Fun_People Archive
26 Nov
You mean it's okay to laugh?

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 97 01:16:09 -0800
To: Fun_People
Precedence: bulk
Subject: You mean it's okay to laugh?

Forwarded-by: Nev Dull <nev@bostic.com>
Forwarded-by: chuck yerkes <Chuck@Yerkes.com>
Forwarded-by: Alex Reith <alex@snew.com>

An engineering professor is treating her husband, a loan officer, to dinner
for finally giving in to her pleas to shave off the scraggly beard he has
grown on their vacation. The restaurant is a casual place where they both
feel comfortable in slacks and cotton/polyester-blend golf shirts.  But, as
always, she wears the gold and pearl pendant he gave her the day her divorce
decree was final. They're laughing over their menus because they know he
always ends up diving into a giant plate of ribs but she won't be talked
into anything more fattening than shrimp.

Quiz: How many biblical prohibitions are they violating?

Well, wives are supposed to be 'submissive' to their husbands (I Peter 3:1).
And all women are forbidden to teach men (I Timothy 2:12), wear gold or
pearls (I Timothy 2:9) or dress in clothing that 'pertains to a man'
(Deuteronomy 22:5).  Shellfish and pork are definitely out (Leviticus 11:7,
10) as are usury (Deuteronomy 23:19), shaving (Leviticus 19:27) and clothes
of more than one fabric (Leviticus 19:19). And since the Bible rarely
recognizes divorce, they're committing adultery, which carries the rather
harsh penalty of death by stoning (Deuteronomy 22:22). So why are they
having such a good time?  Probably because they wouldn't think of worrying
about rules that seem absurd, anachronistic or -- at best -- unrealistic.
Yet this same modern-day couple could easily be among the millions of
Americans who never hesitate to lean on the Bible to justify their own
anti-gay attitudes.
		-- Deb Price, "And Say Hi To Joyce."

© 1997 Peter Langston