Reply to 2Sense:
I was taught about matriarchal and patriarchal societies in Junior High School. A person should not have to wait for College to be exposed to such concepts.
If you read my posting carefully you will note that I use the qualifier “most commonly” in my statements. Thus:
[li]Patriarchal societies are most commonly afraid of homosexuality.[/li]
[li]Matriarchal societies are most commonly afraid of incest.[/li]
As to why the ancient Greeks celebrated homosexuality instead of eschewing it, I can only say that their pantheon of Gods had a balanced distribution of male and female deities. Thus, it would be difficult to assign a completely patriarchal status to their society.
My post made no attempt to posit the frequency of homosexual orientation of children in homes where sex is discussed openly. Merely that homes where all mention of sex is avoided actually set the stage for homosexual encounter. It is not a lack of information which contributes to the homosexual scenario, just the absence of a healthy sexual climate for an adolescent.
(While we wait for some historical information requests to go through, perhaps we might engage in a simple thought problem.)
In modern times, it is a given that incidents of pedophilia involving the Catholic clergy continue to persist. Current legal structures make this conduct punishable by law and yet this deterrent has not served to eliminate it. Coupled with the ancient threat of excommunication that such behavior carries, it would seem that this pernicious problem has historical roots reaching far beyond our present time frame. Otherwise the church’s own imperatives would have served to eradicate it long ago.
If we look to a preceding era where the Church enjoyed an almost legalistic stature within a community, the opportunity for the abuse of office was far greater than it is today. Modern communication and coordination of church doctrine has served to further discourage such deviation from acceptable religious norms. Such was not the case long ago when officers of the church held the reins of power within society. Therefore, it stands to reason that child abuse was more easily perpetrated with less chance of consequence in earlier times.
The format of these abuses has not changed much over the centuries and I find it quite likely that their frequency of incidence is not much different either. If anything, because of notoriety and media publicity, it would seem reasonable to assume that homosexual pedophilia occurred more often in those long ago times.
As to why homosexual and not heterosexual abuses were the norm? Suffice to say that the dangers of pregnancy coupled with the difficulty of justifying the presence of a young girl within the walls of a Monastery are explanation enough. This is not to say that heterosexual child abuse by religious officers did not occur, just that it was more difficult to perpetrate.
For a solid dismissal of your unbased speculation on the genetic roots of homosexuality I refer you to this excerpt. More complete information is available at this site.
CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLGY AND HOMOSEXUALITY - 12
Antecedents of homosexuality: science and moral evaluation
Fr. Bartholomew Kiely, SJ
Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome
Possibility of biological causes
Many scientists have tried to find a biological cause of homosexuality, e.g., in the endocrine system or the brain. The results of this research have been very limited; a recent survey concludes that so far nothing clear has been discovered: " Many researchers have searched for the causes of homosexuality, but so far the research has been futile" (McWhirter, D. P., “Biological Theories of Sexual Orientation”, in Review of Psychiatry, 12, p. 54). Some recent research suggests the possibility of a genetic component in the origin of homosexuality; see Bancroft’s recent survey (“Homosexual Orientation: The Search for a Biological Basis”, British Journal of Psychiatry, 164 [1994] 437-440); but in his opinion it is unlikely that a gene per se determines sexual orientation, whereas psychosocial factors seem to be of crucial importance in the genesis of adult homosexuality. The fact that many homosexual persons can change their sexual orientation with psychotherapy (Gadpaille [1989], p. 1095), while no heterosexual person has ever been known to receive therapy in order to become homosexual (cf. Nicolosi, J., Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality, A New Clinical Approach, Jason Aronson, Northvale [New Jersey] - London, 1991, p. 9) confirms the importance of psychosocial factors. As for possible genetic factors, the type of research that could provide a clear answer, i.e., the study of monozygotic twins raised separately from birth, so far has been conducted to a very limited degree with inconclusive results (Gadpaille [1995], p. 1324) Such research would serve to clearly distinguish the influence of biological heredity from that of the family and social environment.
Some final observations:
The church is based on a doctrine of tolerance and forgiveness. Yet, historically, the church has commonly inflamed religious wars and the persecution of those who are different (i.e., Jewish).
Christianity was intended to replace myths as a method to explain reality. Now, it too is largely based on myth. Very few of the apostles actually met Jesus yet purport to quote him directly. This merely constitutes more myth.
Thusly does the church continue to perpetrate that which it was established to combat.
Danielinthewolvesden, I can only hope that your own personal interaction with me allowed you to realize that I am not hostile to the tenets of religion. However, as a thinking man, I am honor bound to decry hypocrisy wherever and whenever I encounter it.
Snooooopy, please read “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones” by Paul Reps for a better understanding of the operative principles involved with Koans.
