Understanding Homosexuality
Forum category
This subject is often raised on Forums, and is surely a worldwide problem. Here is a paper that may help in understanding it from a Christian perspective.
- BobL
A New Morality?
HOMOSEXUALITY IN OUR SOCIETY
[This is not a subject about “gay” people, as many call this matter, for there is little gay about homosexuality. The slang or colloquial usage of the word —which properly means “fast or sudden”, is rejected here. We are talking about a perversion of human nature that is insidious as moral decay, not gay, and while it has been around through many years, the growing social acceptance and defense of it may bring the judgment of God on many nations who are moving to approve it in their societies. It is part of the trend to indulge the flesh without regard to God and His standards, or what is decent in a society.:
There are four essential things I believe would be helpful to understand today about homosexuality, and perhaps one might have occasion to share this with someone who is confused and leaning that way:
1. It is a learned behavior and not an inborn condition. God did not make homosexual people, as one can tell by careful reading of His Word, and God condemns it (e.g. Rom.1:24-27, I Cor.6:9; I Cor.11:14).
2. It is important to understand that effeminate men and mannish women are not necessarily homosexual. A hormonal imbalance from the norm reportedly produces the effeminate and mannish characteristics, which are fairly common in the world. It is parental, societal, and peer influence which produces the problems and pushes these young people into homosexual activity. It is urgently important to help such persons feel accepted so they can learn to handle any questions or discrimination over their emotional differences from the norm (just as we would with other physical or mental differences). Our society is contributing to the problem of homosexuality by believing the idea that people are born a homosexual type, and then are trying to make the behavior legitimate to accommodate them. Schools, parents, medical services, and our public health agencies need to do more to teach the truth, and not perpetuate the myth.
3. We all know of several people who have this imbalance who are happily married and well-adjusted. Some people have less attraction to the opposite sex, and may choose to not marry, or may marry one who has the opposite characteristics (e.g. an effeminate man choosing a mannish woman for his wife). One may be suspected by strangers of being homosexual, and they may be shunned by some or discriminated against, but if they have a good support system they can overlook this and go forth. Personally, I would rather have an effeminate man wait on me in offices, stores, restaurants, hospitals, and other kinds of customer services, for they are usually more sensitive, considerate and helpful–perhaps a special gift by God.
4. The word “effeminate” in I Corinthians 6:9 may have been a poor choice of words by the translators of the KJV Bible, for it does not have the same meaning today. It could have been translated as “those who make women of themselves” (see The New Translation - JND).
More could be said about this subject, but these are the essential issues, which ought to be prayerfully considered (especially the Word of God). One ought to first of all have a desire to honor God, and live a normal life. - R. DeWitt, 4/03
- BobL
A New Morality?
HOMOSEXUALITY IN OUR SOCIETY
[This is not a subject about “gay” people, as many call this matter, for there is little gay about homosexuality. The slang or colloquial usage of the word —which properly means “fast or sudden”, is rejected here. We are talking about a perversion of human nature that is insidious as moral decay, not gay, and while it has been around through many years, the growing social acceptance and defense of it may bring the judgment of God on many nations who are moving to approve it in their societies. It is part of the trend to indulge the flesh without regard to God and His standards, or what is decent in a society.:
There are four essential things I believe would be helpful to understand today about homosexuality, and perhaps one might have occasion to share this with someone who is confused and leaning that way:
1. It is a learned behavior and not an inborn condition. God did not make homosexual people, as one can tell by careful reading of His Word, and God condemns it (e.g. Rom.1:24-27, I Cor.6:9; I Cor.11:14).
2. It is important to understand that effeminate men and mannish women are not necessarily homosexual. A hormonal imbalance from the norm reportedly produces the effeminate and mannish characteristics, which are fairly common in the world. It is parental, societal, and peer influence which produces the problems and pushes these young people into homosexual activity. It is urgently important to help such persons feel accepted so they can learn to handle any questions or discrimination over their emotional differences from the norm (just as we would with other physical or mental differences). Our society is contributing to the problem of homosexuality by believing the idea that people are born a homosexual type, and then are trying to make the behavior legitimate to accommodate them. Schools, parents, medical services, and our public health agencies need to do more to teach the truth, and not perpetuate the myth.
3. We all know of several people who have this imbalance who are happily married and well-adjusted. Some people have less attraction to the opposite sex, and may choose to not marry, or may marry one who has the opposite characteristics (e.g. an effeminate man choosing a mannish woman for his wife). One may be suspected by strangers of being homosexual, and they may be shunned by some or discriminated against, but if they have a good support system they can overlook this and go forth. Personally, I would rather have an effeminate man wait on me in offices, stores, restaurants, hospitals, and other kinds of customer services, for they are usually more sensitive, considerate and helpful–perhaps a special gift by God.
4. The word “effeminate” in I Corinthians 6:9 may have been a poor choice of words by the translators of the KJV Bible, for it does not have the same meaning today. It could have been translated as “those who make women of themselves” (see The New Translation - JND).
More could be said about this subject, but these are the essential issues, which ought to be prayerfully considered (especially the Word of God). One ought to first of all have a desire to honor God, and live a normal life. - R. DeWitt, 4/03
As a former Youth Pastor, one thing minister should guard against is allowing their students, youth leaders, etc. joke about this topic. I had to correct many teens, and ever a few youth sponsors who would speak with a lisp, trying to be humorous. This is a serious sin, and should be dealt with as such. You wouldn’t find a person making a joke about committing adultery, neither should speaking with a lisp, calling someone gay, etc. be allowed to take place.
People need to understand the seriousness of sin, especially in a society that minimalizes, and desensitizes sin.
People need to understand the seriousness of sin, especially in a society that minimalizes, and desensitizes sin.
Serving the Savior, Pastor Wes Helfenbein 2 Cor. 5:17
The homosexuality is not a lifestyle it’s a death style when you look at the statistics.
However, the best we can do at the first is prove the individual’s preconceptions of us and our position wrong. Mind you, I serve the Lord in San Francisco. So, my opinion is one based on first hand experience.
However, the best we can do at the first is prove the individual’s preconceptions of us and our position wrong. Mind you, I serve the Lord in San Francisco. So, my opinion is one based on first hand experience.
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
While at a recent D.Min. module, I met a counselor from a Philadelphia ministry to homosexuals. This is what I learned:
1. Many homosexual men have never felt opposite attraction. This is where they get the “I was born this way” excuse. What they try to get across is that because of the fall (Gen. 3) we live in a sexually broken world. The excuse “God made me this way” needs to be replaced with “I was born a sinner.”
2. Many homosexuals that came out of the church never heard anything but ridicule about the sin of homosexuality. They were called “perverts” and the committing of the sin was treated as a one-way ticket to hell. They never heard that there was any hope in Christ for them. Thus, they kept their temptations silent, tried to get rid of them, asked God to take them away and when that didn’t happen, they just accepted that this is who they were and they left the church. I agree with the above post that homosexuality is no laughing matter. I also agree that the sin of homosexuality should not be treated as a greater abomination than heterosexual sin. And homosexuals need to know that there is hope.
3. Homosexuals that might think about dealing with their behavior as sin are scared that the alternative will be a lonely life. They may not ever marry (the opposite of homosexuality is no heterosexuality but holiness), and they feel uneasy about attending a church as a Christian who has homosexuality in his past. Who will their friends be? Clearly, a repentant homosexual needs a Christian community, but he doesn’t feel he will be welcome with the sin in his past, and when he gets home at night, he will still be alone.
4. The fear of AIDS is nil now. Homosexual promiscuity has gone back to what it was in the 1970’s. A homosexual infected with AIDS who stays on his meds has a good chance of still living a long life and dying of something unrelated to AIDS. I am glad that AIDS is not killing people, yet it is sad that nothing lasting was learned from that experience.
1. Many homosexual men have never felt opposite attraction. This is where they get the “I was born this way” excuse. What they try to get across is that because of the fall (Gen. 3) we live in a sexually broken world. The excuse “God made me this way” needs to be replaced with “I was born a sinner.”
2. Many homosexuals that came out of the church never heard anything but ridicule about the sin of homosexuality. They were called “perverts” and the committing of the sin was treated as a one-way ticket to hell. They never heard that there was any hope in Christ for them. Thus, they kept their temptations silent, tried to get rid of them, asked God to take them away and when that didn’t happen, they just accepted that this is who they were and they left the church. I agree with the above post that homosexuality is no laughing matter. I also agree that the sin of homosexuality should not be treated as a greater abomination than heterosexual sin. And homosexuals need to know that there is hope.
3. Homosexuals that might think about dealing with their behavior as sin are scared that the alternative will be a lonely life. They may not ever marry (the opposite of homosexuality is no heterosexuality but holiness), and they feel uneasy about attending a church as a Christian who has homosexuality in his past. Who will their friends be? Clearly, a repentant homosexual needs a Christian community, but he doesn’t feel he will be welcome with the sin in his past, and when he gets home at night, he will still be alone.
4. The fear of AIDS is nil now. Homosexual promiscuity has gone back to what it was in the 1970’s. A homosexual infected with AIDS who stays on his meds has a good chance of still living a long life and dying of something unrelated to AIDS. I am glad that AIDS is not killing people, yet it is sad that nothing lasting was learned from that experience.
Concur with the last post.
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
Discussion