In the “What the f*** is wrong with these homophobic bigots?” BBQ Pit thread, on the topic of same-sex marriages, Byzantine wrote:
I gave this its own thread because I wanted to get input from different religions to get a broader range of topics on more than just the issue of same-sex marriages.
So, let’s have at it - what are other religions’ viewpoints on homosexuality, same-sex marriages, adopting children, equal rights, etc.?
Esprix
A buddhist would probably say that all lust is bad because it is desire (the big no-no for buddhists). It doesn’t matter if it is heterosexual or homosexual.
I am not a buddhist. I do on occasion go to Zen shrines to meditate and I have read some books on Zen and Zen masters, so I have some passing familiarity with it. Actual buddhist may disagree and I would take their word on it over mine.
It’s hard to separate Hinduism from Indian culture. Indian culture in general is very accepting of people who don’t fit into male or female roles, although it pushes everyone into one of a limited number of choices. (There are either 3 or 5 sexes, depending on who you ask. The familiar OM is actually spelled with three characters A-U-M, representing, among many other things, the three sexes.) Homosexuals are just considered members of the other sex. they can’t perform traditional male or female roles, but no one persecutes them either.
This is all just as I understand it; I’m no Hindu myself.
Your Quadell
As an atheist, I consider you to be a freak of nature.
Way to go, dude! 
Eagles may soar free and proud, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.
I am a Deist.
I can think of no rational reason to object to homosexuality.
Other Deists might disagree. I would be interested in hearing their reasoning.
Sorry, no religion here , just an atheist.
I guess I would consider homosexuality as an aberation on par with left handedness, and thus deserving the same amount of wrath.
In the extreme, if I were to go digging for something, I suppose I could try to make an argument of possible problems in the area of raising children. Mostly related to the “stigma” of homosexual couples. ( oh that wonderfull catch 22! ) But if I were to make a “Top 10” list of things to watch out for, before allowing someone to adopt, gayness wouldn’t make the list. Things like intolerance, religious extremes, and stupidity would though.
I could be wrong…it happend once before…
I believe it to be a variation in hormones.
Nothing wrong with it. just different.
“I’m a rebel, soul rebel. I’m a capturer, soul adventurer”
~Bob Marley
Being Pagan and running into other Pagans pretty regularly, I can’t think of a single one that had a problem with homosexuality beyond a person opinion of “oooh, ick, that’s not for me.”
Pagan ideology may well be an oxymoron, but if there is one, it is that each one of us must find our own path, discover our own link to Divinity, and develop our own moral compass. Without a list of parochial “Thou Shalt Nots” breathing down our necks, most of us are more than happy to let everyone else do their thing their own way.
Being a gay pagan, I can give a little more insight into this thought. There really isn’t dogma in the religion so there is not really a stigma to being gay; however, in Wicca (I am not a Wiccan) the religion focuses on the ritual act of procreation (the athame and the cup/cauldron symbology). In one of the eclectic pagan groups I am in where most of the members are Wiccan, they deal with it by focusing on the hermaphrodite and the androgyne or flip flop the sexes around so it doesn’t flow in the traditional way (ie men invoke the female and the women invoke the males). It is interesting it works.
Other pagan religions such as Druidism (yea! my religion) and Asatru (sp?) have more of a heathen influence and aren’t as focused on the ritual act of procreation, but more the healing aspects of the earth. We have been discussing this extensively on one of the gay pagan email groups that I am on. Paganism still lacks dogma which is a big plus. That is not to say there are not ethics, they are dealt with (Wiccan Rede, Power of Three, etc) but they are not long and spelled out like they are in the X’ian, Hindu, or Muslim traditions.
HUGS!
Sqrl
Well, being a left-handed gay pagan,
Well, being a left-handed gay midgit ALBINO pagan,
(Okay, I’m stopping now. But how could I pass up a good Dead Milkmen reference?)
Your Quadell
I’ll preface this by saying I have almost no idea what I’m talking about, but…
quadell, when you mentioned Hinduism’s take on homosexuality, it reminded me of the movie My Beautiful Launderette, which I believe was about an Indian family living in England (the son was homosexual and the movie focused on his experiences with his family). They didn’t seem very accepting at all. Now, I know it’s very dangerous to extrapolate real Hindu views from a movie, and it’s also been quite a while since I’ve seen the movie, but what gives? Was the movie completely off? Am I going crazy and remembering the movie differently than what it really was?
LOL My Quadell. I love the Dead Milkmen. Taking retards to the zoo was great.
On the Hindu thing, I don’t really know Hindu doctrine and most of what I know of their culture comes from taking world music and some personal friends. Overall, there is not much problem with homosexuality in their culture. MQ had the basic idea; however, there was enough Brittish influence over the years to produce the seeds of hatred towards homosexuals. IIRC the Brittish not only destroyed Hindu temples while they occupied India (in their attempts to convert the “heathens”) but also killed numerous homosexuals. That type of attitude probably had a cross-cultural crossover (gotta love alliteration). I would be interested in having the actual sources rather than personal talks and vague impressions from a class that did not specifically deal with the cultural aspect of India.
Meaning?
And you’re not influenced by Judeo-Christian teachings by even mentioning it? What were you raised, out of curiosity?
Esprix
I’ve been thumbing through my World Religions textbook, and I just can’t find any reference to any religion outside the Monotheistic Three (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) that condemns homosexuality. A number of cultures do, but it’s not a part of their religion.
Your Quadell
As an atheist liberal, I’m personally interested in someone’s homosexuality to the same degree that I’m interested in the details of anyone’s sex life: Zero.
If someone cares to volunteer something, I’ll note it and move on. I really don’t have the time, energy or inclination to engage in either irrational disgust or prurient curiosity. I only care about the sexuality of people with whom I’m actually interested in having sex.
If a friend chooses to share his or her sexual lifestyle as a matter of personal bonding and friendship, that’s another matter. As a friend, though, I would be interested in the discrimination problems, however, rather than the details of their sex life. If I have a friend who’s having relationship problems, it’s important to know gay vs. straight only so I can get all the pronouns correct.
I’m not uncomfortable with people who are very forward about their sexuality. However, given my conventional tastes and my lack of desire to make them public, I tend to have little in common with them, at least on that point.
I have an intellectual interest in many topics, including human sexuality, but I’m more interested in scientific research than one person’s anecdotal experience.
Finally, my reaction to anti-gay bigots is one of disgusted incomprehension. Why should you even care in the first place, much less get so worked up about it? It’s either an irrational, bizarre and useless position, or one of literally evil scapegoating.
I don’t believe that I deserve praise for my “tolerance” or “understanding” any more than I deserve praise for not oppressing left-handed people, redheads or left-handed midgit albino pagans.
If Cecil Adams did not exist, we would be obliged to create Him.
I wasn’t raised with much religion in my house. My parents pretty much left it up to me to decide whether or not I wanted to be religious. What they did teach me was tolerance.
Everyone is different. No one is exactly like me, and I am not exactly like anyone else. Hating someone because they are different from me is completely unfathomable. I do not understand how other people can do it.
What SingleDad said, about his tolerance not being praiseworthy, is how I feel as well. What’s so special about not caring about someone’s sexual orientation?
As for my religion now, I call myself polytheistic. But that doesn’t really have much of anything to do with anything I’ve said in this post.
This space blank, until Wally thinks up something cool to put here.
Remember, though, that it’s hard to make blanket statements about Buddhism, since the different flavors vary so widely as to essentially constitute different religions. As far as sex goes, think of the Toba-e “phallic contest” scroll.
-Ben
Phouka and Sqrl: so you all are the religious equivalent of civil libertarians?
ExTank