Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Jewish views on homosexuality" in English language version.
Judaism's sexual ideal is marital sex; all other forms of sexual behavior deviate from that ideal. There is a continuum of wrong from premarital sex, to celibacy, to adultery, to homosexuality, incest, and bestiality.
Herschell Matt, a Conservative Jewish thinker, moved away from the category of 'illness' to speaking of 'sexual deviance, malfunctioning, or abnormality-usually unavoidable and often irredemediable. Matt recignized traditional reasons for condemning homosexuality, but argued that Halakah (traditional law) recognizes the category of 'constraint' (me'ones) excusing one in circumstances beyond one's control. Because there is no possibility of change to a hetereosexual preference, the homosexual should be considered to be acting under 'constraint'. A decade later, Matt went further and rejected his own suggestion that homosexuals should be tolerated because they are acting out of uncontrollable compulsion. Homosexuality is rather part of God's creation; therefore, gay men and lesbians may be ordained to the rabbinate. Matt went further than many other Conservative Jews, but virtually all Jewish writers support the decriminalization of private sexual acts. Another Conservative Rabbi, Robert Kirshchner, pointed out that 'in the interpretation of Jewish tradition, where there is a halachic will, there is a halachic way. In other words, if our understanding of a situation changes, we Jews have always found a way to make the law fit in with our new understanding.'
Rabbi Leonard Levy's responsum, which accepts reparative therapy as a possibility and supports the same public policy as Rabbi Roth, attained the minimum threshold of 6 votes.
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