I read Barbara Cornwell’s letter on gay marriage (“Leviticus is my guide on the marriage issue,” March 5 Standard-Times), and marveled at how much of the book of Leviticus is selectively quoted. Leviticus is regarded by many scholars to have been written by the priestly Levites long after God gave the Torah to Moses, and much of it was written to specifically guide the Levites’ own conduct as priests.
Besides its views on homosexuality, I wonder how many of the other laws in Leviticus guide people such as Ms. Cornwell? Do they follow the letter of the law in regard to burnt offerings? Do they keep kosher, observe jubilee years, abstain from wearing cloth made of blends? Leviticus calls for adulterers to be killed, prohibits shaving, and prohibits –virtually every religious institution in New Bedford is guilty of this – using pillars in construction.
Perhaps this line from Leviticus is more important: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s what tolerance and civil rights truly boil down to.
This was published in the Standard Times on March 10, 2004
http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-04/03-10-04/zzzoplet.htm
(link may be broken)
Comments are closed.