LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi, transsexual) individuals are often reviled, but it was not always so.
Throughout history and across cultures, the regulation of sexuality reflects broader cultural norms.
Most of the history of sexuality is unrecorded. Even recorded norms do not always shed full light on actual practices, as it is sometimes the case that historical accounts are written by foreigners with cryptic political agendas.
In the earlier centuries of ancient Rome (particularly during the Roman Republic) and prior to its Christianization, the LexScantinia forbade homosexual acts. In later centuries during, men of status were free to have sexual intercourse, heterosexual or homosexual, with anyone of a lower social status, provided that they remained dominant during such interaction.
Androgyny and homoeroticism seems widespread in American superhero cartoons.
During the reign of Caligula, prostitution was legalized and taxed, and homosexual prostitution was seen openly in conjunction with heterosexual prostitution. The Warren Cup is a rare example of a Roman artifact that depicts homosexuality that was not destroyed by Christian authorities, although it was suppressed.
A fresco from the public baths of the once buried city of Pompeii depicts a homosexual and bisexual sex act involving two adult men and one adult woman. The Etruscan civilization left behind the Tomb of the Diver, which depicts homosexual men in the afterlife.
In feudal Japan, homosexuality was recognized, between equals (bi-do), in terms of pederasty (wakashudo), and in terms of prostitution. The Samurai period was one in which homosexuality was seen as particularly positive.
In Japan, the younger partner in a pederastic relationship was expected to make the first move; the opposite was true in ancient Greece. Homosexuality was later briefly criminalized due to Westernization.
The berdache two-spirit class in some Native American tribes are examples of ways in which some cultures integrated homosexuals into their society by viewing them, not with the homosexual and heterosexual dichotomy of most of the modern world, but as twin beings, possessing aspects of both sexes.
The ancient Law of Moses (the Torah) forbids men lying with men (intercourse) in Leviticus 18 and gives a story of attempted homosexual rape in Genesis in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities being soon destroyed after that. The death penalty was prescribed.
Similar prohibitions are found across Indo-European cultures in LexScantinia in Ancient Rome and nith in protohistoric Germanic culture, or the Middle Assyrian Law Codes dating 1075 BC.
Laws prohibiting homosexuality were also passed in communist China. (The People's Republic of China neither adopted an Abrahamic religion nor was colonized, except for Hong Kong and Macau which were colonized with Victorian era social mores and maintain separate legal system from the rest of the People's Republic of China).
Homosexuality was not decriminalized there until 1997. Prior to 1997, homosexual in mainland China was found guilty included in a general definition under the vague vocabulary of hooliganism, there are no specifically anti-homosexual laws.
In modern times eight countries have no official heterosexist discrimination. More
Al Muqaddimah, May 6, 2022; CC Liu, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Homosexuality in the Islamic World
(Al Muqaddimah) This video talks about homosexuality in the Islamic World.
Gay and trans Indonesian Muslims: the Obamas
[Pederasty, or the rape of younger males by older men taking on an educational role or being a helping hand in a prostitution type relationship, is not covered because as we all know, that's not gay. That's just ancient Greek. Wait, that's totally gay. But it's not counted in this examination. And neither is anything the Sufi (mystic Muslim) poet Rumi might have felt or done with Shams. And if Indonesian Muslim Barry Soetoro Obama loved Michael, and Michael became "Michelle" and fooled everyone but Joan Rivers, we're not even touching that. Indonesia's a strange place. And when the CIA gets involved, things just get weird and unbelievable.]
While today, the Islamic World and homosexuality do not seem to go together, in the past, there was a rich tradition of homosexuality being expressed through stories and poetry.
While it was never completely allowed, it did become an open secret.
CHAPTERS
Fuentes is a Nazi incel, not a gay
Intro 00:00
Before beginning 01:49
Islam's stance 02:56
Sexual identity 03:55
Homosexual monarchs 05:10
Sufism 07:23
Lesbianism 10:33
Transmission and normality 12:27
Rejection 15:41
Further reading and sources
Islamic Homosexualities by Stephen O. Murray and Will Roscoe
Before Homosexuality in the Arab-Islamic World by Khaled El-Rouayheb
Homoeroticism in Classical Arabic Literature by J. W. Wright and Everett K. Rowson
Homosexuality in the Middle East and North Africa by Vincenzo Patanè
Christian white supremacist Nick Fuentes is gay
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My Dad made me a lesbian questioning her identity, while my Mother just stood by.
Does the Christian God of the Bible send gay people to hell?
Silk mylk's marketed to?
(Bible Animations) The God Jehovah (YHWH, Yahweh, Asherah's husband) hates gays, right? Homosexuality is an "abomination" to the almighty. We all know that. But that was the old Christianity. What's the new spin in the age of LGBTQIA+ rights? Same old gay hatred but using nicer and more inclusive words and pronouns? Do we let lesbianism and bisexuality slide but condemn male homosexuality, unless it's child molestation in which case we give fathers and priests (both patriarchs, who are the foundation of our Patriarchy) a big pass? Right, Padre? Right, Pope? Catholics have much to answer for in this respect, whereas Protestants mainly molest their own children rather than their neighbor's kids, right, relative to non-incest cases, when Mormons and all sects are added up.
TIMESTAMPS
0:12 - Is Being Gay a Sin?
1:47 - What is the outcome for those who act on their homosexuality?
2:01 - What does God think of gay people?
2:49 - What do good Christians think of gay people?
3:34 - Why do Christians care about the gay marriage debate?
Got any tough topics to have covered or answered the Bible Animation way? Send a comment.
Sub Count: 7,475
#homosexuality#pridemonth#jesus
What about Buddhism?
Buddhism loves gays. Which is not to say that all Buddhists do. Buddhists are not told to hate gays or homosexuality. But the patriarchs (apart from the Japanese Zen ones and others who practiced or advocated pederasty, a kind of homosexual child molestation made famous by the ancient Greeks and, it would seem, the Muslim Pashtuns in Afghanistan) seem to love them.
Ancient scholar-monks may have been less favorably disposed to any non-normative "gay" practices, particularly cross-dressing, which in many countries around the world was a stoning offense. The wrinkle is that "homosexual" is not actually a perfectly defined term. It is, and just ask any gay person or social science buff, a social construct.
That means it is socially constructed by implicit bias and made into a consensus reality. Once it gets to that point, it seems like a natural category and we say and honestly believe that "everybody knows what it means."
But this is just not true. There is no fixed definition of "gay," even now. Do an experiment. Ask around. Go to Brazil or an American prison and ask them what "gay" means. The answer may shock you until you realize that the self-serving definition they're using is pretty popular around the world and throughout history. It may even make one wonder what definition one has been using all this time.
Isn't effeminate behavior "gay"? No, of course not. One can lisp, droop the wrists, talk in a high-pitched, whining, or singsongy way all one wants. That doesn't make one "gay." It may earn them the title. But surely homosexuality has to do with sexual behavior and desire, not one's choice of wardrobe. But because we cannot see their internal states or past conduct, we simply infer it.
What is "gay" in Brazil, parts of Europe such as Greece, and in American prisons? Making love to men? Nope. (Huh?!) Getting aroused by males and their openings and then raping them? Nope. (Say what?!) Wanting to be with a member of the same sex in a sexual way to satisfy some sexual urge? Nope. (You gotta be kidding!) A man knowing another man biblically? Nope. (Goddammit, that must be it?!) A male placing his aroused sexual organ into another male -- by force, trickery, implied threat, or financial compulsion -- with the intent of sexual pleasure that consummates in a futile procreative act? Nope. (Aw, you gotta be kidding?!)
"Gay" in Greece and some other parts of Europe, Brazil and many parts of Latin America, and throughout the American prison system means, get this, "being on the bottom." What?? Being the receptive partner makes one "gay" or developing feelings of attachment and puppy love or going about acting weak, receptive, effeminate, or insufficiently masculine and tough?
For example, in Brazil, go to the beach where all the beautiful people are, with stunningly attractive women are wearing bikinis and showing off their Brazilian hair removal, and ask the men hitting on them if they also want to have sex with males and boys walking around the beach. They're likely to say yes, in this way showing off their masculinity or machismo. Now ask if they want males having sex with them, and the answer is likely to be disbelief or something like, "What do you think I am, a 'gay'?"
But you just said you want to have sex with guys. "Yeah," they will explain, "but I want to be on top." This means they want to be aroused, active, and have agency, which will make them -- by this popular definition of "gay" -- perfectly "straight." In fact, ask the women, and they are likely to agree that only receivers are "gay," whereas as givers are even more "macho" for being indiscriminate sodomites, rapists, molesters, and virile givers.
It's the same in prison, where everything is perverted and topsy turvy in distinction to the world and mores outside the prison. The same in Greece. It's almost certainly the same in some parts of Afghanistan where foreign Pashtuns have settled and brought their own mores and ideas. See the practice that horrified American soldiers fighting for capitalism and world domination during the 20-year US War on Afghanistan called sex with "dancing lady boys" (bacha bazi) or "boy play."
There are girls they could be molesting, but they prefer to trick, force, or hire boys to dress as girls and then be passed around by normatively "heterosexual" men whose wives and daughters are home as they drink, sing, and have a gay night out with the boys (their peers) and their victims.
If we say "bitch" or "punk" in prison and subsequently in the ghetto, barrio, and machine shop or blue-collar workplace where whites on parole congregate, these terms do not refer to females so much as "weak" males, victims, receivers, prostitutes, gays, and those who were sexually abused or about to be sexually assaulted by "straight" gay manly men.
Therefore, as in ancient times, the Buddhist scholars, particularly the most famous one of all named Buddhaghosa (the "ghost or voice of the Buddha") wrestled with the catchall term pandaka. In a kind way we could translate this strange term as "pansexual," but the traditional rendering has been more akin to "pervert." And one did not need to be "gay" to be labeled one.
"Gay" as we have been using the term to far has the functional definition, for this purpose and saying nothing about its changing nature and definition, of a member of one biological sex (XX or XY or an anomaly such as an intersex or hermaphroditic individual)
Bible Animations, June 17, 2023; CC Liu, Sheldon S., Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
The Monastic Disciplinary Code says pandakas (transsexual or transgender, often gay, individuals) may NOT fully ordain but might be novices as a school interprets itsVinaya.
Openly gay Thai novice says it should be okay for gays to be monks
Gays are found worldwide but are rarely "out"
According to Theravada Buddhist texts -- from the explanatory stories found in the "Monastic Disciplinary Code" (Vinaya), as translated byLeonard Zwilling (published in Buddhism, Sexuality, and Gender, edited by Jose Ignacio Cabezon) -- homosexuality would NOT in keeping with the monastic code. Theravada is the Buddhist tradition followed by 95% of Thailand.
Certainly homosexuals are loved and accepted in the lay Buddhist community. And many gays feel very welcome in traditional Asian Buddhist cultures, not the least of which is Thailand's very welcoming one with its third-gender kathoeys ("lady-boys").
But that acceptance does not extend to official full monastic ordination. Many gays certainly seem to be "monks" (bhikkhus), but they are actually novices (samaneras or "trainees," "probationers," "new recruits").
PHOTO: *Just friends? A curious thing
about Asia, which many closeted gays must find comforting, is that males
hold hands and touch one another the way females do in Western society,
and no one thinks of it as "gay" or odd or at all sexual. The two novices or monks shown here at Burma's Shwedagon Pagoda may hold on to one another, and no one in that society would
think this was indicative of homosexuality or even an effeminate thing. But as Western tourists we can hardly think it indicates anything else. Females
in Asia are not as demonstrably touchy-feely as in the West, but there is some innocent sisterly affection.
Novices are generally young males under 20 who take temporary ordination in fulfillment of their Southeast Asian (Thai, Burmese, Cambodian, Laotian) Theravada religio-cultural obligations.
Genrally, ALL Thai males (gay or not) are expected to ordain temporarily in the capacity of a samanera (female samaneri) for at least a week. [Everything said of gay males here would equally apply to females seeking FULL ordination (whether heteroflexible, bisexual, ambisexual, pansexual, lesbian, or experimental), which is distinct from the Ten Precept status (Thai Mae Chee) most females were traditionally restricted to in Theravada countries. Female can now be fully ordained thanks to newer generations of nuns who successfully reinstituted the tradition.]
Gender is socially constructed yet very real
Some might do it for a shorter duration, others for a summer vacation (or a traditional three-month "Rains Retreat" period). Of these, it is expected that only a tiny fraction would choose the lifelong celibate, ascetic, formal monastic lifestyle. But few people would be able to tell a novice from a monk (bhikkhu). Usually, age is the giveaway. Most novices are from 7-20 years of age (taking into consideration that in Asia one is born a 1-year-old, the novitiate state is mostly for teens); however, one may temporarily take robes at any age as a novice with the cooperation of a temple and its abbot.
What the Buddha Never Taughtis a wonderful true-life story by a journalist who wanted to see what it was like to live at Wat Pah Nanachat, the International Forest Monastery open to Westerners in Northeast Thailand. We visited it, asked around, and found it to be just as Ward described even years later. He did not find a nest of homosexuality, but some novices are gay and forced to temporarily ordain as if they were Catholic boys in Rome. Ward tries to explain Thai culture, which as Westerners we are forced to think is so sexual and "anything goes." But apart from the Bangkok Red Light District strip clubs (like Pat Pong) and misleading massage parlors (which actually do massage and are not fronts for prostitution since prostitution can be found everywhere else).
No doubt homosexuality exists in the Thai Sanghas, both in the larger more lax Mahanikaya and the more extreme royal Dhammayut schools. The latter has grown famous for its restoration of the ancient Forest Tradition, but some criticize it as illegitimate because it was founded by a Thai king who wanted to ordain, and kings have no business and no authority to found Buddhist schools. They, however, do have the money and authority to fund them. So while Dhammayut is only one-tenth the size of the Mahanikaya, it enjoys prestige, reverence, fame, and financial influence far beyond its size. Most renowned Western monks who studied in Thailand did so in the Forest Tradition, which is often associated with the famous Thai teacher Ajahn Chah.
In spite of what casual visitors may conclude, Thailand may be liberal and tolerant, but as a Buddhist society with 90-95% adherence to Theravada Buddhism, it is very conservative.
Buddhism, Sexuality, and Gender explores historical, textual, and social questions relating to
the position and experience of women and gay people in the Buddhist
world from India and Tibet to Sri Lanka, China, and Japan. It focuses on
four key areas: Buddhist history, contemporary culture, Buddhist
symbols, and homosexuality (including traditional Japanese pederasty or shudo akin to Roman and Greek practices presumably followed to this day by the closeted Catholic priesthood in the old Mithra temple complex now called the Vatican), and it covers Buddhism’s entire history,
from its origins to the present day. The result of original and
innovative research, the contributors offer new perspectives on the history
of the attitudes toward, and of the self-perception of, women in both
ancient and modern Buddhist societies. They explore key social issues
such as abortion, examine the use of rhetoric and symbols in
Buddhist texts and cultures, and discuss the neglected subject of
Buddhism and homosexuality.
What leaders do -- be it Obama, Netanyahu, or the Pope -- followers will follow, regardless of the motives of the leaders doing it. Hugs are homeplate, and exemplars are on first base.
The question becomes a Roman Catholic one: Are non-practicing homosexuals acceptable for full ordination? That is a question that for all practical purposes has to be left to the abbots who would train and be responsible for them. This is where money enters the picture because Western homosexuals can, due to their affluence, find acceptance in poorer temples with few questions asked. Formally, one would be asked during the ordination process. But what will the abbot or the quorum of monks hear if they do not want to know?
"Are you a pandaka [pervert, transsexual, flamboyant homosexual, gender-bending transvestite, eunuch, lascivious person incapable of containing your tendency toward sex, self-soothing, masturbation, or sexual misconduct]?" Honestly speaking, one would probably have to say "probably not in the long run." But practically speaking, who would admit to not having self-control. Surely at the time of ordination, one would feel an imperative to rein it in, conceal from oneself, or conceal it from the gatekeepers to live in the close company of unmarried men.
Karmically, this would be a horrible thing to do, but few people believe in the godlike abilities of karma (intentions with the power to bring forth mental and physical results in the future) or even give much consideration to their actions. How long have gay and bisexual men escaped the hetero-normative world into what they perceive to be the welcoming arms of a cloistered all-male community? Men are comfortable and comforting, and would anyone even know? They would know, and laypeople are unlikely to ask for if they know or figure it out, they would still be kowtowed by religious fears of so much as entertaining the question. Why do young novices and boys in the community end up being molested by some fraction of those who enter and remain in the Sangha as frauds?*
[*NOTE: This is not to suggest that homosexuality leads one to molest boys, but only to say an almost equally controversial thing: All males who molest boys are engaging in homosexuality, even if one maintains that they are straight or doing it for nonsexual reasons. A terrible thing that happens with molestation, incest, and sexual abuse is that no one talks about it, creating a perfect environment for it to fester and perpetuate itself. Let gays be gays and bis be bis, but let's never let children be molested or victimized because we have too many hang ups to deal with the stark reality of our own issues.]
Isn't it because gatekeepers are lax or condoning? They can hardly keep pleading ignorance to the practices and inclinations of someone under their 24 care and oversight. Much the same might be said for parents, but a monastic upbringing is much more structured and controlled than any but the most repressive households, and it is this way by design. Homosexuality in and of itself would not, in our opinion, be "sexual misconduct" (kamesu micchacara), but many Southeast Asian as well as Western societies surely see it that way.
Texas Governor Rick Perry, speaking in San Francisco last week, likened being gay to being an alcoholic. “Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle...” he said, “you have the ability to decide not to do that.”
“I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic,” he added, “but I have the desire not to do that. And I look at the homosexual issue the same way.”
His controversial remarks come on the heels of the Texas Republican Party expressing its support for so-called “reparative therapy” for homosexuality -- a discredited counseling treatment to “cure” people of homosexuality.
What's Republican Perry doing with that pig in his mouth, cannibalism, swallowing? (DFS)
We're here, please tolerate us
The progressive response to the idea that homosexuality is a choice is the assertion that people who are gay are born that way, perhaps with a gene that makes them prefer people of their own sex, or in Judeo-Christian terms, “God made them that way.”
Westboro Baptist vs. US Army
Northeastern University Sociology Professor Suzanna Walters has a problem with this approach. She maintains that using the “born this way” approach to gay liberation reduces the LGBT movement to one that will be happy with “tolerance” or “acceptance” by mainstream American society.
Gays are evil! God hates them! (Westboro)
But is tolerance something worth fighting for? In asking to be tolerated, aren’t gay rights advocates simply asking society to tolerate the LGBT community like one tolerates anything that is uncomfortable or undesirable?
In her ground breaking book The Tolerance Trap: How God, Genes, and Good Intentions Are Sabotaging Gay Equality, Walters demands liberation over acceptance and warns against declaring victory for gay rights too soon.
Analyzing pop culture’s depictions of gay characters, the marriage equality movement, scientific research into homosexuality, and religious approaches, she makes the case that nothing less than full equality and a societal transformation is worth fighting for. More
GUEST: Prof. Walters is Director of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, author of All the Rage: The Story of Gay Visibility in America.
Bob/David explain Overcome, a Christian Center for Reparative Therapy
Gay rights march Oct. 11, 2009 Tallahassee, Florida (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
Wisdom Quarterly is sad to corroborate Tricycle's James Shehan in his report on the Dalai Lama's views on homosexuality. Interviewing a very senior teacher, a foreign-born meditation expert and scholar of long standing, the Venerable reluctantly said the same thing. It's not clear whether he thought the questioner was gay or he was being definitive. But when pressed, he unambiguously and uncomfortably called homosexuality "sexual misconduct" (kamesumicchacara). Clearly, it is so in a monastic or retreat context, as any sex is. Yet, as if wishing not to involve himself in the controversy or be quoted on so divisive a matter, he said it was and left it at that.
As one looks at the literal definition of sensual misconduct, it is defined in sexual terms. (See AN.X.206). But it is not likely limited to that. Gluttony is the obvious unmentioned example. It's abuse, an implicit violation, and misconduct. It's harmful. One can imagine that gay sex can be viewed in the same way. It is, however, clear that it is not viewed the same way. There is a great deal of homosexuality around the world, particularly in conservative Asia (in Buddhist and non-Buddhist countries). The world keeps it secretive and hidden, socially condemned, but privately allowed, understood, and condoned in certain contexts.
In ancient times gays were referred to as pandakas(shown here in modern India at a gay rights parade). Pandaka("eunuch") did not mean "gay" in the Buddha's time, but gay was included in the category as deviancy. Today eunuchs, gays, and satyrs are imagined to be cross-dressing, gender-bending deviants, even as men in heterosexual marriages are involved with them. Sex with such deviants seems to be the prerogative of normative men. And that -- then as now -- seems to somehow make it okay.
The normative men are not condemned and do not call themselves "bisexual" for their activity; instead, they are still viewed, and view themselves, as masculine and dominant in spite of their homosexual conduct (usually wrapped up with cheating on their wives). Maybe that's why this sexual conduct is called misconduct. Whatever the case, gays are despised as well as discounted, even while being utilized like young men in a Greek gymnasium.
And conservative Buddhist countries in general do not let the religion stand in the way of the social behavior even as it dictates the norms and mores. (Like old Europe, people take their cues from monastics and monastic tradition and try to live as close to that as possible). There may be a great deal of bi- and homosexual ideation and behavior. But to accept it would feel like monks were openly allowing it in their midst since it is often lay Buddhists keeping monks in line, if only due to their high expectations and idealistic regard.
Traveling in Thailand, I met a young British woman living there. She was a Jewish lesbian who spoke Thai and lived with a family. She held hands, hugged, and was frequently hugged by the Thai women in the house/business of the Buddhist family she had ingratiated herself in. When I suggested telling them she was a lesbian, she was terrified they find out. I asked about all the hugging, which she said was innocent and explained that it would all be lost if they knew. I was surprised they didn't know or that, as Thais, they would have a problem with it given all the ladyboys and mangirls around. But they would, they certainly would, she explained.
Thailand, with its legendary kathoeys (flaming "lady-boys," actual transsexuals and simple cross-dressers), uncomfortably accepts and even celebrates its third-gender with national beauty contests. But this sexual phenomenon is not limited to Thailand. It is present in Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, China, and (ancient and modern) India. It's probably present in every country in the world, with each country proudly proclaiming, "That doesn't exist here!"
Recent reports of its prevalence in hyper-masculine Afghanistan (a formerly Buddhist country) and the mixed-message U.S. military (where annually 10% of the recruits are homosexually raped by American soldiers) suggest it is practiced here. And it's a dirty little secret bisexual men do not want to let out of the bag, even as it perpetuates a miserable condition for non-normative individuals. As Americans -- the fashion-forward, hegemonic dictators of the world -- we've learned to love gays, at least of the lesbian variety. Or not. But I think we can all agree that the whole world can do without the hypocrisy, secrecy, and double standard.
Should gays marry? Whatever. Is it sexual misconduct? It may be. But what is and what is not "misconduct" has to have something to do with local norms and customs. And as our traditions change to accommodate homosexuality, the world is not really doing anything that hasn't been done before (gays have a hidden place in society) -- other than calling it what it is and accepting it.
For an academic treatment of the subject see Buddhism, Sexuality, and Gender(Jose Ignacio Cabezon, ed., SUNY Press)
Whereas luminaries like the Buddha and Jesus were strangely silent on the issue, Edgar Cayce does talk about the karma leading to homosexuality: Gay tendencies, compulsions, and guilt stem from having made fun of and oppressed gays.
Asian societies shaped by Buddhist traditions take a strong ethical stand in human affairs, particularly sexual behavior. However, unlike many world religions, most Buddhist traditions do not go into details about what is "right" and what is "wrong" in what it considers mundane activities of life.
Details of accepted or unacceptable human sexual conduct are not specifically mentioned in any of the religious scriptures in the Pali language. However, there is an exception regarding the ten types of people who are "off limits" in the exacting definition of "sexual misconduct." Sexual misconduct means engaging in sex with a non-consenting adult or, even if the person is an adult, anyone:
under the protection (support) of mother
under the protection of father
under protection of relatives or guardians
under protection of a religious community
under a mandate (as by royal decree or court edict)
under duress
promised to someone else
betrothed to someone else
formally engaged to someone else
married to someone else
It is critical to bear in mind that the Buddha did not make up these restrictions out of his own sense of propriety. He was also not merely repeating tradition. He directly saw and understood how unethical conduct (i.e., behavior in relation to others) results in dukkha (suffering, distress, unsatisfactoriness, woe).
Gautama Buddha's interest, and the interest of enlightened individuals (stream-enterers, non-returners, arhats, and buddhas) is the welfare of others.
.
The goal of Buddhism is, after all, the end of suffering. If sex led to that end, it would be promoted. Since it is of a deceptive nature pulling beings away from calm and clarity, it is curbed.
Lay Buddhists may freely enjoy sex. And limiting oneself to those not listed is a way of enjoying sexual conduct without harming others. The harm done to the sexual partner and others related to and/or responsible for that individual is what is described as "misconduct."
The most common formulations of Buddhist ethics are found within the Five Precepts, in the context of the Noble Eightfold Path, the more detailed Ten Courses of Unwholesome Conduct, and conveniently summarized in a lengthy sutra known as the "Advice to Householders" discourse (Sigalovada Sutra, DN 31) -- which all suggest that one should neither crave nor be attached to sensual pleasure.
The Five Precepts take the form of voluntary, personal undertakings, not divine mandates or commands. The third precept is "To refrain from engaging in sexual misconduct" [1]. But "sexual misconduct" is a broad term, subject to interpretation relative to the ever changing social norms of followers. It was defined (as above) in an Indian context that some think is universal.
However Buddhism, in its fundamental form, does not define right and wrong in absolute terms for lay followers. Therefore, the determination of whether or not homosexuality is acceptable for a layperson is not generally thought a religious matter as far as fundamental Buddhism is concerned.
Among Buddhists there is a wide diversity of opinion about homosexuality.
Buddhism teaches that sensual desire -- desire in general and sexual conduct in particular -- are hindrances to enlightenment[2]. Buddhist monks and nuns in most traditions are expected to refrain from all sexual activity including masturbation through vows of celibacy.
Some Buddhist orders may specifically prohibit transgender, homosexually-active, or homosexually-oriented people from ordination but accept homosexuality among laypersons. More>>
TEDx Talks Tallaght, 11/16; Family Guy; CC Liu, A. Wells, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Homosexuality: "It's about survival, not sex," says Dr. James O'Keefe, MD
(TEDx Talks)
This passionate talk from Professor Dr. James O'Keefe, MD gives a deeply personal and fascinating insight into why homosexuality is a "necessary" and "extraordinarily useful" cog in nature's wheel of perfection.
ABOUT: Dr. James H. O'Keefe, MD is a board-certified cardiologist and director of both the Charles & Barbara Duboc Cardio Health & Wellness Center and the Preventive Cardiology Service at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. He is also professor of medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His postgraduate training included a cardiology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. O’Keefe is board certified in cardiology, internal medicine, nuclear cardiology, and cardiac CT imaging. He is consistently ranked among the "Top Doctor" lists regionally and nationally as one of America’s top-rated physicians in cardiology. He has been named as one of USA Today’s most influential doctors. Prof. O’Keefe has contributed more than 300 medical literature articles and has authored best-selling cardiovascular books for health professionals including: The Complete Guide to ECGs (which is used for cardiology board certification), Dyslipidemia Essentials, and Diabetes Essential.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx.
Alternative explanations not allowed
Dr. Joel Wallach (criticalhealthnews.com) has a more fascinating view, which is that homosexuality, gender confusion, and transsexuality are all due to nutritional (trace mineral) deficiencies in utero and can be prevented and/or reversed with proper supplementation of all 92 essential nutrients.
Dr. Wallach's publications are largely ignored due to his politically incorrect position that this nature/nurture-defying explanation for homosexuality can be demonstrated.
It is ignored in much the same way the causes of autism are ignored by Big Pharma and American Medical Association at this time.
He has also established the cause of the spread of the pandemic as being nutrition-based (gluten consumption) and the cause of the erosion of coral reefs around the world as being due to the building of dams that block the natural release of base minerals into the oceans, which then become acidic and overheated
Rick Perry, the longest serving governor in Texas history, is eying
another presidential campaign through his new Warby Parker glasses that
make him look even gayer than he sounds.
Rumors about Republican Gov. Perry and his personal chef have hung around the
governor’s collar for years like the proverbial pearl necklace.
Don't judge a book by its gay cover.
You’d
have to be blind not to see that Perry has been resisting homosexual
urges since his youth. Maybe he hasn’t acted upon them; maybe he’s
strong enough to resist.
Maybe that’s why last week Rick Perry compared
homosexuality to alcoholism.
Maybe Rick Perry sees homosexuality as
something to be battled one day at a time, like the urge to suck down a
bottle of Jim Beam or just some guy named Jim.
Be gay if you like, but don't be a hypocrite.
Perry’s comments about homosexuality are lethal. When young,
impressionable men hear a governor talk about homosexuality as a choice,
as an illness that can be "cured," he is giving bullies license to pick
on young gays who often end up committing suicide.
Neither party is any kind of real alternative
While Perry’s
predecessor George W. Bush was a white knuckle drunk, Perry is a
red knuckle homosexual. Red knuckle homosexual because of all the blood
on his hands from the gay men who get beaten up or kill themselves
because of his vicious words cloaked in false scripture. More on this
later, but let me assure you Jesus despises Rick Perry. More
There's a new Erroll Morris film about the liar Donald Rumsfeld.
When caught lying, the liar continues to lie. I think it
has something to do with the fact that he’s a liar. WATCH: Rumsfeld caught lying about Saddam Hussein and 9/11 (Raw Story)
Filmmaker
Errol Morris: Donald Rumsfeld proved Americans are gullible morons (Raw Story). In an interview with Nick Gillespie on Reason TV,
documentary film-maker Errol Morris claimed that Rumsfeld’s
success was dependent not upon his brilliance so much as the fact that
the American people “are morons.”
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Throughout history and across cultures, the regulation of sexuality reflects broader cultural norms.
The berdache two-spirit class in some Native American tribes are examples of ways in which some cultures integrated homosexuals into their society by viewing them, not with the homosexual and heterosexual dichotomy of most of the modern world, but as twin beings, possessing aspects of both sexes.
