Thinking Through Homosexuality

2. Thinking Through Homosexuality About forty years ago, when I was just a youngster, homosexuality was just beginning to make it to the forefront of our culture- though it encountered mostly negative pressures and stereotypes. By the time I was in Junior High, “Homo” was a derogatory slang term used to insult someone, though they weren’t necessarily thought to be actually homosexual. It was becoming part of our vocabulary. The word “gay” began to mean something entirely different than it had in the past.

3. Thinking Through Homosexuality The Progression: • The first television portrayals were of the “flaming” type, and we were thus conditioned to laugh at the outrageousness of the person. • Then, gradually, we were conditioned to sympathize through AIDS, various highly-publicized trials of abusers, and again, through portrayals in movies and entertainment media. • Now through legal status cases and massive public “(re)-education” efforts, “homosexuality” has gone from an “alternative life-style choice” to “just being who you are.” • We’ve been conditioned to at least accept, if not condone, it. • At the center of this transitional progression of thought is the matter of “cause.”

4. Thinking Through Homosexuality The Result: • Homosexuality has gone from an abhorrent sexual perversion to an alternate lifestyle choice to “just being who you are” or being “true to yourself.” • Do you understand the necessity of this progression? • An abhorrent sexual behavior was perverse, and thus had to be changed- homosexuality would never be accepted in the mainstream on that basis. • An alternate lifestyle choice was still a “choice” and therefore could and would be continually condemned as the “wrong” choice- it still had guilt associated. • But homosexuality as a result of genetics implied no guilt, and thus could/can not be condemned- only accepted.

5. Thinking Through Homosexuality The “Science” that proves it: • When someone says “science” has proven that homosexuality is genetic (and therefore not a “choice”), there is something that must be understood. • The “science” behind such statements is overwhelmingly based on one study done by Dr. Simon LeVay: • Who was himself homosexual, and therefore at least potentially biased. • The study was on a very limited scale since only 41 brains were used (postmortem) to determine that homosexuals were “born that way” and thus cannot change their condition. • All of the brains studied were from patients who had died of AIDS, and therefore do not account for other factors. • The study ignores the fact that brain size (the focus of the study) could be caused by behavior or other factors.

6. Thinking Through Homosexuality The “Science” that proves it: • And perhaps most importantly, LeVay himself cautioned against the conclusions that have been drawn from his study: • “It’s important to stress what I didn’t find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn’t show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake that people make in interpreting my work.” (Simon LeVay in a 1994 interview, published in Discover Magazine; “Sex and the Brain” by David Nimmons; March 1, 1994) • It’s funny this part of the study isn’t usually mentioned by those who quote it as “science proving homosexuality is genetic.”

7. Thinking Through Homosexuality The Bible has always been clear, though it may not have always been demonstrated that way: • Jer.10:23, man is not capable of directing his own steps, and is therefore not to be trusted to determine his own sexuality; • Lev.18:22-25; 20:13 codified God’s rejection of homosexuality under Jewish Law; • Gen.19:4-5 > 24-25; though it is sometimes argued that these cities were destroyed for “lack of hospitality” instead of the sexual perversion of homosexuality, Jude 7’s inspired commentary will not allow this interpretation; • Rom.1:18-27 attributes the perversion of homosexuality to a rejection of divine revelation, not genetics; • 1Cor.6:9-11 condemns both sides of homosexual behavior as well as stating clearly that it can be rejected- thus it is a “choice”.

8. Thinking Through Homosexuality But if someone rejects the Bible as authoritative, and/or argues for the “genetic cause” of homosexuality, how can we help them? • First, we can view them as God does: as the lost who need saving rather than hopeless “throw-away” souls, Luke 19:10. • Given the influences of our recent culture, education, and influences, many are misled on this matter, clearly. • Don’t decide they are spiritual swine before given them a fair chance to hear and know the truth, Matt.7:6-8. • Second, just because they may reject the Bible as inspired, and therefore authoritative on the subject, doesn’t mean you are without ammunition….let me suggest a logical approach from their own thinking.

9. Thinking Through Homosexuality If, purely for the sake of argument, we grant a genetic cause for homosexuality, how is the dramatic increase in its occurrence over the past forty years to be explained? • The typical reason for the increase is attributed to a decrease in societal negative pressure- that is, through “enlightened and evolved thinking,” homosexuality is more accepted, therefore more are willing to admit their homosexuality. • But this reasoning is about “practice” not “cause”- if homosexuality is genetically caused, societal negative pressure only alters the “practice.” • If there is a genetic cause, why has it increased so dramatically????

10. Thinking Through Homosexuality If, homosexuality is genetically caused, would not the recent increase have to be a mutation? • Societal pressures, positive or negative, do not influence genetics that dramatically to account for the recent explosion of homosexuality. • Sure, we can prefer mates of a certain height, weight, build, or other set of characteristics and thereby influence the overall genetic code. • But how could this account for a shift in the genetic code toward homosexuality since it (by the very nature of the relationships) does not pass on genetic links? • If homosexuality is indeed genetically caused, the only logical explanation for the dramatic increase in the genetic code is mutation!

11. Thinking Through Homosexuality Now, let’s take this one step further: • If we are forced (by a genetic cause for homosexuality through the rejection of divine revelation) to accept genetic mutation as the source of the increase in homosexuality, • Then, how is this mutation passed on in the human genetic code? • Darwinian thinking says that evolution occurred (and occurs) through “beneficial genetic mutation” to the “survival of the fittest.” • How is this possible with regard to homosexual genetic mutation? • It can’t be passed on since homosexual relations don’t reproduce. • Homosexual lifestyles don’t benefit the population in any kind of genetic or survival of the fittest way- in fact, they are counter-productive to it in every way. • Homosexuality, in view of evolutionary theory, must be a destructive mutation which is doomed to extinction if it is genetic. • Such is the logical and evolutionary conclusion of a genetic cause!

12. Thinking Through Homosexuality Conclusion: • People are homosexuals, and no less guilty, for the same reason they are adulterers, drunkards, hot-heads, pot-heads, liars, abusive, etc. etc. etc. – THEY CHOOSE TO BE. 1Cor.6:9-10 And they can choose not to be, 1Cor.6:11. • While there certainly may be genetic factors that make one more susceptible to some of these sins, no one becomes a “sinner” by genetics, Ezk.18:20. • We choose either to practice or reject sin, 1Jn.3:4-10.

14. Thinking Through Homosexuality, Part 2 In our previous lesson, we thought through the oft-suggested causeof homosexuality as being genetic. In that lesson, it was concluded that such just cannot be the truth either biblically or logically. Desire (want to) was instead identified as the real cause. I’ve often said, and firmly believe, that “the greatest power of the human mind is the ability to justify (or excuse) self.” The real question thus becomes, “Why do people (especially young people since that was the primary focus of our attention) want to be, or to be thought to be, homosexual?” So in this lesson, let’s consider the cause-relatedmotivations for homosexuality. Obviously, we’ll be dealing in generalities since there can be as many different motivations as there are people involved- but we’ll be again considering young people especially.

15. Thinking Through Homosexuality, Part 2 • I want to divide our considerations by gender, since the causal motivations can be very different for girls and boys. • Again, though scriptures will be utilized, much of what we’ll cover will be from observation and logic. • So…. Why are so many young (high school and college-age) adults choosing homosexual lifestyles?

16. What are the causal motivations for homosexuality in young people today? Generally (girls and boys): • Abuse and neglect. • I don’t mean their fathers beat them or their mothers don’t love and care for them, though such may well be the case in many instances, and may even be contributing factors. • Instead, I mean that generally the overall roles of parents have been abused and neglected. Eph.6:1-4; 1Pet.3:1-5 • If parents do not teach their children how to give and receive love in appropriate (godly & right) ways, they learn how to give and receive what they think is love in inappropriate ways! Rom.1:18-32 • And Satan, society, entertainment, and even the government will help.

17. What are the causal motivations for homosexuality in young people today? Girls, specifically: • Intense desire for acceptance/attention. • Teenage girls have an intense desire to “fit in”- they feel the need to have, wear, and do whatever they think will get and keep them accepted by their perceived or desired peer group. • Given the overwhelming importance our society puts on physical appearance, this also explains bulimia, anorexia, and excessive devotion to fads (whatever is “popular”). • If this need for acceptance/attention is unable to be met for some reason (body shape/type/weight, etc.), then “homosexuality” can easily become an excuse- “The boys / other girls don’t like me because I’m homosexual.” • It thus becomes a defense mechanism response.

18. What are the causal motivations for homosexuality in young people today? Girls, specifically: (continued) • Intense desire for acceptance/attention. • Then too, obviously “homosexuality” has, at least to some degree, become the cool thing to be. • All of which goes back to two factors: • The felt need of acceptance/attention; and • The willingness to do just about anything to get it. • So at least initially, I don’t believe these girls are homosexual at all. They’re playing a role in an effort either to gain attention, or they’re using a defense mechanism response to explain why they don’t “fit in” to more traditional roles. • Unfortunately, just like alcohol or drugs, these initial efforts to “fit in” can become addictive parts of their lives.

19. What are the causal motivations for homosexuality in young people today? Girls, specifically: (continued) • So what’s the solution? • Teach your daughters: • The appropriate ways to give and receive love, Titus 2:4; • To view herself as God does instead of how the / her world does, Jas.1:23-27 ; 4:1-4; • To concern herself with becoming the woman God, and godly men, want her to be instead of the woman the world wants her to be, 1Pet.3:1-5.

20. What are the causal motivations for homosexuality in young people today? Boys, specifically: • Lack of proper male influences (fathers). • Though to some degree, the desire for acceptance and to “fit in” can produce the same motivations toward homosexuality in boys that it does in girls, and/or the same defense mechanism responses for the lack thereof, boys have an additional motivation. • While few girls grow up in a home without a mother, many (most?) boys grow up in a home without a father; or at least one without a consistent and positive male playing the role of a father. • While single conscientious mothers can and certainly have raised godly heterosexual men to be good husbands and fathers, such is the exception, not the rule. Why?

21. What are the causal motivations for homosexuality in young people today? Boys, specifically: (continued) • Lack of proper male influences (fathers). • It is very difficult for a mother to teach a male child how to be good man. This is not meant as a condemnation, just a statement of obvious limitations. • She wasn’t taught to be good a “man” herself, and certainly should not have been! • And unfortunately, she may have chosen a “bad” man to be the father of her children (usually through lack of training/example of a “good” one), and is therefore left to raise them alone. • Such naturally breeds contempt for men; and those feelings can easily become “the environment” to which her male child is exposed- perhaps the only environment.

22. What are the causal motivations for homosexuality in young people today? Boys, specifically: (continued) • Lack of proper male influences (fathers). • If only female influences /environment are the sole experience a male child has, or if he is only exposed to with a “sorry” father, he can easily fail to learn how to be a good man, and tend toward homosexual behaviors.

23. What are the causal motivations for homosexuality in young people today? Boys, specifically: (continued) • So, what’s the solution? • Teach your sons: • The appropriate ways to give and receive love, Eph.5:25ff; • To view himself the way God does, instead of the way the /his world does, Jas.1:23-27 ; 4:1-4; and • To concern himself with becoming the man God, and godly women, want him to be instead of the man the world wants him to be, 1Pet.3:7; Titus 2:6-8.

24. What are the causal motivations for homosexuality in young people today? Conclusion: What does all of this mean in a nutshell? Most young people, girls and boys, are motivated toward homosexuality (or at least the pretense of homosexuality) because of a lack of proper parental education on: • The appropriate ways to give and receive love; • The appropriate ways to see and evaluate self; and • The appropriate roles God has determined for them. If the explosive expansion of homosexuality is to be turned around, it will be accomplished in the home by parents who understand, fulfill, and teach their proper roles to their children. And it won’t hurt to help other children see/learn the same!