Have you ever been told that those who struggle with homosexuality cannot change, it’s just the way they were born. Therefore, it is not a choice, but a genetic disposition that we must accept (and not even question) or we are guilty of being bigoted or even prejudice. Functionally, this argument has even been used to begin to distinguish homosexuals as a type of people-group that should have all the rights as any other people-group (e.g. the right to marry and be accepted legally with the same standing and rights as a heterosexual couple). Well, new research indicates that homosexuality, like any other behavior that is harmful to a person or society in general, should not be pardoned based on the excuse that “this is the way I was born.” Stand to Reason cites a secular textbook (people with no spiritual angle to promote) that funded and authored for use in the training of psychology students:
While many mental health care providers and professional associations have expressed considerable skepticism that sexual orientation could be changed with psychotherapy and also assumed that therapeutic attempts at reorientation would produce harm, recent empirical evidence demonstrates that homosexual orientation can indeed be therapeutically changed in motivated clients, and that reorientation therapies do not produce emotional harm when attempted (e.g., Byrd & Nicolosi, 2002; Byrd et al., 2008; Shaeffer et al., 1999; Spitzer, 2003).
This position is consistent in how we view other behaviors that are deemed wrong and, therefore harmful, as well. For example, we don’t dismiss o excuse people who say they were born with a disposition to lie, steal, cheat, addicted to heterosexual sex, pedophiles, arsonists, murderers, etc. I am thankful for this textbook because it provided credence for people to seek help and exposes those who want to justify their sinful behavior. This gives us the opportunity to focus and extend the Gospel; the hope of a new beginning in the grace that Jesus offers. If God can and did rescue me in my sinfulness, He can rescue anyone! Thank you Jesus!
Read the whole story.
I always thought the line “we were born that way” was a great opening for the Gospel. I think we are all born that way. We all are insurgents in God’s creation acting out our rebellion in various ways be it any one of the things mentioned above. And, all of which are worthy of condemnation and penalty.
I’m no psychologist but I do agree that homosexuality is a behavior that is physically and spiritually harmful, and loving people would persuade anyone caught up in that lifestyle to change because it will kill you. However, just changing behavior is not in itself pleasing to God.
Until the early 1970’s homosexuality was listed as a disorder in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) that the mental health profession uses to diagnose and treat so-called mental illness. It was removed, not because any new evidence to the contrary had come to light, but for purely political reasons (unlike other medical professions, objective science is often not the basis for diagnosis and treatment in the mental health community)
I’m somewhat surprised to see the idea that homosexuality can be changed (and especially the notion that it may actually be a good thing to do so!) again being discussed in psychology text books.
Our hope as Christians, however, does not depend upon the shifting sands of secular psychological opinion but on the word of God which has assured us for thousands of years that homosexuals can become new creatures in Christ and leave their former life behind (I Corinthians 6:9-11)
If you are speaking regarding God’s law I agree with you.
If you are speaking regarding National law, be careful what you wish for.
Regardless of whether or not this research is sound (and of course, being a responsible investigator you’d have to consider the great deal of evidence to the contrary), the question of whether or not it’s a choice is irrelevant. There’s already an unfounded presupposition that homosexuality is somehow wrong.
I don’t think it is an unfounded presuppisition. If you look at all the sociological evidence about homosexuals it is plain that it is a lifestyle that is destructive personally, and societally. Personally, as a population their average life span is shorter (closer to heterosexuals because of new AIDS drugs), incidence of depression, partner abuse, and promiscuity leading to the spread of disease are all higher. Societally, they are unwilling to have children leading to the end of their population. I don’t see how anyone can say it is in any way right.