Might the best solution lie in recognizing the pragmatic reality that there is a human ecological niche to be filled? That a sizable segment of the population wants to worship a beautiful young man? And, because for obvious reasons this cannot be the chief deity, nor the young pagan of uncontrolled sexuality, why not create a new one?

In every respect, Sebastian filled the bill perfectly. Consider the evidence:

If you ask me, this has all the hallmarks of a good psy op. I think it worked, for a time. The militant Calvinists saw through it, though. In their narrow minds, religion was supposed to be the implacable enemy of sex, and Sebastian (along with much of Renaissance art) was an impermissible compromise with dark forces of a sexually suggestive nature.

The stubborn beauty of Antinous remains. So does the war between religion and sex, religion and pleasure.

A war which, I hasten to add, should never have been fought, and which must be ended. War against sex is a war against human nature — even and especially when it claims to be fighting to uphold the very "nature" with which it is at war.

That which was perfectly natural to the ancients was called unnatural, and those who were at war with nature declared their enemies to be at war with nature. Once natural interests were transformed into unnatural interests, the resultant madness lent itself perfectly to a reign of truly unnatural interests — a malignant inquisition into private sexual matters now being called "natural." With lots of trouble since.

(OK, so here come my slogans.....)

End the war of Religion versus Sex!

Restore Classical Values!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

NOTE: The above post can also be read at my blog.