Posted: 08 Jan 2012 07:41 AM PST
Homosexuality in modern society can provoke strong reaction from many people. Part of what we believe about homosexuals comes from society, other parts from our family upbringing; for many of us, religion is the strongest influence. Religion, especially fundamental and orthodox religions, can be very harsh in their viewpoints on homosexuality. They will claim it is unnatural or against the norms of society, others will claim it is an abomination to God.
The problem with all of this, is that we grow up thinking that what we are taught today is the way it has always been. But when you begin to study history, you begin to understand that cultures throughout history have not always thought and lived the way we do today. This is especially true with society’s viewpoint on homosexuality. A good example of this different view point is that of ancient Greece.
Of all ancient societies, it is the Greeks that have the most artifacts left for us to examine. Much of their culture can be seen today as it was more than two thousand years ago. The viewpoint of homosexuality by the ancient Greeks is not completely clear as it applies to older adult males. It is mentioned in Greek literature and there doesn’t seem to be negative connotations associated with it.
More commonly the homosexual relationships that are talked about in Greek literature are between an adult males and a younger males. These younger males were always in their teens, although some times in their early teens.
The first time I read about this I remember my reaction was that many of the ancient Greeks were pedophiles. But the more I learned, the more I understood that it wasn’t that simple. The culture was different and so was the time in human history. People today consider a boy to be an adult at a certain age stated by law. Often it is eighteen years old. But nature turns boys and girls into men and women at an earlier age and societies throughout history have allowed marriages and procreation at an earlier age than we see today. When adult Greek males took a boy as a sexual partner, he was post puberty, still a minor by modern laws, but no longer a child by Greek cultural standards. From what can be ascertained in Greek literature, relationships with boys that were pre-puberty, was taboo.
In ancient Greece a male who had gone through puberty was still not considered a man until he could grow facial hair. It was this type of boy who was sought after by older males. This was a part of Greek culture and there were many norms and customs of the society that regulated how it was to be done. A young male was courted for a period of time before establishing a relationship with the older male. And once this relationship was established, it was expected that the older male would teach the younger one all of the skills and knowledge he possessed.
Of course this sort of behavior would not be appropriate today in a modern society with elaborated educational institutions. Teenagers should be focused on their education and spend time with those their own age where their sexual maturity develops within the context of their own age group.
But the lessons learned from examining cultures of the past and their beliefs about homosexuality are important. I myself, was raised a Baptist and believed everything that I was told, until one day, I found out that my best friend was gay. This of course became an intellectual crisis for me. But it should not have been so. With a good education, I would have had a better understanding of what homosexuality was in a broad context of history rather than an opinion from a narrow theology.
The problem with all of this, is that we grow up thinking that what we are taught today is the way it has always been. But when you begin to study history, you begin to understand that cultures throughout history have not always thought and lived the way we do today. This is especially true with society’s viewpoint on homosexuality. A good example of this different view point is that of ancient Greece.
Of all ancient societies, it is the Greeks that have the most artifacts left for us to examine. Much of their culture can be seen today as it was more than two thousand years ago. The viewpoint of homosexuality by the ancient Greeks is not completely clear as it applies to older adult males. It is mentioned in Greek literature and there doesn’t seem to be negative connotations associated with it.
More commonly the homosexual relationships that are talked about in Greek literature are between an adult males and a younger males. These younger males were always in their teens, although some times in their early teens.
The first time I read about this I remember my reaction was that many of the ancient Greeks were pedophiles. But the more I learned, the more I understood that it wasn’t that simple. The culture was different and so was the time in human history. People today consider a boy to be an adult at a certain age stated by law. Often it is eighteen years old. But nature turns boys and girls into men and women at an earlier age and societies throughout history have allowed marriages and procreation at an earlier age than we see today. When adult Greek males took a boy as a sexual partner, he was post puberty, still a minor by modern laws, but no longer a child by Greek cultural standards. From what can be ascertained in Greek literature, relationships with boys that were pre-puberty, was taboo.
In ancient Greece a male who had gone through puberty was still not considered a man until he could grow facial hair. It was this type of boy who was sought after by older males. This was a part of Greek culture and there were many norms and customs of the society that regulated how it was to be done. A young male was courted for a period of time before establishing a relationship with the older male. And once this relationship was established, it was expected that the older male would teach the younger one all of the skills and knowledge he possessed.
Of course this sort of behavior would not be appropriate today in a modern society with elaborated educational institutions. Teenagers should be focused on their education and spend time with those their own age where their sexual maturity develops within the context of their own age group.
But the lessons learned from examining cultures of the past and their beliefs about homosexuality are important. I myself, was raised a Baptist and believed everything that I was told, until one day, I found out that my best friend was gay. This of course became an intellectual crisis for me. But it should not have been so. With a good education, I would have had a better understanding of what homosexuality was in a broad context of history rather than an opinion from a narrow theology.
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