Religion Is Beside the Point

To the editors:

As a religious heterosexual I feel suited to criticize Hugh Liebert's position on homosexuality. Introducing religion into political debate is unfriendly. Just as I do not expect those who morally disagree with me to study the Parjnaparamita, it is absurd to posit that Christian moralists can only be opposed with Biblical criticism.

Eventually political dialogue will devolve into textual analysis in dead languages. Christians have argued that the Jews are immoral because they killed our saviour. Must we entertain such blatant nonsense, even for a moment? Clearly couching social debate in the context of personal religious experience is untenable.

As far as tradition is concerned, homosexuality is ancient and well established. Plato (via Aristophanes) strongly argues for its superiority in the Symposium.

Finally, homosexuality tends to lower population and thus could be an incredibly useful tool in the modern social context. Perhaps it is time that the essentially anachronistic practice of heterosexual monogamy disappear. NATHAN W. HILL '02   Nov. 2, 1998