Doubt and Security

Religious conservatives generally regard God as playing a very intrusive role in micromanaging every person's life, from conception to death. They believe that God is present at conception and influences the genetic makeup of the pre-embryo. They also believe that God hates homosexual behavior and considers it an abomination. Thus, to them, it makes no sense that God would intentionally create a genetic structure in the pre-embryo that will be likely to make that person mature as a homosexual. This belief leads some of them to reject genes as a cause of homosexual orientation. On the other hand, they believe that human beings have free will. They can chose to commit moral or immoral acts. Some choose the immoral lifestyle of homosexuality.

A second theological consideration is contained in the biblical verses 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 which is one of the main passages quoted by religious conservatives to show God's rejection of homosexuality. The passage reads:

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (KJV) ₁

Many conservative Christians believe that sexually active homosexuals will not achieve heaven after death. However, if they are saved by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior during their lifetime on earth, then God will change their sexual orientation so that they become heterosexuals, and will later admit them to heaven. David Griffiths, for example writes: "...homosexuals can be saved through faith in Christ and can know deliverance like other sinners.." ₂ They reason that being able to change one's sexual orientation would seem to imply that there is no genetic component to homosexuality; it is caused by one's experience, one's environment.

However:

Most liberal Christians have a very different interpretation of this passage. There is a near consensus among human sexuality researchers and mental health professionals that sexual orientation is not a matter of choice, that it is not changeable, and that it has a strong genetic cause.

Religious conservatives often point to studies of identical twins who were separated at birth and raised independently. If one is gay, then the other twin is found to be gay about 55% of the time. They reason that: since identical twins have the same genetic structure, then if homosexual orientation were determined by genes, 100% of the other twins would be gay. Thus they conclude that homosexual orientation is not genetic. This belief appears to be based on a misunderstanding of the roles of genes.

	Seven studies into the cause(s) of sexual orientation
	Homosexuality: a choice or fixed orientation

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Latest update: 2007-MAR-09
Author: B.A. Robinson

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