Homosexuality as Seen From Three Religious Perspectives
One of the most controversial issues today is the notion of homosexuality. To many, it is an individual right to love who one wants to love. Yet, often with various religious perspectives, homosexuality becomes one of the most condemned moral concerns. The religions of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are all very closely related. They share basic, fundamental elements which makes their monotheistic religions similar in a lot of ways. One way they are similar is in their views of homosexuality. Most of the more conservative members of these religions tend to condemn it.
Islam, like the other religions, has various degrees of condemnation of homosexuality. More liberal Muslims often do not have any concern about homosexuality. Still, there are many who would consider themselves liberal and acceptant of others being homosexuality, but generally concerned with members of their own religion being homosexual. Out of the three major religions, it is conservative Islam that takes the harshest stance against homosexuality from a legal perspective. Much of the Middle East is under governments following Islamic law. As such, religious doctrine is the basis for civil law. In various countries under a theocracy style of government, homosexuality is "sinful and punishable under Islamic law" (Religion Facts, 2013). This is based on the condemnation of homosexuality in the most holy of books in the religion. The Qur'an states "For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing...
This clearly shows a negative image of homosexuality in the religion.
Judaism has many different sects that each has their own perspectives on homosexuality. For example, there are more reform oriented Jews who do not see homosexuality as a
sin and generally accept it within
society as just another way of living one's life. Yet, there are also more conservative sects, like Conservative and Orthodox Jews, who take a much more condemning approach in their views of homosexuality. Conservative Jews often believe that is a violation of Jewish law, and thus no religious Jew should practice homosexuality. Still, other religions or individuals who are not Jewish can do what the please with their own lives. Even more conservative in their views are Orthodox Jews. To this sect, homosexuality is "condemned as
rebellion against
God" (Religion Facts. 2013). The Old Testament is one of the clearest religious texts in discouraging homosexuality. Leviticus 18:22 blatantly states that "a man shall not
lie with another man as with a woman; it is an abomination" (Religion Facts, 2013). This is the clearest condemnation of homosexuality in
comparison to the holy texts of the other two religions.
Again, Christianity has different degrees of discouragement of homosexuality, from both its patrons and in society at large. In Christianity, homosexual acts are "traditionally considered sinful" (Religion Facts, 2013). Some of the more traditional or conservative sects of the religion often view homosexuality as against God. According to Romans 1:27, the…
