Tom Preston sent this to me. I wrote to Dr. Kauffman to thank him. He wrote back a remarkable letter and I answered. Do read it all. Kay
In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet.
Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your adoring fan,
James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus, Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education, University of Virginia
(It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadian :)
On Jun 13, 2010, at 5:53 PM, KAY GILLILAND wrote:
Hello Dr. Kauffman:
Thank you for your wonderful piece on questions for Dr. Laura Schlesinger. I hope your message is widely read and understood. Then we will be able to get on with the real business of faith/religion/God/whatever: learning to live with one another, to care for each other and for the environment and to make this a better world for all its inhabitants.
Kay
On Jun 14, 2010, at 8:04 AM, James Kauffman wrote:
I quite agree with you, but...
You contacted me recently about a letter to Dr. Laura Schlesinger. I did not write the letter. Neither do I know who did. I think it is very clever, and I applaud the work of the person who wrote it. I forwarded it to some of my friends, but apparently someone sent it on to others with my name appearing as the writer. Please check www.snopes.com/politics/religion/drlaura.asp.
The Internet can be misleading. Not so, Scripture.
I wish I could take credit for writing the letter, but, alas, I cannot. “Thou shalt not raise a false report” (Exodus 23:1). I obviously need to consult Dr. Laura for spiritual advice, though. I need to ask her, for example, whether, if I took credit, I would be bearing false witness against my neighbor, as prohibited by the commandment of God in Exodus 20:16.
Dr. Laura is without doubt correct in her Scriptural condemnation of homosexuality. But she somehow missed the far more common sin of Onan (Genesis 38:9), for which God slew him (Genesis 38:10). Onanism is nothing to trifle with, and it is undoubtedly the cause of much human suffering. Scripture clearly states that it brings God’s wrath upon guys who practice it. Dr. Laura’s failure to comment on Onanism is a mystery.
I feel certain that Dr. Laura has made an altar of earth, as specified in Exodus 20:24 and regularly burns sheep and oxen on it to obtain God’s blessing, as commanded in the same passage. I’m sure she understands that making an altar of hewn stone is forbidden because putting tools on the stone would pollute it (the altar), as stated in Exodus 20:25. And I am sure she can interpret the last verse of Exodus 20 correctly: “Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.” I praise Jehovah that Dr. Laura would neither go up steps to any altar nor be discovered naked thereon.
I think we’d all agree that if Dr. Laura bought a Hebrew servant, she would not require him to work for her for more than six years and would free him in the seventh (but would feel free to keep his wife and children as property, given that said servant had married the wife given him by Dr. Laura’s husband and that he had had children by this wife during the six years of his purchased service), as commanded by the Lord God in the opening verses of Exodus, chapter 21.
I could go on. So could you. But what’s the point? We all know that Dr. Laura knows her Scripture and lives by every verse. She would never select a Scriptural statement and use it to confirm her bias while ignoring other Scriptures.
James M. Kauffman, Ed.D.
Professor Emeritus of Education
University of Virginia
www.people.virginia.edu/~jmk9t/
No comments:
Post a Comment