Excerpt from a Sermon by The Rev. Benjamin Maucere, 1st Unitarian Church of Philadelphia
In Christian scriptures, the apostle Paul is a wealth of information on how to run a society. He tells us not to resist unjust laws - which means this country would not have been founded - for he says that "governing authorities are instituted by God." (Romans 13:1.) He tells us that slavery is acceptable, for it is written, "Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed." (1 Timothy 6:1.) He tells us that "women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home." --- (side note by tdplive.... interestingly enough, I have been blasted with several verses from the book of Timothy in the past week by someone who is so adamant that the Bible is inerrant and directly from the mouth of God yet somehow, these particular verses, as well as countless others in the New Testament, seem to have somehow vanished from this individual's Bible... Must have been those pesky translators who seem to leave these things out for some people....)---
The Bible is a book. The stories come out of the cultures in which the storytellers lived. Our culture is different, and we have rightly learned to move beyond the laws and rigid rules to get at the larger truths. The Bible contains much of value, for it is the record of the striving of people to understand their world, their conduct, and their relations to one another and to the holy. Yet it is only one record of these strivings. It must be tempered by reason, by common sense, and by other sources of religious insight.
Those whom I call the "irreligious right" use the Bible selectively, to condemn people on the basis of race, or religion, or sexual orientation. We must expose them for the hate-mongers that they are. They are acting contrary to the overriding tone of the Bible, which, in spite of its anomalies and contradictions, affirms love, hospitality, and kindness. It is simple, said Jesus, when asked which commandment of the law is the greatest. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40.)
What are we called to do? We are called to love one another, and to fight for the rights of everyone to be treated with dignity and respect.
The Bible is a book. The stories come out of the cultures in which the storytellers lived. Our culture is different, and we have rightly learned to move beyond the laws and rigid rules to get at the larger truths. The Bible contains much of value, for it is the record of the striving of people to understand their world, their conduct, and their relations to one another and to the holy. Yet it is only one record of these strivings. It must be tempered by reason, by common sense, and by other sources of religious insight.
Those whom I call the "irreligious right" use the Bible selectively, to condemn people on the basis of race, or religion, or sexual orientation. We must expose them for the hate-mongers that they are. They are acting contrary to the overriding tone of the Bible, which, in spite of its anomalies and contradictions, affirms love, hospitality, and kindness. It is simple, said Jesus, when asked which commandment of the law is the greatest. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40.)
What are we called to do? We are called to love one another, and to fight for the rights of everyone to be treated with dignity and respect.