The headline of this piece should not really be any surprising; after all it’s a Catholic Bishop, what else is he going to say?
However the doctrine presents some scrutiny so I’ll try and provide a little of that. Besides, Ghanaians love nothing more than persecuting homos*xuals, so in a way I’m pandering to my audience as well.
The Most Reverend Joseph Osei-Bonsu, president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, was on Morning Starr earlier today (Monday). When the topic turned to the rights of gays and lesbians, he trotted out the usual Christian rhetoric on the matter.
“The Bible tells us completely in the book of Romans chapter 1 from verse 6 downwards that those who practice and those who endorse same s*x marriage politically, religiously or whatever are all guilty before God.
“Homos*xuals, lesbians, liars, and s*x abusers are not going to go to Heaven and the Bible categorically says that. It is no man saying that or no Bishop saying they will not go to heaven, it is the Bible that says that, so they will not go to heaven,”
Well, since it is the bible that said it that’s it then; case closed, game over!
I kid, of course. Christians like to pretend that the bible is the greatest book of all and that everyone else is obliged to live by its tenets. Instead of what it really is, which is just one of many books which its adherents claim was written by their god. All other religions have scripture which they claim is the unadulterated word of the one true God, so how do you pick out the authentic one? Pray you’re born into it?
Besides, if we’re following the bible who isn’t going to hell? Show me the Christian who adheres to all the doctrines of the faith and I’ll show you the way to Hogwarts. The bible is such a huge, self contradictory and obviously Bronze Age tome that trying to adhere to everything in it would leave you insane.
Of course in that instance, they have a leg over everyone else because forgiveness awaits. You can commit all the immoral things you want and so long as you come grovelling back to the feet of the Lord, you should be all right. But who’s to say the immoral gays also aren’t begging for forgiveness from the Lord. He never tagged it as an unforgiveable sin, such as he never tagged adultery, fornication, lying, greed, and hypocrisy as unforgiveable sins.
Besides, the concept of hell was around long before Yahweh had even dreamt of sending his son to be tortured for the rest of us. Seems to me if there’s any hell to fear, it should probably be one that appeared earlier, not its obvious rip-off.
Lastly, can we stop with this meme that it is not natural already? Homo and hetero s*xuality are both abundantly present in nature, what can be more natural than that?
