Does homosexuality threaten religion?

Question

I have been hanging out in the lesbian/gay section for a while following the threads, not because I am gay myself, but they tend to have interesting conversations. One thing I've noticed is that there are also people who hang out in that forum and spew repetitive religious doctrine and anti-gay hate on nearly every question. I realize that these people are just bullies by nature, and not representative of a religion, but I wonder why religions preach this hate to begin with.

The most promising answer so far has been that homosexuals tend to not have children to carry on the religious beliefs, so they are not benefiting the church. The church tries to intimidate them into living their lives "in the closet" and raising children for the next generation of church-goers.

Is there a more likely reason?

Answer 1

While there may be individuals with in religions that spew hate for homosexuals, most religions I am aware of despise immorality. They abhore the sin, not the sinner. Homosexuality may or may not be a choice due to physical make up of an individual. Actions are always choices. When actions over come ones own natural instinct for a better life, then one might say that one is on a path of destruction. Religion has withstood many an onslaught by those living lives contradictory to the betterment of humanity. Homosexuality only is a threat to the individual.

Answer 2

Complex question, and the answers go so far back we really don't know the truth.

BUT, some religious traditions actually have a special place of reverence for trannies, so you just can't make too many generalizations.

Religions are about ordering society, creating a psychological framework for getting along together. Sex and who gets to sleep with whom is a huge part of that, especially once you get the idea of prohibiting polyandry.

Homophobia is very possibly rooted in misogyny and sexism. When a man sees a woman as less than he is, then he wants to avoid being anything like a woman. You can finish the implications on that.

Jewish and Hindu prohibitions re sex have the end result of increasing the chances of procreating. The Jewish laws regarding women and 'purity' are especially fascinating in this regard. But we no longer live in a world in which it is most helpful to a community to have as many children as possible. That means that those laws need to be reworked. Judaism is a dynamic tradition which does just that while maintaining respect for the past. Christianity needs to learn how to do the same.

Answer 3

Depends on the religion I suppose. The catholics opened the door for abuse in societies that frown upon gay behavior. What better place for a lesbian than a cloistered nunnery back in the 1400's? A gay man with no options may become a monk under the same circumstances. Thousands of years ago gay people could be and were given to the temple to serve what ever god or goddess was in at the time.

This is not an attack on catholics or anyone Else's beliefs. Just examples.

Answer 4

Nope. People are threatened by someone who is different. And homosexuality is so different a such a basic level, who we mate with, that it makes some people uncomfortable.

Maybe it has to do with making little parishioners, but given that this is hardly a worry anymore, (after all children aren't most likely to die before they are five years old anymore) you'd think that the church would give it a rest already. And I still can't figure out why God would have a problem with it.

So I really don't know why it would threaten religion. It shouldn't.

Answer 5

Most "religion" is simply a collection of conventions from centuries ago which have little or no bearing on our lives today. Witness the famous example of the pork which Jews and Muslims avoid. This began as a way to keep the savages from killing themselves with infected pork, but was elevated into "universal law" by successive generations of formalists. Today, pork is generally safe; but the Jew and the Muslim continue to pretend it's 1000 BCE.

The prohibitions on homosexuality are precisely the same in nature. For a tribe of wandering nomadic primitives in the desert, non-procreative sex was a social crime. They were obliged to "save it up for when it counts" merely to perpetuate themselves. Today, in the 21st century, with 6.5 billion people on the planet, considerations have, or SHOULD have, changed. But for the "religious" person, nothing is worse than being forced to rethink something, even after thousands of years. It wasn't until the 20th century that the Catholic Church admitted that it had been wrong to persecute Copernicus and Galileo!

Answer 6

Everyone, even homosexuals, are God's children. The people who protest gay and lesbians are scared. The church I attend welcomes gay and lesbians because everyone needs a safe place to worship and hear the word of God. Two women loving each other is no different than an African American and a Hispanic loving each other, or a Catholic and a Muslim loving eachother. Not everyone is as accepting of other people and that is something everyone has to live with.

Answer 7

no. there is no better reason. I feel that people who attack others because of their sexuality or something they cant control or help are evil. Since God is the only one allowed to judge, every time someone does it for him they in essence show they have no faith that God can handle the job alone. Not a good thing at all.
Plus I think its further evidence that Imperfect man wrote the bible despite the perfect messages they received. IMperfectino leads to possible misinterpretation of any mesage! WHO knows what purpose God has for gays.

Answer 8

Sexuality is the centrality of all religions (Creation).

This being said, there are many wrong doing's against sexuality: Masturbation, Pornography, Fornication, Adultery, Divorce, Slavery, Gender manipulations, child molestations, paedophilia, necrophilia, and Homosexuality (to name a few).

Understanding Psychology --- bullies are bullies because they themselves suffer from the affliction that they are bullying. In many ways, these ppl are yelling at other in order to yell at themselves --- yet, despite how loud they yell at others for THEIR wrong doings, they can't face the mirror and make the same accusations to themselves. Some are hoping that by "Curing" (NOT) this behaviour, that they're curing their own behaviour's. (This applies to racism and other topics too: different wrong doings of course)

Now, in most cases, they are not Homosexuals (a few are), but still are committing wrong doings against sexuality (masterbation, fornication, ect). When the person being bullied (Homosexuals in our situation) takes a stand, this usually adds fuel to the fire and increases rage in the bully. The way to stop the bully is to understand what lies beneath this bullying, and then helping them to change their ways in stead of bullying others to change their ways. Which the Bible has many instances and solutions for.

In short, "Hypocritical".

Answer 9

What "threatens" religion changes from religion to religion, culture to culture, and century to century. At some point in Christianity's history, homosexuality wasn't that big of a deal, and was much more of a slap-on-the-wrist sin compared to adultery. At some other point, saying the earth wasn't flat was a threat to the religion.

Answer 10

There is more than one way to answer this.

Nothing threatens religion; only threatens people that claim to be religious.

Not having kids is a red herring, cause a lot of gay couples adopt.
Most religions don't care who you sleep with as long as your money is good.

A good number of vehement opponents of homosexuality are themselves closeted gays; I don't understand it either but it is true.

Answer 11

That reason sounds good to me.
Remember, as the great sociologist Charles DuPrey once wrote:
"Follow the rich white man."
Nowadays, that translates to : "Follow the money".
And all groups that stick together along religion tend to stick together in ways that affect the bank.