Example answer to an (e) question Evaluation is in italics.
‘Homosexuality is an unnatural way of life which homosexuals must opt out of.’ Discuss
this statement. You should include different, supported points of view and a personal viewpoint. You must
refer to Judaism in your answer.’ (12)
I think that the viewpoint that you can just ‘opt’ out of being gay shows a misunderstanding of what it
means to be gay, and so I disagree with this statement.
People who agree with this statement argue that homosexuality is unnatural. They would point to the
human anatomy and its apparent design for male and female to have sex, resulting in pregnancy of the female.
They may point out that one of the main purposes of a sexual relationship is to reproduce, and this purpose is
defeated in a homosexual relationship. But this argument doesn’t work in the modern day, as gay couples are
allowed to adopt or they could have fertility treatment. So gay Jews can still have a family. People might also
argue in support of this statement that since the majority of people are heterosexual, having sexual relations
with the opposite sex is the natural way to be. However, this doesn’t seem like a strong argument, as just
because the majority of people do it, that doesn’t mean it is natural (e.g. most people wake up using an alarm
clock, which is not natural).
Orthodox Jews see homosexual sex as a sin condemned by the Torah (in Leviticus it says that lying with
a man as one would with a woman is an “abomination” that is punishable by death). If it is a sin, then it must be
a choice, since God would not punish us for something that we cannot help, and therefore we can opt out of
being gay. This is also backed up by the fact that now that society is more accepting of homosexuality, more
people are choosing to be homosexual. If it was not a choice, the numbers of homosexuals would have remained
constant regardless of society’s view on it.
In reply to this, someone might argue that it is not that there are more homosexuals nowadays, but that
there are more people who show their homosexuality, whereas in the past people had homosexual feelings but
were afraid to show them. They might argue that homosexuality is not a choice, but is something you are born
with. Indeed, there is some scientific evidence to suggest that there may be a gene responsible for
homosexuality, and so a person has as much control over their sexual orientation as over their height. Another
reason why one might think that homosexuality is a choice is that even in today’s society, being homosexual
brings difficulties; for example, one may be the subject of homophobic verbal and physical abuse. It is unclear
why you would ‘opt’ for this difficult life.
Most liberal Jews would agree with the view that homosexuality is not a choice, and might point out that
the condemnation of homosexual sex in the Torah made sense for Jews at that point in history (having just
escaped slavery in Egypt and been the subject of infanticide, they needed to reproduce lots to increase the
Jewish population), but makes less sense today in today’s over-populated world. Judaism should not force gay
Jews to change their lifestyle as the Torah is a book that emphasises loving kindness (Leviticus tells us to ‘Love
thy neighbour’), and forcing someone to be someone that they are not is not the loving thing to do.
I think that although the human anatomy does suggest that homosexual sex is unnatural, there are many
other things humans do that go against our body’s make-up (for example, men only having sex with one partner
when they have millions of sperm) and whether it is natural or not does not necessarily have a bearing on
whether it is morally right or wrong. Given that a homosexual lifestyle brings its own burdens and
disadvantages, it seems that homosexuality is not something that people can opt out of, and therefore it is
wrong to force homosexuals to try and change their ways.
By Miss Davis