The National Library of Medicine pubs confirm that sexual orientation is natural, biologically induced in the first trimester of pregnancy, morally neutral, immutable, neither contagious nor learned, bearing no relation to an individuals ability to form deep and lasting relationships, to parent children, to work or to contribute to society.

From the American Psychological Association: homosexuality is normal; homosexual relationships are normal.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Asociation and American Psychiatric Asociation have endorsed civil marriage for same-sex couples because marriage strengthens mental and physical health and longevity of couples, and provides greater legal and financial security for children, parents and seniors.

America's premier child/mental health associations endorse marriage equality.

Homosexuality is not a choice. Just like you don't choose the color of your skin, you cannot choose whom you are sexually attracted to. If you can, sorry, but you are not heterosexual, you are bi-sexual. Virtually all major psychological and medical experts agree that sexual orientation is NOT a choice. Most gay people will tell you its not a choice. Common sense will tell you its not a choice. While science is relatively new to studying homosexuality, studies tend to indicate that its biological.

(Change *** to www)
***-news.uchicago.edu/releases/03/differential-brain-activation.pdf
***.newscientist.com/channel/sex/dn14146-gay-brains-structured-like-those-of-the-opposite-sex.html
Gay, Straight Men's Brain Responses Differ
***.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155990,00.html
***.livescience.com/health/060224_gay_genes.html
***.springerlink.com/content/w27453600k586276/

Homosexuality is not a sin according to the Bible. Scholars who have studied the Bible in context of the times and in relation to other passages have shown those passages (Leviticus, Corinthians, Romans, etc) have nothing to do with homosexuality. These passages often cherry-picked while ignoring the rest of the Bible. The sins theses passages are referring to are idolatry, prostitution, and rape, not homosexuality.

(Change *** to www)
***.soulfoodministry.org/docs/English/NotASin.htm
***.jesus21.com/content/sex/bible_homosexuality_print.html
***.christchapel.com/reclaiming.html
***.stjohnsmcc.org/new/BibleAbuse/BiblicalReferences.php
***.gaychristian101.com/

Homosexuality is not a sin according to the Bible. Scholars who have studied the Bible in context of the times and in relation to other passages have shown those passages (Leviticus, Corinthians, Romans, etc) have nothing to do with homosexuality. These passages often cherry-picked while ignoring the rest of the Bible. The sins theses passages are referring to are idolatry, prostitution, and rape, not homosexuality.

(Change *** to www)
***.soulfoodministry.org/docs/English/NotASin.htm
***.jesus21.com/content/sex/bible_homosexuality_print.html
***.christchapel.com/reclaiming.html
***.stjohnsmcc.org/new/BibleAbuse/BiblicalReferences.php
***.gaychristian101.com/

he says the love of many will wax cold because sin iniquity will abound. I have pulled those words apart and I have only come to one conclusion that is every time we start fighting with flesh then the appropiate response to any moral dilemma is lost and we have no unity and we have no compass to lead us to gods mercy seat his mercy seat he gave us laws to live by because he loved us those who live outside the relm of that faith that land we profess to have some vision of as believers in christ are the ones he died for the ones he believed were worth his suffering the ones his father believed were worth watching a beloved son suffer for he does not judge and we oft times do with what we think is righteous indignation he doesnt need us to maintain his laws he needs us to represent and express are understanding of his light in such a way that it draws souls in. thats what he did for us when we came to him when we experienced him we cannot stop this iniquity from abounding our job is to keep our hearts beating for him by beating with his if he grieves for every lost soul every lost soul who then is exempt think not that in saying these words im so close to this precept Oh my how I fall short but to endure is to keep trying and to keep trying is to stay as close to him daily as is possible and never give up comming to terms with the real war being waged the one that gets us home with our arms full of the only gift he wants from us so my prayer is for peaceful resolutions and understanding each others pain better thats a start now isnt it

PS If Orthodox Jews have to work hard to "catch up" to the Roman Catholic hierarchy, then they are in big trouble.

Unbelievable that in 2010 any "respectable" religion believes that homosexuality is a sin. If you don't like homosexuality, don't practice it.

'Hate' doesn't distinguish between 'sins' and 'sinners.'

The bashing hardly waits to ask whether or not you've had *sex* or anything, does it?

Not that waving a book gives you the right to pry, either.

Near as I can tell from the link provided by the rabbi, the statement consists basically of "It's okay to be gay and Jewish, as long as you are also celibate." How generous.

Farnaz, you wrote the following:
"Catholic and Protestant LGBTs, Hindu and Muslim LGBTs are likewise pained by the disgusting intolerance shown by many clerics in their communities".

My view on all these neanderthals, is to ignore their views. These people base their judgments from musty tomes written by bronze age ignoramuses. All I say of these as with those 100 men, don't give a heed to them. Count your blessings that they have exposed themselves of their intolerance. It causes pain only when one is seeking their approval.

"Some Hindu priests, a handful, have performed same-sex marriages. Hideously, "homosexuality" was first legalized in India in 2009".

Agreed, but at least now they have full legal equality, thanks to Delhi High Court.

As for your comments about me being ignorant of Jewish Scripture or any other scripture, it matters little. They are all should be banished to the dust heap of history as we have banished all those books on alchemistry. I have no use for them as all they do is promote delusions amongst the people and allow the clerics to usurp power over others.

Continued
"'My dear one, my friend, you have twice the power of love. Use it carefully.'

I was stunned. I sat in silence for a moment, waiting for more.

'Is that all?' I asked.

He smiled and said, 'That is all. There is nothing more to say.'"

From "Wrestling with God and Men"

There are other Orthodox rabbis who support same-sex marriage rights, gay and straight. God be with them.

Secular (Tanakh, "OT" Authority),

Btw., both the Conservative and Reformed rabbinates have been performing same-sex marriages for years.

If you would care to correct them on the errors of their ways, using your authority with the Tanakh, let me know, and I'll post the addresses to which you may mail the sum of your acquired Tanakh expertise.

Secular,

As I have told you before, you are clueless on Tanakh. Your posting merely confirms this. What I said of Tanakh is factual. See any Oxford Study Bible on this.

As for NT, that is more problematic in its proscriptions of homosexuality. Christian heterophobes are aware of this, and more and more they are using the NT, alone, to justify their homophobia.

As for the LGBT community, they care greatly what the 100 say, as they do about what the Orthodox and Haredi feel. Their views, though not quite so despicable, in the main, as those of other religions have caused enormous pain for Jewish LGBTs about whom, like Judaism, you know nothing, evidently.

Catholic and Protestant LGBTs, Hindu and Muslim LGBTs are likewise pained by the disgusting intolerance shown by many clerics in their communities.

Some Hindu priests, a handful, have performed same-sex marriages. Hideously, "homosexuality" was first legalized in India in 2009.

Btw., there is no "OT" in Judaism. Try, at least, to get the terminology correct. And note, English versions of Tanakh are translated directly from the Hebrew and Aramaic.

Christian versions are mistranslated from the Greek mistranslation.

Farnaz, response to your comments are below:

My statement that matters little the opinion of these 100 men about homosexuality to the GLBT, was made advisedly. I feel that whether these people disapprove should not matter to GLBT folks. I am not too concerned about the talmud or tanakh, because these are admittedly human creations. I only look at the OT for judaic prescriptions. This is supposedly the revelation from the hebrew skydaddy. Needless to say that I consider OT also a human creation. I am going by the adherent claims to show that it is flawed. With that prologue, there are enough passages in OT that unambiguously condemn homosexuality. These books were actually written by ignorant people with zero understanding of biology or any other sciences by today's standards. Those passages reflect that. It is unfortunate that there are folks who feel compelled to adhere to the pronouncements of those ignoramuses. So why should anyone care about the opinions of retrogrades, who despite the benefit of modern knowledge still lead deluded lives. ANd make srupid and inane pronouncements.

Furthermore, why should the GLBT community even care about these inane statements. It does not make whit of a difference to them.

Posted by: Secular
--------------------------
The GLBT community cares a great deal, and it is perfectly understandable that they would.

Neither the Catholic Church nor the Orthodox community are correct. They are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

Statements like this are harmful, and morally WRONG. Further their is NOTHING in Tanakh that condemns gay sex. Nothing. It does not even mention sex between women. What Tanakh opposes is the rape of one man
(usually older, stronger, powerful) of another, which was all the rage in the region for conquering armies during periods of war. Rape of men and women in combat continues today. That is what Tanakh wanted to end.

It could not comment on "homosexuality" per se because the construct of gayness did not enter culture until the nineteenth century CE.

Regarding this statement of 100 Orthodox rabbis, it is not really a mark of progress. There position has been that gayness is not "wrong" per se, but unacceptable in practice because in their misreading it is procscribed.

They have not "caught up" to the Catholic church with this statement. They have not caught up to anything.

Until the ORthodox "catch up" to the Conservative and Reformed Jewish communities on the matter of gayness and women, they will lag behind. They are reverting to a misguided literalism that, frankly, is nonJudaic.

Furthermore, why should the GLBT community even care about these inane statements. It does not make whit of a difference to them.

Mr. Hirschfields comments like that of any theists statements about morality are little more than self congratulatory inanities at best or at worst completely devoid of humanity and vile. He writes "supports hating the sin while loving the sinner". What does this stupid statement mean that they hate thievery but love the thief or they hate the lie but love the liar or better still they hate the murder but love the murderer? Can they not come out and say they hate homosexuality but not the homosexual? Why hide behind the generalization, when they don't mean it? This because then they have to confront with the question why hate Homosexuality? Is it because of gibberish written in some 3000 year tome? If so that book also recommends that they should hate the homosexual too. Why only obey half of the recommendation. It behooves them to step up and think for themselves on these issues. The first and foremost thing here is to ask if this is even a moral issue in the first place to pass a moral judgment? Is it morally wrong to like color blue over others? The question of homosexuality is similar to that. Since there are no admonishments against choice of color in those putrid tomes, we don't think about them. We don't think of wearing the heterogeneous fabrics in moral terms,even though the tomes proscribe them. Likewise it would be best to leave the homosexuality in the dustbin of history.

I do agree with the sentiment that "the position of hating the sin but loving the sinner has worked out about as well as the principle of separate but equal". It is meant to make the person feel good. When they have really come to the conclusion that question of sexual choice is not a moral question, but are unable to let go of their umbilical the TOMES.

WRONG, Wrong, wrong ! You cannot make a right out of a wrong. Homosexuality IS NOT A SIN. It is natural. A natural variation in the human species. This popycock about loving the sinner ...hating the sin is insulting to any gay man or woman, Jew, Catholic or whatever! I don't understand why any homosexual would still identify or want to be a member of any religion or church. Religion is backwards. It is the bane of our existence and happiness. All homosexuals should convert to Humanism.

Desr Liz Tenety et al, Please Stop Stealing me Ascii Works [This 1 of a kind Blog-Art] Deleting then Plagiarizing, Aye. O' The Jealousy! Stop Already or Ye/yo will be stopped in a very special way.!
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hate the bigotry, love the bigot?

Many Orthodox and many Haredi do not "abhor" gayness. They see it as proscribed; that is there only reason for not viewing it as acceptably different. They do not "hate it," do not use such language.

Is there position, nevertheless, acceptable?
Not in my view.