Natural Law and the Sin Against Nature
Traditional Christian descriptions of homosexuality as a sin against nature rely on a claim about the transparency of the sexed body to universal reason: homosexual acts are sins against nature because natural law renders them obviously unnatural. This moral description unnatural subverts itself...
Published in: | Journal of religious ethics |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2015]
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In: |
Journal of religious ethics
Year: 2015, Volume: 43, Issue: 4, Pages: 629-673 |
Further subjects: | B
Augustine
B Sexual ethics B Homosexuality B Natural Law B nuptial theology B Marriage |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | Traditional Christian descriptions of homosexuality as a sin against nature rely on a claim about the transparency of the sexed body to universal reason: homosexual acts are sins against nature because natural law renders them obviously unnatural. This moral description unnatural subverts itself for two reasons. First, neo-traditionalist descriptions conflate natural and normal. Dialogue with Didier Eribon's work on the insult shows how such moral descriptions self-subvert and render chastity impossible. Second, neo-traditionalists use the description to require celibacy, which the tradition teaches is likely impossible without a special gift. This use of natural law thus fails to be self-consistent or true to reality and so undermines its ability to serve as a critical principle in the search for truth. A critical use of natural law allows for an alternative, non-insulting description of homosexual characters. This essay outlines the character description through immanent critique of two spheres of Catholic teachings about sex: Augustinian sexual ethics and nuptial theology. |
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ISSN: | 1467-9795 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religious ethics
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/jore.12116 |