Did Jesus recommend self-castration? Some of the 39 Heaven's Gate members who began committing suicide a fortnight ago seem to have thought so.
Autopsies have revealed that eight of the 18 male suicides, including the cult leader, had indeed been castrated.
On the Internet, the cult cited the 12th verse of the 19th chapter of Matthew's Gospel where Jesus is quoted as saying: "There are eunuchs who are born so from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who are made so by men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves so for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him accept it who can."
The word "eunuch" comes from the Greek language and literally means a "bed guardian." Men with harems at times chose to have them watched over by males who were incapable of impregnating the women. Such an arrangement would presumably eliminate any question as to who was the father of any of the children.
Although the San Diego cult was anti-church, members seemed to esteem Jesus and the Bible, at least selectively. This fact has a bearing on two crucial subjects besides self-castration -- namely self-destruction and the end of the world.
Curiously, there were surreal churchy overtones to the story of cult's demise. In San Diego County (named after the Apostle St. James), the cult headquarters was in Rancho Santa Fe (named after the Holy Faith of Catholicism).
The deaths took place during Holy Week, when the church focuses on Christ's death and resurrection. The bodies were covered with a purple cloth, just as -- up until recent liturgical changes -- statues and crosses in Catholic churches were covered with purple shrouds during Holy Week.
In the Roman litany in honor of Christ's mother, she is called Porta Coeli -- Heaven's Gate. These are also the words over the entrance to the Greek Orthodox Church in downtown Baltimore, at Maryland Avenue and Preston Street.
There is no evidence that Jesus was ever married or had children, and there has never been any serious claim that he was a eunuch. His recommendation that those who were up to the sacrifice should make themselves eunuchs for the sake of kingdom -- that is, for spiritual advancement -- has never been taken literally by mainstream Christianity.
(Nor have his severe admonitions about hating your father or mother, or plucking out your eye if it is a source of sin).
