Comments on: Mental health status and homosexuality

By: Warren

Warren — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 04:11:02 +0000

Thanks Lars, Tim and all those who commented on this post. I may lose my membership in the giant right wing conspiracy over some of my comments here 🙂

By: Lars Clausen

Lars Clausen — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 17:31:17 +0000

Thank you for these comments, especially the ones working with the effects of social stigma.

In my continuing blog conversation with Pastor Dave Glesne, one of the major hurdles is in even discovering a level playing field from which to converse, especially in terms of scientific data, cultural life, and biblical understanding. http://www.larsclausen.blogspot.com

I appreciate the work going on here.

Lars

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 08:31:00 +0000

I am wondering how anonymous would react if his/her spouse had a different understanding of what was meant by “choosing to be monogamous”?

By: Michael Bussee

Michael Bussee — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 07:36:00 +0000

Anon: “People who feel that their sexual orientation was a choice may understand choice differently from most people, but this does not necessarily mean that their understanding is wrong.”

Perhaps not, but it sure makes English language kinda mushy and ill-defined. Using Anon’s reasoning, people can use words to mean whatever they want them to mean and not be “wrong”. A psychotic person could “understand” that purple midget demons are coming through the radio — and be right.

I could say “I am Adolf Hitler”, by which I mean “I’m a nice guy” and I plan to “cut my ears off with a pocket knife”, by which I mean “take a bath and shave this afternoon”.

We have a similar problem when we use words like “change” and “choice” and “heterosexual” — and leave the meanings fuzzy. How would we convey the truth of the Gospel if we were sloppy about what the words mean? I find it interesting that Jesus is called “the word”. Clearly stated and understood words are what ministers use to call “sinners” to “repent” and “accept Christ as Savior and Lord”.

So, I think it’s very important that people try to come to some degree of mutual understanding about the words that make up the English language. That’s why God invented dictionaries — by which I mean “Joseph Nicolosi deserves the Nobel prize for discovering the cure for gayness.”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 05:56:00 +0000

If it is fair to use the fact that most gay people believe their homosexuality was not a choice to support the theory that it is not a choice, then it is also fair to use the fact that some gay people believe their homosexuality was a choice to support the theory that for some people it is a choice.

There is no direct proof that homosexuality can never be a choice. That biological factors likely play a role influencing sexual orientation does not prove that choice cannot also be involved: ‘it is possible to construct a hypothesis whereby both “gay genes” and a desire to be homosexual are necessary for a person actually to become homosexual’, notes Simon LeVay (Queer Science, p. 244) People who feel that their sexual orientation was a choice may understand choice differently from most people, but this does not necessarily mean that their understanding is wrong.