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Full Description
Compare worldwide religious regulations involving gay sex and masculinity!
Men, Homosexuality, and the Gods: An Exploration into the Religious Significance of Male Homosexuality in World Perspective is an eye-opening look at the traditions of particular religions and their edicts concerning gay sex. This book examines the origins of holy directives involving homosexualitywhether forbidden, tolerated, or mandatoryand establishes a link between theology, sex roles, and the sensitive issue of masculinity. This text draws a parallel between homosexuality and the idea of religion, suggesting that gay rights can be understood as a freedom of religion issue.
While most readers are familiar with the traditional Islamic, Christian, and Hebrew prohibitions against sex between two males, this book also reveals other historic religions from around the world that neither opposed nor looked down on homosexuality. Men, Homosexuality, and the Gods argues that masculinity is the universal theme that formed historical interpretationwarriors and men of high status could not be sexually receptive or feminine and still be called men. This intriguing text shows how the modern homophile movements are in effect redefining masculinity to obliterate the stigma of being a sexually receptive man.
Men, Homosexuality, and the Gods examines the significance of homosexuality in such religions as:
the Sambians of New Guinea
the Taoists of Ancient China
Plato and the later Stoics
Islamic Sufism
Native American culture
Hebrew Scriptures
early Christianity
Buddhism
Men, Homosexuality, and the Gods is an enlightening book that honors homosexual claims to moral integrity and appreciates religion and religious figures without rancor. Easy-to-read and free of technical language, this volume is for anyone who has an academic, professional, or personal interest in theology and homosexuality.
The author is available for speaking engagements and can be contacted at Ronldlong@aol.com
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Straight Thinking on Some Not-So-Straightforward Matters
Getting Our Bearings
How Shall We Think of Religion?
What of Homosexuality?
Chapter 2. Holy Homosexuality: Of Men and Semen
The Sambians of Papua New Guinea: It Will Make a Man of You
The Taoists of Ancient China and the Preservation of Life
Chapter 3. Holy Homoeroticism: Splendid Men and Splendor Divine
Plato and the World of Ancient Athens
The Platonism of Islamic Sufism
Chapter 4. Holy Effeminacy: The Native American Berdache As Living War Charm
Men and Manhood
Berdaches: Third-Gendered Persons or Unmanned Men?
Chapter 5. Holy Homophobia in the Hebrew Scriptures
Homophobia and the Fear of Exile
The Fear of Death: Anal Intercourse As Unsafe Sex
The Fear of Disorder: Homosexual Sex As Deformity
Alien Worship, Enemy Ways in War
Whose Body Is It Anyway?
Chapter 6. Early Christianity: A Revolution Aborted?
Paul: Food, Sex, Sin, and Taste
Augustine of Hippo: Sex, Homosexuality, Faith, and Death
Chapter 7. The Variegated Lotus: Homosexual Sex and Historical Buddhism
The Nirvanic Transcendence of Desire
Enlightenment and Homosexual Sex in Japan and Tibet
Chapter 8. Struggles on the American Front
A Gay Agenda? And the Social Good
Gay Rights As a Freedom of Religion Issue
The Spiritual Challenge of Contemporary Homophile Movements
Toward a New Poetic of Masculinity
Notes
Bibliography
Index
