Page 21 - MidWeek - June 7, 2023

JUNE 7, 2023 MIDWEEK 21
It is said that scripture should be a rock on which one stands, not a stone thrown to do damage. Yet there are several verses in the Bible that some wield like weapons to hurt others, caus- ing pain especially to those in the LGBTQ+ community. These are referred to as “clob- ber passages” because they are used like clubs to beat people down with.
Wielding ‘Clobber Passages’ To Banish Others
love is thus not limited to het- erosexual couples. If those in the LGBTQ+ community find someone to form a loving re- lationship with that is charac- terized by dabaq, this seems to fulfill God’s intent. Those who cast the passages of the creation story as a stone to banish those in the LGBTQ+ community to lives of loneli- ness, however, are throwing the same stone against God’s will that no one be alone.
Jay Sakashita teaches reli- gion courses at Leeward Com- munity College and University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Reach him at misfitspirit808@gmail. com.
I am not able to cover the six or seven passages in a single column, so I’ ll briefly address one of them here and save the others for future col- umns. I’ ll start with one that appears in the first book of the Bible: Genesis 2.
Throughout the creation process, God proclaims ev- erything good. This changes, however, after God creates Adam. For the first time in the creation narrative something is not good. God declares that it is not good for Adam to be
Depending on one’s inter- pretation of the biblical story, one might believe that ani- mals are God’s first choice for lonely people or that men give
The Hebrew word used in the above story to describe the bond between Adam and Eve is dabaq. (Genesis 2:24) It can be translated as “cling, join, cleave, glue, adhere.” This word also appears in the biblical book of Ruth, where one woman (Ruth) clings to another woman (Naomi) and vows: “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be
In another biblical story, we are told of the love between Jonathan and King David. Jonathan loved David as his own soul. And David says in turn that Jonathan’s love was wonderful, passing the love of women (2 Samuel 1:26). Deep
This is the creation story. You may have heard it said by those who are against the LGBTQ+ community that God created Adam and Eve; not Adam and Steve. Clever. Well, God created “Steve,” too. In fact, I know several Steves. But since opponents tend to cite this story in their criticism of the LGBTQ+ community, let’s take a closer look at it.
alone. Adam needs a suitable companion to form a fulfilling relationship with. To meet this need, God creates ... animals! This doesn’t fully address the problem of Adam’s loneliness, so God puts Adam to sleep and takes out a part of Adam to form another human being — Eve. When God brings Eve to him, Adam calls her “woman,” because she was “taken out of man.” (Genesis 2:23) The story goes on to say that they will be united and become one flesh. (2:24)
birth to women. One might also hold the mistaken view that the purpose of a woman’s existence is to fill the void in a man’s life. The fundamen- tal message is a different one instead: it is not good for hu- mans to be alone.
my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17) This moving vow is often recited at weddings. Many, however, do not realize that this promise of love was made between two women, not between a heterosexual couple.
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