Christianity's Condemnation Of Homosexuality

The complexity of the development of one’s sexual identity while growing up in a devoutly religious home is a multifaceted complexity; many religions remain unclear in their positions on sexuality. Sexualities other than heterosexuality are hardly discussed, and when they are, they’re connoted with terms like “abomination” or “unnatural.” However, even heterosexuality remains a grey area in many religions. While being heterosexual may mean being free from persecution, the sexual acts of heterosexual people, specifically women, are not. In this essay I will critique only Christianity, the religion I am accustomed to and was raised in. The first half of this essay will be a critique of Christianity’s blatant condemnation of homosexuality from the perspective of a gay person, and the second half will focus on the persecution of female sexuality, and the intertwinement of both marginalized groups that are on the borderlands of religion. Certainly before the rise of Christianity had homosexual “practices,” with varying degrees of social acceptance, existed in several established societies, notably amongst Greeks and Romans. It is important to note, however, how quickly these social attitudes changed once …show more content…
Women are held to a standard of purity that only they must desire to attain, while men of the laity are free to engage in sexual relations without repercussions. This is evident especially in Catholicism, a denomination of Christianity that is actively anti-female sexuality. The Catholic woman is not allowed any sexual exploration, nor does she get to question her sexual identity. Birth control is forbidden, therefore making sex for pleasure practically impossible. A Catholic woman is expected to maintain her purity for one man only – the man she marries – otherwise she faces alienation for sexual relations outside of marriage, something that can make her unworthy of the grace of