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Christianity (and Other World Religions) Proclaim a

Heterosexist Worldview

By Carman Bradley
 

In the Miracle of Lesbianism, Sally Gearhart states: “Exclusive heterosexuality has to be understood as a perversion of [humanity’s] natural state.”[i]  She quotes with approval Janis Kelly’s contention that “where women are concerned, highest development of the ability to love can occur only in a homosexual context.”[ii]  In her 1974 book Loving Men/Loving Women: Gay Liberation and the Church, Gearhart attacks religious validation of the state’s heterosexist worldview.   She interprets the church’s emphasis on the nuclear family as an expression of hatred toward lesbians and women: “The church’s are our most up-front pushers of the sex-role habit, of daddy-mommy-baby habit.  They peddle the drug daily.”[iii] She rejects the authority of the church as a form of patriarchal oppression, which is reinforced by doctrinal formulations of worship, sin, charity, heaven, judgment and grace.  Gearhart writes: “Ultimately the church as we know it cannot be reformed; it must die.  So must the Trinitarian theology on which it is based.”[iv]  Ironically, in this current era of so-called “liberal theologies,” feminist activists like Sally Gearhart are a strong witness reminding us of the true heterosexist paradigm held by the world religions.  Her prophecy of the end of religion as we know it has not come true.  After some forty years of homosexual liberation struggle only one significant Canadian denomination has crossed over to the homosexist side – The United Church of Canada.
 

Moreover, the Hansard record for 8 April 2002, reveals the presentation of a petition in Parliament against the on-going obliteration of the name Jesus Christ from state governance and public use.  The petition in part reads: “We the undersigned are protesting the decision to remove all references of Jesus Christ from the sermons of Armed Forces chaplains.  We feel this is an insult both to the Christian faith and to Christians everywhere.”  It is clear that Christian influence in society and governance has been in retreat with each gain of the homosexist agenda.  However, many still fail to recognize or acknowledge the dire consequences of governance by a state fully operating from a homosexist worldview.
 

Other world religions make up an additional six percent[vi] of the Canadian population.  In total, at least 82 percent of Canadians claim faith in religions, which “traditionally” adhere to a heterosexist worldview.  [It would not be unreasonable to assume that half of the remaining population also holds to a heterosexist worldview.]  The proportion of Canadians who follow a so-called “liberal theology“ has not been determined by a survey; however, The United Church of Canada declares a pro-gay theology and this denomination makes up 9.6 percent of Canadians.  Excluding the United Church membership brings the total to 69.4 percent, not including heterosexist secularists and all others. 
 

In his paper “Why Judaism Rejected Homosexuality,” Jewish author and radio show host, Dennis Prager outlines the heterosexist values undergirding Judaism.  He writes:
 

When Judaism demanded that all sexual activity be channeled into marriage, it changed the world.  The subsequent dominance of the Western world can largely be attributed to the sexual revolution initiated by Judaism, and later carried forward by Christianity.  The revolution consisted of forcing the sexual genie into the marital bottle. It ensured that sex no longer dominated society, heightened male-female love and sexuality (and thereby almost alone created the possibility of love and eroticism within marriage), and began the arduous task of elevating the status of women.  By contrast, throughout the ancient world, and up to the recent past in many parts of the world, sexuality infused virtually all of society.  Human sexuality, especially male sexuality, is utterly wild. Men have had sex with women and with men; with little girls and young boys; with a single partner and in large groups; with total strangers and immediate family members; and with a variety of domesticated animals. There is little, animate or inanimate, that has not excited some men to orgasm.  Thus, the first thing Judaism did was to de-sexualize God. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth by His will, not through any sexual behavior. This broke with all other religions, and it alone changed human history.  The gods of virtually all civilizations engaged in sexual relations…The revolutionary nature of Judaism's prohibiting all forms of non-marital sex was nowhere more radical, more challenging to the prevailing assumptions of mankind, than with regard to homosexuality.  Indeed, Judaism may be said to have invented the notion of homosexuality, for in the ancient world sexuality was not divided between heterosexuality and homosexuality. That division was the Bible's doing. Before the Bible, the world divided sexuality between penetrator (active partner) and penetrated (passive partner)…Judaism cannot make peace with homosexuality because homosexuality denies many of Judaism's most fundamental principles. It denies life, it denies God's expressed desire that men and women cohabit, and it denies the root structure that Judaism wishes for all mankind, the family.” “In the words of Genesis, ‘God created the human…male and female He created them.’  The union of male and female is not merely some lively ideal; it is the essence of the Jewish outlook on becoming human.[vii]
 

There are five references in the Qur'an which have been cited as referring to gay and lesbian behavior.  The two main references to homosexual behavior are: "We also sent Lut[Lot]: He said to his people: ‘Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds’ (Qur'an 7:80-81).  ‘What! Of all creatures do ye come unto the males, and leave the wives your Lord created for you? Nay, but ye are forward folk’ (Qur'an 26:165).”[viii]  The Hadith are collections of sayings attributed to Muhammad, some of which discuss liwat (sexual intercourse between males). Two examples are: "When a man mounts another man, the throne of God shakes."  "Kill the one that is doing it and also kill the one that it is being done to" (in reference to the active and passive partners in gay sexual intercourse).[ix]  There is at least one mention of lesbian behavior in the Hadith: "Sihaq (lesbian sexual activity) of women is zina (illegitimate sexual intercourse) among them.”[x]  Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of North America declares:
 

Homosexuality is a moral disorder. It is a moral disease, a sin and corruption... No person is born homosexual, just like no one is born a thief, a liar or murderer. People acquire these evil habits due to a lack of proper guidance and education."  He goes on: "There are many reasons why it is forbidden in Islam. Homosexuality is dangerous for the health of the individuals and for the society. It is a main cause of one of the most harmful and fatal diseases. It is disgraceful for both men and women. It degrades a person. Islam teaches that men should be men and women should be women. Homosexuality deprives a man of his manhood and a woman of her womanhood. It is the most un-natural way of life. Homosexuality leads to the destruction of family life.[xi]
 

Muslim beliefs on homosexuality listed at www.islamic.org.uk include: (1) homosexuality is considered sinful within Islam; (2) homosexuality is a profound mistake; (3) humans are all naturally heterosexual; (4) homosexuality is caused by environmental factors, particularly near the time of puberty; (5) people can control their thoughts and steer themselves away from homosexuality; and (6) any homosexual can become a heterosexual. [xii]
 

When asked in 1997, about homosexuality and Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama said: 
 

I think we have to make different categories. The first way is celibacy. In that [category], any form of sex is prohibited.  That could be using one's own hand-- any way to ejaculate or to increase sexual desire.  So that is prohibited, not allowed.  Then, if the practitioner is sexual, it is not prohibited.  But sexual includes homosexual also, and oral sex and the other hole.  These, you see, even with one's own wife, of both sex is considered sexual misconduct.  Then another category, no believer, I think, basically, the purpose of sex is reproduction.  So in order to fulfill that purpose, man to man, women to women
cannot fulfill so a little bit could be considered unnatural.[xiii]
 

 Editor Jack Nichols notes in Gay Today at Badpuppy, that the Dalai Lama states oral and anal sex are unacceptable:
 

“In Beyond Dogma the Dalai Lama writes that 'homosexuality, whether it is between men or between women, is not improper in itself. What is improper is the use of organs already defined as inappropriate for sexual contact.'[xiv]
 

The world’s highest Sikh authority, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, interviewed in the revered Golden Temple, disclosed in March 2005, that it is the religious duty of all Sikhs to oppose gay marriage legislation.  Acting as the Jathedar Akal Takht (highest Sikh authority), Vedanti said about his meeting with Canadian Sikh MPs, “I told them about Sikh teachings and how Sikhs should come forward to protect these Sikh tenets.… [homosexuality] is against the Sikh religion and the Sikh code of conduct and totally against the laws of nature.”[xv]  Manjit Singh Kalkatta, another highly respected Sikh preacher who sits on the governing body of the Golden Temple, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and a former Punjab state cabinet minister echoed Vedanti’s words.  Kalkatta said:
 

We expect from every practicing Sikh, whether he is a member of a legislative assembly or Parliament, that he would abide by his faith.  If not, it might be that they are censured.  The advice given by the highest Sikh temporal authority to every Sikh is saying that it is unnatural and ungodly, and the Sikh religion cannot support it.[xvi]
 

According to Wikipedia, Hindu views of homosexuality are varying and the least clear of the world religions.  This is because the accepted Hindu religious texts do not explicitly mention homosexuality.  Marriage in Hinduism is said to fulfill three functions: Prajaa, Dharma and Rati.  In marriage, Prajaa is progeny for perpetuation of one's family, Dharma is fulfillment of responsibilities, and Rati is companionship as friends and mutual pleasure as lovers. These three functions are given in the Dharma Shastras, books that are not considered to be religiously binding within Hinduism.  Debate on homosexuality within Hinduism centers on these three teachings.  Heterosexists argue that: (1) romantic love is only natural between a man and a woman, and it is impossible for two men or two women to experience the same form of love; (2) since romantic love is only possible between a man and a woman, sex between two men or two women can only be the product of lust, and lust is wrong; therefore homosexual activities are wrong; (3) one of the three functions of marriage is Prajaa, the progeny for perpetuation of one's family. A homosexual couple cannot procreate, and thus cannot be married; and (4) premarital and extramarital sex are wrong, and because homosexuals cannot marry, they should not engage in sexual relationships.[xvii]

 
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