Going beyond God’s word: LGBTQ celibacy (including wisdom from a Baptist manual)
Scale model of the Baptist church in French Camp, Mississippi
It’s easy to mistake our own ideas for God’s – and it started with Eve. Despite her well-deserved heroine status in the LDS faith, with the clarity and courage to see a higher purpose in the Garden of Eden, Eve still didn’t get everything right. She didn’t quite get God’s instructions, and added her own interpretation that she attributed to God.
Here's what God said:
“Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).
Here’s what Eve heard:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Genesis 3:2-3, emphasis added).
So what’s going on here? Eve may have misunderstood or misremembered God’s instruction. Or maybe she figured that not touching the fruit would add a further level of safety to make sure she complied with God’s actual instruction to not eat the fruit. That’s fine if that’s what Eve wanted to do, as her own personal commitment – but she says that’s what God says.
That happens today in all kinds of arenas. Folks may live by their “house rules” in any number of commandment areas (decisions around family size/shape/structure, Sabbath observance, keeping the Word of Wisdom, etc.) then hold those rules up to others as if they were God’s word. They may judge others for not living by their own “house rules,” forgetting that their personal revelation is, well, personal, and doesn’t extend to others.
Check out this excellent observation from the Sunday School manual of the Baptist church that I attended while camping in rural Mississippi:
Often people with the best of intentions will add restrictions to the Christian life that God never commanded. Following your own personal disciplines and convictions can be helpful in maintaining your walk with Christ and in growing closer to Him. But it’s never right to make those guidelines equal to the Bible, and it’s never right to demand others follow those same guidelines as though they were a part of God’s Word. People tend to produce religions that are far more oppressive than what God has established! (Bible Studies for Life: KJV Adults Personal Study Guide, Winter 2022-23, lifeway.com)
I think about those who would like to add a postscript to Genesis 2:18 and attribute it to God: “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, unless they’re queer, in which case they should absolutely be alone, with all the loneliness and mental health challenges of a lifetime of solitary living” (italics added). Of course that’s not what God said – and we need not complicate God’s simple words.
Period.
-Marci
Also see:
The scriptures talk about identical twins: one straight, one gay and
A Path Forward: a grid with choices for LGBTQ LDS and the Church.