Were the Roman views on sexuality enlightened or indulgent?

Roman men often had relations with younger men, even though they themselves were often family men. They did so not because they were gay or bisexual, but because that is what Roman men (of stature) did at the time. They viewed a beautiful woman and a beautiful man in the same light- equals to be appreciated equally. It was more about the aesthetics of the person, not the gender. There was little separating straight and gay.

Do our Judeo-Christian roots make this enlightened view impossible for us to understand, or is it merely classic Roman indulgence and excess on display?