Jesus was gay - $51,000 says so
By Tess Livingstone
May 29, 2003
JESUS was gay – the University of Queensland gave $51,000 of public money to a PhD student to reach that conclusion.
| | Dr McCleary studied Jesus's astrological chart. |
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Melbourne-based Rollan McCleary, who will today be awarded his doctorate, earned $17,000 a year to work on his three-year thesis on homosexual spirituality. As well as his revelation about Christ, Dr McCleary has also reached the conclusion that three – or possibly four – of Jesus's chosen disciples were also gay. A former Paris radio broadcaster, Hong Kong teacher and graduate of London University, Dr McCleary lived in Brisbane while completing his thesis.
He now lives in Melbourne, where he hopes to pursue postdoctoral studies with the aim of making gay spirituality a separate academic discipline.
Dr McCleary also believes that gay people find it easier to be Christian. "You don't have to be gay to be Christian, but it would be easier," he said.
Gay people, he said, were "looking for the ecstatic", sometimes in harmful ways, but were more inclined to be visionary and open to the transcendent.
He said Jesus's astrological chart, clues in the scriptures to which the churches had been blind and accurate biblical translations had all played a part in his conclusions. "The starting point is the matter of John, who always referred to himself as Jesus's beloved disciple," Dr McCleary said.
In a forthcoming book, he attempts to present St John's gospel in a new light to back up his claims.
"If you assume that Christ was incarnate, there are perfect theological and mystical reasons to point to his sexuality," Dr McCleary said.
Gay spirituality, he said, had begun with Christianity then fanned out to other religious such as Buddhism.
An Anglican and a qualified reader of astrological charts, Dr McCleary is open about being gay himself.
The Courier-Mail
