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| Reverend Lim Bo-rah delivers a sermon at Sumdol Presbyterian Church in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Parkkim Hyung-joon |
‘God teaches us to love, not hate'
By Lee Kyung-min
Reverend Lim Bo-rah is among the few exemplary religious leaders in Korea seeking to implement the true meaning of religion: God teaches us to love, not hate each other, and certainly not to persecute or discriminate against a group of people for "who they are."
The pastor at Sumdol Presbyterian Church in Mapo-gu, Seoul, has been a vocal supporter of equal rights protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
Given that the Christian groups — mostly those on the far-right — are known for their fierce opposition to homosexuality, which they call "an ungodly abomination," Lim's minority stance is drawing admiration from those offended by such bigoted views including the younger generation and liberal civic groups.
"Nowhere in the Bible are there teachings that condone spewing hatred and justifying ruthless persecution in the name of God. Yet a large number of Christians seem to be condoning or actually doing just that," Lim said. "I doubt they understand what it means to be Christian."
Of course some parts of the Bible have verses that could be referenced as describing homosexuality, but reading them is open to interpretation, she added, as are many other verses in the Bible are.
The most famous one is Leviticus 20:13 which says "If a man lies with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
The Common English Bible version goes, "If a man has sexual intercourse with a man as he would with a woman, the two of them have done something detestable. They must be executed; their blood is on their own heads." This is widely used as justification for discriminating against gay people.
But Leviticus 11:12 also says "Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination — translated "detestable" in other versions — to you." Not many Christians would detest eating shellfish, or other seafood fitting that description claiming it is against the will of God, Lim said.
She also maintains that obsessing over literal interpretations of the Bible could result in limited understanding and perpetuate distorted views, as frequently found among fundamentalists or extremists.
"Would Jesus accept and encourage the behavior of Christians seeking to trample on the minority in his name? Whether it be women, the disabled or the LGBT community? I don't think so."
She was among many religious figures who participated in the 18th Korea Queer Culture Festival (KQCF), held at Seoul Plaza last month and attended by more than 70,000 people, the most ever for the annual event.
Christians and Buddhists attended the weekend parade, saying their religion teaches love and understanding. Persecution of or discrimination against any particular group is not a correct interpretation of the words of religious figures, they said.
Officials of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism said the event is significant as it provides an outlet for society's most suppressed voices. They raised banners saying, "The world without discrimination is the world of Buddha."
However, also present were far-right Christian groups that held a protest claiming homosexuality is a disease that requires treatment.
The groups said society should eliminate promiscuous and depraved sexual activities because Korea is a Confucian country known for its politeness and high moral standards.
They said they would not tolerate Western countries' attempts to normalize or even glorify what they see as a sexually deviant act of a minority.
In response, the National Human Rights Commission, the human rights watchdog here, said it would increase efforts to tackle the spread of misinformation about false associations between homosexuality and HIV/AIDS.
The false claim is the primary basis for far-right Christian groups for opposing homosexuality, while data identifies "unprotected sex" as the cause of infection.
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| Parents of sexual minorities carry a banner proclaiming themselves as 'the association of parents of homosexual, bisexuals and transgender children' in the festival. / Yonhap |
Minority opinions matter
Advocating for LGBT rights protection is the continuation of and in line with feminist theology, which Lim greatly identified with while studying it.
The minority movement is found in several religions to apply feminist perspectives in reconsidering traditions, practices and scriptures.
It seeks to increase the role of women among religious authorities, and reinterpret and study male-dominated imagery and language about God as well as women's roles.
"When I studied feminist theology, I became aware of how much the Bible had elements of misogyny, justifying male domination and sometimes offensive treatment of women. But raising questions about such a perspective was not popular, and rarely brought up for discussion."
Her point triggers interesting questions whether the far-right Christian groups, which have many female members, fully agree with how women are treated in the all-male-written Bible they hold so dear.
She pointed out a passage where a raped woman is given no voice at all and the incident is treated by men and only men. Punishment is discussed not for inflicting harm on the woman but for hurting the pride of men by "disgracing" someone considered their responsibility.
Genesis 34 says: "One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the Canaanite women.When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of that region, saw her, he took her and raped her.
"But he found the young woman so attractive that he fell in love with her and tried to win her affection....‘I want you to get Dinah for me as my wife,' he told his father."
A man saw a woman and raped her. Saying he fell in love after what is nowadays considered a violent crime, this passage depicts the perpetrator asking his father to get her, instead of feeling guilty or worrying about consequences of his actions.
Where is the voice of the woman, the victim?
This part is one of many examples of how the Bible should be subject to critical reading, Lim says.
"Think how much mental and physical distress the woman must have undergone. The man who raped her says he wants to marry her? That is hardly a normal situation."
Meanwhile, Lim is continuing her fight against the mainstream Presbyterian Church in Korea after it declared all-out war against any "heretical attempts" to support LGBT rights.
The grand statement targets her and her church belonging to a minority faction of the Presbyterians.
Lim was accused of heresy for mobilizing to translate "The Queer Bible Commentary," a work by scholars and pastors focusing on parts of the Bible that have relevance for those interested in LGBT issues.
The translation from English to Korean is under final review, with the publication of the Korean version expected in a few months.
Lim undertook the demanding work to help use the Bible in contemporary political, socioeconomic and religious settings as well as for its impact on LGBT communities.
