Adam Nicolson couldn't resist inserting a blast at traditional sexual ethics into an article about the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible in the December 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine. Nicolson labeled the Book of Leviticus's condemnation of homosexual acts a "troubling part of the King James inheritance: a ferocious and singular moral vision that has become unacceptable in most of the liberal, modern world."
The author devoted seven paragraphs in his article, "The Bible of King James," on the influence of the King James Bible on the non-Christian Rastafarian religion in Jamaica. He noted that "pious Rastafarians read the King James Bible every day," and contrasted the "gentle and welcoming" ambience found in the "Bobo Camp" community outside the capital of Kingston with "other Rastafarians whose style is the polar opposite of that, taking their cue from some of the more intolerant attitudes to be found in the Bible."
This kind of secularist attitude, which frowns upon any religious-based criticism of homosexual behavior, is being actively promoted by many in the liberal media. CNN anchor Don Lemon, an open homosexual, complained about the influence of the Bible upon the black community in a November 2011 interview: "We have, in many ways, been a victim of the Scriptures and theology that have been used to keep us as slaves. It's been ingrained us (sic), and now we use it against gay people without thinking about things objectively." Lemon also claimed that he wasn't a homosexual activist during the interview, but is also on the record as saying "I hope to change minds."
Nicolson's skeptical treatment of traditional Christianity came out previously in a different venue. In 2004, he narrated a BBC documentary series titled "Atlantic Britain." As part of his sea voyage, he visited the island of Papa Stronsay off the coast of Scotland, where a community of Catholic religious brothers called the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer are based. When he arrived at the island, and the superior of the community disclosed their plans for a pre-dawn Mass, the author admitted to the leader, "I'm not confirmed in any church, and I'm certainly not a Catholic in any way." After the superior left, he also admitted, "I don't believe in God," and added that he suspected that the brothers were going to "try and get me," meaning try to convert him. At one point, he even debated one of the brothers about the existence of objective truth.
However, he later revealed that he was "very drawn by the conviction of the people here, and incredibly impressed by the discipline and rigor of what's happening here." He even got quite emotional when the community gave him a rosary as a parting gift. A convicted Christian would certainly hope that a seed was planted during Nicolson's visit to Papa Stronsay, and will, in God's time, bear fruit.
