Bradley LaShawn Fowler sues bible publishers over hate speech
http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/07/lawsuit_against_zondervan_comp.html
Lawsuit against Zondervan complains about Bible statements on homosexuality
“Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan, based in Cascade Township, and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing in the lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.”
“Fowler alleges Zondervan’s Bibles referring to homosexuality as a sin have made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of ‘demoralization, chaos and bewilderment.’ “
I’m sure alot of people have already heard about this. Is this insane or what? Maybe not! To me it is because let’s face it. I’m offended by the bible everyday. That’s what draws me closer to it.
But this guy… Wow! I mean I thought the coffee lady at McDonald’s had gone loopy. Or people suing gun manufacturers because someone killed their loved one. But I about fell out of my chair when I heard about this one. Just another stunt for the homosexual agenda.
Let me say, that if I were a homosexual, this would be the exact thing I would do. Where do we get our authority to say it’s wrong? From the bible. And since I can’t sue God, I would sue the next best thing. The very manufacturer that keeps reprinting His word. Smart move.
I am however in somewhat of fear because this country is leaning heavily to punish people for hate speech. Like I said before. The bible is full of hate speech. The hatred of sin that is. (Psalm 97:10) And there sure s alot of it here in America.
But thank God for our protection in the first amendment that says we have the right to free speech and that it says no law can be made to prohibit free exercise of religion. BAM!!!!! The problem with this is nowhere in the bible at least in the original format does it use the phrase “homosexual”. So it may come down to the Supreme Court translating the bible for us to decide what exactly it means by “sexual immorality”. God help us there.
So where do we go from here. We cn only hope since this guy is defending himself that it misses the mark by a mile. But the one mark it will hit is cheering on othere to follow in his steps to close up the holes and succeed with the agenda of saying religion is hate speech.
I just read this on my AFA email.
philippians314 said,
July 16, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! - Isaiah 5:20
Welcome to the Last Days folks!
triprolo said,
July 17, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Amen brother (or sister). Thanks for chiming in!
V said,
July 26, 2008 at 1:34 pm
There is a large Christian gay community that thinks this man is foolish. Let it be known.
triprolo said,
July 27, 2008 at 3:38 pm
And who may I ask is this “christian” gay community?????
Stephanie said,
August 6, 2008 at 9:39 am
Isn’t this asking to take “tolerance” too far. What is wrong with you, do you not have a life. There are gay churches you can attend so leave everybody else’s beliefs alone, if you don’t like it then don’t go somewhere else.
triprolo said,
August 6, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Ummm! What she said, I think!
Saph said,
November 26, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I see his point. Automatically changing “sexual immorality” to homosexuality is hasty. But either way, I don’t know how much the editors have to hold the guilt on this. I think if I change words in the bible, or choose to translate parts of it in a way that it read that being black is a sin, people would definitely think the writers should be held responsible in some way.
Free speech isn’t as free as we’d like to think. And we can’t hold people responsible for what they say and then when they attack something we believe in use the excuse.
The bible is a powerful tool, and something that holds power for many a people. Using it to dispel personal agenda is indeed hateful.
It’s up to the court. But though I don’t think he should win, I think he will be successful in at least holding people’s translating the bible in check. We have way too many different versions that pass for the “truth” with little regard as to how much research went into it.
triprolo said,
November 26, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Good word Saph. But one question that I have for homosexuals, which I need to update my philosophy on the whole thing, is this. IF sexual immorality in the bible does not include homosexuality, the what does sexual immoral mean.
Sex before marriage? If so, the homosexuals are committing that sin because only certain states acknowledge marriages of that nature.
Oral sex. I think homosexuality falls into that category too.
Bestiality? Who does that anyway. And if the line is NOT drawn somewhere, those advocates of bestiality will come next.
Sex with more than one partner? I believe that was throughout the whole bible plus those crazy wackos out in Utah still do that and they’re supposed to be Christians.
Anyway, my point is what is Sexual Immorality now that people want to concur that homosexuality is not immoral!
I think I’ll copy this post and blog it.
Saph said,
November 28, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I didn’t necessarily agree with his view. I only meant that he has the right to question a man’s translation.
As to the meaning of sexual immorality, we could guess, but unless we hold the necessary knowledge to research into original texts and such (And please no e-pseudotheoligist say you do, because anyone that does would definitely not be here), you can only go so far.
I see it as being intentionally perverted. Two people falling in love, getting married, and having sex is okay. For some reason, even though I can’t justify it, I even see sex before marriage as not a big aberration as I once did… Maybe I owe that to the media, but I really can’t see God that petty:
“Ok looks like you’re set… two tickets for heaven… oh… wait… what’s this? You slept with Wilma when you were 21?! Rejection!!” Most of what God has told us are guidelines that will often prove best, but not necessarily always. You can eat pork, but you’re really better off not. You can bet, but is it worth the risk of going too far? You can drink wine, but are you sure it’s worth the risk of becoming an alcoholic.
In the end, and I know how new age this sounds, I think Sexual Immorality is that which you feel inside is perverted. We can always sort of feel inside when you know it’s just not right.
I’m scared about changing the bible, or ignoring parts. But I also know there’s many parts we choose to ignore, rules and guidelines. We feel very safe in saying that something is before Jesus’s Grace, or has changed, and don’t let others. After all even women were still treated as inferior during Jesus’s time, as did slaves, and yet we choose to ignore the rules a woman is supposed to follow because it just doesn’t feel right. It’s either all to be obeyed (at least all the stuff from the New Testament), or you can’t fault for people from choosing which they choose to ignore.
As someone who speaks multiple languages, and have read the same book in different ones, I’ve seen how even little differences means big changes. For example you can never read a word in the bible and try to see into its’ depths by examining other meaning of that word. I remember I once read a phrase that said something like “in the end we will have a feast with God.” And someone said, “Oh a feast doesn’t need to be food, it has been said that the word is food for our soul, maybe it’s the word!” Well that same translation in another language has a word that means feast that could never be interpreted in that way. People need to be careful by trying to read into too many layers, because if you go deep enough any line could mean anything you want it to.
And because the Word is powerful does not mean it can’t be changed. It is just the opposite, because it holds so much power, there is few men that could resist its’ temptation. There is faith, and there’s a fool’s faith. The bible itself says to do what you feel is wrong is a sin. If something feels so wrong, or completely right to you (and you’re sure it’s not denial), it seldom is the opposite.
And remember that when God says he wants you to wait till marriage, he does not mean legal marriage. Would that mean that a couple that lives in the middle of a desert with no courier can’t get married? How about if there’s no priest around? The marriage ceremony has changed many times even during the time of the Bible. Marriage as we see it in the law is just a legal document to acknowledge, “These people have been married, and will live together and probably raise children, they are entitled to benefits and tax breaks, and insurance & so on…” Marriage as the bible sees it simply means it’s two people swearing an oath to be together for their rest of their lives. (Yes… technically a divorce is a sin, and just because someone says you’ve been divorced doesn’t technically mean you are in the eyes of the Lord). In the bible the only “divorce” they had was find the other person guilty of something and having them killed. Meaning it was either staying together or death. (Someone who has had a divorce have no say on the sanctity of marriage and who should marry).
The bible also doesn’t say it’ ends with those two people. Many men had multiple wives, and from our view of equality today I would reason that there’s nothing wrong with a wife having many husbands either. It’s just our society that feels it should be 2, (and frankly I like it that way).
triprolo said,
November 29, 2008 at 6:20 pm
SAPH, I like you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I like the way you think, and I would agree with most you have to say. I do think it has alot to do with our culture and where we live determines how we interpret the bible and what it has to say to us.
Just like you say, I like wine but the church I came from thought that any drink was an abomination. Some cultures agree with more than one wife but ours doesn’t And I think that has alot to do with Paul saying a leader should be a man of one wife.
And grace is definitely bountiful. It IS hard to determine that just because one slept with someone outside of marriage that grace would not abound. But leaving right and wrong up to one man to determine for himself what is and isn’t sin can be dangerous. How to answer that I have come to one conclusion.
“continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2 12-13.
Saph, thank you for you large response. Continue to be welcome here to respond, even if you disagree.