A Public Invitation

On his website, 4Simpsons Blog, I have been having a rather intense debate with Neil Simpson, a conservative Christian, on the issue of marriage. Neil first came to me and posted a comment on my blog inviting my readers to check out his blog that was in general protest of some of the content of the Jack Black Proposition 8 Video. I previously posted. Both sides of this argument have integrated personal attacks, which have solved nothing, and I apologized to him for my end of this. 

However, in the interest of debate, I have asked him (and the at-large conservative Christian community) to provide a few bits of information as it relates to their protest of gay marriage and clinging to Levitical Law on this one issue. I feel as if he has continually dodged these questions at worse, or mishandled them at best. Tiring of a circular argument, he has told me he will be moderating my posts. That’s fine, it’s his blog and I respect that. But to that end, I offered him one last chance to directly address my quest for answers. In an effort to keep the conversation moving and to avoid my quest for answers being ended by hitting the ‘delete’ button (by a man who claims to have these answers) my last comment to him was a request to directly answer my questions with applicable scripture references, while informing him that I would be posting this request, and links back to his site, on my blog. If he can do this, I will publically admit I am wrong. If he can’t, or refuses, then my claims about him and the Christian Right will have been validated. Let’s see. 

My last comment on his post: 

Neil, I too, am growing weary of you avoiding the facts in many of posts… My original post to you was informing you that my copy of Strong’s Concordance refers to ‘abomination’ being the same word (and same meaning) in the Hebrew … a direct conflict of what you stated in your original post. I asked you to provide the reference you were using, you have not done this. In numerous posts, I have asked you to tell me exactly where in the Bible marriage is defined as you claim it to be. I told you I knew of some examples of unions in the Bible being this way. What you and your friend provided were examples. But examples are not definitions. My most recent post on my blog uses websters to define ‘definition’ and ‘example.’ They are not the same. You have not done this. You claim, in your second to most recent response, that I will see this definition if I read further. So here, I am sincerely asking for your help – so me the definition (again, not example) of where Christ says this, and I will happily post a comment here and a post on my blog announcing that I was wrong. This isn’t a challenge, this is a sincere request for assistance – I do not want to be a person who does the opposite of what I’m accusing you of: claiming that something is not in the Bible when it is. Can you do me this one favor? I am fearful that in your most recent response, you are illogical again: “Jesus is God and Leviticus is his word.” Jesus claims to have come to abolish the law, does He not? So how is applying (in this day and age) the rules of Levitical law to Christians even at all relevant? The whole word-origin issue of “abomination” aside, why would Christians even attempt to discuss Levitical law when Christ came to abolish it? Please advise. In addition, Levitical Law does advise of many other things (pointing out that the video says “The Bible says alot of things” was one of your beefs, if I recall). Say that you’re right and the word “abomination” around the shellfish argument does not mean what we mean it to mean. You want to apply the verse regarding men laying with men, but what about the other Levitical verses about being unclean after men’s semen ejaculations? About women’s menstruation cycles? Sincerely, I am in all seriousness asking you … do you apply this to your life? If not, why? Do you feel that modern hygenics has overruled the scriptures? How do you feel that this relates to Jack Black’s claim that Christians “pick and choose” what they want to believe from Levitical Law? These are all honest, sincere questions, not sarcasm or personal attacks. I do invite you to my blog to engage in discussion when I post religious-oriented content. To that end, I do acknowledge that I have been harsh with the personal attacks and I apologize for any offense. I invite you to my site and offer the apology in hopes that we can continue this discussion and have future discussions … it is clear we will not agree on many things, but that is the purpose of discussion, to work things out, no? The only conditions of this (and your response, even on your own blog) is that you, too, will avoid the personal attacks or any semblance of them, as I will. If you are up for this, please directly (not indirectly) response to my questions with definitions and the requested scripture references. If not, then you can choose to delete this comment, obviously, and you will have to forgive me if at that point I lose any respect for you or your word. Regardless of the outcome, I will be posting this response as a new post on my blog with a link back to your site and this post. This is your chance to prove me wrong and validate your claims in a fashion where we both act mature and logical … are you up for it? 

And it begins.