Democratic congressman Ted Lieu used silence to make a powerful point yesterday about Jesus Christ’s attitude toward homosexuality.
The Representative for California’s 33rd District was giving a speech about the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation being championed by many of his Republican colleagues.
For the benefit of those lawmakers, Lieu said, “I just thought I would now recite what Jesus Christ said about homosexuality.”
He then stood in silence for the remaining 15 seconds of his allotted one-minute slot.
Watch below.
Lieu: I just thought I would recite for you what Jesus Christ said about homosexuality:
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I yield back pic.twitter.com/KTMbtXMtnC— Acyn (@Acyn) June 8, 2022
Related: GOP hopeful says she’s running for office after Jesus appeared to her son in closet
Lieu is a practicing Catholic. Despite the separation of church and state that is supposed to exist within politics, many lawmakers use the Bible to explain or defend their political actions.
Lieu’s silence was a timely reminder of how Jesus never once commented upon, let alone denounced, gay people.
A video clip of the speech has gone viral on Twitter, picking up over 55k likes and prompting thousands of comments. Many come from Christians who have rushed to other sections of the Bible to defend their anti-gay stance. Others say any perceived Biblical reference to homosexuality should be irrelevant, whether for or against, as we don’t base our laws on the Bible.
Related: Marjorie Taylor Greene likens herself to Jesus to explain speech at white nationalist event
Jim
I’ve been saying for years that Jesus said nothing about homosexuality.
If it was so unimportant to him, why is it so important to you?
sardonically_amused
Whether it is immigration, reproductive rights, sexuality, gender, etc the political Right does not care. They just latch onto polarizing issues that they can rally their base around.
kreakidkid
Perhaps you shouldn’t say that: Matthew 1:22-24. God said enough about it in the old testament writings and no place in the gospels or epistles is same sex relations condoned or promoted.
storm45701
@kreakkidkid : Matthew 1:22-24 is the genealogy of Jesus, and has nothing to do with the topic. The Old Testament, traced to its original writings, says nothing about homosexuality, excepted in modern interpretations from recent decades, subject to the bias of the interpreter. Christians technically aren’t subject to the OT.
You’re trying to prove a negative by saying the Bible doesn’t condone or promote, but it also doesn’t chastise or condemn, either. That’s a stretch.
ZzBomb
It’s never been about what Jesus did or did not say. It’s about power and how these people want to control others lives based on their own theocratic desires. Religion has no place in the 21st Century.
Mr. Stadnick
This is all about controlling people and drumming up some excuse for hate and intolerance.
bachy
Furor over the gay 8% of the population is a great way to divert attention away from mass murdering American schoolchildren with guns. Why scrutinize gun laws when you can drum up easy outrage about men in makeup, wigs and sequined dresses hosting a children’s fundraiser at a nightclub? I just hope we’re not cluelessly playing in to their deceitful strategies.
Bengali
Ted Lieu’s non-commentary was powerful. As I’m an atheist as I suspect so many of us are on this site, I care little what people say about god’s judgement against lgbtq+ community because it’s pointless to care about something or give power to something I don’t believe.
nunya
“Despite the supposed separation of church and state that is supposed to exist within politics, many lawmakers use the Bible to explain or defend their political actions.”
That’s not what is meant by separation of church and state. The separation is that the state shall not establish an official religion as in the Church of England.
carllonghorn
You need to do some research – the Founding Fathers, specifically Jefferson, Hamilton, and Roger Williams, clearly wrote that the First Amendment – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” – established a separate of church and state. While the context may have referred to the Church of England as an example, Jefferson clarified that when the American people adopted the establishment clause they built a “wall of separation between the church and state.” This is where the phrase comes from and has been cited by the Supreme Court in numerous cases.
Kangol2
Tell Amy Coney Barrett, who said at a U Notre Dame speech that her goal as a jurist was to help establish the “Kingdom of God” on earth. Pure Catholic Dominionist fanaticism, and Don the Con and the GQP rammed her onto the Supreme Court with minimal scrutiny!
dkelley
nunya you are incorrect, actually. It literally says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF”…. oh I see carllonghorn said it better than I did already.
Anyway, your interpretation is quite incorrect. If, in fact, your interpretation was correct, then it would be awfully ironic, wouldn’t it? Since Christianity is referenced THROUGHOUT the USA’s laws and legal processes, in such as way as to break the exact interpretation that you described.
CarrieV
As always, I continue to love the hell out of Ted Lieu. He’s one of the best things about California.
[email protected]
Besides, Jesus had 12 boyfriends
GrizzleyMichael
That is the part that these losers left out. What a bunch of morons
zunelander
Jesus never directly said anything about a lot things, but things He said are applicable to many things in life He did say that the narrow road to life is to not do to others what you don’t want done to you. Or, treat others in the way you would want to be treated. Or, love thy neighbor as thyself. A person can believe being gay is wrong all day, but if they call themselves a Christian, proof of that is whether or not they do what Jesus said. Would they want someone telling them which adult they can or cannot marry? If their answer is no, then Jesus would expect them not to do it to the gay community or an interracial couple for that matter.
nm4047
I’d like to hear that recording. Given what were attributed to the man were often written after the fact, not reporting or record taking just a collective of exaggerated writing put together many many years after the events.
Joshooeerr
I really don’t care what Jesus said about anything. You can believe in him or his “teachings” as fervently as you like; in a secular society it should be irrelevant to lawmaking. I’ve read The Bible and, viewing it as a writer, I can only say that Jesus as a character is hugely problematic. If you depicted him accurately on film today, it would be abundantly clear that he’s a deeply troubled man with psychotic delusions. He also has serious anger issues. And when not having visions or destroying market places, he’s really just a pompous bore. You’d really rather be anywhere than one of his suppers, last or other.
He is first
Great Theatre but very wrong and sad.
I Timothy says: 16 All scripture is given by inspiration(God Breathed in the greek) of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
This means of course that every word of scripture is from Christ and as everyone know there is much to say about all sin.
Romans 1 Says:
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[g] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Let’s be clear these are the words of Christ!! ALL sin is condemned
avesraggiana
What’s your point? I don’t see anything in your carefully curated passages about gayness being a sin, or anything to be condemned.
“God gave them up to dishonorourable passions”. Sounds like God was okay men and women doing whatever they wanted. The only one deeming anything dishonourable was the human author of this passage.
NONE of “these are the words of Christ”. Absolutely NONE. Factually there’s very little recorded of what Jesus Christ actually said. Certainly none of the bible passages you quoted are directly attributable to him.
Bosch
TIMOTHY says.
Not Christ.
dkelley
Those are NOT the words of Christ, actually. Don’t lie… it’s a sin.
You really need to become more picky about your accuracy, specially so when attempting to make a point by quoting one person, but not the one you claimed you were quoting.
Jesus was a real man who said real things… everybody else, all of his apostle buddies… were hangers on trying to become famous. Let’s be honest here… they wanted to be loved by the most amazing and important person they knew, and be touched by him and loved by him, and then they wrote about him. Why? because it allowed their own names to live on in infamy… still to this day and I’m sure many millennia in the future.
Den
First, let’s be clear that this is BELIEF, not historical fact in any intellectual sense. Second, this country is ruled by demonstrably secular laws so whatever Jesus, the man, is reputed to have said is irrelevant to our laws.
kevkev
And you’re positive that this ‘God’ exists? Proof please.
I eagerly await your response.
JRamonMc
Adam and Eve had 3 son’s. Cain, Abel and Seth. We are all derived per the bible from these 5 individual’s. This is what they worship, incest. Tell me honestly, do you really believe this tale?
Jaquelope
They actually had many more. Those three are the only ones mentioned by name, and Abel did not have any children mentioned before he was killed, and nothing much is said about any of Cain’s children, except for the one who was taken to Heaven while still alive.
dkelley
However many it was, it was incest that formed the basis of the human race. Don’t ever forget that, assuming you believe what the bible teaches.
michaelmt1009
AMEN…
Kangol2
To the Christianist fanatic above: The FOUR GOSPELS are direct accounts and words of Jesus Christ. Nowhere in those four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, does Christ ever mention same-sexual activity.
NOT ONCE.
Timothy and Romans are letters by the Apostle Paul, a rabid homophobe, spewing his interpretations of Christianity, after Christ died.
So it ain’t Christ AND it ain’t theater! Gurl, BYE!
Walt
Who the ef cares what a fictional character in christian mythology has to say about homosexuality. It’s time this community raised a huge middle finger to the myth believers that have torture, killed and denied us our rights for centuries. We don’t care what your book of lies does or does not say about us. As far as I’m concerned anyone who believes that ridiculous nonsense should be locked up in a mental institution.
kevkev
Even your country doesn’t have enough penitentiary capacity to lock up the millions of deluded ‘believers’ in your ‘great’ land of ‘freedom’
I think you’re just going to have to let them live among you and preach their hate and division.
twomen4u
At 76 I am and always will be a person who tries to practice what I preach. Over 30+ years ago I came in contact with a little paperback book with the title, “Openly Gay Openly Christian” written by Rev. Samuel Kader. As it was written by a pastor and not someone with advanced degrees it was written in a manner that is easily understood. He starts with Sodom and Gomorrah and ends in the New Testament. He goes into detail to explain different interpretations of the scriptures that are used to beat us in the head by some. It was available on Amazon. I would strongly suggest if you have questions to order that book and read it. As Paul Harvey once said, do you want the rest of the story? I am also a retired Southern Baptist pastor and have pastored 5 different churches. I am very confident of my salvation regardless of those who say I am doomed. My second husband and I have enjoyed the last 20 years and have been married for four.
johncp56
He is one of the first to let them have it with religious facts, not made of hate keep your religion out of my human rights
PrinceofPrussia
@kreakidkid – These verses do nothing to support your point. Unless you’re saying all people should be born of virgins. Actually, if you study the ancient languages you will see that there is no word that correlates to “abomination,” christians (lower-case “c” intended) favorite word to describe homosexuality. The closest English word to what was expressed in the original language would be “foriegn” or ‘unfamiliar,” nothing near as awful as what the English word “abomination” implies. Remember that even if you believe that all scripture is given directly by God to man, man is, well, man, and therefore makes honest mistakes, intentional mistakes, and subconscious mistakes ALL THE TIME. No where in scripture does Jesus bring homosexuality up, and your, ehem, “evidence” does nothing to change that fact.
EdwardA
We don’t if Jesus said anything about homosexuality, so he cannot used to affirm or denounce it. As for Romans the first chapter is a typical Jewish pan on pagan orgiastic cults and religions which depicted their gods as part animal like Egyptian. Whether homosexuality can be generated by not worshipping the unseen god who has no physical form is debatable. The reference to women doing shameful things with each other does not indicate what it was. Clement and St. Augustine thought it was taking it in the back door. In Leviticus a man who sleeps with his wife during her period have commited an abomination, polluted themselves and the land and must be driven out. Among the condemned are disobidient children. Is there a biblical sexual morality? no prostitution, pedophilia, incest, rape, adultery, homosex (understood then as perverted heteros), promiscuity. That is, acts of violence, betrayal, dishonoring the body, predatory behavior and forbidden consanguinity. Everybody picks and chooses. Paul says the rulers of the world are appointed by God and they are owned their taxes and must be obeyed (stated to make followers of the Way seem to be loyal to the imperial authority). By this reasoning the 45% of the colonials who rebelled against George III had no right to do so. Go find a church which accepts gay people as part of the natural order, a concept that did not exist back then.
trojanboy
Silence speaks volumes. Give this man a medal. In fact, make him president.
Georgeiv2
42 % of Americans already reject Christianity Lets get rid of this evil in Society who in return for control of women’s bodies supports the gun lobby’s right to kill America’s children These Evangelicals are, vile and wicked people and are out to control us too ! Soon no gay marriage, no interracial marriage , no contraception ? Act before its too late Bring secularism to government and PROTECT AMERICAM CHILDREN
CityguyUSA
@Joshooeerr My take. No one has ever seen Jesus. The images we see on church walls and in books and online are all just an idea. The reason that the Muslim religion doesn’t want images of Mohammad to present some image to push a narrative about the way their hair was kept or they wear fat or thin, etc. In the Muslim religion they have realized that the image isn’t important and any image would incense some and calm others. I find it interesting that people don’t realize they’ve been had.
Was the idea of the Bible to enlighten people, entertain people or create morality that someone thought was important enough to sell books. Yes, they sold books and the churches are the book tour. Still to this day someone or someone’s heirs are probably collecting residuals on the printing of the Bible. Imagine if the Bible had been Helpful Hints from Heloise or Chicken Soup for the Soul.
johncp56
True and those cults that use religion as an excuse to hate better looking around, BTW if they want to have such a gov option, pay your taxes churches