Island Oak:
As far as I am aware this is still an open and unsolved question in the scientific/medical/psychiatric community. If you have some source that has declared this indisputably a matter of choice and lifestyle, please let me know. Until such time, we are all very aware that nature itself does not always see fit to follow the ‘natural law’ and not uncommonly produces humans with a variety of abnormal (as in out of the norm) conditions that make survival, attraction to the opposite sex, reproduction, etc. challenging, if not altogether impossible.
Your use of the word “impossible” here is key. This is what I have an issue with. Not that “challenges” do not exist, nor that some are not genetically pre-disposed to such challenges.
Nature does not so much “produce” abnormal humans as much as humans, stained by original sin, make choices that hinder proper development of themselves and their children. Reparative Therapy has shown very good results in rehabilitation of self-proclaimed homosexuals. It has a similar success rate for rehabilitation of any mental illness. 1/3 are completely cured. 1/3 are still have some tendency towards the disorder but are able to avoid it. 1/3 quit the therapy. This is the same for other illnesses and also parallels human tendency and willingness to meet the challenge and overcome the problem.
A genetic pre-disposition to being affected by alcoholism does not make a born baby an alcoholic. Similarly, a genetic pre-disposition to being affected by homosexual tendencies does not make a born baby female if he was born with male parts.
Reparative Therapy makes a very strong case for early-stage child development (up to age 3) having a very strong impact on increasing or decreasing the tendency towards homosexual attraction later in life. With males, it is an absent, neglectful, or domineering father. With females, it is more complicated, but can also be linked to improper relationships with males early in life.
Science, by definition, rejects spiritual causes or cures to the problems of people. Unfortunately, people are as spiritually real as they are physcially real. Thus, I don’t expect the real of science ever to gain a complete understanding of the homosexual problem - which, at it’s root, is associated with improper child development within the contect of a human family and a sacramental marriage - a divine institution created by God to model the trinitarian God.
I’m not saying that science is bad - science is very good. But it is limited as to what it can solve and explain.
Island Oak:
I am not unaware that there are also people for whom homosexuality IS a lifestylye and choice, and who do CHOOSE to renounce the earlier choice and re-join, as it were, the heterosexual world. This is not true for all. Thus, my urging for compassion and patience with all of those who struggle with this particular cross.
We can be honest and candid in discussion and our seeking and understanding of truth and still maintain our compassion. In fact, much of this discussion and seeking is driven by compassion.
We, as a society, are not being compassionate to those with homosexual tendencies by lying to them. For years, blacks were told(by judges and society) they were less than a real person. That was a lie. Now, those with homosexual tendencies are told(by judges and society) that they are incapable of being fully human (made in the image and likeness of God - the fufillment of which is the male/female conjugal union). That too is a lie.
All humans desire, need, and deserve compassion. Let us (like Christ) be compassionate by giving the truth when it is hard as well as when it is easy.
and I didn’t see anything objectionable about it. Hopefully if there has been a ‘stinkbomb’ dropped, it’s gone.
