11AR16-25

( - previous issue - )

Apologia Report 16:25 (1,075)

July 21, 2011

Subject: A strained attempt to uncover 'Gay Gospels' in Scripture

In this issue:

ATHEISM - a review of the latest from John W. Loftus and company

HOMOSEXUALITY - Gay Gospels: oxymoron, new strategy, or ... ?

SCIENTOLOGY - journalist Janet Reitman rocks L. Ron Hubbard's boat

SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP - Presbyterians in peril

------

ATHEISM

The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails, John W. Loftus, ed. [1] -- New Zealand philosopher Matthew Flannagan begins his critical review by reporting that this collection of writings by "free thinkers" represents the sequel to Loftus' Why I Became an Atheist [2]. In this new text, "Loftus argues that a rational person should adopt the same skeptical stance towards her own religious beliefs that she does towards religions she rejects." This approach is named the Outsider Test for Faith (OTF). "The OTF undergirds all the articles in the book. ...

"Perhaps the greatest problem with this book is the incoherence of the main line of argument. Loftus outlines the OTF in terms of two theses:

"1) *The religious diversity thesis:* that people from different cultures adopt different religious beliefs;

"2) *The religious dependency thesis:* which religion one adopts is overwhelmingly dependent on cultural conditions."

Flannagan discusses these and concludes: "This book is a comprehensive and representative expression of contemporary skeptical thought from some leading free thinkers in a single volume." Philosophia Christi, 13:1 - 2011, pp231-236.

---

HOMOSEXUALITY

The Gay Gospels: Good News for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered People, by Keith Sharpe [3] -- the sympathetic, unnamed reviewer explains that "What the Bible really says about homosexuality gets another treatment by retired education professor and gay activist Sharpe. The first half repeats the typical discussion, contextualizing and thus disarming the verses and stories most frequently used to condemn homosexuality. The much less common approach of the second half is to uncover or reread stories that affirm same-sex relationships, such as Naomi and Ruth, David and Jonathan, and the Beloved Disciple. The latter half also challenges the concept of Christian 'family values,' arguing that it is nonbiblical and that current anti-LGBT positions mirror early Christianity's hesitancy to reach out to gentiles. This dual method provides LGBT Christians and their allies plenty of fodder for countering homophobic rhetoric. Although Sharpe oversells many of the more speculative arguments and leaves others incomplete, his writing is persuasive and engaging. Each chapter ends with a summary of key points, which greatly aids self-study. This work is a valuable introduction for LGBT individuals, supporters, and even detractors willing to consider the possibility of blending Christian belief and nonheterosexual desires and lives." Publishers Weekly, July #2, 2011, n.p.

---

SCIENTOLOGY

Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion, by Janet Reitman [4] -- the first paragraph of Graeme Wood's review lays things out clearly: "The Church of Scientology, founded in 1950 by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, is not a church that turns the other cheek. In the early 1990s, the Internal Revenue Service went after it for taxes; Scientology unleashed an enfilade of lawsuits and complaints that eventually brought the IRS to heel and won the church tax exemption. In Inside Scientology, Janet Reitman says that when the church was charged criminally in 1998 over the death of a parishioner, the organization overwhelmed the medical examiner in Clearwater, Fla.; within two years she had resigned and later suffered a nervous breakdown. According to Ms. Reitman, David Miscavige, the church's leader, called these acts a '"holy war" of litigation.' If the English language has a more frightening phrase, I haven't come across it."

While nothing new to most of the AR readership, such shameful teachings can hardly be overexposed: "Ultimately the church reveals to its highest-level members—spoiler alert—75 million years ago Earth was known as Teegeeack and that an intergalactic warlord named Xenu brought billions of his enemies here from other stars and vaporized them with hydrogen bombs. The souls of those beings still haunt our planet, and auditing exorcizes them."

Wood concludes: "Given the vindictiveness of its subjects, this book is fearless—most of all in its rough handling of Mr. Miscavige. But it is also nuanced, especially in its treatment of Hubbard. A key question does go unaddressed: If Scientology is getting away with a multitude of sins, what should be done about it? Legal challenges don't seem worth the trouble. From the perspective of Inside Scientology, it looks as if the system has been gamed, fairly or not." Wall Street Journal, Jul 8 '11, <www.on.wsj.com/qGyhE4>.

For very interesting background detail, see this interview with Reitman <www.bit.ly/mTU63s>.

---

SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP

The "Trojan Horse," perhaps most common today as a type of computer virus, is also an apt metaphor for spiritual counterfeits in the Body of Christ. Another unfortunate example recently came to our attention, and concerns an all-too-typical mainline Protestant host which fails to detect foreign influences which appear compatible but, at their core, are decidedly not.

Consider "'A Joyful Path:' The Center for Progressive Christianity, Yogananda and Presbyterian children" by evangelical blogger Viola Larson <www.bit.ly/nTcOQJ>. Here you will learn that "A new curriculum for Sunday school children has been developed by The Center for Progressive Christianity. It is mainly written by Lorna Knox who is on staff at the Ananda Temple and Teaching Center in Portland Oregon." Larson briefly spells out the conflict. (Then again, given that the Center "is the new publisher for the Bishop Spong Website and subscription essay newsletter," perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised.)

-------

SOURCES: Monographs

1 - The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails, John W. Loftus, ed. (Prometheus, 2010, paperback, 422 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/3moy3x4>

2 - Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity, by John W. Loftus (Prometheus, 2008, paperback, 428 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/28ylleh>

3 - The Gay Gospels: Good News for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered People, by Keith Sharpe (O Books, September 2011, paperback, 160 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/3kds6tm>

4 - Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion, by Janet Reitman (Houghton Mifflin, 2011, hardcover, 464 pages) <www.j.mp/fC3s9Q>

--------

( - next issue - )