Quote the Bible and all discussion stops. But the Bible isn't owned by Catholics, Christian fundamentalists, or any other group.
It is a piece of literature that some call God's world, others call spiritual, but most choose to ignore. The Bible has been used to condemn Copernicus, Galileo, and Isaac Newton. For over 2,000 years it has been used to justify slavery, the oppression of women, the destruction of entire races, to outlaw inter-racial marriage and the torture of homosexuals. Those who continue to use it in such ways rather than to foster love, understanding, and compassion for our brothers and sisters are way out in left field.
In three of the Gospels, Jesus says 'It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of Heaven.' No one would take this statement literally, certainly not today in Hong Kong. Clearly the Bible must be interpreted if its true meaning is to be understood.
When the Bible is used to condemn homosexuality, bigots quickly and easily point to a number of verses where they claim the condemnation is literally in 'black and white'. But the Bible never uses the words lesbian, gay, bisexual or even the current favourite 'homosexual'.
The verb 'to know' is used 943 times in the Old Testament, but in less than 10 of those times is it used to convey the meaning of having sex. God's word is not the markings on the page, but the meaning of those words. Christian fundamentalists who are the most frequent users of the Bible to condemn homosexuality use this literal approach to reading the Bible.
When examining the Bible, it is important to consider the context and point in history when it was written. Scholars of the Bible call this the 'historical-critical' approach; 2,000 years ago cultures vanished because of low birth rates and high infant mortality rates. In Biblical times, there was no understanding of homosexuality as a sexual orientation - there was only an awareness of same sex contacts and their perceived effect on the growth of the population. These are no longer threats to mankind, if they ever were. The issue today in Hong Kong is not these physical acts, but one involving people and their relationships and how we fit into society. It is easy to confuse these social issues which involve the community with the sexual issues which don't involve the community. Jesus raised far more serious and direct condemnations of divorce and moneylending than to homosexuality.