Marriage: Religion or Love?

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To understand same sex marriage you must first understand a compressed history of homosexuals until it meets up with the most important books that same sex marriage comes a crossed; The Bible or any other religious book that brings up marriage. Our earliest knowledge about homosexuals and same sex marriage comes from the Greeks and the Romans. Although, there is still some evidence of homosexuals before the Greeks and Romans. “Alexander the Great, the founder of Stoicism, Zeno of Citium, were known for their exclusive interest in boys and other men” (“Homosexuality”, Picket). All three, were people who lived back around 350bc. “The world of the ancient Greeks seems to have tolerated homosexuality” (Flakes, “Why The Romans Are Important in The Debate About Gay Marriage”). We can see the acceptance of homosexuality through the acceptance of the poet Sappho who was an open lesbian as well as the works of Plato where he stated his attraction towards men. In some areas it was not only tolerated but “it was approved of and even celebrated” (“Homosexuality”, Picket).

However, when looking at the Roman empire you still see the acceptance of homosexuals when it was a young civilization. As time went on homosexuals started to be less accepted, and even persecuted. At the dawn of the Roman empire homosexuals were treated like they were in Greece. During the third century we start seeing homosexual discrimination; in fact “men might be regarded as soft, flabby, weak, cowardly, unmanly, or effeminate” (Walker Jr., What The New Testament Say About Homosexuality). The opposition towards homosexuals was no coincidence; it was a causality from the recent advocation the Roman emperor Constantine had towards The Bible.

The Bible and...

... middle of paper ...

...AN | Leagle.com." JONES v. HALLAHAN | Leagle.com. 04 Apr. 2014 .

"Leveticus." The Revised English Bible. Oxford, England: Oxford UP, 1989.

Pickett, Brent. "Homosexuality." Stanford University. 06 Aug. 2002. Stanford University. 04 Apr. 2014 .

"Same-sex marriage now legal as first couples wed." BBC News. 29 Mar. 2014. 03 Apr. 2014 .

Walker, William. "What the New Testament Says about Homosexuality « Westar Institute Westar Institute." Westar Institute. May-June 2008. 04 Apr. 2014 .

"Why the Romans Are Important in the Debate About Gay Marriage." History News Network. 03 Apr. 2014 .

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