Berteologi Kontekstual dari Mitos Plai Long Diang Yung

The focus of this study is on theological reflection on the myth of Plai Long Diang Yung which is contained in the culture of the Dayak Wehea people. This myth has a special and central place in the life of the local people and is the origin of the Lom Plai celebration which is the culmination of all traditional celebrations and rituals. This myth has an important meaning in people's lives and talks about many things related to human existence, nature and God. With this fact, the myth can become a locus theologic that can enrich the reflection of the Church's faith and root the faith in culture and culture in the light of faith. The method used in this paper is based on the results of critical reading of the mythical text of Plai Long Diang Yung and the Christian Tradition text. This study found that the myth of Plai Long Diang Yung contained a very rich theological meaning which spoke of Christ, salvation and God who is not limited to human sexuality.

Malakoi (Effeminates) and Avrsenokoitai (Homosexuals): A Reflection on 1 Corinthians 6:9 from a Ghanaian (Akan) Perspective

Homosexuality and the rights of LGBTQ+ people have in recent times become one of the most discussed topics. In Ghana especially, there are massive debates, comments and advocacy of various kinds on the print, mass and electronic media on the subject. Politicians, religious leaders, among others have had to add their voice to the ongoing discussion as to whether or not to accept homosexuality. It appears the majority of Ghanaians are anti-gay and believe that the activities of homosexuals or LGBTQ+ people are unnatural and foreign to Ghanaian primal thought and thus are calling for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values. This paper examines Paul’s use of malakoi (effeminates) and avrsenokoi/tai (homosexuals) in 1 Corinthians 6:9 from the perspective of the Ghanaian (Akan) culture. The researcher brings out Paul’s understanding and theology of malakoi and avrsenokoi/tai, and then engages these with the Akan understanding of homosexuality. This way, the Akan culture is factored into the interpretation of the selected Pauline passage as it forms the basis of the researcher’s theological reflection on the subject under discussion among the Akan. The researcher uses Kwame Bediako’s “scripture as the hermeneutic of culture and tradition” as an interpretive tool, to interpret the Akan philosophy on homosexuality and how that compares to Paul’s concept of homosexuality. This study serves as a contribution to knowledge as it brings new insights to the ongoing discussion throughout the world regarding the understanding of human sexuality especially from cultural and biblical perspectives. KEYWORDS: Effeminates, homosexuals, homosexuality, unrighteous, hermeneutic, culture.

De L'œil du savant au regard impudique dans La Curée

La Curée is a novel about financial excesses and sexual appetites. A problem arises for Zola: how to describe sexual acts and avoid censorship? Zola's strategy is to portray sexuality in a slightly indirect way. He uses a scientific gaze as an alibi to describe human sexuality. This article demonstrates how Zola combines references to botany and fairground anatomy for this purpose. Botany allows Zola to write about sexuality in a way that is both explicit and indirect. In addition, the naturalistic method of observation offers a ‘neutral’ scientific perspective of sexuality. Finally, references to anatomical Venuses allow the pseudo-pedagogical observation of the naked female body. Therefore, an indecent, voyeuristic gaze reveals itself behind science as alibi, behind the naturalist gaze.

“Are you gay or do you do gay?” Subjectivities in “gay” stories on the Persian sexblog shahvani.com

The main goal of this study is to demonstrate the influence of local-traditional perceptions of sexuality in the construction of subjectivity among men involved in same-sex sexual practices in contemporary Iran. In order to do so, I shall briefly outline some essential features of the local-traditional understanding of sexuality, which I consider to be epistemologically and ontologically different from the modern concept of human sexuality. Subsequently, the continuity of the local-traditional understanding of sexuality in the identity construction of those individuals involved in same-sex sexual practices will be demonstrated through an inquiry on contemporary pornographic stories written by users of an online platform with erotic and pornographic content. I will argue that the perception of and the explanation for same-sex desire as well as the categorisations of subjects found in these stories point to the predominance of local-traditional patterns of thought in the imagination of the authors of these stories. However, it will also be demonstrated that the modern idea of sexuality is present among some other users of this platform, whose modern worldview is in conflict and competition with the local-traditional views on sexuality. This conflict is best illustrated in the commentary sections of the stories on this website, where modern-thinking users question the “truth” of the epistemology behind these local-traditional narratives. This modern users’ criticism of the local-traditional view on same-sex desire shall be addressed in the last part of the paper.

The Case of 'Suspected Adulteress': Reading Numbers 5:11-31 from the Perspective of a Married African Woman

As studies have shown, marital sexual infidelity is attested in every society of the world.1 In African societies, adultery is not only strictly prohibited on social, moral and religious grounds but is also regarded, in some African cultures, as an abomination. This is rooted, among others, in the sacredness of marriage in Africa and the inseparable link between the use of human sexuality in marriage and the generation of new life for the perpetuation of the family-lineage and the community. In theory, the ban on adultery applies equally to all married men and women but in praxis, there are some hints of gender injustice against women in observing the ban on adultery. The patriarchal context in some African cultures provides the background for such gender inequality and sexual injustice against women. By using bosadi biblical hermeneutics to interpret the Sotah ritual (Num 5:11-31) - a ritual that is gender-specific, meant only for women accused of adultery - this article condemns the sexual injustice endured by married women in some (African) patriarchal societies and advocates the reading of Num 5:11-31 and other biblical texts containing 'oppressive elements' in a way that is liberating and empowering to the oppressed and marginalised.

Antecedents of Marriage Equality in the 1970s

Chapter 3 tells the story of the Stonewall riots of 1969 and the small marches that grew up starting in 1970 to memorialize Stonewall. The marches became the Pride parades we know today, which have grown by a factor of more than 1,000 and spread across the world. Chapter 3 explains the antimarriage ideology of the Gay Liberation Front and tells the story of the American Psychiatric Association’s reclassification of homosexuality as a healthy manifestation of human sexuality in 1973. Early marriage plaintiffs Jack Baker and Michael McConnell faced a hostile legal climate and were unable to have their marriage recognized. The Christian Right rose in prominence in the 1970s on an anti-gay-rights message. There was a campaign of anti-gay-rights referenda that reached its pinnacle with the Briggs Initiative in California in 1978. The Briggs Initiative was defeated by Harvey Milk and other gay rights activists.

African Transition Rituals Celebrating Gender and Human Sexuality: Implications for African Christian Theology

Transition rituals are prominent practices among African traditional communities. Among the Gusii community of western Kenya the ritual is performed for both boys and girls. The boys are taken through circumcision while girls go through clitoridectomy. The ritual for girls is widely criticized and opposed by among others the Christian Church. The ritual for girls is resisted on several grounds, but it still persists. The question which many have asked is, why this persistence? This paper raises a number of arguments among them being that; in Africa, gender and human sexuality are celebrated through painful rituals. Men and women are made rather than born. In this discussion, I argue that opposition to clitoridectomy is ill informed, because it is the element of the pain that accompanies the ritual that is the reason why the ritual persists. The paper draws equivalents between the Gusii traditional transition ritual with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, namely that from a theological perspective, the rituals should be perceived constructively as preparatory for Christian evangelization as they point to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is suggested that the Church should view the rituals constructively instead of opposing them. This situation, among other factors, has over the years rendered ineffective the Church’s efforts at evangelization not only in Gusii community but also in other African communities where this ritual is upheld

Exploring Human Sexuality of the Single Adult in the Church Today: A Reflection of Single Women.

The family is an institution on which a nation is built. Where there are strong family structures, there are strong nations. This paper deals with a social sift whereby more and more adults are choosing not to marry and keep families but instead are opting to remain single. The discussion in this paper alleges that the needs of the single man or woman in the church are not taken care of. Consider for instance, that church programmes cater for the needs of children very well. The needs of the youth are meticulously catered for. Married people are served in elaborate family-life programmes and in a similar version, widows are provided for by religious and economic empowerment associations. But when it comes to the needs of the single adult, no provision is made to address exceptional needs such as management of sexual needs within that category. Bible writers specifically address other categories in the church, not so the single adult, man or woman. The church teaches the single adult to keep one’s sexual drive under wraps until marriage. The teaching regulates engagement in sex before marriage and out of marriage assuming that the person will eventually marry. This paper emphasizes the impact singlehood is posing to the people in the church including the life of the church today.