| About this site |
| About us |
| Our beliefs |
| Is this your first visit? |
| Contact us |
| External links |
| Good books |
| Visitor essays |
| Our forum |
| New essays |
| Other site features |
| Buy a CD of this site |
| Vital notes |
| Non-theistic... |
| Atheism |
| Agnosticism |
| Humanism |
| Other |
| Spirituality and ethics |
| Spirituality |
| Morality and ethics |
| Absolute truth |
| Peace and conflict |
| Attaining peace |
| Religious tolerance |
| Religious hatred |
| Religious conflict |
| Religious violence |
| Laws and news |
| Religious laws |
| Religious news |
Sponsored link
Religious watches by
Whimsical Watches
|
|
 | Some conservative Christian organizations define "sexual orientation" very broadly as a list of parameters that define all aspects of one's sexual desires. For example, a man might be particularly attracted to women who are of medium height, a few years younger than he is, with red hair. This collection of gender, height, age and hair color factors would define the man's sexual orientation. Thus, homosexuality -- being attracted only to members of the same gender -- would only be one component of a person's sexual orientation. Pedophilia -- being sexually attracted to children -- would be another part for a small minority of adults. So would bestiality -- being attracted to animals. Accepting this definition would complicate government legislation dealing with sexual orientation. Any civil rights legislation which extends protection to persons on the basis of their sexual orientation would, under this definition, also decriminalize pedophilia and bestiality. To our knowledge, this definition does not appear in any dictionary or medical text; it seems to be used only by a minority of fundamentalist and other evangelical Christians. | ||||||
| Almost all human sexuality researchers, gays and lesbians, religious
liberals, and professionals in the medical and therapeutic professions
define a person's "sexual orientation" according to the gender(s) of the
person to whom that person is sexually attracted:
|
Beliefs about homosexuality by theologians and scientists:
Normally, there are minimal conflicts between scientists and theologians. They usually work in different areas of study. Theologians are rarely interested in the tensile strength of steel. Scientists are rarely interested in the soul, salvation, heaven or hell. But there are some shared areas where both scientists and theologians promote their beliefs. Often, these beliefs are in conflict. As of 2007, the main areas of conflict are the origins of the universe, and various human sexuality topics.
| Homosexuality is measurable and is thus a legitimate area of study for human sexuality researchers. They have generally concluded that adult human sexuality comes in the three natural, normal, unchosen, and unchangeable orientations defined above. | ||||
| Homosexuality is mentioned in
the Bible, the Qur'an, writings of the Baha'i
Prophet Baha'u'llah, and in other texts considered sacred in various world religions. Thus, homosexuality is also a
legitimate area for theologians to study. Speaking generally:
|
Speculations into the cause of a homosexual orientation:
People hold various conflicting beliefs about the "cause" of sexual orientation, including:
- Some people have no opinion. They point to many of the scientific studies which are inconclusive. For example, one experiment showed that male homosexuals have a different brain structure than heterosexuals. But this raises the question whether the difference in structure causes a homosexual orientation, or whether the opposite is true: the different structure develops as a result of homosexual behavior.
- Some people speculate that
homosexuality as a disease, like alcoholism. But this seems
doubtful, because:
"Homosexuality exists without external impetus; it exists without the introduction of foreign chemicals and without the infliction of external actions by others." 3
- Some people speculate that homosexual behavior is caused by a moral weakness, like lying or stealing. But that also seems unlikely, because homosexuality "...exists in animal species in which these actions -- these "sins"-- cannot occur." 3
- Most conservative Christians speculate that homosexual behavior is caused by poor parenting skills in the homosexual's family of origin. Reparative therapy is based on this belief. Many surveys conducted by conservative Christians find that gays did not bond closely to their fathers, and lesbians did not bond well with their mothers. But other studies show that no such parenting problem exists.
- Some conservative Christians believe that people become homosexual because it is taught to them as children. 10 This motivates religious conservatives to oppose education classes which discuss sexual orientation, and to campaign against gays and lesbians having the right to adopt children. However, it is doubtful that the childhood environment can convince a person to become gay or lesbian. If it could, then one would expect a greater incidence of homosexuality among individuals who were brought up by gay parents, in comparison to those raised in heterosexual homes. No such difference is observed.
- Some conservative Christians believe that people make a conscious choice to become gay or lesbian at puberty. 10 Again, this is doubtful, because child psychologists can accurately identify which pre-school children will grow up to be homosexual. Also, it has been argued that nobody in their right mind would choose to become gay or lesbian and subject themselves to immense amounts of homophobia, discrimination, physical abuse, and emotional-spiritual abuse.
- Finally, other conservative Christians believe that some homosexuals "are possessed by one or more demons," either before or after birth. 10 This is a theological belief among many religious conservatives who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. After all, there are many passages in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) which describe demon possession as a cause of epilepsy, schizophrenia, psychotic behavior, etc. Thus, it is a small leap to include homosexuality among this list of disorders. However, mental health professionals have rejected of the possibility of indwelling demonic beings for the past many generations. Belief in spirit possession is almost extinct.
- The most common belief of human sexuality researchers is that homosexual orientation is caused by a pre-existent genetic makeup which is established at conception. This may be triggered early in life by an unknown factor in the environment. If the factor is not present, the gene or genes causing homosexuality will not be triggered, and the person will grow up heterosexual.
Some studies and indicators of the cause(s) of homosexual orientation:
Studies into the causes of sexual orientation have concentrated on male homosexuality. Six studies are described in greater detail in another essay on this web site. More studies are described in an additional essay. All of the studies show that genes play a significant role in determining homosexual orientation. None of the studies show that the environment is solely responsible. We did not pick and choose the studies which are reported here. We have reported all that we have found, irregardless of outcome.
| Studies on monozygotic twins: These are twins that resulted from the splitting of a single fertilized egg -- the zygote -- into two separate zygotes with identical genetic structure. They are commonly called "identical twins." Studies have been made which involve identical twins who were separated at birth and have not been in contact since. Studies consistently show that male homosexual orientation is mainly (perhaps entirely) determined at conception by a person's genes. This is such an important and definitive study that we describe it in more detail in another essay. | ||||
| Suicide implications: The National Institute of Health (a US Federal Government agency) reported that as many as 30% of youth suicides are by gays and lesbians. That is, homosexual young people commit suicide at a rate as high as six times the normal value. These are committed by youth who are certain that they are stuck being gay or lesbian for the rest of their lives. These young people who commit suicide may have been taught by their families, religious institutions, schools etc to hate or reject homosexuality. If they had any hope of changing their orientation, they probably would seek counseling instead of killing themselves. Most probably believe that their sexual orientation was genetically caused and is unchangeable. | ||||
| Introspection: Most sexually active adults are aware that their sexual orientation is not chosen and
not changeable. Assuming that you are a heterosexual:
| ||||
| Irrationality of choice: In the forward to the book "We Were Baptized Too: Claiming God's Grace for Lesbians and Gays", Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa writes "Someone has said that if this sexual orientation were indeed a matter of personal choice, the homosexual persons must be the craziest coots around to choose a way of life that exposes them to so much hostility, discrimination, loss, and suffering." | ||||
| Brain Structure: Simon LeVay, a Neuroanatomist at the Salk Institute in California published a study in 1991 which examined the brains of men who had died of AIDS. He found that the INAH 3 (a structure within the hypothalamus) differed in size between heterosexual and homosexual men. This suggested to the researcher that "sexual orientation has a biological substrate". 2 This study has been criticized on a number of grounds. Many of his subjects died of AIDS; perhaps the difference in structure size was caused by the disease, or the medications that they took, not the sexual orientation. Others have suggested that homosexual or heterosexual activity may have determined the size of the structure, rather than vice-versa. | ||||
| Hearing: A group of researchers at the University of Texas found structural differences in the inner ears between lesbians and heterosexual women. On average, women have more sensitive cochlea amplifiers than men; they are able to detect softer sounds in a very quiet room. The researchers found that lesbians had inner ear characteristics that were more like those of men. The structure of the inner ear forms before birth and is affected during pregnancy by androgens. 7 These findings indicate that sexual orientation is at least partly decided before birth -- perhaps at conception. | ||||
| Incidence: Gays and lesbians do not appear to be any less common in societies which condemn and suppress homosexuals; they do not seem to be any more common in accepting societies. This would argue against sexual orientation being learned from the environment. | ||||
| Parenting: Almost all children raised in families headed by two gays or two lesbians grow up heterosexual. The sexual orientation of one's parents appear to have little or no influence over the orientation of their children. | ||||
| Infection: A new theory has been proposed that homosexuality is caused by a bacteria or virus. |
Related essays on this web site:
| Six studies into the causes of homosexuality |
| Seven additional studies into the causes of homosexuality |
References:
- "How PFOX can help," at: http://www.pfox.org/help.html
- Simon LeVay, "The Sexual Brain," MIT Press, (1994). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
- J.M. Bailey, R. C. Pillard, "A Genetic Study of Male Sexual Orientation", Archives of General Psychiatry, 48 (1991): 1089-96.
- J. M. Bailey, R. C. Pillard, et al, "Heritable Factors Influence Sexual Orientation in Women" Archives of General Psychiatry, 50 (1993): 217-23.
- Chandler Burr, "A Separate Creation: The search for the biological origins of sexual orientation", Hyperon, New York, NY (1996)
- J.A.Y. Hall & D. Kimura, "Dermatoglyphic Asymmetry and Sexual Orientation in Men", Behavioral Neuroscience, Vol. 108 #6, 1994-DEC, P. 1203-1206.
- "Lesbian Ears", The Globe and Mail, Toronto ON, 1998-MAR-19.
- Jeff Donn, "Finger length linked to sexual orientation: Male hormones in womb produce differences: study," Associated Press, 2000-MAR-29
- Article, title unknown, Nature, 2000-MAR-30.
- Robert T. Lee, "Against Homosexuality," The Society for the Practical Establishment and Perpetuation of the Ten Commandments," 1998-JUN-20, at: http://www.tencommandments.org/homosexual.html
- Matt Ridley, "Nature via nurture: Genes, experience, and what makes us human," HarperCollins, (2003). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store This book discusses the effects of genes and the environment on human behavior and traits. It touches on homosexuality in a few locations.
|
Home page > "Hot" religious topics > Homosexuality > Cause > here |
Copyright © 1997 to 2005 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2005-MAR-29
Author: B.A. Robinson
|
|
