Homosexuality: A Mental Disorder?

[goofyjim]

This far into the failed sexual revolution, it is my interpretation of John Paul’s Theology of the Body that not all homosexuals, even active ones will necessarily go to hell. I remember reading one line that said they will be cleansed of their sexuality in purgatory. So many have been misled by the previous generation that I have to believe this is the case. As for those who haven’t practiced it, I believe they have a good shot at heaven soon after death.

 

[brianwalden]

This far into the failed sexual revolution, it is my interpretation of John Paul’s Theology of the Body that not all homosexuals, even active ones will necessarily go to hell. I remember reading one line that said they will be cleansed of their sexuality in purgatory.

If they repent. Purgatory cannot cleanse mortal sin. It only gets rid of the temporal effects of our repented sins. So while Purgatory can cleanse the homosexual inclination, just as it can cleanse someone else’s violent or alcoholic or adulterous inclination, it can’t do anything about unrepentant mortal sins.

So many have been misled by the previous generation that I have to believe this is the case.

If they are invincibly ignorant we can hope for them. If they know the truth and have chosen to reject it, they must repent in the same way that so many heterosexuals who have fallen into the trap of the sexual revolution must also repent.

As for those who haven’t practiced it, I believe they have a good shot at heaven soon after death.

Why would someone who has never practiced homosexual acts be penalized for having a homosexual inclination? You seem to imply that such an inclination restricts someone from getting to heaven. If anything, the person who has such an inclination but resists it probably has a better resolve at resisting other forms of temptation in as well. In this sense they may be better off than someone who has never faced the challenge of overcoming a very strong temptation in their lives.

Goofyjim, your posts sometimes confuse me. You make the argument that people with homosexual inclinations are they same as everyone else, but at the same time you seem to want to give them different rules than everyone else. You can’t have it both ways. We all live by God’s rules not the rules of modern culture. Yes, homosexuals have an inclination to sin that is often times much more difficult to deal with than other inclinations because it is harder to hide and very personal. But they’re no different from the married couple who has always had an inclination toward selfish sex and uses contraception their whole life. The married couple just has it easier because they’re able to hide their sins by blending in with the rest of society.

 

[goofyjim]

If they repent. Purgatory cannot cleanse mortal sin. It only gets rid of the temporal effects of our repented sins. So while Purgatory can cleanse the homosexual inclination, just as it can cleanse someone else’s violent or alcoholic or adulterous inclination, it can’t do anything about unrepentant mortal sins.

If they are invincibly ignorant we can hope for them. If they know the truth and have chosen to reject it, they must repent in the same way that so many heterosexuals who have fallen into the trap of the sexual revolution must also repent.

Why would someone who has never practiced homosexual acts be penalized for having a homosexual inclination? You seem to imply that such an inclination restricts someone from getting to heaven. If anything, the person who has such an inclination but resists it probably has a better resolve at resisting other forms of temptation in as well. In this sense they may be better off than someone who has never faced the challenge of overcoming a very strong temptation in their lives.

Goofyjim, your posts sometimes confuse me. You make the argument that people with homosexual inclinations are they same as everyone else, but at the same time you seem to want to give them different rules than everyone else. You can’t have it both ways. We all live by God’s rules not the rules of modern culture. Yes, homosexuals have an inclination to sin that is often times much more difficult to deal with than other inclinations because it is harder to hide and very personal. But they’re no different from the married couple who has always had an inclination toward selfish sex and uses contraception their whole life. The married couple just has it easier because they’re able to hide their sins by blending in with the rest of society.

We all have until our deathbed to repent of sins. Many a writings of mystics I’ve come across say many do go to hell but the majority go to purgatory and from purgatory to heaven. Yes the married couple does have it easier but on that basis should experience as much guilt for their sins as we throw on homosexuals. Do we call birth control disordered? Ia m going to start calling anything outside genital intercourse between husband and wife disordered to level the playing field a bit.

 

[brianwalden]

Yes the married couple does have it easier but on that basis should experience as much guilt for their sins as we throw on homosexuals. Do we call birth control disordered? Ia m going to start calling anything outside genital intercourse between husband and wife disordered to level the playing field a bit.

Yes, that’s the spirit. I think you’re rightfully outraged at they way homosexuals are ostracised, but the answer isn’t to change the rules for people who suffer from a homosexual inclination. We need to do a better job of rightly calling all sins what they are. I often wonder why people who have no problem with contraception condemn homosexuality.

Any inclination to sin is disordered, so the decision to use birth control is a disordered one. But I think using birth control is more the result of the desire to use our sexuality selfishly. Something more analogous to homosexuality might be heterosexuals who have a natural inclination to promiscuous sex. I think they find themselves in much the same boat as those with a homosexual inclination. They must fight it rather than give in. On the other end of the spectrum, your average married couple who uses contraception probably doesn’t have this disordered inclination to abuse their sexuality. You could say they have a “normal” moral compass when it comes to sexuality, yet they choose to abuse their sexuality out of laziness/selfishness. In my mind these people (which is probably the majority of the population) are much worse off than those struggling with disordered sexual inclinations.

 

[Riley259]

We all have until our deathbed to repent of sins. Many a writings of mystics I’ve come across say many do go to hell but the majority go to purgatory and from purgatory to heaven. Yes the married couple does have it easier but on that basis should experience as much guilt for their sins as we throw on homosexuals. Do we call birth control disordered? Ia m going to start calling anything outside genital intercourse between husband and wife disordered to level the playing field a bit.

I think you make a good point. Birth control is disordered in the sense that it frustrates the natural purpose of sexual relations. It treats fertility as if it’s some sort of disease and instead unnaturally suppresses it with drugs or barriers.

 

[Julian_Peters]

Thank you to all who participated. This thread is now closed.