Different Religions And Homosexuality

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Background

Homosexuality has been around since the dawn of humanity and for a time, prior to the twenthieth century it was either legalized or rather accepted but decisions were quickly reversed one of the famous was the post tsarist Russia where many Bolshevik want to reverse the traditionalism and backward thinking of tsarist Russia,because of this new ideas were born Women rights,universial suffrage,and of course homosexuality,even then decriminalization of homosexuality angered many Bolshevik who believd they were of capitalist descent so stalin decided to recriminalize it and tot his day Russia remains one of many nations that do not recognize gay rights.Relgion is also somewhat indifferent to homosexuality to understand this we must go in depth

Christianity

Currently very few denominations denounced homosexuality and even the Catholic church which previously discriminated against them have now accepted them but it wasnt always this way,in its early days anything sexual that was not done by a couple was seen as sinful itself.The church considered it a temptation toward sin and under no circumstances can it be approved.The Judaic Prohibitions found in Leviticus 18:22 states that gays caught doing homosexual acts must be executed.Even in fourth century homosexual acts were considered worse than murder.In 342 AD emperor Constantinious decreed a death penalty for any caught doing gay acts.Through out the middle ages gays were burnt on at the stake and were often lynched by the mob.In 1578 five Franciscan friars were caught and exuectued by burning at the stake suggesting the fact that intolerance often lead to brutal killings.The church portrayed homosexuality as a counter-rational force undermining morality, religion, and society itself,[30] and in need of strong suppression lest it spread even and especially among clergy.During the the Reformation Martin Luther shared his views on how homosexuals is an act of devil where e vice of the Sodomites is an unparalleled enormity. It departs from the natural passion and desire, planted into nature by God, according to which the male has a passionate desire for the female. Sodomy craves what is entirely contrary to nature. Whence comes this perversion? Without a doubt it comes from the devil. After a man has once turned aside from the fear of God, the devil puts such great pressure upon his nature that he extinguishes the fire of natural desire and stirs up another, which is contrary to nature.Jump to the modern day where Catholic church now support homosexuals and there rights.Orthodox churches are now opening up to homosexuality when an American branch began allowing people with homosexual feelings into the church. The issue of gay marriage seems to be strongly rejected, even in Greece, where half of Orthodox Christians don’t believe that homosexuality should be discouraged.Several Protestant churches believe homosexuality to be natural,and even celebrates gay marriage.Overall Christianity is more tolerant toward homosexuality than before where they were lynching them.Even mnay churches who do not support gay marriage are often seen protecting and sheltering gay victims from violence.

Islam

Through out the ages islam and ideas of gay rights are responded depending on socio-politcal climate.The Quran states that the wrath of god would go towards those who do lustful acts,in traditional islam homosexual acts are forbidden and those caught doing it get punishmen ranging from whipping to straight up execution,but depending of socio-politcal society laws ere laxed and during certain periods ie pre1979 Iran homosexuality was tolereated.Atitudes stayed the same until the 19th century where Tanzimat reform and constituitnal changes allowed homosexuality to be decriminalize way before many Europeans nations started thinking of it.Now many muslim majority countries still criminalize homosexuality.Extreme prejudices coupled with the rise of islamist movemnets allowed homosexuals to be trated badly with threat of execuations in Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, parts of Somalia,Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, homosexual activity carries the death penalty or prison sentences and In other countries, such as Algeria, Bangladesh, Chad have lighter punishments.According to the quaran,a group of people froma. Town called lot wanted sexual freedom god decided to punish them by sending them to hell.Though Islam forbade in its past,many rulers and members of society often engage in these clandestine activities.Many kings such Ibrahim ii of Ifriqya,and ottoman sultan Mehmed the conqueror,the ruler of Andalusian Abd Al-Rahman iii executed a christain martyr Pelagius of cororbar for not engaging the activities.In the 19th century attitudes toward homosexuality underwent a huge change as Ottoman empire desperately underwent a huge change,during the time it was accepted by a number of itizens,with the obvious exception of religious scholars.The law called the sultanic claw treated both homosexuals and heterosexuals as equals,by this time ottomans started to be influenced by Euuropeans who blamed homosexuality for the ills of the empire.This embarrassed both the citizens and the officals.The government attacked the accpetance of Homosexuality,with Georg Klauda claiming Countless writers and artists such as André Gide, Oscar Wilde, Edward M. Forster, and Jean Genet made pilgrimages in the 19th and 20th centuries from homophobic Europe to Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, and various other Arab countries, where homosexual sex was not only met without any discrimination or subcultural ghettoization whatsoever, but rather, additionally as a result of rigid segregation of the sexes, seemed to be available on every corner.Ironically current LGBT laws were enacted by the European empires for example 1860 Indian Penal Code.Persecution against gays were exacted by the rise of Islamic fundamentalism such as Post-1979 Islamic revolution in Iran where it was a declared a capital offense.Iraq is one of few nations in the regions to allow homosexuality but Islamic militas such as ISIS began targeting gays.In Qatar a life in prison is given to homosexuals with India which has the third largest muslim population made homosexuality no longer a crime which was passed in 2018,in Saudi Arabia the maximum punishment is Beheading or throwing off roots.Overall Islam prohibits homosexuality and all forms of it are rejected by religious scholar though this is laxed in the western world.

Judaism

In the past,like other religions Homosexualty was frowned upon and in the Book of Leviticus 18:22, states that Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is detestable.’Meaning that homosexuality is abnormal,however there is homosexual undertones in the story Ruth and Naomi as it was accepted as a norm prior to Judaism.The Punishment of getting was a simple death penalty,however there was sever loopholes to the poin twhere it was almost impossible to enforce as the Oral law state that they have to be in the act.According to the views of Orthodox jews,it isnt a sin per se but a violation of a prohibition and many see it as part of self sacrificial law which says that its better to die than be gay.In 1986 a rabbi known as Menachem Mendel Schneerson made a speech stating that individuals who express an inclination towards a particular form of physical relationship in which the libidinal gratification is sought with members of one’s own gender which furthers the view while Judiasm isnt hostile to the LGBT community it isnt very accepting either.In 2008 there was a open leeter in in Israel calling all church to accept homosexuals it was setup by an organizations called the hod which dedicates themselves to assisting gays.Otherviewpoints supporting gay rights states that gays deserve same rights as if they were Heterosesxuals.Overall the Orthodox church tolerate homosexuality to some extent while Reforms tend to aceept them as if they heterosexual.

Canadas secular response

Historically many Indegenous tribes had their own version of homosexuality,the blackfoot tribe calls them aakíí’skassi or men who acts as women.Due to colonialism,homosexuality was being denounced and in British North America same sex activity was a capital crime and were given as death penalty,and in the 20th century,gays were considered as sex offender until an unfortunate case involving a man named George Klippert who was given a life sentence after he admitted to having sex with other men.Same sex activity was decriminalized in 1969,though gay marriage wasnt legalized until 2005,where it the fourth country in the world and the first outside Europe.The only way gays could be discriminated if it offends reiligous beliefs,because of this Canada has trouble with how to deal with the situation as siding with gays could be considered discriminatory towards religious people and vice versa. is also hard to enfore anti discriminatory law as its only quasi-constituional so places like Unions or private are actually legally allowed to discriminate.

Conclusion

The differences of the treatment of homosexuals by the three Abrahamic religions are of cultural and social acceptability.Starting of with Christianity despite the amount of poitcal and social power the catholic church was eventually forced to reform its views on homosexuals where the only accept the individual and not the actions.The eastern orthodox church condemns homosexual behavior but isnt overtly antagonistic toward gays,and unlike catholic church where popular pressure forced it to soften it approach,the orthodox church doesnt concede to similar demands.Judaism tolerates it to a certain extent and the Torah doesnt say much regarding to the behavior thus instead of being based off religion its more of a societal reasoning thus the more traditional Rabbis disagree whereas the more younger reformist generation tend to be open.Canada makes sure no one offends each other so the major exceptions are religions and the government tries force them away from each other.

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Canada#History
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_Judaism
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_in_Islam

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