HOMOSEXUALITY - NATURE, NURTURE... OR BOTH??

THE IMAGE OF GOD EXPANDED:

So there is this article (http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/furor-over-baptists-gay-baby-article/20070315023809990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001 [15mar07]) that talks about how a leading Baptist clergyman talks about how the Christian church has to, “brace [themselves] for the possibility that a biological basis for homosexuality may be proven.”

Now brace yourselves… I AGREE…

Now before you get all your wires crossed as to what I am saying… Read ahead…

Here’s one thing I know for sure: There have been people, some that I know personally, that have said that they were homosexuals, and then, they later admitted realizing that they were homosexuals not because of birth or choice, but because of past traumatic experiences (i.e. child molestation).

Here’s another thing I know for sure: There are people that are homosexuals, heterosexuals, and bisexuals. And, no matter what the reason is that people fall into these categories, the truth is that these categories exist.

This takes me to stating that there have been national tests that have been implemented that confirm the statements in the previous paragraph. One such test and scale is called the Kinsey Scale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinsey_scale). This scale speaks of people that feel anywhere from really really straight, all the way to the other side of the spectrum to where people feel really really homosexual. Ask yourself a deep question that only you can answer: have you ever, even for an instance, wondered what it would be like to kiss someone of the same sex? Well, going on. This test shows that human sexuality is fluid and not so legalistic as to have to say what previous generations were ‘so sure’ of in splitting sexuality into very distinct sections.

That being said, I want to propose this: Since sexuality seems to be fluid, I would like to state that I believe that there are people that have been traumatized into thinking that they are somewhere on the homosexual or bisexual end of the spectrum, AND that the sinful nature that we inherit from Adam (of the biblical Adam & Eve) might be able to affect genetics in sexual orientation in the same way that it affects genetics in aging.

WAIT WAIT WAIT…

Please keep reading…

God says in His Word (The Bible) that He created us and we would never die. We seemed to have had no age limits, no sin, no death. But then Adam and Even both sinned and since then, humankind has had a limited life. Aging and dieing is a genetic trait. So, something happened that caused this genetic change, thus, sin and our sinful nature. The Bible says that at some point we are created in God’s mind before we are “knit in our mother’s womb,” (Psalm 139:13). But, God does not implant our sinful nature into us; rather, we inherit that from Adam (Psalm 51:5). I don’t know, nor do I think that we will ever find out, when and where exactly this point of inheritance is, but the fact that it is there seems obvious. Since we have been affected by our inherited sinful nature genetically as shown by our aging process, I also believe that it is possible that our inherited sinful nature may also be able to affect our sexual orientation. No matter what, whether or not sexual orientation can be traced back to one or multiple genes, the possibility is there and we do not have an answer either way right now. Therefore, as the Universal Church, I feel that we cannot say that being homosexual is wrong, rather, we must only repeat what the Bible says in that the act of homosexuality is wrong. Never in the whole Bible does God say that being a homosexual is wrong, instead, states that a man that lies with another man is committing an act that is an abomination to God, (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13). We can look at it this way; the LORD says that we are to fight against lust and fornication and adultery; therefore, people that have homosexual desires need to fight against that as well.

I also want to state that this does not mean that I believe that God creates people that are homosexual. Rather, that God, knowing that they will be affected by our sinful nature in that manner, probably creates that specific person in such a way as to be able to live a life that is pleasing to God. The LORD know what our weaknesses will be due to our sinful nature, and I believe that He, in His infinite timeless wisdom, creates us with strengths that will balance those though Jesus.

This takes me to the marriage versus singleness debate. Wur ma peeps at that God has called to be single their whole lives? Anyone? In my experience, people tend to place the gift or marriage above the gift of singleness. I believe that the gift of marriage truly is a gift when we were designed to be married; when we were made in such a way as to be able to glorify God the most through our marriage. Likewise, the gift of singleness is truly a gift that can only be fully received by the person that God intended to stay single. I can see that maybe I lost you if you are a teenager or a young unmarried adult. But, the truth is that there are people that were meant to be single; that were prepared to be single by God because that is the way that He knew that He could be glorified the most. Maybe people that might have been born with their genetic makeup influencing them to have homosexual desires were created by God in such a way that He knew that they would be able to remain single. Now remember, I don’t believe that God creates people to be homosexuals, rather that He, knowing that sinful nature will have that affect, created them in such a way as to be able to abstain from their homosexual desires. Can you imagine how much more of the image of God we would be able to see if we fully add to the body of Christ those that are called to be single while homosexual? Or, how much more of God we could experience if those that are oppressed by the pain in their past and therefore have ‘chosen’ to live a homosexual lifestyle are not confused from who they really are anymore and can live in the freedom of being the people that God meant them to be. Also, can you imagine how oppressive the church is being to those people that might have no choice in their sexual orientation? Can you imagine wanting to fit in and not being able to because who you are as far as your sexual orientation is attacked by saying that YOU (not your actions but YOU) are detestable to God? I feel that the church is missing out on seeing more of God and that God’s heart is troubled and terribly saddened by the lack of open-mindedness from His Church about this issue.

To recap, I feel that we truly do not know if homosexuality can be based on genetics or not, but since the possibility is there, we cannot turn our back on that possibility because of the immense suffering that we might be causing people in them not feeling like they can be themselves to be accepted by the Church, and, therefore, by God… at least in their minds. All I want to do is glorify God and love people, and I believe that the way that I put things here make my heart transparent. Please let me know what you think on this. I could be totally wrong, I could be totally right, and I could be somewhere in the middle. Again we see fluidity J.

PS – This is still a work in progress…