Is Homosexuality A Choice?

[Catholic4Jesus]

Even though homosexuality is a sin, homosexuals claim that they can’t help it. They say that they don’t choose to be homosexuals, but rather that’s how they were born. I have a few practicing homosexual friends and I love and respect them dearly despite their sinful ways and I hope and pray that they be released from their sins.
I trust what they say, but I feel that it is a cross that God gives them as a way to get them to Heaven. Just like hatred, lust and other sins that people can struggle with, I believe the same thing with homosexuality. I believe that homosexuals have their inclination to be tempted into sexual sins, but it’s not impossible to overcome it. I’ve heard testimonies of former homosexuals who say the same thing, Catholics included. However, I was having this same conversation with my mother and she claims that homosexuals lie when they say that because she claims that God cannot create evil and if God created a man/woman with a default mindset of a gay/lesbian/bisexual sexuality, then God has created evil.
She said that they just use that as their excuse to justify their sinning. She pretty much says you’re either a proud and practicing homosexual or you aren’t one at all. It kind of made me angry when she told me that because it just displayed a scene of self-righteousness, arrogance, ignorance, and rash judgement. I’m not a homosexual so I wouldn’t know altogether, but I’ve got friends that are and I trust what they say and as the Bible says, I have no right to judge others, only God does.

 

[aemcpa]

Whether the inclination toward homosexuality is genetic, psychological, behavioral, etc. is entirely irrelevant for moral purposes. You are correct that any person is capable of resisting evil and choosing to act in accordance with divine and natural law. Your mother is incorrect - she neglects to take into account that due to the Original Sin nature itself is disfigured and wounded, and thus there exists natural evil, a distortion of the intrinsic good with which God created the universe.

 

[CaptBell800]

I don’t know if the attraction is genetic or psychological, but any urges are certainly controllable.

 

[Thywil]

Some people are indeed born with homosexual tendencies. It doesn’t mean they have to act on it, though. However, I do believe some just pretend to act that way, especially some women (a few famous people on TV I’ve seen) who claim to be lesbians one day and then after a while they go straight and start dating men. These people need help. Pray for them.

 

[latin_rite]

No one chooses to be mentality ill.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

Even though homosexuality is a sin, homosexuals claim that they can’t help it. They say that they don’t choose to be homosexuals, but rather that’s how they were born. I have a few practicing homosexual friends and I love and respect them dearly despite their sinful ways and I hope and pray that they be released from their sins.
I trust what they say, but I feel that it is a cross that God gives them as a way to get them to Heaven. Just like hatred, lust and other sins that people can struggle with, I believe the same thing with homosexuality. I believe that homosexuals have their inclination to be tempted into sexual sins, but it’s not impossible to overcome it. I’ve heard testimonies of former homosexuals who say the same thing, Catholics included. However, I was having this same conversation with my mother and she claims that homosexuals lie when they say that because she claims that God cannot create evil and if God created a man/woman with a default mindset of a gay/lesbian/bisexual sexuality, then God has created evil.
She said that they just use that as their excuse to justify their sinning. She pretty much says you’re either a proud and practicing homosexual or you aren’t one at all. It kind of made me angry when she told me that because it just displayed a scene of self-righteousness, arrogance, ignorance, and rash judgement. I’m not a homosexual so I wouldn’t know altogether, but I’ve got friends that are and I trust what they say and as the Bible says, I have no right to judge others, only God does.

Homosexuality id est sexual attraction to the same sex is not sinful, concupiscence is not a sin.

“he claims that homosexuals lie when they say that because she claims that God cannot create evil and if God created a man/woman with a default mindset of a gay/lesbian/bisexual sexuality, then God has created evil.” Does this woman have any idea what concupiscence is?

I think she was just poorly catechized.

No one chooses to be mentality ill.

What makes it a mental illness?

 

[Pilosopo]

Homosexuality can be choice, But is there any value in making it a choice?
Let me clarify. Let’s say I’m straight. But I can choose to do homosexual acts, or to live a homosexual lifestyle for a period of time.
Some say, and some will insist that there is scientific support, that it is genetic or environmental, so choice has little to do with it. But at some point, I guess a choice has to be made Otherwise, a life is left floundering in a lot pain and hurt.
My point is, it is a choice, and there is a lot of value in making it a choice. One becomes accountable, one can arrive at that invaluable clearing of moral decision-making.
Catholic teaching says that it is wrong. Those who experience homosexual tendencies are tasked with steering them in the right direction or at least admonished from acting upon them. (And here, I’m just saying where Catholic teaching stands.)
In the end, I pray that God give us strength and courage to make decisions and to be receptive to His teachings.

 

[Gabriel_Serafin]

Even though homosexuality is a sin, homosexuals claim that they can’t help it. They say that they don’t choose to be homosexuals, but rather that’s how they were born.

No one is born a homosexual just as no one is born a pedophile. Sexual disorders often take root in adolescent years after puberty, and continuing in adulthood. Furthermore, studies have linked the sexual disorder to a strained relationships with a father, or other outside influences. What may initially have begun as a choice, can turn into an addiction. There are people who become addicted to many things, such as gambling; where it no longer is a choice but an obsession.

A man may be tempted to do all sorts of things, it doesn’t mean they avoid acting upon it. However, it will be quite impossible to avoid yielding sexual temptations if a man fills his mind with pornography via movies, books, music and all sorts of entertainment. What begins as a thought can turn into a temptation, which can then become a willful act and turn into a habit that grows into an addiction—and for some an obsession which they become a slave to. What’s worse, today there is an attempt to normalize this behavior, as many can’t stand to hear that it is a sin, because what was once a choice has become an addiction.

But a man becomes a homosexual when he acts out a homosexual act—just as a man becomes a liar when he yields to the temptation to lie, or an adulterer when he yields to the temptation to commit adultery. No one is born an adulterer, even though a man may be attracted to many women, he can still practice chastity and avoid the occasions of sin.

However, I was having this same conversation with my mother and she claims that homosexuals lie when they say that because she claims that God cannot create evil and if God created a man/woman with a default mindset of a gay/lesbian/bisexual sexuality, then God has created evil.

We all have the effects of Original Sin, the consequence of Adam’s sin, which is a tendency toward sin. But we still have free will. With the help of God’s grace we don’t have to be slaves to sin. A person is called to uproot his vices, not to celebrate them, even though the world celebrates vice and mocks virtue. The key is to find Christ.

I’m not a homosexual so I wouldn’t know altogether, but I’ve got friends that are and I trust what they say and as the Bible says

And that’s where you come in. As a follower of Christ you ought to share Christ who can liberate them from their addictions to sin, first by prayer and sacrifice for them and then by word. When people convert to Christ they then realize they must turn away from sin.

 

[underacloud]

You can read from the catechism the general teaching of the Church in this regard:

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

Importantly, the Church herself makes no judgements about the mechanisms of homosexual tendencies, saying: “Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.” She does not consider the tendencies themselves to be a choice; the Church is silent on this matter. But she simply considers the acts to be “intrinsically disordered” and always morally wrong.

In short, homosexual acts are a choice; homosexual attractions may not be.

 

[Elizabeth502]

You can also refer here to a long discussion about 8 months ago:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=690225

 

[anruari]

There is a strong narrative pressed by the “Gay Rights Lobby” that implies that sexuality is a Binary: Gay or Straight. you’re one or the other and you’re born that way.
They would like to and are constantly looking for Genetic or other biological causes. So far there is no strong evidence in their favour.

While the scientific jury is still out, a lot of evidence is emerging that sexuality and sexual attraction is not a binary.
conversely it is highly plastic (mouldable by life experiences), and can vary throughout a persons life. - this effect is stronger in women than men.
Don’t get me wrong: deliberate attempts at reparative therapy are controversial for a reason: they tend to present a high risk of causing more harm than the good they are trying to accomplish. It successfull methods of reparative therapy are developed in the future we have yet to see. but all that can be guarinteed is that they wont work for everyone.

Sexuality is not a binary: it is a multi dimensional spectrum.
Many people have a strong or dominant preference for people of the opposite sex.
some people this is less strong
for others there is strong attraction to both genders.
for yet others there is a strong or dominant attraction to the same gender.

For some people there is a strong attraction to younger people: Especially in men
For others there is a strong attraction to older people: especially in women.
Attraction based on age becomes illegal to act upon, with the laws varying by country and state. Yet there are pressure groups in many countries who would like to see various forms of this Chronophilia decriminalised. - Others pressure for the age of consent to be made more plastic, taking into account the relative ages of the people involved.

Some people like it in the dark, with silk sheets: Others prefer far more adventurous and fantastical ways of expressing themselves to the extremes of sadomasochistic depravity.

Now we live in a society which has told us you are either Gay or Straight. and some people out there would propose that if you have ever once in your lifetime relished an attraction or sexual fantasy towards a person of the same gender you must therefore be Gay. -
The truth lies somewhere quite different. For many people their sexuality is strongly ordered or dissorded towards a particular place in that spectrum, and they have little ability to force themselves to a monogamous, hetrosexual, vanilla marraige, age appropriate marriage. They simply lack the capacity in one or more areas.
For many other people however there are strong elements of deliberate or sub-concious choice in how they develop and live out their sexuality.
Anyone who is consciously bi-sexual would be very aware of having the choice.
Other people who have a stong leaning towards hetrosexual attraction, but with some significant element of SSA would also be aware of the choice

It is not having attraction to same sex sexual relationships that is sinfull - any more than it is sinfull to look a a prity, young model or actress just beginning to blossom into her womanhood and realise you are strongly attracted to someone who is under-age (It doesn’t help when the get deliberately portrayed in a sexual way by the media). (I assume the same applies for some women seeing young men all dolled up by their handlers and agents for the amusement of teenage girls and their mums)

 

[anruari]

A classic example of this would be the case of the actress who played Hermione Granger in Harry Potter. around the 3rd film, she was still under-age but the media went crazy when she suddenly turned from being a precocious child into a developing and pretty young woman. I remember the comedians in the UK just couldn’t leave that matter alone for ages.

Again some people are most strongly attracted to people in positions of power, or to people who are already married finding those aspects a massive attractive force.

The thing that I would point out is this:
While yes: many people cant help feeling attraction to inappropriate people they do have a choice in whether or not to act on those feelings.

Even though it’s perfectly legal for a 39 year old to be with a 21 year old, if the 39 year old is a Lecturer or employer or other person in authority over the 21 year old There may be a strongly abusive or potentially abusive situation. Therefore laws, instutitional rules etc are starting to explicitly ban such relationships.
The older person should reccognise the inappropriateness of the attraction and not persues it and reject it if the other person presses.

Similarly an adult should always reject (gently where possible) the advances of a Minor. No matter how much the adult believes that the minor is the one initiating the contact, it is the older persons moral and legal obligation to reject the advances and prevent the situation re-occuring where such advances are likely.
It doesn’t matter how much the older person might find the younger one to be an attractive person.
Again and even more so an adult should NEVER under any circumstances groom, proposition, or in any way initiate sexualized behaviour with a minor or similarly vulnerable person in their care or with whom they have contact.

Being 20 and finding people of the same gender attractive is no different from being 20 and finding “mature” 14 - 15 year old’s attractive. It may be quite common - but you just don’t act on it!

Most men grow out of their attraction to young girls. but not all do. To claim “I cant help it that’s my sexual orientation” is nonsense. Such people, when they act on those attractions and get caught get thrown in jail and rightly so.

Now: in the case of attraction to young people there’s a strong vulnerability in the case of the younger person which needs the protection of the Law.
In the case of to adults of the same gender I’m not convinced that the force of legal penalties is appropriate. Why should 2 men risk criminal sanctions if hetro-sexual fornicators and adulterers do not?
No. Jesus Forgave the woman accused of adultery (the man wasn’t even there!) - and so should we:
But just as Jesus did: we must tell them : “Go then and Sin No More!”

The book of Leviticus proposes the Death penalty for soddomy. - Remeber as Christians we are not bound by the Law of Moses. we are bound by “Natural Law”.
St Paul advises that publicly unrepentant sinners of this type should be cast out of the Christian community. - You cant pretend to be in communion with people who publicly flout Christian family values and still pretend to be good Christians. - That’s not just people engaging in Homosexual behaviour but people committing adultry and fornication, child abuse (sexual or other forms), and the same rules apply to many other form of public, scandalous immoral behaviour.

All those who promote rebellion against the core of our Christian Morality must be called to account - fairly and with love, but an appropriate person. If they refuse to change their public behaviour they may need to be removed from positions of ministry in the Church and in church institution’s. They may ultimately excommunicate themselves.

But remember: The church is a Hospital for Sinners. not a hotel for Saints. Hopefully the healing we receive will help us to become saints but that’s the goal not the entry requiremnet

 

[ChibiViolet]

This is a rather complex issue that needs to be looked at and studied from all sides.

In any case, I looked up demon names once and found a list of demons and a very brief description of what each demon was responsible for. One of them (and I forget the name) was listed as responsible for both homosexuality and pedophilia and he apparently has an assistant (and I forget his name too.) I could be getting some of that mixed up; it could be that only the assistant is also responsible for pedophilia.

Also, on another note, young children are constantly taking in new information and processing it, much the same as a computer if it were made of clay, and if the parents are taking them too seriously the children can get confused and then “learn” that they are “gay,” because they were just “born that way.” Add a chemical imbalance or developmental disability into the mix and it could be even worse.

 

[DexUK]

Also, on another note, young children are constantly taking in new information and processing it, much the same as a computer if it were made of clay, and if the parents are taking them too seriously the children can get confused and then “learn” that they are “gay,” because they were just “born that way.” Add a chemical imbalance or developmental disability into the mix and it could be even worse.

I find the idea that heterosexual married parents somehow ‘teach’ their infants to be homosexual because they’re either treating them ‘too seriously’ or ‘confusing’ them as absolutely ridiculous. I don’t know where you got that idea from, but consider the occasions when siblings are involved, even twins, and some turn out gay and others don’t and yet all have the same parents… the proposition simply doesn’t hold water.

Yes, there isn’t a definitive cause (yet) of what makes a person gay versus straight (I suspect there are probably multiple causes at once, which will make it impossible to determine with any accuracy) but it is almost exclusively reported by gay people that once they have identified that they are gay they don’t perceive any way of undoing it. And those that try to help them ‘undo it’ don’t usually have much success. The best that can be done is a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy that strengthens the will of such a person so that they don’t act on their desires/instincts.

We, as Christian people committed to living lives of good and holy chastity as best we can, can help them with fostering that ideal in homosexual people, but it serves no purpose to try and persuade gay people that they’ve ‘chosen’ something. If they did, then the deed is already done and largely irreversible. If they didn’t, it’s not helpful to ‘give someone the lie’ in telling them they did. Deal with the present situation and work from there. Leave the judgements to a higher power…

 

[Patavium]

No it has NOT been proven CONCLUSIVELY that Humans are BORN gay. No it has not. In fact, many studies (sciencemag.org/content/284/5414/665.short archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=495588 ) find no genetic cause. However, it has been AGREED (link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10508-006-9062-2 tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J082v51n04_09) by most scientists that Homosexuality is more likely related to choices due to the environment (i.e. culture, society, etc…)

Interestingly, studies (ijpor.oxfordjournals.org/content/12/3/259.short) have shown that when people believe that Homosexuals are BORN that way, they are more likely to SUPPORT gay “marriage”. And let’s not get into the gay couples raising kids… (again the scientific evidence is against it, and in favor of the traditional family [How different are the adult children of parents who have same-sex relationships? Findings from the New Family Structures Study - ScienceDirect]](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X12000610]])).

 

[DexUK]

However, it has been AGREED by most scientists that Homosexuality is more likely related to choices due to the environment (i.e. culture, society, etc…)

Well that is simply not true.

There simply isn’t a consensus on this, as evidenced by the number of arguments that occur about it. Capitalising ‘agree’ won’t change that fact

The fact is, nobody knows exactly what causes homosexuality. It might be genetic. It might be societal. It might be hormones affecting the person in-utero. It might be chemicals affecting the person during adolescence. It might be any combination of all of these.

There is no point arguing about causes. It makes no difference to the here and now. What is, is. What matters is how one moves from the here and now to the future.

It is only homosexual behaviour that is a choice. The experience of feeling same-gender sexual attraction probably isn’t anything over which we have any realistic control. Nobody chooses to feel an attraction towards another person. It simply happens.

I can’t choose to look at a pretty girl in the street and find her to be repugnant. It simply doesn’t happen and I could no more choose to react that way to her than I could choose to change the colour of my eyes. If I compare my attraction to someone else, we will find that we are attracted to different things. Neither one of us chooses it. So let’s get past the idea of there being ‘choice’ in what we find attractive and instead concentrate simply on the choices over what we do or don’t do when someone attractive (howsoever that may be) crosses our path.

 

[aidanbradypop]

I have two homosexuals in my family. I believe one has always been so and for the other it is simply a choice.

I do not believe the Church is asking anything from them that they do not ask of heterosexuals. We are all asked to remain pure before marriage. I know a single lady in her 40s who is still a virgin and is content with the single life God has called her to.

 

[DexUK]

I have two homosexuals in my family. I believe one has always been so and for the other it is simply a choice.

I do not believe the Church is asking anything from them that they do not ask of heterosexuals. We are all asked to remain pure before marriage. I know a single lady in her 40s who is still a virgin and is content with the single life God has called her to.

No problem with that.

My instinct is not to judge those who act in a homosexual way. For all I know, it’s possible that they can’t see the world any differently and are incapable of understanding the sinfulness of their actions because it simply doesn’t make sense to them.

So, I pose this question… it is deliberately designed to provoke thought and I offer it up for debate, not necessarily as indicative of my own opinions…

For homosexual people, while their actions are objectively wrong and no heterosexual person would ever be able to justify them, for the homosexual person perhaps one could suggest that their culpability is mitigated by a condition over which they they have no control - in other words, if a person is not wilfully acting in a homosexual way (i.e. by deliberately acting against heterosexual behaviour out of malice and in contravention of what they knew to be their orientation) then can they said to be mortally sinning even?

Remember, mortal sin requires a grave act, knowledge that it’s grave and full consent to it. Can full consent really be given if one has no practical ability to understand one’s actions as sinful or rebellious, especially if they’ve tried and failed to change that situation?

Please treat this question in isolation… obviously all persons are held to chaste behaviour no matter what gender they prefer, but I’m interested in exploring how a person might be less culpable in this based on the position they find themselves in.

 

[aidanbradypop]

No problem with that.

My instinct is not to judge those who act in a homosexual way. For all I know, it’s possible that they can’t see the world any differently and are incapable of understanding the sinfulness of their actions because it simply doesn’t make sense to them.

So, I pose this question… it is deliberately designed to provoke thought and I offer it up for debate, not necessarily as indicative of my own opinions…

For homosexual people, while their actions are objectively wrong and no heterosexual person would ever be able to justify them, for the homosexual person perhaps one could suggest that their culpability is mitigated by a condition over which they they have no control - in other words, if a person is not wilfully acting in a homosexual way (i.e. by deliberately acting against heterosexual behaviour out of malice and in contravention of what they knew to be their orientation) then can they said to be mortally sinning even?

Remember, mortal sin requires a grave act, knowledge that it’s grave and full consent to it. Can full consent really be given if one has no practical ability to understand one’s actions as sinful or rebellious, especially if they’ve tried and failed to change that situation?

Please treat this question in isolation… obviously all persons are held to chaste behaviour no matter what gender they prefer, but I’m interested in exploring how a person might be less culpable in this based on the position they find themselves in.

I understand your question and it often comes into my mind as well. I have spoke often with Fr on this subject. I guess there is really no clear answer to this for we do not know the heart of another. I just pray for them and try to keep from judging them and simply love them.

 

[DexUK]

I just pray for them and try to keep from judging them and simply love them.

That’s always a good plan