“Jesus said unto him…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:37-40) “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18) ““Christian Love” is the fruit of the Spirit being love, joy, peace, gentleness, long suffering, meekness and temperance.” (D.L. Moody) The idea of love, peace, and temperance are the truths I hold up in my life as something to live by and in doing that, treating others with respect as well. How do people go from this “Christian Love” to preaching hate and attacking innocent people because of who they are? Queer identity in the Bible Belt is a hard vocation to take up, and the people that do find themselves in this “placement” have experienced their share of hardships in doing so. What ever happened to loving one another? Some Christian sects of Protestantism actively call down and preach hate in regards to homosexuals and queer identity, and in effect many hate crimes are done “in the name of God.”
In this paper I would like to take a peek inside the connection between queer identity in the South and the Protestant Christian interpretation, contradiction, and actions in the Bible Belt south by the individuals and churches themselves. These connections will be illustrated and discussed through text from the Bible, personal interviews, articles regarding events surrounding hate crimes done by Christian groups on homosexuals, and the advancement of views of the church in the Bible Belt South.
When I began looking into this connection, I knew that trying to talk about sin is something I did not want to go in to, and first and foremost want that out on the table. This paper is not about whether homosexuality is a sin or not, but rather the stance and actions Christians and the institutions take and create toward homosexuals. The argument regarding whether homosexuality is a sin is, in my eyes, a losing battle. The interpretation of the Bible and its teachings of sin is not the jumping off point for me. For me, it is more interesting to look at the way Christians will do things to others, psychologically and physically, in the name of a loving God. I also want to say that in no way do I hold the opinion that homosexuals are not the same as Christians in some instances or vice versa. I believe that these groups are not opposite of each other and in many ways are more connected and overlapped than many initially think. I will look at specific incidents in the history of the Bible Belt as well as interviews and sources of individuals growing up in the Bible Belt as a homosexual.
You're really on to something...keep up the good work. Not sure what you mean about queer identity as a "vocation", but we can talk...
ReplyDeleteAgain, I'd say specify even more about that last bit that sounds like the start of a map--interviews and incidents in the history could be clearer, I think...?
Thanks so much! its good to know i am on the right track! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is great! I would be interested to read it! Just make sure you present your opposing arguments before the reader would be able to bring them up. (Don't just reference the verses of the bible that talk about loving your neighbor and not judging, also reference the verses that these people use to condemn homosexuals and then explain why you think they are misusing/misreading the scriptures).
ReplyDeleteI definitely want to say Reagan that I'm REALLY looking forward to reading your paper, maybe even most of all...it's very much a subject that is near and dear to my heart, and I'm excited someone's decided to take up a stance on the subject. I definitely think you're on the right track :)
ReplyDeleteJust thinking on the 'vocation' identity sentence~~I completely understand what you're trying to say, but maybe it doesn't even have to be in there at all; you could just say something like, "Identifying oneself within the Southern homosexual community is a difficult enough feat by itself, and the people that do......" Like I said though, I understand what you're trying to say, so maybe it doesn't even matter :) Also, I think Stephanie brings up a good point, calling out the opposing arguments/using the actual condemning scriptures that are used as validations against those with a homosexual identity.
Other than that, awesome paper~~awesome start. I really can't wait to read it! Keep it up!
Yeah, i went back through and reworded it. Thanks for your feedback!
ReplyDeleteReally excited about this one! keep up the good work. I agree with Stephanie also. if you present these "anti-homosexual" bible verses (for ex: Leviticus 18:22 / saddam and gamora type stuff) and reference how perspective plays in, it will verify or object the opposing argument according to what your stance is.
ReplyDeleteI think the coolest part of your paper is going to be the fact that you are leaving the actual "sin" debate out of it. By this I mean that you are going to leave out the typically subjective part, and attempt to take a more objective stance and attack with facts. Very nice.
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