Preview

Historical and Scientific Perspectives on Homosexuality

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
767 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Historical and Scientific Perspectives on Homosexuality
HISTORICAL AND SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVES
PSY/265
Ana Diaz
10/20/1012
Kavita Kostek

The way we view homosexuality has very much to do with how we were raised and taught depending on where we are from, our parents beliefs and what others around us tell us. Because of this we believe what we believe and will stand by them unless we ourselves come to a different conclusion as we grow older. I was raised a Catholic and was taught by the Bible teachings that homosexuality was wrong and will go to hell if that is what you practiced. In this paper we will look a little at the historical and scientific perspectives of homosexuality.
We will first be starting with the historical view which has much to do with what the bible teaches on homosexuality. When we look back at ancient Greece where homosexuality was really not that big of a deal, older men would have relationships with adolescent males’ right at the time when they grew their first beards (online text pg. 28). Then we can go to Rome where there were men that were very feminine and walked around certain parts of town looking for men to bed. In Florence which was a very Christian city had many sodomites (this is a Jewish and Christian word that signifies the connection between sodomy and the city of Sodom in the Bible which supposedly God destroyed (Genesis 19). I remember watching a movie called “Caligula”. This movie depicted how free the Romans were with sexual favors and bedding with those of same sex was an all-time occurrence especially male with male (online textpg.287). Sodomy was such a natural thing but it bothered the governors at the time so they created a group called “The Office of the Night in 1437 to enable its citizens to be able to accuse others anonymously of sodomy (Human Sexuality pg. 287). Once the Roman Empire ceased to exist, throughout Western Europe Christianity spread and its beliefs were made part of secular laws.
Next we can take a look at homosexuals through the cross-species



References: Human Sexuality online text .

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Many areas of science resolve the issue of homosexuality as a sexual ethics dilemma by analysing the causes of homosexuality. Sigmund Freud claimed that homosexuality is a personality disorder resulting from a person’s failure to deal with repressed issues of sexuality from infancy and to develop fully into mature sexuality. He claimed that the causes of homosexuality simply trace back to the relationship between a child and their parents. Many researchers believe that homosexuality may be the result of an imbalance of the hormones or a genetic disorder. Both these arguments go some way to solving this dilemma as both conclusions suggest that homosexuality is not a moral choice and cannot be prevented or supressed.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many ethical theories can be used to discuss and interpret the issues surrounding homosexuality. I shall begin by outlining some relevant views, from the perspective of Virtue, Utilitarianism, Natural Law, Christian Ethics and Kant…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A negative attitude toward same-sex/same-gender attraction and orientation and a view that engaging in homosexual acts is morally unacceptable and ultimately punishable in the spiritual sense are some mainstream Christian biblical interpretations regarding homosexuality. In this presentation,…

    • 1391 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    What is sexuality? Sexuality relates to a person’s capacity for sexual feelings, their sexual activity, and/or their sexual preference or orientation. This description sounds simple, but sexuality is complex and difficult to study. There are many different opinions on what causes sexuality and how to handle it. Some believe that homosexuality is a natural variation, while others believe that it is a psychological disease. One thing that most can agree on is that sexuality is a foggy subject.…

    • 1430 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homosexuality Analysis

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The historical background of homosexuality date ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, China. Attitude towards homosexuality has been various in convenience to type of societies, cultural and moral devolopment or political situation. In ancient Greece relationships between two men were treated as the highest and most admired kind of love. At the same time Judaic religion had opposional opinion about homosexuality. The term ‘sodomy’ ,used even centuries after as a property of illegal and impudent sexual behaviour, comes from The Old Testament (Pilecka, 1999, p.14).In the ancient times homosexuality was associated paganism which is menace to monoteistic religion (Barnecka& Karp & Lollike, 2005, p.3). The repression and psychological pressure continued untill the first well-known gay activist Karl Heinrich Ulirchs (1825-1895) started the process of descriminalization of homosexuality (LeVay, 1996, p.11-15). Karl Henrich Ulrichs was the first formulate a scientific theory of homosexuality,Urning Theory. As Klaus Müller has evinced ‘’the first scientific theory of sexuality altogether’’ (1990, p.100). After many years, homosexuality was accepted mental diseases. Many of the techniques caused physical injuries and emotional trauma (Weinberg, 1983,…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I'm Molly, I'm 14, I'm from New York City, I have two parents, a mom and a dad, I probably watch too much TV, I have two cats, and I'm gay. When I was reading all of the facts about me, you probably didn't even think about my sexual orientation until I said it. And I'm still just like you. Almost everyone here has just found out I'm a lesbian, and it may be a shock to some of my close friends. You may think I'm bold and fearless, standing up here, completely vulnerable. But to be honest, I'm pretty scared. The reason I am telling you all of this is because I want to be heard.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Homosexuality and Religion

    • 2244 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Is homosexuality a genetic trait we’re born with, or do we choose this lifestyle? Is it a lack of father and a more involved mother? Why do people think this is abnormal? There are so many questions that people have about homosexuality, their beliefs on it, and why they think it is wrong or right. I have heard so many people say, “It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Why does religion have a profound effect on why people believe that homosexuality is wrong; that homosexuals are automatically doomed to hell? Gay people have lived a daunting life for centuries because people think that being homosexual is out of the “norm” and that God created everyone to procreate. God created everyone equal, and he taught us to love one another. People often wonder, and I have personally been told this,” that people choose this lifestyle. The story,” Foundations of the Earth”, provides the reader with a vivid image on religion and homosexuality. People use religion to answer many of life’s problems, especially when it comes to moral topics such as homosexuality; whether it’s right or wrong, negative or positive.…

    • 2244 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    From as long as one can date back, there has always been a history discrimination towards others among the general populace. First and foremost, there have been numerous accounts of judgement upon homosexuality making claims stating that it is an immoral choice, a mental disorder, or religiously unjust to be homosexual. These accusations stem as the cause of why members of the LBGT organization are shunned to society and constantly victimized, simply based off of the lack of knowledge towards the true origins of homosexuality. For example, in previous years, homosexuality was documented in the American Psychiatric Association’s, the APA’s, official list of mental disorders. The idea of homosexuality having to do with mental stability is supported…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Homosexuality has been a great social, psychological and biological issue discussed amongst experts. Although, same sex relationships have been discriminated and misunderstood, over the years they have more and more accepted socially, but some stigma still lingers. This essay will expose the origin and biological explanation of homosexuality to better understand it. This essay uses research studies, examinations and tests that will ultimately reveal that homosexuality is not a learned behavior, it is a biological factor. This essay also reveals how people who view homosexuality negatively do not change view after learning these crucial biological factors that drive people to be sexually attracted to the same sex. This essay's goal is to state…

    • 1599 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Homosexuality in Islam

    • 1382 Words
    • 6 Pages

    During this class, we researched and learned about the teachings of Islam and the Hudud that Muslims are expected to live under. One topic we did not cover was the existence of homosexuality. The Muslim world, for the most part, does not accept homosexuality as a way of life, but we know how prevalent it is. I was curious to find out more about how Islam treats homosexuality and if it is included in the Qur’an and Shari’a law. This essay will cover the aspect of homosexuality within religious text, which countries allow or forbid same sex acts, groups that support gay Muslims, if any, and homosexuality existing in the United States.…

    • 1382 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This happened with the rise of Christianity in ancient Rome. The paintings in the Suburban Baths in the city of Pompeii showed the cultural and social lifestyle of the people staying at that time and illustrate how homosexual culture was widely accepted and absorbed. With the rise of Christianity, the practice started fading slowly, and most people spoke against it. A set of belief and events reset the entire sequence and soon a wave of oppression followed. The region condemned the homosexuality acts which were openly practiced. The act was described as “sinning against nature” ( Percy and Johansson). Up to date, Christianity does not accept the same gender marriage. The rise of Christianity is a remarkable story which shows a progressively tiny group which was prosecuted to an established religion. The few Christians in the ancient Rome were prosecuted more often with death. Emperor Nero targeted and prosecuted Christians in 64 AD (Rockliffe). When the Christians refused to worship the Roman gods, they were hunted like animals. The Christians tried to convert a lot of people, and the numbers eventually grew. While some were rich, the majority were poor because they were promised a good life in heaven. The Roman Empire adopted the Trinitarian Christianity in February 380 as the state religion. The attitude of the same sex marriage changed when the Christianity spread in the Empire. In the 3rd century of the Christian era, male prostitution was banned. Although Christianity was a small group of people, they grew and multiplied and overtook the previous dominant religions. The new religion banned the celebrated homosexuality acts and soon the people’s attitudes…

    • 1421 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Homosexuality” has not always been legally acceptable and to this day it is still far from morally acceptable. The Buggery Act passed into law in the 1530’s, during the Henry VIII reign, and stated that any sexual relationship between men was a criminal act punishable by death. It remained a capital offence until 1861 In 1865 Parliament passed an amendment which created the “gross indecency” for same sex male sexual relations to be prosecuted, but not receive the death penalty. Germany passed a similar law called Paragraph 175. It stated that a same sex male relation was punishable by imprisonment and loss of civil rights.…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    To many of the religious insittutions around the world, homosexuality is seen as a disease or a curse. A intrsinically immoral act that is beyond rephrenhenisble. To some Abrahamic religions it is an act even punishable by death. Within the Abrahamic religions, Christianity and Islam have the most staunch stances against Homosexulaity yet within the diverse denominations of both religions the two with perhaps the most vocal in their views of this “sin” are Catholicism and the Hanbali sect of Sunni Islam.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There have been homosexual people around the world since ever, but recently this group of people has increased, or rather, has been shown or has become known when the XXI century came in/ began. They are identically to the heterosexual ones, but just because their sexual preference and gender identity are seen as weird people, even as disgusting individuals according to what I have seen and heard comments about them. In fact, they are referred as non-normal people. An example of this is that when people show love in public, others do not react too much. However, when gays or lesbians do it, are looked by almost each person around them with a weird-surprised or detestable face like if it was a bad action.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this day in age almost everyone knows someone who is a homosexual. I say in this in age because homosexuality is more accepted today then it ever was. In America we have legalized gay marriage, martial benefits, an annual gay parade, and there are many others. Everyone has an opinion on gays, so more positive then others, but at the same time there are a lot of negative ideas that comes with being openly gay. Heavily religious groups are against gays and make it very hard for you to be open with your sexuality. You may not be welcomed in their place of worship, your family make look at your differently, or even disown you. For example, some Christians refer to homosexuality as a "sin against nature", and for Jewish it is forbidden by the Torah, and is considered a capital offense.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays