Nonbinary genders beyond 'male' and 'female' would have been no surprise to ancient rabbis, who acknowledged tumtums, androgynos and aylonot
Nonbinary genders beyond 'male' and 'female' would have been no surprise to ancient rabbis, who acknowledged tumtums, androgynos and aylonot
People sometimes assume religious traditions’ ideas about gender have always been conservative and unchanging.
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I always interpreted the “don’t be gay” Bible thing to mean “if you’re not gay, don’t pretend to be” kinda thing. So I’ve always thought what the Bible says is wrong is to not accept your sexuality & try to change it.
I don't think the bible says "don't be gay", I think it says something like "thou shalt not lay with a man as with a woman - that is an abomination".
That just means not to have PIV sex. No biggy - gay men have a tendency to avoid that.
Probably says something else too, I’ve been seeing interpretations based on the Hebrew texts, and, unsurprisingly, the versions people know tend to get it wrong & just use the text to reinforce preexisting beliefs.
I grew up an Orthodox Jew (I’m not as an adult). The way I learned it was that existing as a gay person, as in, that’s simply who you are, isn’t problematic. The issue is the act of gay sex itself, which is what the verse in the Torah refers to.
That is to say, your understanding is correct.
Disclaimer: I don’t care about it myself. Just explaining it how I was taught in Orthodox schools.
It was the same for us lutherans here in northern europe, it was the act itself that used to be disallowed. They've since allowed practicing gay and lesbian priests though.