Forgiveness

I am Jewish. I recently perhaps in anger lay most of the noxious behavior against gays at the feet of its etiology and that is The Hebrew Bible Levitical law. It began with that five thousand years ago fueling divine rationale to take the lives of those innocents who were either born gay, as I believe most were, or have chosen to love whom they wish to love. The Levitical "laws" (Leviticus 20) have been responsible for more sadness, more psychological damage and more suicides perhaps than any other Biblical passage. As a Jew I know that there are at least 4 sects within Judaism and maybe more. In Reform Judaism the status of being gay is not an issue. This, however, begs what, I believe, has been the beginning of the millennial assault, scourge and damage that passage and other Biblical passages about sexuality have done to human beings especially if one feels an attraction to one's own sex.

Jews and some sects of Judaism may have progressed beyond the cruelty of these passages BUT monotheistic faiths after Judaism surely picked up the baton of the Levitcal code and made it their own. It spread like a cancer throughout the body of mankind.  As a matter of fact, some Christians eschew other Levitical laws equally as punishable but take the one against homosexuality at face value to their heart and bring its condemnation to contemporary time. It appears NOT in the thoughts of Jesus himself but as part of his follower Paul's writing. Christian response in many corners of the nation is inhuman, sickening and poisonous. I need only memorialize the brutal, disgusting killing of Mathew Shepard in Wyoming or the "God hates fags" Westboro Baptist Church who sweetly picket military funerals calling it God's retribution on earth because he does not like America respecting gay rights -- never mind the soldier who died was heterosexual and had three children. This is American mind numbing know nothing stupidity at its best. Other Christian churches and right wingnut extremists have been staggeringly rancid in their wish for death upon gays. Rachel Maddow showed two pastors whose diatribe about what happened in Orlando at The Pulse nightclub is truly unbelievable. Their sentiment was in essence that it was a good that 49 "homosexual perverts and sodomites" lost their lives. The only quarrel one had was that more were not taken down. This is chilling, indeed, that someone who claims to worship the prince of peace wishes death upon those who want to be left alone to love.

Proceeding, we surely know now as Orlando is seared into our consciousness that Islam considers anti-homosexual tenets as a rationale to commit mayhem upon those whom they find out are homosexual. It is a part of the faith. I do not know if there is any sect within Islam that makes room for the psychological truth and modern day realistic understanding of homosexuality even though we KNOW it appears in every corner of the globe and even among other animal species as well.

When Ahmadinejad of Iran spoke at Colombia University he was asked about the Iranian hostile treatment of gays. He said that there were no gays in Iran. The audience quite rightfully erupted in laughter. Oh sure, no gays in Iran like there is no tea in China.

It is because of the Judaic Levitical code that I have entirely rejected my faith since it meant something so difficult and so impossible for me to understand when love for one's partner culminating in a 31 year relationship should have been lauded and celebrated. When one cannot even find safety within the protective cocoon of one's home something is terribly awry.

I harbor NO forgiveness in my heart and believe the rancid, toxic, cruel and inhuman Levitical law to have permanent besmirched my religious faith making forgiveness of it by my mortal being impossible. If there is a god, I will leave forgiveness to him.