Friday 16 March 2012

Origins and History



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Niankh.jpg
Though homosexuality is an issue that has been of great interest as of late, it is not at all a new addition to culture. Dating back to as far as 9660-5000 BC, Mesolithic rock art found in Sicily depicted homosexual couples engaging in intercourse. The image to the right is an example of ancient Egyptian art, portraying two males kissing. The acceptance or rejection of homosexuals has varied over time, and differed from culture to culture. Michael K. Sullivan, the author of "Homophobia, History, and Homosexuality" gives the example of one Native American culture, where it was okay for a male to have sex with those who were labeled as being gay – as they were considered a third sex called Beardache – but taboo for those in the “third sex” to have intercourse with one another (2003:4). This particular Native American cultural attitude is but one of many interpretations of homosexuality in history.  

So where does strong opposition to gays originate? It most likely stems from the few occasional anti-gay references in the Bible. The most well known statement often cited from the Old Testament states that, “if a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them” (Lev. 20:13 KJV). With the Bible having such a powerful influence on the western world, it is understandable that it would have a pivotal effect on the acceptance of sexual orientation. Subsequently, issues surrounding homosexuality have been integrated into many areas including medicine, psychology (up until the 1970’s being gay was considered a disease), and even politics -  in the current US republican primaries, views on same sex marriage and gay rights form a part of the debate in candidates’ campaigns.

Like many radical anti gay groups, The Westboro Baptist Church bases their hostility toward gays on various excerpts in the Old Testament. They aim to follow the moral laws of the Mosaic Code which claims that partaking in sodomy is a sin.  On their website, they proclaim they “have a Bible basis for recognizing that homosexuality is a particularly heinous sin in the eyes of the God of Eternity”. They are quite thorough in providing quotes from the Bible that indicate homosexuality is a sin, giving examples, such as under the Law of Moses being gay resulted in punishment of death, as well as the already cited famous excerpt by Leviticus.

To view the Westboro group from an anthropological perspective it is important to understand where their beliefs stem from, this provides a deeper understanding of their cause. While they explain that their anti-gay convictions come from the Old Testament, they leave out the broader biblical context; any act that interrupts the production of offspring was considered a sin – including masturbation, and intercourse with menstruating women. It is interesting that they focus exclusively on homosexuality and leave out the other offences included in the Old Testament. On their website they explain that their goal is to preach the word of God and to save those who may be condemned. The various tactics they use to achieve their goal, will be outlined in my next post.
  
 In the mean time, here is an interesting video that has a pro-gay critique on the Westboro group, and introduces one of the main ways Westboro protests.



Works Cited:
Sullivan, Michael  K.
   2003    Homophobia, History, and Homosexuality: Trends for Sexual Minorities. Journal of      
        Human Behavior in the Social Environment 8(2/3):1-13.

Westboro Baptist Church website
     http:// www.godhatesfags.com/faq.html#Fag, accessed 16 March 2012.

1974  Holy Bible
  New American Library


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