Good Morning, kids! Ready for today's Bible Class?

(a chorus of groans comes from the blog)

I recently was present at the initiation rites of Freemasonry for a certain young Javier. He is now an Entered Apprentice, while Your Loyal TriSec is a few steps down the trail at the Senior Deacon's station. A lengthy night of ritual ensued, but it did get me thinking.

An awful lot of Masonic Ritual can trace its origins back to King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. We even claim King Solomon himself as our "First, Most Excellent Grand Master".

In any case - I've started listening to the Bible fairly routinely. I have read it once before, a number of decades ago, but now I'm doing the "Listening with New Ears" thing, searching specifically for things we do as Freemasons. Anything else I might pick up from this exercise is an added bonus.

I have already found one such thing. I'm sure you know the book of Leviticus - it lays out much of the ancient Rabbinical law concerning how followers of Moses should act, how they should build their temple, basic human conduct, and the like.

I suppose it could be interesting in spots, but the entire book is characterized by chapter after chapter of minutia and tedium. Much of the first part of the book is extremely granular description of how to make animal sacrifices to the lord. There's a rather lengthy section on what is "clean" and "unclean", and primarily deals with leprosy.

Unfortunately, women in this era were considered "unclean" due to the natural processes of menstruation and childbirth. Even men, after they have had an "emission", were ritually unclean for a period of time.

Now, many of our differently-winged friends, and a multitude of "Anti" groups (pick one) gravitate towards the last section of Leviticus.



But we are going to land on one specific passage today.

Leviticus 18
22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

Apparently this is such a big deal to the LORD of Moses that he repeats it a few pages later in Levitcus 20.
13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

It is unclear why such acts are detestable. The book of Leviticus itself has been traced to somewhere back around the mid 500s BCE. Perhaps the LORD banned it because the ancient Egyptians often engaged in such acts, and he wanted to set his followers apart.

Listening to this book, however - I am struck by the over-arching violence and meanness contained therein. Exile, torture, maiming, even death, is punishment for violating most of the rules laid out here. If you juxtapose the ancient biblical rules with the actions of today's leadership of certain places....their overt pride in their spitefulness starts to make some sense.

It has been said of the Bible that it is that rare magical book that actually is "All things to All people".

If you read it with hate and fear in your heart - you will find exactly what you are looking for in its pages.

But if you read it with hope and compassion for all mankind - you will find that, too.

In the end, it's the very last verse of Leviticus that served as the inspiration for my thoughts today.

Leviticus 27
34 These are the commands the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

Well, then. I'm not an Israelite. I do not follow the prophet Moses, either. Therefore, in a Sith world of absolutes, these rules do not apply to me, or anyone else who is not an Israelite.

So.....why do the middle-aged, misogynist, racist, white males in charge want to make this the Law of the Land?