I know passages, and have read them, about homosexual sex, but does anyone know of what the Bible says of homosexual feelings, as opposed to sexual practices, as this might be of guidence also?
To answer your question, no Biblical passages exist that directly discuss homosexual feelings. You are most likely very familiar with all the passages about homosexuality, so I won’t repeat them.
I am a 16 year old boy, and I have homosexual feelings, as opposed to heterosexual. I have never ever done anything, of that kind, I am very much assure you. But I still feel it. And I just don’t know what to do. Because I can’t seem to stop these feelings. I need help, but I can’t ask anyone I know of course. I am really really sorry I hope sincerely this wasn’t offensive to anyone.
You have
absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t chose to feel that way. No one knows for certian what causes these feelings. There are theories on all sides of the question.
Some claim that they can cure homosexuality, as you know. However, these treatements (called “reparative therapy” by those who practice and support it) are usually very expensive and thier effectiveness is hotly debated. Look for yourself, but what you generally find is that secular psychologists and psychological assocations find reparative therapy to be unethical on the grounds that there is no medical reason that one ought to change one’s sexual orientation. Most secular psychologists (and the psychological associations that they belong to) find nothing pathological about homosexuality. They correctly point out that reparative therapy and those that seek change come from a highly religious perspective (93% of those under Robert Spitzer’s highly publicized study of homosexuality).
Those who support reparative therapy usually do so from the religious assumption that homosexuality is unnatural and immoral. You’ll find that a given article about reparative therapy, if it comes from a conservative Christian source, will be positive. If it’s from a secular source, it will usually be negative.
There are a few things that people on both sides of the issue agree on:
- Not everyone can change from a homosexual orientation to a heterosexual one.
- One must be highly motivated to change from a homosexual orientation to a heterosexual one - the change does not come easy. (And even among the most highly motivated, change is far from guaranteed.)
Personally, I have no problem with those who try to seek out reparative therapy. They have every right to pursue thier own destiny. If they don’t want homosexual thoughts and tendencies and they are motivated enough to put the intense amount of time and money into therapy, that’s fine. However,
it is not for everyone. One should not be expected by others to go into reparative therapy. It’s far from 100% effective (the debate on effectiveness is still raging), is very expensive and time consuming.
Plus, you’re still young. Maybe the feelings will go away. For me, they didn’t.
I recommend you seriously sit down, away from everyone else, and look at the arguements. Is homosexuality really as wrong as traditional Catholicism says it is? Does the Bible really address homosexuality as *you *mean it? What are your views on the Bible objectively? Do your views on homosexuality come from the notion that the Church is right on everything? Can you confirm that the Church (or the Bible) is, in fact, right on everything? (Or, at least, right on issues of faith and morals.)
Sit down. Write it all out. Think it all out. Be true to what you really believe, not what people tell you to believe.
And if you genuinely decide homosexuality to be okay or wrong, I’ll definately respect you for whatever decision or belief you come to.
