Oh. Interesting. What about two men kissing?
The early Christians greeted each other with a holy kiss. A common greeting in many cultures is the
embrasso in which men greet one another with a hearty hug, clapping each other on the back and maybe kissing each other on both cheeks.
Watching old movies made in the 1930’s,1940’s, I find it interesting how easily two men living together would say, “I love you.” There was no implication of any sexual activity. This openness and freedom has been greatly dampened in the last couple decades. There is a scene from an “On the road” movie in which the sultan invites Bob Hope to bathe with him. A treasure map has been tattooed on his chest and so the sultan chides him for “acting like a maiden” as he covers his chest with his hands. The type of humor expressed could never be written into the sit-coms of today. The masculinity of the men in these old movies is never questioned. Today, the question revolves around how my actions might be interpreted. Can two men slap each other on the back any place other than the baseball bullpen or athletic field?
Today’s focus on sexual activity for the sake of sexual activity has not really increased our freedom. As Pope Benedict XVI would state it, we have replaced true freedom with a pseudo-freedom that does not recognize personal responsibility for the actions we take.
Splenda has replaced sugar and nobody knows the effects the chemicals might have on the body. Margarine was touted as a cheap alternative to butter that might help with weight management and lower cholesteral. Doctors are now saying eat butter because our bodies know how to handle butter. The body does not know how to handle margarine with its hydroxidated fats.
We cannot replace the natural with something artificial and not expect consequences. That which we consider valuable we protect. Science has recently discovered how the secretion of hormones during congugal relationships makes the male protective of his wife and the wife desire to cling to her husband. The becoming one expressed in Genesis can be physiologically described. Nature would protect the family and the life that might come from the union between male and female. These physiological actions have a psychological impact when disrupted, as with adultery, fornication, and divorce. These actions, as described by St. Paul, become a sin against the self and a denial of who we are in God’s sight. They change how we see ourselves.
Wearing eyeglasses does not keep the nose from performing its natural function of breathing while helping the eyes better perform what they are called to do; that is to see.
Christianity is a religion that deals with relations. It is about our relationship with God, with ourselves, and with each other. The desire for strong relationships is not limited to only one religion. It is a natural desire that men and women have with each other. Anything that disrupts that relationship is therefore harmful.
