A 28 year-old Philadelphia-area man admitted he stoned to death a 70 year-old man because the Bible says to stone homosexuals. John Joe Thomas reportedly killed Murray Joseph Seidman, whom he knew, and told police, “I stoned Murray with a rock in a sock,” because he had read in the Bible that gays should be stoned.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “The young man and Seidman were often seen together grocery shopping and going to church,” and “He then described how he placed batteries and rocks in a sock, and hit Seidman in the head at least 10 times.”
Think about this. Gays are being stoned to death in 21st century America. Actually, we don’t even know if the man who was stoned was gay, but his murderer thought he was.
This past Tuesday, Rev. Keith Ratliff Sr., a Baptist minister and president of the Iowa-Nebraska chapter of the NAACP, demanded the “gay community stop hijacking the civil rights movement.”
Ratliff called any parallel between the African-American civil rights movement and the gay civil rights movement an “insult.â€
I’m pretty sure not being stoned to death falls into the civil right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Americablog’s John Aravosis says, “The Bible is quite literally used to kill us,” and adds:
Every single bigot who quotes the Bible against gays is responsible for this man’s death.
And not to defend the killer, but he’s right. The Bible does says to kill gays. How Christians get away with selling the Bible with those quotes still inside is beyond me. Here are numerous versions of the Bible – note what the say about killing gays:
(The following is also via Aravosis at AmericaBlog)
New International Version (©1984)
“‘If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.New Living Translation (©2007)
“If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense.English Standard Version (©2001)
If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.New American Standard Bible (©1995)
If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act;they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)
When a man has sexual intercourse with another man as with a woman, both men are doing something disgusting and must be put to death. They deserve to die.King James Bible
If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them.American King James Version
If a man also lie with mankind, as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be on them.American Standard Version
And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.Bible in Basic English
And if a man has sex relations with a man, the two of them have done a disgusting thing: let them be put to death; their blood will be on them.Douay-Rheims Bible
If any one lie with a man se with a woman, both have committed an abomination, let them be put to death: their blood be upon them.Darby Bible Translation
And if a man lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall certainly be put to death; their blood is upon them.English Revised Version
And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.Webster’s Bible Translation
If a man also shall lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination:they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.World English Bible
“‘If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.Young’s Literal Translation
And a man who lieth with a male as one lieth with a woman; abomination both of them have done; they are certainly put to death; their blood is on them.
I’m sorry, but the book is quite clear about the need to murder gay people. Why beat around the bush about it? Yes, I know the translation is wrong, but it’s the accepted translation in far too many mainstream versions of the Bible (I do love how bigoted Christians like to pretend that the Bible was written in English 2000 years ago, so the translation just can’t be wrong – even though English didn’t even exist back then.) And Christians do nothing about it, other than quote it against us in order to take away our civil rights.
Any questions?