Homosexuality and religion

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Homosexuality and religion
Homosexuality in Norse paganism>Ásatrú
Homosexuality and Bahá'í Faith>Bahá'í
Homosexuality and Buddhism>Buddhism
Homosexuality and Christianity>Christianity
Homosexuality and Confucianism>Confucianism
Homosexuality and Falun Gong>Falun Gong
Homosexuality and Hinduism>Hinduism
Homosexuality and Islam>Islam
Homosexuality and Judaism>Judaism
Homosexuality and Scientology>Scientology
Homosexuality and Shinto>Shinto
Homosexuality and Sikhism>Sikhism
Homosexuality and Taoism>Taoism
Homosexuality and Voodoo>Voodoo
Homosexuality and Wicca>Wicca
Homosexuality and Zoroastrianism>Zoroastrianism
The relationship between homosexuality and religion varies greatly across time and place, between different religions and sects and different forms of homosexuality and bisexuality. Some religions view same-sex love and sexuality as sacred, including some Ancient Greek religions and other pre-Christian faiths in Europe, some tantric groups and some shamanistic religions that have survived the spread of organized religion. A mythology of same-sex love can be found around the world, such as among the Hindu pantheon of deities.

Other religions such as Judaism, Islam, and Christianity traditionally forbid sexual relations between people of the same sex and teach that such behaviour is sinful. Religious authorities point to passages in the Qur'an ([7:80-81], [26:165]), the Old Testament ([Leviticus 18:22]) and the New Testament ([Romans 1:26-27], [I Timothy 1:9-10]) for scriptural justification for these beliefs.

Currently, positions among the major organized religions vary. At one end of the spectrum some liberal denominations (Unitarian Universalism, for example) now support same-sex relations and facilitate same-sex marriages. In opposition to this, most mainstream Christian denominations adhere to the traditional view, including the largest denomination, Catholicism. Many prominent modern American Christian preachers (including Fred Phelps, Pat Robertson, Robert Grant and Jerry Falwell) are noted for their vocal opposition to homosexuality. There are also religious denominations (notably Islamic groups in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa) that advocate execution of homosexual men and women for violating their denomination's creed. Homosexuality is a capital crime in Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Sudan, and Mauritania. Other religious groups, however, regard them as a positive grace from God. Within many religions there is intense debate over translations and interpretations within sacred texts regarding homosexuality.

Sometimes male homosexuality is more strongly disapproved of than lesbianism by a religious community, though there is rarely any doctrinal basis for this differential treatment given (for example) that Christian doctrinal sources such as the "Scivias" contain quotations from God condemning both types of homosexual sex. Some people allege that some or all religious condemnation of homosexuality is a rationalization for a preexisting negative social attitude, ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} or conversely, that religious condemnation of homosexuality induces popular antipathy. ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} Christians generally argue against the above by pointing to a Scriptural basis for their position, such as Romans 1:26-27 (which condemns men "burning with lust" for other men, and women for other women).

Contents

Organized religions

Some religions, such as the majority of schools of Buddhism and traditional Hinduism, believe that homosexuality and heterosexuality have no essential differences and that all desire, such as sexuality, must be transcended in order to achieve salvation.

Neo-Pagan religions are almost unanimous in their acceptance of same-sex relationships as equal to heterosexual ones. Another New Age perspective, however, is that of Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now. Starting with the idea that "the realization that you are 'different' from others may force you to disidentify from socially conditioned patterns of thought and behavior," he claims that being gay can help in the "quest for enlightenment", but only so long as one does not "develop a sense of identity based on... gayness".

Aspects of the conflict

Some religions believe that homosexual orientation is sinful; others emphasize that it is only the bodily act or the act of deliberately cultivating fantasy that are sinful. In other words, only an engagement of the will. Religious opponents of identical rights for non-heterosexuals believe that supporting "pro-gay" legislation would constitute approval of homosexuality and bisexuality, by promoting wilful acts of homosexuality. They say that such approval is incompatible with their faith.

Opposition to equal rights protections, same-sex marriage, and hate crime legislation is sometimes associated with conservative religious views. Individuals active in the human rights movement claim this opposition is part of a pattern of religiously-based (and Biblicly rationalized) resistance to expansion of the sphere of human rights.

For example, the Unitarian Rev. Dr. Barry M. Andrews, in a recent essay [link], commends efforts to legalize gay marriage and compares resistance to it to the resistance to abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, and the end of anti-miscegenation laws. As he says, "... we know that these civil rights were opposed at one time by a majority of Americans, including churches and the government."

A final aspect is that in translation, certain terms within the Holy Books of certain religions may acquire meanings that were not in the original. Some claim this is a common issue in Biblical interpretation. For example, the Biblical term to'ba, often translated as "abomination" in English, carries a meaning closer to "forbidden or unclean" in the original sense, and has been applied to a wide range of subjects. Thus in translation it has acquired a term with a sense of exceptionalism and repugnance beyond other 'unclean' acts that, apparently, was not necessarily carried within tbe original. (See further: Abomination (Bible))

Reactions to homosexuality

Lesbians and gay men have been murdered, subjected to gross human rights violations, or otherwise persecuted under various jurisdictions, most notably by the Nazi regime (see History of Gays during the Holocaust). Persecution of lesbians and gay men is also common in conservative Islamic nations such as Saudi Arabia, where gay men have reportedly been beheaded, or forced into therapy. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan reportedly executed lesbians and gay men by burying them alive. Prior to the repeal of laws regarding lesbians and gay men as criminals, persecution was common in many Western countries, including the United Kingdom and the USA. Lesbians and gay men were frequently imprisoned and/or forced to undergo what are now considered barbaric treatments such as chemical castration, forced sex changes and electroconvulsive therapy. In one well-known case, early computer scientist and homosexual Alan Turing committed suicide after undergoing court-ordered hormone therapy.

Expression of the view that homosexuality is immoral can also be found in the form of verbal discrimination against lesbians and gay men in hate speech, often aimed at inciting physical violence. Specifically, some translations of the Old Testament have been used to argue that gay men should be punished with death, and AIDS has been portrayed by some such as Fred Phelps as a punishment by God against gay men and lesbians. However, as of 2005 according to the United Nations more heterosexuals are contracting AIDS compared to lesbians and gay men on a global scale.

View that homosexuality is moral, morally acceptable, or is not an issue of morality

The view that homosexuality is moral, morally acceptable, or that morality does not apply comes from religious groups, human rights groups, political groups, some governments, medical organizations, and gay rights groups. Predominantly, political support for this view comes from gay rights organizations that lobby governments across the world for better treatment of lesbians and gay men and equality. Entities well-known for this viewpoint include the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (USA), Stonewall and OutRage! (United Kingdom), Reform Judaism, certain segments of the Anglican Communion, the European Union, Amnesty International, American Academy of Pediatrics, etc.

Generally, these groups believe that relationships that occur safely between consenting adults cannot be immoral, or that it is immoral to create laws that criminalize lesbians and gay men involved in relationships. They maintain that homosexuality is normal, pointing to the contributions that gay men and lesbians have made throughout history and continue to make in modern society. They also assert that every population will always contain a minority group of gay men and lesbians and that homosexuality is a natural sexual orientation for them.

There also exist groups and denominations whose interpretation of scripture and doctrine states that homosexuality is morally acceptable, and a natural occurrence. Some conclude that there can be no scriptural prohibition against homosexuality as it is presently understood, namely as the outworking of an orientation. Others consider that scriptural prohibitions only relate to pederasty, which was a mode of same-sex practice in ancient times. Others consider that scripture has a thoroughgoing patriarchal bias, which expresses itself in a disapproval of all gender-transgressive sexual practices; present-day readings must account for this. Proponents of liberation theology may consider that the liberation of gay and lesbian peoples from stigmatisation and oppression is a Kingdom imperative. Similarly, the inclusion of the "unclean" Gentiles in the early Church is sometimes said to be a model for the inclusion of other peoples called "unclean" today.

Others consider that Jesus Christ made the commandments to "love God and one's neighbour," and to "love one's neighbour as oneself" touchstones of the moral law; that these imply a radical equality, and that, by this principle of equality, the Law of Moses is to be adjusted. Jesus exemplified this principle in his teaching on divorce. Furthermore, it is said that Jesus Christ instituted a virtue ethic, whereby the worth of one's action is to be adjudged by one's interior disposition. For these reasons, it is said that to condemn homosexuality is to fall into a pre-Christian "Pharasaical" legalism.

People adopting one of the foregoing positions would hold that morality which applies to heterosexuals should similarly apply to gay men and lesbians, i.e. sex is acceptable within a monogamous relationship or a same-sex marriage.

Others seek a naturalistic justification for the view that homosexual behavior is moral or that morality does not apply, pointing to evidence of the existence of such behavior in the animal kingdom. Therefore it is said to be natural, perhaps even integral to a species' survival.

Controversy over parallels with other civil rights movements

Many gay right advocates draw parallels between homophobia and racism and sexism, saying just as Western society concluded that racism and sexism were immoral, it will eventually come to the same conclusion about discrimination based on sexual orientation. This is a sort of general argument against anti-homosexuality opinion - the idea is that it does not matter how correct "homophobes" think they are in their views or what their justifications are. The supposition is that just as some were thoroughly convinced in the correctness of white racial or male sexual superiority and later realized they were wrong, so the situation will prove the same with regard to attitudes about sexual orientation. This theory, as its basis, claims that discrimination is discrimination, no matter what the particular dividing line is.

Many supporters of racial equality, including prominent socially conservative Black Christian leaders, find comparisons between racial equality and gay rights to be offensive. They believe that the former is a question of judgement based on an unchanging, irrelevant aspect of identity, whereas homosexuality is a behavior, implying choice and an exercise of free will, and thus entails moral accountability.

This raises the question of whether or not a homosexual orientation is changeable, and if not, whether or not same-sex behavior should necessarily be allowed to result from it, which is discussed in the next section.

Genetic determination, choice, and change

Main articles: Biology and sexual orientation and Choice and sexual orientation

Some view sexual orientation as not a matter of choice, but rather genetically or otherwise inherently determined. They reason that if an individual's attraction to members of the same sex is the result of heredity as is skin color or the shape of facial features, then it should not be a moral concern at all. They further argue that lesbians and gay men should enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals, just as blacks have come to be regarded as being entitled to the same rights as whites. Most believe that sexual orientation is defined by a variety of factors, including genetic, and that you cannot change it.

Those who believe that homosexuality is immoral either deny that sexual orientation is genetically determined, or state that not everything genetically determined is consequently healthy or moral.

Attempts to change sexual orientation in a scientific environment have failed, and while the question of whether homosexuality is genetically predetermined or formed later is not settled, it is acknowledged by most scientists now that there are no simple conditions that can be met to make a child gay, and that sexual orientation can not be reverted.

The belief that children could be made gay was propagated by opponents of homosexuality and developed into a general fear that lesbians and gay men would "seduce" or "recruit" children. Anti-gay crusader Anita Bryant started an organization called Save our Children which used the anti-gay slogan "Homosexuals cannot reproduce -- so they must recruit." Her claim that one can change their sexual orientation is in contrasts to many medical and scientific communities which see sexual orientation unchangeable. Some groups have likened such language to that seen targeting Jews in earlier ages with false accusations of drinking the blood of Christian children.

Attacks based on stereotypes linking homosexuality to other behaviors

Historically, homosexuality has often been linked in the public mind to other sexual behaviors, such as pedophilia, and even to serial murders. Homosexuality was listed in psychological manuals as one of many sexual disorders, and many attempts were made to treat it. This perception of homosexuality as a disease can in part be explained with psychology's roots in the theories of Sigmund Freud, who believed that early childhood influences determined the later sexual orientation of a person. Researchers concluded that children could be "made gay", deliberately or involuntarily. However the American Psychiatric Association no longer considers homosexuality to be a mental disorder.

Public misconceptions linking pedophiles to gay men contributed much discrimination. Today, most people recognize lesbians and gay men as distinct from pedophiles. This was also exploited by anti-gay groups who tried to support their "recruitment" argument with statements often gleaned from "boy lovers" operating within or outside the gay community (see Gay rights counter-movement). The recruitment argument in turn was used to argue that gay men are a danger to children.

While psychologists, anthropologists and criminologists in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Harold Kant, Michael Goldstein, James W. Prescott and Paul Gebhard increasingly understood sexual repression to be one of the core causes of homosexuality, supporting the argument that public repression of homosexuality would cause an increase of lesbians and gay men. Lesbians and gay men were stereotyped by anti-gay groups as perverts and criminals.

Despite a better understanding of homosexuality, the causes of sexual orientation, the general consensus within the medical and scientific communities that sexual orientation cannot be changed, and the lack of connection between homosexuality and pedophilia, some anti-gay groups continue to use moral arguments based on linking homosexuality to other behaviors to oppose the gay rights movement.

The US based group Restoring Social Virtue & Purity to America by Judith A. Reisman, for example, claims that homosexuals have deliberately subverted the mass media in order to garner support for a wide range of previously condemned sexual behaviors, including pederasty, and that their goal is to turn those children into homosexuals. Slippery slope arguments against homosexuality as a "gateway behavior" are also common.

Views of specific religious groups

Atheists, agnostics and secularists

In societies where a majority religion is opposed to homosexuality, advocates for the rights of non-believers and gay-rights advocates become natural allies on certain political and cultural issues. However, being atheist, agnostic or secularist does not necessarily imply support for gay rights or approval of homosexuality. Various non-believers disapprove of homosexuality for various cultural, personal, and other non-religious reasons, and secular states, such as the countries of the Communist bloc, can at the same time be antagonistic to homosexuality.

Religious people who disagree with the condemnation of sodomy by their religious institution tend to leave their faith in greater numbers than those who agree with it (and thus are more likely to become non-believers, though many simply move to sects which approve of same-sex couples). But as with many religious issues, many dissidents, including lesbian and gay people themselves, maintain their religious affiliation and practice despite their disagreements.

Abrahamic

The world's three major Abrahamic religions, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, have historically been the primary sources condemning homosexuality in the world. The first recorded law against homosexuality is found in the holiness code of Leviticus. Among many other acts, sexual intercourse between men is a capital offense.

Today some major denominations within these religions, such as Reform Judaism, have accepted homosexuality, arguing that it was originally intended as a means of distinguishing religious worship between Abrahamic and pagan faiths, specifically Greek (Ganymede) and Egyptian (see Torah or Old Testament) rituals that made homosexuality a religious practice and not merely human sexuality, and is thus no longer relevant. "Liberal" Christian denominations such Unitarian-Universalists and many Presbyterian and Anglican churches currently condone homosexuality, and perform same-sex marriages (as do Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism).

Christianity

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. Leviticus 20:13 (New American Standard Bible)

You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. Leviticus 18:22 (New American Standard Bible)

The attitude of Early Christians toward homosexuality has been much debated. One side has cited denunciations of sodomy in the writings of the era, such as in the Didache and in the writings of Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, St. Cyprian, Eusebius, St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine of Hippo, and in doctrinal sources such as the "Apostolic Constitutions" — for example, Eusebius of Caesarea's statement which condemns "the union of women with women and men with men". Others claim that passages have been mistranslated or they do not refer to homosexuality. Some Christians maintain that the Bible, principally in Leviticus, denounces homosexual activity as a sin, in the eyes of God an "abomination" — a term used to describe harsh disapproval of a wide range of offenses, from incest and bestiality (sex with animals), to eating shellfish. In Acts 15 (The Council of Jerusalem) explicitly advised that Gentile converts were keep from sexual immorality. Many of the letters of Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, echo this exhortation to "avoid sexual immorality." The first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans contains the only explicit mention of lesbianism in the Bible, calling it "against nature". In later sources accepted by the Church as Divinely revealed, such as St. Hildegard's book "Scivias", there is likewise an explicit prohibition against any sex between two women.

Among the prominent Christian figures known to have had same-sex relationships, Richard I of England had a relationship with King Philip II of France, Ralph Archbishop of Tours had his lover John installed as bishop of Orleans with agreement of both the King of France and Pope Urban II, and a number of popes and cardinals, especially during the Renaissance, also shared the popular tastes for handsome youths, so prevalent at the time in northern Italy. ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

Other Christians of the time were critical of homosexuality. St. Thomas Aquinas denounced sodomy as second only to bestiality (sex with animals) as the worst of all sexual sins, and St. Hildegard's book "Scivias", which was officially approved by Pope Eugene III, related visions in which same-sex relations are condemned as "perverted forms".

Christianity does, however, have a long standing history of troubles encountered in dealing with homosexuality in the Roman Catholic priesthood and lay churchgoers. This became a topic of worldwide attention in the late 20th and early 21st century, when the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal unfolded. Numerous allegations of sex with boys and young men were brought against priests such as Paul Shanley, who was accused of committing sodomy with teenage boys in his program for homeless youth.

Islam

Youth seeking his father's advice on choosing a lover
From the Haft Awrang of Jami, in the story A Father Advises his Son About Love; See Sufi outlook on male love; The Smithsonian, Washington, DC.

Main articles: Homosexuality and Islam, Pederasty#Central Asia, and Pederasty

Islamic teachings (in the hadith tradition) presume same-sex attraction, extol abstention and (in the Qur'an) condemn consummation. In concordance with those creeds, in Islamic countries, male desire for attractive male youths is widely expected and condoned as a human characteristic. However, it is thought that restraint from either acting on, or revealing, this desire is rewarded with an afterlife in paradise, where one is attended by perpetually young virgin lovers, women and men, houri and ghilman. (Al-Waqia 56.37, Qur'an) Homosexual intercourse itself has been interpreted to be a form of lust and a violation of the Qur'an. Thus, while homosexuality as an attraction is not against the Sharia (Islamic law, which governs the physical actions, rather than the inner thoughts and feelings), the physical action of same-sex intercourse is punishable under the Sharia.

Same-sex relations between adult males are segregated in a manner analogous to the segregation between the sexes. Thus, the passive role is generally taken on by an underclass of males, often transvestite or transgender who routinely would be entertainers by profession and who would be both despised for their submissive sexual role and admired for their skills. In earlier years these would have had their start through the traditional bacchá or köçek roles. The active role is played by men who do not self-identify as homosexual, who typically conform to societal expectation to marry and have children and view their homosexual adventures as further confirmation of their masculinity. While this construction reflects the way Muslim men generally represent the culture to themselves, actual practices may vary a great deal.

The discourse on homosexuality in Islam is primarily concerned with activities between men. Relations between women, if at all problematized, are treated akin to adultery, and al-Tabari records an execution of a harem couple under Caliph al-Hadi.

Historically, and with exceptions, punishment for male same-sex relations has been less severe compared to its Abrahamic counterparts: Judaism and Christianity. The Qur'an states that if a person commits the sin they can repent and save their life. Many Islamic cultures, early ones such as the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Canaanites, where homosexuality was well documented to be entrenched in many aspects of their culture by exposure to Hellenistic culture, as well as later cultures such as the Abbasid caliphate and Safavid Persia, were renowned for cultivating a sophisticated homosexual aesthetic reflected in art and literature. They reconciled their love life with their religion using a hadith, from a collection of quotations ascribed to Muhammad, the founder of Islam: "He who loves and remains chaste and conceals his secret and dies, dies a martyr". However, later hadiths are harsher: "When a man mounts another man, the throne of God shakes... Kill the one that is doing it and also kill the one that it is being done to." Both ancient and modern fundamentalists have interpreted these injunctions literally, with resulting loss of life.

The result is a religion that allows love between those of the same gender as long as they do not have sexual intercourse. Ibn Hazm, Ibn Daud, Al-Mutamid, Abu Nuwas and many others used this edict to write extensively and openly of love between men while proclaiming to be chaste. Furthermore, in order for the transgression to be proven, at least four men or eight women must bear witness against the accused, thus making it very difficult to persecute those who do not remain celibate in the privacy of their homes.

The teachings of Islam have themselves been used to justify love and sexual expression between males. In particular, those who argue for the validity of male same-sex love point out that Allah has repeatedly indicated that the male is worth twice as much as the female, as reflected in matters of inherities his wife's financial needs. As for bearing witness, it takes emotional considerations into the subject. See Qur'an, iv. 38; Qur'an, ii. 282; Qur'an, iv. 175), and thus, by a process of induction, they must be worthier objects of desire as well. [Debate Between the Wise Woman and the Sage]

Judaism

The historically prevalent view in Jewish law has been that homosexual intercourse by men and women was sinful, arguing that it was forbidden by the Torah. For men this position is based on an interpretation of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, that homosexual intercourse between men is considered on the same level as idolatry, requiring death, and for women it is based on Leviticus 18:2-3, where the Israelites are commanded not to follow the ways of the Egyptians or Canaanites. However, since the late twentieth century this has been a subject of contention between various Jewish groups, and has led to both debate and division among modern Jews.

Reform Judaism argues that homosexuality is a natural attraction, and that the prohibition in the Torah was addressing pagan religious rituals, specifically Egyptian and Canaanite fertility cults and temple prostitution. The official position of Conservative Judaism, formulated in 1992, is that homosexual intercourse is sinful, and the movement does not ordain homosexuals as rabbis or cantors, but insists that homosexual Jews should be welcomed within the movement. In 2003 the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly recognized divisions within the movement, and promised to reevaluate the position in the near future. Orthodox Judaism views homosexual activity as sinful, but halakhic decisors have differed on the causes (and thus severity) of the sin, and on how one should interact with gay Jews. Currently same-sex marriages are forbidden in Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, but Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism allow them.

Indic and Sinic religion

The Indic religions of India, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, (also known as the Dharmic religions), and the Sinic religions of China, namely Confucianism, Chinese folk religion and Taoism, do not have the same philosophy of anti-homosexual sentiment that the Abrahamic religions do, however, the influence of Christianity and Islam on Asia has caused some groups to become more in line with Western conservativism, as seen in modern India. India also had a long tradition of atheist philosophy.

Buddhism

Buddhism has been described as having a general disdain towards sexual activity and a distrust of sensual enjoyment. Traditionally, monks are expected to refrain from all sexual activity, and the Vinaya (the first book of the Tripitaka) specifically prohibits homosexuality and gender variance for monks. However, some Buddhist leaders have accepted homosexuality among laypersons. References to pandaka, a deviant sex/gender category that is usually interpreted to include homosexual males, can be found throughout the Pali canon as well as other Sanskrit scriptures.Zwilling, Leonard, 1992. Homosexuality As Seen In Indian Buddhist Texts, in Cabezon, Jose Ignacio, Ed., "Buddhism, Sexuality & Gender", State University of New York, 1992, Pp. 203-214. Leonard Zwilling refers extensively to Buddhaghosa's Samantapasadika, where pandaka are described as being filled with defiled passions and insatiable lusts, and are dominated by their libido. The Abhidharma states that a pandaka cannot achieve enlightenment in their own life time, but must wait for reincarnation as a normal man or woman. According to one scriptural story, Ananda — Buddha's cousin and disciple — was a pandaka in one of his many previous lives.

The third of the Five Precepts of Buddhism states that one is to refrain from sexual misconduct; this precept has sometimes been interpreted to include homosexuality. The Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism interprets sexual misconduct to include lesbian and gay sex, and indeed any sex other than penis-vagina intercourse, including oral sex, anal sex, and masturbation or other sexual activity with the hand.Dalai Lama Speaks on Gay Sex - He says it's wrong for Buddhists but not for society. By Don Lattin, Chronicle Religion Writer, Tuesday, June 11, 1997, San Francisco Chronicle. [Text online]
Dalai Lama urges 'respect, compassion, and full human rights for all,' including gays, by Dennis Conkin, Bay Area Reporter, June 19th, 1997. [Text online]
Dalai Lama says 'oral and anal sex' not acceptable, Jack Nichols, 13 May 1997. [Text online] However, the Dalai Lama acknowledges that homosexual sexual relations can be "of mutual benefit, enjoyable, and harmless" for non-Buddhists, and supports human rights for all, "regardless of sexual orientation."

In Thailand, traditional accounts propose that "homosexuality arises as a kammic consequence of violating Buddhist proscriptions against heterosexual misconduct. These kammic accounts describe homosexuality as a congenital condition which cannot be altered, at least in a homosexual person's current lifetime, and have been linked with calls for compassion and understanding from the non-homosexual populace."Jackson, Peter. 1995. Thai Buddhist accounts of male homosexuality and AIDS in the 1980s. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, Vol.6 No.3, Pp.140-153. Dec.1995. [Text online]

Within Japanese traditions homosexuality was "invented" by the Bodhisattva Manjusri of wisdom and the sage Kukai, the founder of Buddhism in Japan. A Japanese Buddhist scholar, Kitamura Kigin, addressing a Christian audience reported that the Japanese interpretations of Buddha at AD 1676 actually said that heterosexuality was to be avoided for priests and homosexuality allowed.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

References:

Confucianism

In China where Buddhists often belong to Confucianism as well, traditionally exclusive homosexuality was discouraged because it would prevent a son from carrying out his Confucian religious duty to reproduce, whereas non-exclusive homosexuality was permissible and widely practiced. Monogamy was an unusual and foreign idea to many Asians until contact with the West. Chinese traditions attribute homosexuality to Huang Di ("Yellow Emperor"), the father of Chinese civilization.

Hinduism

Monk performing auparashtika on a visiting prince. Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.

Hinduism defines homosexuality as an inborn nature rather than an acquired sin. Sacred texts describe homosexuality as a third sex or nature ('tritiya-prakriti') - a combination of male and female qualities, and the Hindu law book, Manu Smriti (3.49), specifically points out that the third sex is inborn and determined during the earliest periods of fetal development. The Kama Shastra describes all of the various types of homosexuals (both masculine and feminine) along with their different sexual practices and professions in ancient Indian society such as barbers, masseurs, flower-sellers, house attendants, prostitutes, etc.

The Indian Kama Sutra contains many passages describing "third-sex" men performing oral sex on other men, with techniques on maximizing pleasure and without any controversy or condemnation. Similarly, ancient Hindu temples and artifacts openly depict both male homosexuality and lesbianism within their carvings--lending legitimacy to claims that both Hindu society and religion were previously much more open to variations in human sexuality than they are at present. During Muslim rule (from the 10th to the 18th centuries A.D.), Middle-eastern customs were introduced into India such as the castration of male servants ('hijras') and pederasty. These were openly practiced by Muslims and Sikhs in the North while largely overlooked by Hindus in the South. During British control, Hinduism became markedly antagonistic toward homosexuality. Hindus adopted British Victorian values and superimposed them upon the hijras and homosexuals of the third sex. Consequently, homosexuality, crossdressing, and other similar practices that were formerly legal in Hindu society were outlawed and criminalized by the British during the 19th century. These nontraditional laws and attitudes persist down to this day.

In Hinduism many divinities are androgynous. There are Hindu deities who are hermaphrodite (both male and female); who manifest in all three genders; who switch from male to female or from female to male; male deites with female moods and female deities with male moods; deities born from two males or from two females; deities born from a single male or single female; deities who avoid the opposite sex; deities with principal companions of the same sex, and so on and so forth. One of the most important aspects of Hinduism is the belief that both God and nature are unlimitedly diverse, and Hinduism's traditional acceptance of homosexuality and a third sex is simply one more aspect of this belief.

Taoism

Homosexuality is not forbidden by the Taoist Holy Books (the Tao Te Ching and the Zhuang Zi). However, many Taoists believe that exclusive homosexuality is wrong, but many others see nothing wrong with it.

To understand why this is, one must understand Taoism's intertwined status with Confucianism and Buddhism in many adherents. A great many Taoists combine Confucian thought that requires sons to further the family lineage by reproduction.

Both Taoism and Buddhism do not forbid exclusive homosexuality but Confucianism did by insisting that a son’s religious duty included reproduction to further the family lineage. Taoists who find nothing wrong with exclusive homosexuality usually do not believe in Confucianism or have dropped their requirement of heterosexual relations due to medicinal advancements that allow reproduction without such sex, using IVF and/or surrogacy.

This has been the traditional view of homosexuality in Taoism, that homosexual acts in themselves are not wrong but all men are still required to reproduce. For example, Taoists may have homosexual relations as long as they continue the family tree by having a child with at least one woman.

Greco-Roman religion

6th century BCE Athenian cup depicting a man seducing a youth. Antikenmuseum, Berlin

Main articles: Pederasty and Mythology of same-sex love

In Greco-Roman religion same-sex love was integrated in sacred texts and rituals, reflecting the fact that in antiquity it was considered normal to be open to romantic engagements with either sex. Certain surviving myths depict homosexual bonds (see History), sanctified by divinities modeling such relationships. See Zeus and Ganymede as an example.

The Sumerian religion also held homosexuality sacred. It also was incorporated into various New World religions, such as the Aztec. It is thought to have been common in shamanic practice.

Mythological figures who engaged in same-sex love

Gilgamesh & Enkidu
Poseidon & Pelops
Zeus & Ganymede
Laius & Chrysippus
Iphis & Ianthe
Heracles & Iolaus, Hylas, Abderus
Apollo & Orpheus, Hyacinthus, Cyparissus
Pan & Daphnis
Achilles & Patroclus
Narcissus & Ameinias
Xochipilli & ?

References

James Boswell, Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century, University Of Chicago Press, 1st ed. 1980 ISBN 0226067106, paperback Nov. 2005 ISBN 0226067114
Dane S. Claussen, ed. Sex, Religion, Media, Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. ISBN 0742515583
Mathew Kuefler (editor), The Boswell Thesis : Essays on Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality, University Of Chicago Press, Nov. 2005 ISBN 0226457419
Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, New World Library, 1st ed. 1999, paperback 2004 ISBN 1577314808

External links

[Homosexuality and Religion] Comparison of religious views
[Religious Declaration on Sexuality Morality, Justice, and Healing] "signed by over 850 religious leaders"; an alternative sexuality - friendly document.
[Soulforce] Religious based gay rights organization.
[Religious Declaration on Human Sexual Morality] Pro-heterosexuality and monogamy.
[Greek Mythology] The secret Greek myths of male love, ancient coming-of-age rituals, uncensored and developed.
[The Two-Spirit Tradition] essay on male love and gay marriage in Native American shamanic religion.
The Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association - http://www.galva108.org - For more information on Homosexuality and Hinduism.

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