Socrates was a Pederast Homosexual
Greek Eros: Ancient Civilizations of Greece and RomeToday "Eros" would be considered sexual love, and in the days of ancient Greece, Eros was not only their god of love, but it was also their word that referred to sexual desire. In Greek society, especially during the Golden Age, this sexual desire does not seem to have been gender specific in any way.
In fact most men seemed to be more interested in pursuing and having sexual relations with young boys – a practice known as pederasty – than they were with pursuing women. While this likely seems strange to a society where the majority of men find it repulsive to think of another man as beautiful, and where until recently homosexuals and bisexuals were looked down upon as being inferior, it was actually quite common and accepted in the ancient world of Greece.
In this paper I primarily intend to illustrate how common the acts of pederasty and homosexual love really were, in addition to why these practices came to be so prevalent, and when and how they began to be shunned. It becomes obvious quite quickly how prevalent bisexuality was in ancient Greece when one begins to look at various aspects of life in this time. Literature, art, philosophy, and law were all major aspects of life in the ancient world; all of which portrayed outright expressions of the acceptance and prevalence of love between males, but especially that of young boys.
In literature one finds many authors who openly write about homosexuality in poetry and prose (with no restraints). In The Clouds, Aristophanes portrays homosexuality as a common and normal aspect of human existence and sexuality. Theocrites, Achilles Tatius, and Solon also condone homosexuality. Solon writes in his poem “Boys and Sport:”2 Blest is the man who loves and after early play Whereby his limbs are supple made and strong Retiring to his house with wine and song Toys with a fair boy on his breast the livelong day! As is obvious, Eros for young boys was something that writers of poetry and prose felt they did not need to be ashamed of or hide.
These writers – similar to the writers in most cultures - likely represented the view of the bulk of society. Homosexuality was often depicted in art too. While few wall paintings have survived, there are numerous remaining vase paintings that display profane (by modern standards) acts of homosexuality. The following picture [see opposite page] of the vase shows just how explicit the artwork could get, and actually may be considered one of the first forms of pornography. It displays a group of males standing around naked while at least one couple is in the process of having homosexual intercourse.
Two of Plato’ s works, The Phaedrus and The Symposium, paint a brilliant picture of what the attitude toward pederasty was at the time. In the opening pages of The Phaedrus, Phaedrus and Socrates are discussing a speech that Lysias – a popular orator of the day - has written; a speech that was “…designed to win the favor of a handsome boy….” Socrates seems to understand why one would write a speech on this subject, and even states that man “cannot have a less desirable protector or companion than the man who is in love with him.” The Symposium goes into even greater detail about pederasty.
The setting is a symposium – a type of dinner party that only included males as guests, and had entertainment, wine, and discussion of politics and philosophy – in which several men are gathered and all give speeches about why a love of boys is a good thing. Phaedrus - the first to give his speech - states, For I can’t say that there is a greater blessing right from boyhood than a good lover or a greater blessing for a lover than a darling [young boy]. What people who intend to lead their lives in a noble and beautiful manner need is not provided by family, public honors, wealth, or anything else, so well as by love. Pausanias - the second speaker - adds even more to this argument when he states Aphrodite only inspires love among men for young boys, and not women. Those inspired by Aphrodite are naturally drawn to the male because he is a stronger and more intelligent creature.
Socrates also comments on the importance of pederasty in his own life. He says, “My love for this fellow [Agathon- another member of the party who is a beautiful young boy] is not an insignificant affair.” Yet another member of the party, Alcibiades, also loves Agathon and tries to discredit Socrates when he says, “…Socrates is lovingly fixated on beautiful young men, is always around them – in a daze….” Socrates was one of the most influential persons in ancient Greece, and was in fact put to death for what the authorities thought was leading the youth of Athens astray. They did not condemn him for his love of young boys, however, but thought he was leading them away from the gods and causing them to question authority.
Pederasty was also condoned by the law. According to Plato, legal and social norms did not clearly condemn or prohibit homoeroticism. The court records of a case between an older gentleman and a man named Simon help one get an idea of the prevalence of pederasty. The case revolves around two men fighting over a younger boy, but never assigns any dishonor to either of the men for chasing the boy, and actually rule in favor of the old man even though he is married. Of course, each city-state was different, clearly reflected sexual norms in Greece as a whole.
Most of the examples that I have used thus far have been from Athens, but there were other cities that represented a full range of the spectrum in regard to acceptance of pederasty and homosexuality. Sparta, for example, developed institutionalized homosexuality in its military training, while other cities considered homosexuality illegal. These were usually cities far to the north of Greece, and were looked at as being inferior to most cities, especially Athens. Pausanias for example, in The Symposium, denounces these other cities as being ruled by barbarians for considering these acts shameful by law. This was likely a common view among most of the males in Athens in antiquity.
Society in Athens only condemned pederasty when it was sought after in a dishonorable way. Only when it was not pursued honorably according to laws and customs was pederasty frowned upon. There were also no laws against two middle-aged men having intercourse, but nonetheless, this does not appear to have been regarded as acceptable behavior.
The reason this would be looked at as unacceptable is because there were two roles in sex: the active and passive. The active role was reserved to that of the male citizen and considered the honorable role. The party that was strictly on the receiving end of the sexual act played the passive role, and it was considered a dishonor for that party to be a citizen. In order to understand why the Greeks in many of the cities in the Golden Age had the views they did, it is important to try and realize what situations caused their outlooks.
While many of their religious stories involved homosexuality, this was not the way the myths were originally composed, and probably evolved during the classical age to include stories of Zeus’ irresistible passion for his young boy cupbearer, Garrymede; and that of Zeus causing of the first homosexual act among men to occur. While these were effects of people’s thoughts about pederasty there are several possible causes of these thoughts. In the Greek Dark Ages, male warrior fraternities existed that likely caused a deep bond among men, and surely had some impact on thought thereafter.
There had also been a deep appreciation of the physique and prowess of the male body throughout ancient Greece. Another explanation that seems to explain pederasty may have been that the adult males were performing a type of guidance for the sons of fathers who had been killed in battle.
While these undoubtedly had an impact on the views of the ancient Greeks, probably the biggest factor influencing their thought was the structure of Greek culture. In Ancient Athens there was a very distinct public and private sphere. The public sphere was the place where a man was to pursue politics and gain prestige, while the private was where the women, children, and slaves were to remain. A form of punishment would actually be for a man to be banned from the public sphere and only allowed in the dishonorable private sphere – the house.
Women were looked down upon as less than citizens not much higher on the social ladder than slaves, and would be a dishonor to their husband if they were to leave the house. In respect to sexual courting, it did not really matter if a woman left the house or not, because having sex with another man’s wife, daughter, mother, sister, or concubine was one of the only offenses that was punished by execution. Again, only a male could be the active role and administer sex, therefore the female could not be guilty in regard to any sexual crimes. Plus, it was nearly impossible to court young women because of the fact that they had pre-arranged marriages – usually by the age of fourteen.
Women were also almost never outside, and zealously guarded until they were married in order to prevent the “accident” of unwanted children. This led to the situation where aristocratic men gathered in large numbers out of doors with no women to court and nowhere to direct their sexual energy. They could have directed it toward prostitutes and slaves, but these were at the disposal of all who could pay, and was not really any kind of competition for those men who wanted to show off their lovers. The only public sexual competition had to be directed to young boys. With this system in place, it became possible for men to meet lovers in several, all-male settings established in society.
There were numerous arenas where this could take place. One such place was the army, where an older man was supposed to help a younger boy become a better soldier and take him under his wing. Another was in the gymnasium where boys and trainers practiced in the nude. Yet another was the act of an older man taking a younger boy to a symposium to expose him to culture. All of these actions were common in Greek culture, but it was the older man who was to be the pursuer, and the boy that was supposed to be shy and not readily willing to succumb to the man’s advances. This was an honorable way of pursuing pederasty and was thought of as educational and good for the younger boy by the philosophers of the day.
There were, in fact, rules that would limit the contact men could have with boys, such as school not being open before sunrise or after sunset, and rules regarding who could enter a school, and for what reason. No slave would ever be allowed to court a boy. It is not fair to think that only the adult male benefited from these relationships. They both entered the relationship for selfish reasons; the boy for educational and social advantages, and the man for reasons of sex and companionship.
Once a man had wooed his darling, it was his job to make the boy into a woman. Since it was dishonorable for any man to be passive, the boy –who would someday be a man - had to be seen as a woman. At the same time, however, the lover was attempting to help advance the boy as a man. Boys, incapable of emitting semen – hence boys before adolescence, were not really viewed as male, so it was not all that difficult to portray them as female. This had to be quite an emotionally confusing strain, however, on the young boy. In this situation a boy who is trying to advance as a man, is also playing the role of a woman so it can be all right for what his lover is doing to him.
The male in this system is all part of a cycle. At one point in his life he is the pursued darling, and at another point, he becomes the pursuing adult lover. Once this practice became established, it is understandable that it became quite secure and commonplace in society. While this may seem a strange cultural system to many modern onlookers, it was completely normal for the males in Greek society who had known it as a part of their everyday existence their whole lives. Since men ran the culture and were the only members of society who were looked at as being fully human it only makes sense that they would want to pursue their equal.
Another major reason the structure of society in the ancient world helped cause pederasty is the fact that all marriages were arranged. There was no romance involved in marrying, and indeed, the job of the wife was to bear children and be the guardian of the home. Romance with a woman was actually frowned upon, and any man who was thought to be under the influence of a woman was said to be incompetent at law. The only honorable place to look for romance was in the pool of young boys in the city. Women were uneducated and in the eyes of men had little or no intellectual capacity, thus it was better to pursue the young darling and attempt to make an equal out of the boy.
Despite the overwhelmingly popular support of pederasty and homosexual love in ancient Greece, it did not last forever. However, it seems obvious that it did not die in the hands of the Greeks. It appears that pederasty began to decline by the end of the Hellenic period, but homosexuality certainly lived on. With the Hellenistic Age came an increased status of women as well as an increase in heterosexual relationships as the main focus of romantic endeavors. Both of these factors seemed to cause a decline in homosexual relationships, however, they did indeed live on in the Hellenistic world and even went on to Rome. Alexander the Great was known for his homosexual tendencies, and was never attacked for his long affair with Hepchaestion.
Homosexuality survived into the days of the Roman Empire where it finally became widely shunned when the emperor Justinian eventually banned it. The establishment of the church likely had the greatest influence in trying to eliminate homosexuality. Obviously, however, homosexuality has never, and likely will never be eliminated. It has been around longer than the church, and has survived despite the ruthless attack that the church has made on it. From the areas of literature, art, philosophy, and law it becomes obvious how very prevalent and accepted pederasty and homosexuality were in Hellenic times.
While it is impossible to know exactly how these views came to be, it
appears that the most influential factor was the way that society was structured in
an almost exclusively male setting. And while modern views condemn pederasty,
homosexuality unquestionably lives on in modern times and will likely survive as
long as humans walk the earth. While many people think of Democracy, and
philosophy as being legacies of the ancient Greek world, in many ways one could
trace homosexuality back to the Hellenic age as well.
Bibliography
Arkins, Brian. “Sexuality in Fifth-Century Athens.” 1994. http://www.ucd.ie/~classics/94/Arkins94.html (6 August 2000).
Cohen, David. Law, Sexuality and Society: The Enforcement of Morals in Classical Athens. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1991.
Crane, Gregory.
“The Perseus Home Page.” N.D. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1991.01.0790&image=1.
(01 November 2000). Halsall, Paul. “People With a History: An Online Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* History.” 1997. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/index-anc.html . (01 November 2000). Halsall, Paul. “Homosexual Eros in Early Greece.” 1986. http://www.forfham.edu/halsall/pwh/greekeros.html (1 November 2000). Kebric, Robert B. Greek People: Second Edition. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997. Plato. Phaedrus and Letters VII and VIII. Translated with an introduction by Walter Hamilton. London, England: Penguin Books, 1973. Plato. The Symposium and the Phaedrus: “Plato’s Erotic Dialogues.” Translated with an introduction and commentaries by William S. Cobb. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1993.END
Unholy Matrimony (God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve; U.S. has abandoned God)
END OF ARTICLE
How Permanent Is Your Salvation?
Mark 1:15: “...repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
“The mark
of the child of God is that he loves everybody!”
(a quote from Pastor Jack
Hyles' classic MP3 sermon, “FORGIVENESS
Mark 11:22, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.”
“There is power in this
Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to
present it...
The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to
believe.”
—Pastor Yankee Arnold, a precious quote from the excellent MP3 sermon titled,
“WHY
GRACE CAN SAVE THE WORST MAN!”
"And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40)
Notice that Jesus said “ye will not come,” not ye cannot come.
Jesus came to SAVE SINNERS! | They “Knew Not Until the Flood Came”
Romans 1:26-27 and 32, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. ...Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
Ephesians 4:15, “...speaking the truth in love...”
"Ye that love the LORD, hate evil..." —Psalm 97:10
Homosexuality is a Sin! | Changing God's Truth Into A Lie
Homosexuality Agenda Exposed (.PDF file)
God created Adam and Eve, NOT Adam and Steve!
- "Homosexuality 101: A Primer" (Provides a brief history of the homosexual movement in the U.S. and its roots in Marxist ideology. This paper describes how homosexuals terrorized the psychiatric community and have created a marketing strategy to vilify their opponents.)
- Homosexuals Recruit Public School Children
- Homosexual Behavior Fuels AIDS and STD Epidemic
- A Gender Identity Goes Mainstream
- Homosexual Propaganda Campaign Based on Hitler’s “Big Lie” Technique
- Homosexual Sex = Death from HIV Infection
- Traditional Values Coalition Exposes Homosexual Agenda
Homosexuality Is A Filthy Sin!
The Communist Subversion of America's Kids!
That's just sick! Have they no shame at GLSEN? Can you imagine, trying to teach Ronald that it's ok to stick something in Timmy's backside? ...or that it's ok for a boy to become a girl? What has American society deteriorated to? It is tragic. Any honest child knows that God created Adam and Eve; not Adam and Steve. GLSEN are a bunch of sickos!
2,600 Victims of Catholic Priests So Far!
Bishop Kurt Krenn is at the epicenter of the Sankt Poelten scandal
Don't Let Your Child Become The NEXT VICTIM Of A Catholic Priest!!!
SOURCE: https://www.vox.com/2018/9/4/17767744/catholic-child-clerical-sex-abuse-priest-pope-francis-crisis-explained“Three hundred abusers and over 1,000 victims, documented in 1,400 pages with stories no less harrowing than the one above. These are just the latest figures in a decades-long crisis, whose full extent may never be known. What has made these stories possible — and what has prevented them, in many cases, from being told until now — is a much wider story of an institution that has, over decades, repeatedly chosen secrecy and bureaucracy over transparency and accountability. It is the story of an institution that has not only failed to protect children from abusers, but has systematically allowed that abuse to continue, often with impunity, and has contributed to the victims’ suffering by repeatedly failing to contend with and take responsibility for its history.”
What you WON'T hear from the ungodly newsmedia is THE TRUTH why so many priests have become homosexuals. The Holy Bible plainly warns in 1st Timothy 4:1-3 that “FALSE PROPHETS” would come “Forbidding to marry”! What group forbids their priests from getting married? That's right, Catholics! No wonder their priests are turning into sodomites, just like people often do in ungodly prisons; God never instituted prisons! You don't lock a human being in a cage! The entire basis of Roman Catholic is a fraud, both doctrinally and in every other way. It is a false church!!! ~by David J. Stewart
“Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness,
to work all uncleanness with greediness.” —Ephesians 4:19
What HAPPENS in Vegas, is RECORDED in Heaven!!!
"Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him?
When ye say, Every one
that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD..." —Malachi 2:17
Homosexuality is a sin! Don't upset God by saying it's not!
God is Angry!
"...God is angry with the wicked every day." —Psalm 7:11| Hope for Homosexuals
(All people!) (Audio sermon by Pastor Jeff Owens)
The Homosexual Lifestyle is No White Picket Fence
Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse
Socrates was a Pederast Homosexual | Sodomite Ministers | "Pink Angels"The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) EXPOSED!
4-year old killed for refusing to call his mother's lesbian lover "daddy"
MILITANT MOB OF HOMOSEXUALS TARGET REPENT AMERICA
Homosexuality and Same Sex Marriage
George Michael Urges Gays to Take Religion Seriously
Swedish Pastor Sentenced to Prison for Preaching Against Sodomy
PHILLIES LOSE; REPENT AMERICA WINS
Homosexuality is Against Nature's Order
PERVERT ALERT! - Pedophile Priests and the Boy Scouts
Homosexuality a Factor in Sex Abuse by Catholic Priests
Homosexuals and the Pedophile Connection
The Homosexualization of America
Homosexuality and Child Molesting
Pedophile Priests (homosexuals)
George Bush Cheers Gay Church!
High Court to Give 'Gays' Their Own 'Roe'?
Homosexual Agenda in Our Public Schools
The Homosexual Lifestyle is No White Picket Fence
Education secretary blasts PBS for cartoon with gay characters
| Gay Tolerance? | Was King James a Homosexual? Frightening Gay Statistics | Violence and Homosexuality (Homosexuality is VERY ABNORMAL!)*While homosexuals claim they make up 10% of the population, the reality is closer to 1-2%!
(Provides a brief history of the homosexual movement in the U.S. and its roots in Marxist ideology. This paper describes how homosexuals terrorized the psychiatric community and have created a marketing strategy to vilify their opponents.)
Homosexuals Recruit Public School Children (.PDF)
Homosexual Behavior Fuels AIDS and STD Epidemic (.PDF)
A Gender Identity Disorder Goes Mainstream (.PDF)
Homosexual Propaganda Campaign Based on Hitler’s “Big Lie” Technique (.PDF)
Homosexual Sex = Death from HIV Infection (.PDF)
Traditional Values Coalition Exposes Homosexual Agenda (.PDF)
GLSEN Fistgate Scandal at Tufts Detailed By Massachusetts News:
“Who being past feeling have given
themselves over unto
lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” —Ephesians 4:19
The Tyranny of Judges
Thomas Jefferson’s worst nightmare seems to have come to pass. Jefferson was very concerned that judges would become despots and overrule the rights of the people. In 1820, he wrote to a friend,
“You seem to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions, a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men, and not more so.”
Jefferson realized that the Constitution protects the will of the people, not the opinions of judges. But instead of protecting the people’s vote on Proposition 8, Judge Walker used his judicial office to promote the agenda of a small minority who want to change the definition of marriage.
The definition of marriage, instituted by God and practiced by every culture since the creation of man, is under attack in America today. There is no discrimination against homosexuals in America with regard to marriage, no unequal treatment. Homosexuals are equally as free to marry as any other American. Their problem is that the definition of marriage itself requires every person to marry someone of the opposite sex. The fact that homosexuals don’t want to enter into marriage as it has always been defined doesn’t give them the right to use the courts to change that definition to suit their wishes. Changing the definition of marriage, as Judge Walker has done, undermines the most important building block of any society.
Judge Walker described the “ability to marry” as a fundamental right that cannot be denied to gays and lesbians. But this conclusion is complete and utter nonsense. Every society in history has placed restrictions on the “ability to marry.” You can’t marry your sister. You can’t legally be married to two or three people at the same time. You can’t marry someone who is already married. And you can’t marry someone of the same sex. Marriage by definition involves two people of opposite sexes who are—theoretically, at least—biologically capable of reproducing and forming families.
SOURCE: Latest Newsletter | Christian Law Association | Defining Marriage
There is a way out!
If you love someone tell them the truth.
