Sir Ian McKellen's Grudge with Leviticus

categories: LGBT Celebrities, LGBT Entertainment, Religion and LGBT Rights

Published November 02, 2009 @ 03:48PM PT

Ian McKellen How's this for the premise of X-Men 4: Magneto decides that instead of seeking world domination, he's just going to wage battle against radical right-wing religious folks who use the Bible as a means of beating up on LGBT people.

Well, it might hit a little close to home for Sir Ian McKellen, the out British actor who plays Magneto. As it turns out, he's been quietly waging a war against the use of religion as a weapon of oppression against LGBT people all along in his real life. His method? At every hotel he visits, he rips out a page in Leviticus that fundamentalists use to label LGBT people as sinful.

McKellen tells Details magazine that he's not intending to vandalize the Bible. He just thinks the world would be better off if people took the passages in Leviticus a little less literally.

"I'm not proudly defacing the book, but it's a choice between removing that page and throwing away the whole Bible," McKellen says.

For those not familiar with Leviticus 18:22, it might be interpreted as the most homophobic verse in the Bible. It starts with the familiar refrain, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind," and finishes up with a powerful "it is an abomination" punch. But the passage is often misunderstood, and all too often used to justify hatred and violence toward LGBT people -- as was the case earlier this month in New York, where the friend of a gay basher said that attacking gay people was justified because the book of Leviticus approved.

Taking such a literal interpretation of this passage of Leviticus is an irresponsible way to look at the historical context of Scripture, according to many progressive theologians. For instance, look at the way Rev. David Eck puts it on his "I'm Christian, I'm Gay, Deal With It!" blog. Rev. Eck writes, "It is a misuse of the Bible to quote Leviticus as an answer to today's ethical question of whether homosexuality is right or wrong. Leviticus was not addressing this question. The concern in Leviticus, the cultural context of that text, and the meaning of male-male sex in ancient Israel are all very foreign to the present situation."

Better yet? The use of the word "abomination" is actually better translated as "taboo," and not "go out and beat gay people up in the streets because of their sin." Having sex with people of the same gender might have indeed been "taboo" thousands upon thousands of years ago in a political context. But that says absolutely nothing about its morality or immorality.

Really, the point is that there are a 1,001 ways to interpret the passages in the Bible that are typically used to bash homosexuality. That's an awful lot of ambiguity to be taking a passage in Leviticus so seriously.

So perhaps what Sir Ian McKellen should do is stop ripping pages out of the Bible, and instead start inserting a few pages. And maybe add this disclaimer: "Keep in mind that the Bible was written by men, thousands of years ago, and that whatever certain televangelists might tell you, this book isn't so cut-and-dry on a lot of things."

(Photo courtesy of http://backstage.blogs.com)

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Comments (12)

Its a good thing the churches near the house keep spamming us with bibles in the mail. They make wonderful kindling for our winter fires. They burn so well its amazing. As if the book was made to be burnt.

As for Ian I would also rip out the page with passage LEV. 20:13 which calls for us to be put to death for that sin. Which is also the most often used passage to justify for killing us LGBT people in the name of christian theology.

I say this about the bible or any other book that I find distasteful. If it can be burnt, burn it. If it cant... C4.

Posted by Chris Marshall on 11/02/2009 @ 05:50PM PT
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The use of religion to justify oppression against LGBT people is unjustified. It's good that Sir Ian McKellen tears out a page of the Bible to point out that intolerant conservatives are not justified to use Leviticus against LGBT rights. David Eck is correct in that the Bible can't be used for strict interpretation when it comes to the government of the United States. Whatever intolerant people may interpret from Leviticus, LGBT rights is more superior and noble than oppression.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 11/02/2009 @ 06:58PM PT
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Have to say, got a new respect for Ian now.

I wouldn't stop where he does though, the entire book would either go out the window, into the trash or into my fire place.

Posted by Paul Hockhousen on 11/02/2009 @ 07:16PM PT
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Yeah, I'm with ya, Paul. But Sir Ian is making a valuable point, I think. That one verse on one page of scripture. That is what people need to see...that they are basing their hate and birgotry on just a few verses.

And yeah. Chris I wouldn't mind a Fareheit 451-style barbeque or if that fails a bit of fun with C4. YEEEEEEE-HAW!

Posted by Ioan Lightoller on 11/03/2009 @ 05:40AM PT
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I take it mythbusters style. "When in doubt.... C4" -The Hyneman

Posted by Chris Marshall on 11/03/2009 @ 06:40AM PT
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lol, my man. lol

Posted by Ioan Lightoller on 11/03/2009 @ 07:05AM PT
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I think I'd follow it up by underlining the passages about stoning disobedient children, and the part where a woman has to live in a tent outside the community during her monthly "uncleanness". You know, those other rules to which we pay no attention any more, that most people don't even know are in the book... So much more effective than burning the book, in my opinion...

Posted by Daniel Sheff on 11/03/2009 @ 07:07AM PT
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You want to see people really flip out? Replace it with the Satanic Bible........and watch their heads explode.

Posted by Dave Hershey on 11/03/2009 @ 09:10AM PT
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Now that would be good to see...

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 11/03/2009 @ 03:46PM PT
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I agree with the “cultural context” point. While Leviticus does prohibit sex between men, the prohibition does not apply today because it applied only to the ancient Israelite culture. Full reasons for this conclusion are given on the Gay and Christian website (www.gaysandslaves.com).

Posted by Ray Collins on 11/03/2009 @ 02:54PM PT
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Ray,

From everything that I've seen on the subject of this particular passage, the phrases (let alone the words) didn't even exist in the original transcripts. They didn't have words to explain same-sex relations. Here is just one of my sources.

As far as I'm concerned however, it honestly doesn't matter. I am not religious, nor do I believe in fairy tales written by men two thousand years ago to enstill fear into and to control people's minds and thought process.

Posted by Dave Hershey on 11/03/2009 @ 03:34PM PT
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Thank you for your post ray. Are you familar with www.religioustolerance.org as well?

Posted by Chris Marshall on 11/04/2009 @ 08:46PM PT
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.