Laws of Gay Marriage Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Laws of Gay Marriage - Term Paper Example Homosexuality has been practiced by the ancient Romans and Greek people. Although there is a lot of subjectivity about gay marriages in those cultures, as homosexual people have not been provided with as much freedom and liberty to get married until recently, yet literature review suggests that the practice of homosexuality has always been there. Even the term â€Å"homosexuality† was not used before 1869 (McKinnon 1). Ancient Romans and Greeks considered homosexuality a normal practice. Many Greek philosophers including Aristotle, Plato and Socrates had male sexual partners. â€Å"It was common practice for a male to take on a young boy as his lover until he reached maturity where he would, in turn, take on another young boy as his lover† (McKinnon 1). Similarly, there exist accounts of the Native Americans in the literature of the North Americans, who had adopted the â€Å"Berdache† lifestyle in which people of one gender used to dress like people of the opposi te gender, and dated people from the same gender. The reason this practice did not become much stigmatized was that the couples were apparently heterosexuals. Homosexuality has been condemned by a lot of religions. A review of various religious scriptures suggests that homosexuality has been abhorred. Some religious scriptures have mentioned very strict punishments for people indulging in this act. Particularly, the Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Judaism as well as Islam have condemned the act of homosexuality. In the Bible and Quran, there is a detailed discussion of a nation known as â€Å"the people of Lut† who were indulged in the practice of homosexuality. Prophet Lut (P.B.U.H.) warned the people not to do it, but the people would not listen. Quran describes homosexuality as a practice that crosses the limits of God Almighty. Quran quotes Prophet Lut (P.B.U.H.) in these words, â€Å"Doa 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 cited in â€Å"Isla m and Homosexuality†).