Why are certain things considered sins (e.g. homosexuality)?

[Rdmkr]

I think there may have been some contrived form of proto-empiricism at work, where medieval people observed that sodomites and adulterers had a high rate of STD affliction and concluded God's punitive motives must have had a hand in it.

The prevalence of prohibition of liberal sexual behaviors in a society then worked as a way of preventing the spread of diseases, thus rendering the societies concerned more successful and spreading the meme in the inter-societal natural selection dynamic over the course of centuries.

 

[disappoint]

This is so wrong. WTF Gervais? I vehemently disagree. Why almost?

 

[HardcoreRobot]

you're the christian, you tell me. im not the one saying its a sin.

 

[K1052]

I think there may have been some contrived form of proto-empiricism at work, where medieval people observed that sodomites and adulterers had a high rate of STD affliction and concluded God's punitive motives must have had a hand in it.

The prevalence of prohibition of liberal sexual behaviors in a society then worked as a way of preventing the spread of diseases, thus rendering the societies concerned more successful and spreading the meme in the inter-societal natural selection dynamic over the course of centuries.

Since women, more specifically, wives were generally considered property there were often strict laws about adultery committed by a married woman or by a man who is not the husband against said married woman. The husband was often not so encumbered and could often sleep with as many single women or slaves as they wished without penalty.

Homosexuality is a much more complex social issue historically that varied widely depending on the time and culture you're talking about.

 

[Mixolydian]

lol religion

 

[Exophase]

Since women, more specifically, wives were generally considered property there were often strict laws about adultery committed by a married woman or by a man who is not the husband against said married woman. The husband was often not so encumbered and could often sleep with as many single women or slaves as they wished without penalty.

You can't make sex outside of marriage illegal for only one gender (not without gay marriage anyway), it just sounds like the man wasn't punished for his role in it :/ There would probably often be a legal problem of having any evidence (let alone proof) of which man did it. You didn't say it specifically, but I'm going to figure that unmarried women having sex was considered at least as bad and probably worse of an offense.

Wanting to prohibit sex outside of marriage made sense (regardless of how effective it actually was). At least at a time when sex always carried a very substantial chance of pregnancy, unless one was sterile or the woman was old. And a single mother would have a very hard time getting by.

These days, not so much.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

You can't make sex outside of marriage illegal for only one gender (not without gay marriage anyway), it just sounds like the man wasn't punished for his role in it :/ There would probably often be a legal problem of having any evidence (let alone proof) of which man did it. You didn't say it specifically, but I'm going to figure that unmarried women having sex was considered at least as bad and probably worse of an offense.

Wanting to prohibit sex outside of marriage made sense (regardless of how effective it actually was). At least at a time when sex always carried a very substantial chance of pregnancy, unless one was sterile or the woman was old. And a single mother would have a very hard time getting by.

These days, not so much.

Says who? You? Many cultures seemed to have managed it just fine. Muslims now frequently pull it off; it only seems wrong from our culture looking from without and from those who find it unfair. What is fair is frequently not related to what is legal or illegal at any given point in time.

I don't think it's the model to base our society on, but what you just said is pure naivety.

 

[K1052]

You can't make sex outside of marriage illegal for only one gender (not without gay marriage anyway), it just sounds like the man wasn't punished for his role in it :/ There would probably often be a legal problem of having any evidence (let alone proof) of which man did it. You didn't say it specifically, but I'm going to figure that unmarried women having sex was considered at least as bad and probably worse of an offense.

Wanting to prohibit sex outside of marriage made sense (regardless of how effective it actually was). At least at a time when sex always carried a very substantial chance of pregnancy, unless one was sterile or the woman was old. And a single mother would have a very hard time getting by.

These days, not so much.

Uh...I'm not talking theoretically here. This was the situation in many cultures and still endures in some social attitudes in our own (though that is diminishing). Guess who wrote most of the laws to their benefit? Hint...it wasn't the women.

 

[MongGrel]

Apparently Rick Perry is a forum member.

:thumbsup:

:biggrin: