I used to be a hindu

[willy1590]

Hello
I used to give worship to lord shiva and planned on celebrating divali and other festivals. I then spoke to another hindu who told me that homosexuality is wrong and that premarital sex is prohibited and that started me on my leaving of hinduism.
Can you accept these things and be a hindu?

 

[Jainarayan]

That other Hindu is full of male bovine excrement. There is no theological basis to say homosexuality is wrong. The belief that it is, is a legacy of British and Muslim rule in India.

Read these:

Homosexuality
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]On the subject of sex and life styles it needs to be mentioned that homosexuality which is a major obsession with the "Abrahamic coalition" (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and the focus of many social and politico-religious agendas in the West and which attracts endless invective and hatred is a non-event in Srivaishnavism. None of the acharyas have ever considered the topic important enough to discuss. So for a Srivaishnava position on the subject we need to take another look at the Scriptures which inform us that there are three types of births;-[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]The jiva is blinded by ignorance; sometimes it is embodied as a man, sometimes as a woman, sometimes as a homosexual. According to its deeds and the nature it acquires thereby, it may be born as a deva, a human or a beast. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Srimad Bhagavatam 4.29.29.[/FONT]​

[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]According to the Dharma, homosexuals (both male and female) are born as such and cannot be "converted" from heterosexuality. There is no conscious choice in the matter of sexuality - it is determined by one’s Karma. The question of evil or wickedness does not arise in the case of natural disposition. The victimisation, discrimination or ostracization of homosexuals is wrong and contradicts the teachings of the dharma. The acharyas have never addressed this issue, and none of the law givers have made a big deal about it. In fact there is no mention of [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]homosexuality in any of the catalogues of sins that one finds in the Puranas. It is a matter of [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]no consequence and not worthy of any serious mental expenditure. The general guidelines of the Dharma regulating relationships and social activities apply to homosexuals as well. - The Handbook of Srivaishnavism of Ramanujacharya p. 41[/FONT]
[/FONT]

Society: One Hindu's Take on Gay Marriage - Magazine Web Edition > July/August/September 2012 - Publications - Hinduism Today Magazine

As far as premarital sex, there is nothing against it specifically afaik, except that there are principles, not rules in Hinduism.

 

[Riverwolf]

Homosexuality isn't even mentioned in Hindu doctrine, and pre-marital sex is only discouraged, but not overtly disallowed. I'm a Hindu who accepts both these things.

 

[Vinayaka]

Hello
I used to give worship to lord shiva and planned on celebrating divali and other festivals. I then spoke to another hindu who told me that homosexuality is wrong and that premarital sex is prohibited and that started me on my leaving of hinduism.
Can you accept these things and be a hindu?

Of course. As far as I know, Hinduism is one of the few religions that doesn't go off on homosexuality. In some scriptures, its written about as the 3rd gender. But yes, you do encounter 'traditionalists' for lack of a better word ... people who are very biased, and as Jainarayan has pointed out, most likely influenced by non-dharmic forces.

In Britain there is even a Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association; perhaps you could contact them for additional support on the matter.

Who needs enemies when you have friends like that?

 

[Breathe]

Can you accept these things and be a hindu?

You can.

 

[Marble]

I then spoke to another hindu who told me that homosexuality is wrong and that premarital sex is prohibited and that started me on my leaving of hinduism.

I think that's a cultural thing, not a religious one.
In earlier times, there was no such thing as a pension scheme, the only possibility to provide for old age & bad times was to have many children and hopefully enough of them would survive.
A son being homosexual was a problem, because he would not produce offspring (no in vitro fertilization).
Also society was very patriarchal, therefore they wanted womens' sexuality being controlled by the family - for the needs of men outside/before marriage there were prostitutes.

 

[Maya3]

Of course you can be Hindu if you are gay!

Maya

 

[willy1590]

Thank you very much everyone!

 

[Shântoham]

Of course you can be Hindu if you are gay!

Maya

pranām

But can you be gay if you are a Hindu? What about the panca ṛṇa? pitṛ ṛṇa in particular?
Please understand that I am not trying to be polemical or judgmental. I am only raising a scriptural point.

 

[willy1590]

what does that say?

 

[Jainarayan]

pranām

But can you be gay if you are a Hindu? What about the panca ṛṇa? pitṛ ṛṇa in particular?
Please understand that I am not trying to be polemical or judgmental. I am only raising a scriptural point.

Easy enough... adoption, surrogate motherhood, but adoption especially. A little different than a mother/father relationship, but workable nontheless to raise a child as Hindu.

 

[Twilight]

pranām

But can you be gay if you are a Hindu? What about the panca ṛṇa? pitṛ ṛṇa in particular?
Please understand that I am not trying to be polemical or judgmental. I am only raising a scriptural point.

Can infertile couples be Hindu?

 

[Vinayaka]

I know a Hindu couple who adopted. Not a problem.

 

[Maya3]

I know several gay couples who have children.
I also know several straight couples who don't, myself included.

Maya

 

[Vinayaka]

Some nice stuff here ... Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association, Inc.

 

[Vinayaka]

I know several gay couples who have children.
I also know several straight couples who don't, myself included.

Maya

Oh you evil adharmic person you! We have 5, and it appears at this stage that only one of the 5 will be producing progeny, but 2 are still more or less in the 'haven't decided yet' category.

My standard comment to homophobic teenagers was always the "you know, the worst homophobes at your age are usually gays themselves, attempting to convince everyone else you're not gay." They usually shut up after that.

 

[Jainarayan]

...the worst homophobes at your age are usually gays themselves, attempting to convince everyone else you're not gay.

Been there, done that.

 

[willy1590]

well does india condem either?

 

[Jainarayan]

It's decriminalized in India; it is not illegal.

 

[Vrindavana Das]

At the expense of sounding rude, I want to point out that a lot of mental speculation is going on here, in the name of Hinduism. Abrahamic faiths do not lend convenience of such mental speculation (due to comparative lack of richness & depth), so, an attempt to exploit Hinduism to suit one's belief & convenience is seen here. Unfortunately, persons with a poor fund of knowledge about Hinduism propagate such incorrect information as facts of scriptures, quoting one's mind as authoritative scriptures. That, however is only as correct, as these person's being a Hindu.

What the scriptures say about homosexuality is as under:

devo 'devāñ jaghanataḥ
sṛjati smātilolupān
ta enaḿ lolupatayā
maithunāyābhipedire​

Lord Brahmā then gave birth to the demons from his buttocks, and they were very fond of sex. Because they were too lustful, they approached him for copulation. [B.G. 30.20.23]

Homosexuality is accepted in Hinduism, to the extent a person afflicted with lust, envy, anger, pride etc. is to be considered liberated and situated in nīrvīkalpa samādhi.

Homosexuality is a demonic tendency and should be avoided. Hinduism is about purifying one's existence to achieve the divine.