Queering Sacred Texts

Particularly for the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, sacred scriptures play a central role in the discourse about queer rights and the place of LGBTQ individuals in synagogues, churches and mosques.  An ‘understanding’ of what the sacred scriptures ‘say’ about LGBTQ individuals is a central part of the way that religious communities address these issues.  Scholars tell us that prior to the nineteenth century the category of ‘homosexual’ did not exist.  The concepts of ‘gay and lesbian’ were created in the mid-twentieth century and the positive use of term ‘queer’ is from the last decade of the twentieth century.  Obviously none of these terms existed in the sacred scriptures of Judaism, Christianity or Islam nor at the time that they were written, edited and compiled.  The types of relationships or styles of life that these terms refer to in the twenty first century did not exist millennia ago.  That said, the way that queer individuals are treated today by people of faith and religious institutions often relies upon our understanding and interpretation of a few scattered texts in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, or the Koran. Whether it is arguing against employment nondiscrimination laws, marriage equality, or laws that would penalize the bullying of queer youth, conservative politicians and individuals rely on faulty understandings of these texts to justify their actions.  History shows us that sacred scriptures have long been used to justify social injustice. A few examples include slavery, the repression of women, and laws that outlawed inter-racial marriage in the United States and supported apartheid in South Africa.

 

Today there are a number of monographs that offer new interpretations of sacred scripture that respond to the needs of LGBTQ people of faith.  In this post I will look at only a few of the texts available from the Christian tradition. There are Jewish, Islamic, and other faith traditions that offer similar materials but work in this area has been most prominent within Christianity.  In the first chapter of Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology, Patrick Cheng looks at ‘queer scripture’ within the Christian tradition and reviews the major writers in this area over the past half century.  Some notable examples are Nancy Wilson (Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus and the Bible), Daniel Helminiak, (What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality) and L. William Countryman (Dirt, Greed and Sex: Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and Their Implications for Today). Cheng’s book details the contributions made by these authors and a number of others to queering the Christian scriptures.

 

God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality by Jay Michaelson is popular in Unitarian Universalist circles. In his book, Michaelson looks at the bible from two perspectives. The first section of the book looks at scriptural verses that emphasize compassion, love, and fairness. The second portion looks critically at the queer "texts of terror" and adopts queer affirming interpretations, and critiques conservative Christian readings of these texts that are used to marginalized and condemn LGBTQ individuals and devalue their lives and relationships. Looking at the adaption of religion to new understandings of sexuality, Michaelson writes: “Religion lives when it grows, when it is able to maintain its core values while adapting to new facts and understandings. We should welcome this new understanding of sexual diversity, which is a natural part of God’s creation, found in every culture around the world and in hundreds of animal species as well. We are able to encompass more truth in our religious teachings than our ancestors were. Yes, this new scientific information is challenging…But this challenge makes our spirituality stronger, not weaker” (p. xx).  Overall, Michaelson argues for progressive religious support of LGBTQ equality on the basis of biblical values and ethics informed by contemporary scientific understandings of sexuality.

 

Given the central importance of sacred scriptures to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, religious communities that are hospitable to LGBTQ folks need to address the issue of what the scriptures have to say in relationship to the lives and struggles of queer individuals around the globe.  In addition, if these religious traditions want to reject the identification of their faiths with violence, injustice and oppression of LGBTQ folks, the queer "texts of terror" and the misuse of sacred scriptures need to be addressed by religious communities directly. 

That's Blasphemy!

Many scholars working in queer studies and religion look at the interpretation of sacred scriptures and how traditional conservative understandings of scripture marginalize LGBTQ individuals and at times lead to discrimination and violence against individuals who do not conform to  hetero-normativity. But there is also an entire sphere of visual representations---photographs, paintings, sculpture, and illustrations---that are very important in understanding religious ideals and values. Visual representations often also play a significant  role in personal devotion and spiritual  practice.

Citing legal scholar Leonard Levy, Plate discusses the functioning of blasphemy to maintain morality and social cohesion. He writes: “Blasphemy and the accusation of blasphemy, is a culturally symbolic marker that helps defines societies and religious traditions, as well as provide identities for people in terms of gender, race, class, and sexuality. Some seemingly blasphemous images are ignored or overlooked by the masses, while religious and political authorities exploit other seemingly tame images. Oftentimes, those with the most authority, politically or religiously, win the battle. But not always.” (S.B. Plate, Blasphemy:Art That Offends, 2006, p. 27).

Visual representations of the religious that imagine the divine, for example Christ, Mary, or the saints, as non-gender conforming or sexualized, are condemned as blasphemy.  Formerly in the United States, blasphemy was a criminal offense.  Looked at historically, there are two dimensions of blasphemy. One form of blasphemy was offering an alternative understanding of a dogma. For example, denying the divinity of Christ and characterizing Jesus as merely human, was an example of criminal blasphemy in the United States during the seventeenth century.  Another form of blasphemy was insulting or cursing the divine.  Today, the United States no longer has blasphemy laws on the books. The same is not true in all countries. For example, Great Britain recently struggled with maintaining a blasphemy statute which would only have protected Christians.  A number of Islamic countries also have laws on blasphemy.

When queer artists attempt to offer LGBTQ imaging of the divine, there is often public uproar that is usually organized by small groups of right wing, conservative Christians.  Even when photographs or paintings are displayed in art venues, such as galleries or museums,  this sort of reaction occurs.  While conservative religious groups or individuals no longer have recourse to blasphemy laws, they exert political and social pressure to shut down these alternative imaginings that are friendly to LGBTQ individuals.   To make religion more inclusive and welcome to queer individuals, as a society and as members of religious communities, we must make the space for alternative ways of  imaging the divine in the same way that we create new, more nuanced and critical interpretations of sacred scriptures.  Text and image are both important expressions of religion and play important roles in spiritual practice.  We cannot let cries of blasphemy repress new visual representations.

Some useful resources on this issue include Steven Dubin’s “Arresting Images: Impolitic Art and Uncivil Actions.”  Dubin’s monograph includes several chapters on the cultural wars and the arts in the U.S. Many of these skirmishes involved LGBTQ issues and gay or lesbian artists.  Interestingly, some of these involved both gay and religious issues.  Kittredge Cherry’s “Art that Dares” offers images of Jesus as a gay man as well as Christ as a female.  The twentieth century artists that Cherry documents offer interesting alternative Christian images that are important in building religious communities that are LGBTQ welcoming and inclusive. Cherry's blog, Jesus in Love, offers numerous examples of queer religious imagery as well as reports of conflicts around such art.  Looking at the connection between blasphemy and contemporary art controversies, S. Brent Plate offers an overview that includes many images involving Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  Plate’s richly illustrated monograph, “Blasphemy: Art that Offends,” is another useful resource.

The Search for Community

LGBTQ individuals, like all people, are members of a number of different communities including family, church, ethnic or racial group, and the LGBTQ community. Conservative religious communities  frequently exile or marginalize queer persons of faith. Social scientists have used a variety of research strategies, including interviews and auto-ethnographies, to document the struggle of LGBTQ people as they search for community and most particularly religious community. These qualitative studies allow us to explore the intimate personal and emotional side of the negative ways that religiously-based prejudice has had on queer individuals historically and the harm that religion has too often inflicted upon queer persons of faith.

 Queer folks often look to the religious community in which they were raised when first searching for a spiritual home. If these communities are conservative or fundamentalist, queer folks generally find themselves marginalized and rejected. Their core sexual identity and their most intimate relationships are characterized as sinful and worthy of eternal punishment. Queer folks who are seeking a spiritual home can either ‘stay and fight’ in their original religious communities, or look elsewhere. Many religions offer more accepting and justice seeking environments where queer individuals can find religion, acceptance of who they are as individuals, and respect and support for their non-hetero-normative relationships. Healthy lives require both a healthy spiritual dimension and a healthy sexual dimension.

Religion that is nurturing and supportive is an important aspect of an individual's life. But religion can also be a source of alienation that is destructive to human growth and at times lead to aggression and violence against queer individuals or to self-destructive behavior. Progressive religious communities around the world have an opportunity to become welcoming and nurturing communities for everyone, regardless of race, ethnic background, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, or gender expression. This type of community is a healthy religious community that highlights the best that religion can offer the human body and spirit. This is the type of community that will grow and flourish during the twenty-first century, as we become an ever more diverse global community, one that demands respect and equality for all individuals.

LGBTQ folks, like everyone else, live in community.  Our communities---ethnic, queer, religious, socioeconomic, religious—are where we play out our self-identity, where we find comfort and relaxation from the stresses and strains of everyday life, and where we make meaning and understand our place in all of creation.  Our values, our concerns, what we embrace and what we reject, all are the products of our life in community.  When queer individuals are exiled from religious communities, when we are stigmatized as sinful or depraved, we not only lose community but we lose an important environment for understanding ourselves and the meanings of our lives. 

For some Unitarian Universalist resources that can  assist queer folks in finding a welcoming and nurturing religious home, I suggest looking at the website of Interweave, the national UU LGBTQ organization.  Many congregations sponsor local chapters. The Welcoming Church Program which works to help UU congregations become supportive and safe religious homes is useful both the LGBTQ individuals as well as allies looking to open their church community to everyone. The UUA website also offers an “LGBTQ  Welcome and Equality” resource page. There is also the “LGBTQ Ministries” page which readers may find of use.