Jul 25, 2022 | This private lecture was informally filmed in 2010 and the video and sound quality are not ideal. The video is, however, fully understandable and I thought the information it contains would nonetheless be of value.

The relevant chapter of James D. Tabor’s book is here: What the Bible Really Says.

Ethiopia: The Oldest Bible in the World | #shorts

Click here to view it.

”Please Do Not Get Your Morals from the Bible” – Richard Dawkins |#shorts

Richard Dawkins on getting our morals from the Bible: Click here.

Oldest Nearly Complete Hebrew Bible Sells for $38.1 Million

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Codex Sassoon, believed to date from the late 9th or early 10th century, was bought at Sotheby’s by the American Friends of the ANU — Museum of the Jewish People.

The Codex Sassoon, the oldest nearly complete Hebrew Bible known to survive, dates from the late 9th or early 10th century. It is missing roughly eight leaves. | Eric Helgas for The New York Times
The oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible sold at Sotheby’s for $38.1 million on Wednesday, one of the highest prices for a book or historical document ever sold at auction.

The volume, known as the Codex Sassoon, includes all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, minus about eight leaves, including the first 10 chapters of Genesis. Researchers have dated it to the late ninth or early 10th century, making it the oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible known to exist. Since 1989, it has been owned by the Swiss financier and collector Jacqui Safra, and has been seen by few scholars. » | Jennifer Schuessler | Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality? Guest Interview with Jeffrey Siker

Mar 14, 2023 | One of the few ways people today actually appeal to the Old Testament is to condemn same-sex sexual relations (while they ignore much of everything else it says). Such people usually take it as obvious that the New Testament condemns them as well. But DOES the Bible condemn homosexuality? As it turns this a lively debate among biblical scholars, and the dominant view among critical scholars is not at all what you might expect. And their reasons for holding this view is even less widely known. In this episode I interview biblical scholar Jeffrey Siker (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) longtime professor of New Testament (who is also an ordained Presbyterian minister) who explains why in fact the Bible does NOT condemn homosexuality.

What Did Jesus Say about Homosexuality?

Sep 28, 2011 | Jay Michaelson, author of God vs. Gay: The Religious Case for Equality, looks at what Christ had to say about homosexuality.

The myth that the Bible forbids homosexuality—the myth of "God versus Gay"—is behind some of the most divisive and painful conflicts of our day. In this provocative, passionately argued, and game-changing book, scholar and activist Jay Michaelson shows that not only does the Bible not prohibit same-sex intimacy, but the vast majority of its teachings support the full equality and dignity of gay and lesbian people, from the first flaw it finds in creation ("It is not good for a person to be alone") to the way religious communities grow through reflection and conscience. In short, Michaelson observes, religious people should support equality for gays and lesbians—not despite their religion, but because of it.

With close readings of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, the latest data on the science of sexual orientation, and a sympathetic, accessible, and ecumenical approach to religious faith, Michaelson makes the case that sexual diversity is part of the beauty of nature and that the recognition of same-sex families will strengthen, not threaten, the values religious people hold dear. This is an important book for anyone who has wrestled with questions of religion and homosexuality: parents and pastors, believers and skeptics, advocates of "gay rights" and opponents of them. Whatever your views on religion and sexual diversity, God vs. Gay is a plea for a more compassionate, informed conversation—and a first step toward creating one.


MY ESSAY WHICH EXPRESSES A VERY SIMILAR SENTIMENT:

Jesus, Christianity, and Homosexuality »

Marketing the Messiah | Christianity | Documentary | Bible | Jesus | Faith | New Testament | God

Apr 27, 2021 | Marketing the Messiah - How much do you really know about how Christianity got started? Whether you are a Christian, atheist, or member of another faith, it's impossible to ignore the impact that Christianity has had on Western civilization.

The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament: Volume One (with Dr. Joshua Bowen)

Jun 14, 2021 Atheists often speak about the contradictions and atrocities rampant throughout the Bible, but they often enter those conversations without all of the information. Assyriologist Dr. Joshua Bowen is author of the new book, "The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament: Volume One” (available on Amazon) and he gives prime examples of how we can know more and be better when talking about the Christian scriptures.

Dr. Josh on Twitter: @DJHammurabi1
Dr. Bowen’s website is here.


This is an excellent and very interesting discussion. Be warned, however, that it does contain a little strong language, which some people might object to. – Mark

Genesis, White Jesus, and Debating the Resurrection (with Dr. Bart Ehrman)

Mar 29, 2022 Dr. Bart Ehrman is a New Testament scholar, author, and educator. In advance of his upcoming debate with apologist Dr. Mike Licona, he joins us to talk about the Bible, Christ, and the April 9th online debate: "Did the Resurrection of Jesus Really Happen?"

Thom Hartmann : Florida Atheist Moves to Ban the Bible

Apr 25, 2022 • A Florida Atheist, Chaz Stevens has Petitioned to Ban the Bible in the Miami-Dade and Broward Schools. As of July of 2021, more than 200 books have been banned in school districts all over Florida. It's one of the states with a high number of school book banning incidents in America. Stevens cites age inappropriateness, social-emotional learning, mentions of bestiality and rape, and "wokeness" as reasons to ban the Bible. Each reason is accompanied by a corresponding Bible excerpt. Stevens warns. "If they ignore me, doesn't that tell you something? The government can't pick and choose religion, but can they choose which books they review for banning and which ones they don't?"

Genesis, White Jesus, and Debating the Resurrection (with Dr. Bart Ehrman)

Mar 29, 2022 • Dr. Bart Ehrman is a New Testament scholar, author, and educator. In advance of his upcoming debate with apologist Dr. Mike Licona, he joins us to talk about the Bible, Christ, and the April 9th online debate: "Did the Resurrection of Jesus Really Happen?"

Matthew Vines: "For the Bible Tells Me So: Hermeneutics and the Debate About LGBTQ Inclusion"

Mar 6, 2020 • One of the most important issues for Christians to understand in our interpretation of the Bible is the role of hermeneutics—not just what the text says, but how we most faithfully understand and apply the text today. In this talk from our Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle, TRP's Executive Director Matthew Vines explains how the tools non-affirming Christians already use to interpret the Bible can and should be applied to the conversation around LGBTQ inclusion in a way that leads to an affirming conclusion.

This talk was given on November 8, 2019, at Plymouth Church United Church of Christ in Seattle, Washington.