We Can Quote The Bible Too

Every so often, someone has the nerve to quote the Bible during an argument over a political issue. Cue state Representative Andy Gipson:

In a May 10 Facebook post, Gipson called homosexuality a "sin," citing Leviticus 20:13 and Romans 1:26-28:

Leviticus 20:13 reads: "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."

Shall we indulge him? Shall we see what else the Bible says about marriage?

The Morality Argument

We often hear the argument from religious individuals that without religion there would be no guide for our morality. It is an absurd argument, that likely says something about that individual's lack of real morality. Take this story out of North Carolina:

"So your little son starts to act a little girlish when he is four years old and instead of squashing that like a cockroach and saying, 'Man up, son, get that dress off you and get outside and dig a ditch, because that is what boys do,' you get out the camera and you start taking pictures of Johnny acting like a female and then you upload it to YouTube and everybody laughs about it and the next thing you know, this dude, this kid is acting out childhood fantasies that should have been squashed. 

Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist. Man up. Give him a good punch. Ok? You are not going to act like that. You were made by God to be a male and you are going to be a male. And when your daughter starts acting too butch, you reign her in. And you say, 'Oh, no, sweetheart. You can play sports. Play them to the glory of God. But sometimes you are going to act like a girl and walk like a girl and talk like a girl and smell like a girl and that means you are going to be beautiful. You are going to be attractive. You are going to dress yourself up.'"

The simple reality here is that his "holy book" says nothing against a father beating his son for being gay. And because he bases his entire sense of morality on the teachings of that book, anything not directly forbidden is on the table. Slavery was not only not forbidden, this so-called holy book wrote out rules for how to beat your slaves. Hence the many deeply religious people who participated, supported, and ultimately fought a war over slavery.

So what, you may ask, do atheists derive their moral codes from? Well, I am sure that nearly all atheists will give you a different answer, but I personally would direct you to a presentation from Matt Dillahunty: