The Love Laws

I've really wanted to quote this somewhere, because I think it's such a fascinating way of looking at "sin" (or at least sexual sin), but now that I'm here, I don't know if it will really make sense. But here is the quote:

"They all broke the rules. They all crossed into forbidden territory. They all tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved, and how. And how much."

-Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things

It is a story that includes a brother and sister who have sex, but also, an Untouchable and a Touchable who do (it takes place in India). Of course, most Americans would probably be more sympathetic with the latter affair, but talking about sexual transgressions in terms of who you are allowed to love really reframes the conversation, I think. Why should it ever be a sin to love someone? Especially if you're not already committed to loving someone else? It seems like the strangest thing to try and moralize about. But then when we start talking about incest and rape and those sorts of things, it pushes the question. This book also includes a man who makes a child jack him off. And we're not ok with that, are we? Tricky. Obviously, the issue is consent, but is it really that simple? Why do we get to just make that rule? It's not universally accepted, for sure. And that's just another way of saying how someone is allowed to "love." We are very particular about how sexual activity is used. Why?

Sometimes, I like having lots of questions and no answers. I feel like I'm on the verge of something. Do these questions frighten you? Good. They frighten me too.