wither and die
Submitted by F.O.D. on May 17 2000 22:56:51
In reply to Boylovers Bible submitted by David on May 14 2000 00:59:55
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Hi David, I've spent a few days trying to work out what bothers me about your proposal to create a "Boylovers' Bible". I'll try to express what my concern is without at the same time dismissing the alienation you feel from the life that ordinary Christians lead. I think what I find most disturbing is that what you're advocating is an essential division between Christians, a butchering of the Body of Christ, if that's not too strong a way of putting it. You're saying straights can go their own way, feminists can have their own thing, we boylovers will make do in our own little Elite Enclave. That undermines the transcendant unity of the Christian Church and creates the fissure of the Church into sects, each one throwing a finger at the other, saying "I don't need you". You said the genealogies of Chronicles don't do a whole lot for you. Well fair enough. They don't do a whole lot for me either, frankly speaking, though I do have a fondness for the descriptions of David's "Mighty Men". But are you the only one the Bible is given to? Or am I? Are you the only one for whom Christ died to save? I've heard of a tribe somewhere, I don't remember which continent. They kept turning away Christian missionaries having no interest in fool Western mythologies. But one time, a missionary had a translation of the Bible in their language, read them Matthew, with one of those boring genealogies at the beginning in Chapter 1. When the tribesmen heard the genealogy, they couldn't believe it. They knew no Westerner had the depth of character to take any interest in his ancestors, and so the very genealogy was proof to them of the truth of the Bible, that it wasn't some Western fallacy, and was the very means by which God called them back to himself. You said "I need a Bible that speaks to me about boylove". I think rather, I need a Bible that speaks to me about humanity. There's no need to be so solipsistic and self-centred. With love, Fod |
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