Sin, Sickness or an Alternative Life Style?: Refractions of Modern Jewish Sects on Homosexuality

It can be observed that as a consequence of growing demands for sexual freedom starting inthe 1960s the number of homosexuals and the movements they formed grew remarkably. Though homosexuality continues to be considered a crime in quite a number of countries, during the past years the number of those countries began to decrease. As a consequence of campaigns, homosexuals in some countries like Holland, Belgium and Sweden obtained some important legal gains such as the rights to marry and to adopt children. This situation evoked and still evokes intensive reactions and various protests led by spiritual leaders of religious traditions as Islam, Christianity and Judaism who attach great importance to the concept of family and to a healthy upbringing of new generations. It is safe to say that for Judaism it is seen as a challenge that during the last years the number of homosexuals in its congregations increased, that there are demands for official marriage ceremonies for homosexuals performed by rabbis and for homosexuals to be appointed as rabbis. Jewish thinkers andrabbis have produced different approaches to this challenge. This article tries to put forth the outlines of this approaches and the perspectives of modern Jewish sects or branches on the matter.