Mirage

Greetings to all...

I've received conflicting information from outside sources on this issue so I thought I'd bring it to the forum.

My questions are these:

1) Does Baha'i have a official outlook on homosexuality?

2) Does Baha'i support or condemn Gay/Lesbian marriage?

There's more, but I think that's a good place to start.

Thank you for your time.

lelandbug

"No matter how devoted and fine the love may be between people of the same sex, to let it find expression in sexual acts is wrong. To say that it is ideal is no excuse. Immorality of every sort is really forbidden by Baha'u'llah, and homosexual relationships he looks upon as such, besides being against nature...To be afflicted this way is a great burden to a conscientious soul. But through the advice and help doctors, through a strong and determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this handicap."

- Shoghi Effendi, the last Guardian of the Faith.

"A number of sexual problems, such as homosexuality and transsexuality can well have medical aspects, and in such cases recourse should certainly be had to the best medical assistance. But it is clear from the teaching of Baha'u'llah that homosexuality is not a condition to which a person should be reconciled, but is a distortion of his or her nature which should be controlled and overcome. This may require a hard struggle, but so also can be the struggle of a heterosexual person to control his or her desires. The exercise of self-control in this, as in so very many other aspects of life, has a beneficial effect on the progress of the soul. It should, moreover, be borne in mind that although to be married is highly desirable, and Bahá'u'lláh has strongly recommended it, it is not the central purpose of life."

- The Universal House of Justice

So there you go - that would be the official position.

Myself - I have no problems with gays and lesbians, and it's not my personal belief that homosexuality is innately wrong. Coming across the Baha'i position on homosexuality was a little disorienting for me.

I was brought up in a family that supported gay rights, and I think I will continue to do that, because it seems to help further peace in the world.

Ultimately, it's up to the individual to decide what makes sense and what doesn't. For a gay or lesbian, this job may be a little more difficult - but there you are.

You might want to look at this thread: Baha'i view on homosexuality

Livindesert

I personally like this quote from ewlabonte on the other homosexual thread Now sometimes people say that it is science that says if a marriage should be allowed but just the other day on CNN they had a woman advocating "open marriage"(where both spouses are allowed to have sexual relations with other people) Her position was that man is naturally ment to seek out as many mates as possible so she advocated that selective straying is the way to hold marriages together.

Another story on CNN the other day adovocated a sort of group marriage because according to primate studies men and women are biologically ment to have sex with multiple partners as evidenced by primate behavior and the womans ability to have mulitiple orgasms.

So should we look to the Baha'i faith or to other sources for our social rules? Overall as a Baha'i I believe I cannot advocate any other marriage than between a Man and Woman but I would not try to get in the way of non-Baha'is who choose to have that sort of marriage.