I Am Christian
Is homosexuality natural? Is it a choice? Is it determined for us? Do we have any say in matter? This is a really sensitive subject in America and around the world, and I believe this is a matter where we are letting our feelings and misunderstandings rule us. This in turn creates a mob mentality where they don’t care if they are right or wrong, so long as they get their way. As a highly skeptical individual, I don’t always believe things the first time I hear them unless I have good reasons to agree with it, and those moments don’t always happen, even during the sermons I hear at church. I am a Christian and I believe the Bible to be true from cover to cover, but at the same time before I go off promoting a certain view I make sure that my foundation is firm and that my arguments are solid so that I can properly defend what I can honestly say is “my view”.
That being said, I want to start off by addressing the nature of attraction. Heterosexuals say they are attracted to the opposite gender, homosexuals say they are attracted to the same gender, and bisexuals say they are attracted to both. Generally speaking, attraction is a force that draws individuals or things together. Magnets are usually the first things that come to mind. I find it interesting how opposite polarities naturally attract, but same polarities repel one another, and if you want them to touch you really have to apply a lot of force only to have them push apart once the pressure is lifted. But back to the topic at hand, we are all attracted to both men and women, regardless of the sexual “preference” you claim to have. If you have any friends, there is something about them that attracts you to them, regardless of their gender. If I walk up to someone and say, “Hi, my name is...”, there was something about them that drew me to them. There are guys that I’m attracted to, and there are girls that I’m attracted to, yet I am completely straight. Before I dive too much deeper into this I’m going to move on, but I will tie all this together.
Next I want to address love and its true nature. First I will define what love is not, then I will get into what love is. Love is not a feeling, at least not in and of itself. The problem with the English language is that we only have one word for love... and that’s love. The Greek’s had “phileo”(friendship, loyalty), “philadelphia”(brotherly love), “eros”(intimate or passionate love) and “agape”(unconditional love). Eros is normally used in the sexual sense, but that is not always the case. If you love anyone (and I hope you would love your family and friends), then at different times you will cycle through 3 of the 4 kinds of love, excluding eros (unless towards your significant other). I say this because eros is a very intimate kind of love, and it is usually only used in the case of a significant other, like a husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend. The reason I stopped talking about attraction is to point this out: attraction is not something you can always control, but love is. That being said I will now define what love is: it is action. We’ve all heard the saying “love at first sight”, but that’s not love. All that amounts to is infatuation and lust. Without nurture or with loss of interest that stage comes and goes and we move on. Love is something that is chosen, and it is expressed through action. If I say I love someone and I do nothing, then it can be rightly said that I don’t love them. If someone says they feel loved it was because someone else did something that showed them that they were loved. In other words action is needed. I should also point out that if you act stupid and your “action” hurts the one you claim to love, then that’s not love either. You also don’t fall in and out of love, you only gain or lose interest. You make the choice based on your interest whether to display love or not, but you don’t fall in or out of it as if by accident.
I feel that I also need to point out that love and attraction don’t always overlap. Through my church we support HIV positive orphans over in India that have been rejected by society that I will probably never meet, and am not attracted to. I don’t know anything about them, yet out of love I give to support these girls through regular giving above my tithe, even though I don’t have a job while going to school. In other words, love must actually cost something, but it doesn't have to be money. I also do other things, but I felt this would be the best example.
Finally I want to address culture and how it relates to our present day tolerance. As a Christian, I believe that homosexuality and even bisexuality is a sin. But guess what, so is murder, lying, stealing, coveting, etc. So before Christians go bashing “non” heterosexuals realize that we are no different from them in the sense that we are sinners as well. The only difference between us is that through faith we have received forgiveness by God’s grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. That being said, and looking through my understanding of love and attraction, I will now bring in what the Bible has to say, because that is my foundation. Some of the verses I quote are from Leviticus, but realize that while Christians are not under the Old Testament law, it was written for us to learn from. In it we see how God see things and his standard of holiness. These laws also only applied within the boarders of Israel, which resided in the Promised Land. Starting in Leviticus:
Lev 18:22 - Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
Lev 20:13 - If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
The New Testament on the other hand does apply to Christians, and in 1 Corinthians we see homosexuality among the list of sins that one must turn from.
1 Cor 6:9 - 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.
1 Cor 6:10 - Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
*Effeminate and abusers of themselves relate to homosexuality
I included this for a very important point. When asked what the times would be like in Luke 17:26-30, Jesus said that at the time of his return the times would be the same as the days of Noah and Lot. While he did not mention homosexuality specifically, that was a primary characteristic of Lot’s day. More than the practice, it is clearly seen that it was widely and commonly accepted. All you have to do is read Genesis 19:4-5
“But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter: and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.”
If you have any question as to the nature of the word “know”, it is sexual in nature and I can show that through the rejection of Lot’s daughters who “have not know a man”.
Having said all that, I firmly believe that our world in general has turned from God to the point that it is well within the acceptance stage that Jesus predicted in Luke 17. How does this apply to homosexuality and our culture? That’s easy enough to answer. The further our minds turn from God, and the more sin is accepted in a society, the more natural things (like love and attraction) will be perverted. As I said earlier, we are attracted to both men and women. Attraction is normal, otherwise meaningful relationships would not form, intimate or platonic. I agree that you can not help what you are attracted to, but you can control who and what you love. The “eros” love is where the issue hinges. The way God intended it, the only natural use for “eros” love is between a man and a woman, and any other kind of love can and should be shown for everyone.
In the end I believe that homosexuality (and even bisexuality) is a choice and it is not natural. It doesn’t hinge on attraction, as we are attracted to all sorts of people, but it hinges on who we decide to express “eros” love to. Who we decide to show passionate, intimate love to, which usually includes a sexual component. My faith may provide the foundation, but the things I’ve learned about attraction and love tell me that we have full control over who we decide to love, as love and attraction don’t always overlap.
That being said, I want to start off by addressing the nature of attraction. Heterosexuals say they are attracted to the opposite gender, homosexuals say they are attracted to the same gender, and bisexuals say they are attracted to both. Generally speaking, attraction is a force that draws individuals or things together. Magnets are usually the first things that come to mind. I find it interesting how opposite polarities naturally attract, but same polarities repel one another, and if you want them to touch you really have to apply a lot of force only to have them push apart once the pressure is lifted. But back to the topic at hand, we are all attracted to both men and women, regardless of the sexual “preference” you claim to have. If you have any friends, there is something about them that attracts you to them, regardless of their gender. If I walk up to someone and say, “Hi, my name is...”, there was something about them that drew me to them. There are guys that I’m attracted to, and there are girls that I’m attracted to, yet I am completely straight. Before I dive too much deeper into this I’m going to move on, but I will tie all this together.
Next I want to address love and its true nature. First I will define what love is not, then I will get into what love is. Love is not a feeling, at least not in and of itself. The problem with the English language is that we only have one word for love... and that’s love. The Greek’s had “phileo”(friendship, loyalty), “philadelphia”(brotherly love), “eros”(intimate or passionate love) and “agape”(unconditional love). Eros is normally used in the sexual sense, but that is not always the case. If you love anyone (and I hope you would love your family and friends), then at different times you will cycle through 3 of the 4 kinds of love, excluding eros (unless towards your significant other). I say this because eros is a very intimate kind of love, and it is usually only used in the case of a significant other, like a husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend. The reason I stopped talking about attraction is to point this out: attraction is not something you can always control, but love is. That being said I will now define what love is: it is action. We’ve all heard the saying “love at first sight”, but that’s not love. All that amounts to is infatuation and lust. Without nurture or with loss of interest that stage comes and goes and we move on. Love is something that is chosen, and it is expressed through action. If I say I love someone and I do nothing, then it can be rightly said that I don’t love them. If someone says they feel loved it was because someone else did something that showed them that they were loved. In other words action is needed. I should also point out that if you act stupid and your “action” hurts the one you claim to love, then that’s not love either. You also don’t fall in and out of love, you only gain or lose interest. You make the choice ba
I feel that I also need to point out that love and attraction don’t always overlap. Through my church we support HIV positive orphans over in India that have been rejected by society that I will probably never meet, and am not attracted to. I don’t know anything about them, yet out of love I give to support these girls through regular giving above my tithe, even though I don’t have a job while going to school. In other words, love must actually cost something, but it doesn't have to be money. I also do other things, but I felt this would be the best example.
Finally I want to address culture and how it relates to our present day tolerance. As a Christian, I believe that homosexuality and even bisexuality is a sin. But guess what, so is murder, lying, stealing, coveting, etc. So before Christians go bashing “non” heterosexuals realize that we are no different from them in the sense that we are sinners as well. The only difference between us is that through faith we have received forgiveness by God’s grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. That being said, and looking through my understanding of love and attraction, I will now bring in what the Bible has to say, because that is my foundation. Some of the verses I quote are from Leviticus, but realize that while Christians are not under the Old Testament law, it was written for us to learn from. In it we see how God see things and his standard of holiness. These laws also only applied within the boarders of Israel, which resided in the Promised Land. Starting in Leviticus:
Lev 18:22 - Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
Lev 20:13 - If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
The New Testament on the other hand does apply to Christians, and in 1 Corinthians we see homosexuality among the list of sins that one must turn from.
1 Cor 6:9 - 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.
1 Cor 6:10 - Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
*Effeminate and abusers of themselves relate to homosexuality
I included this for a very important point. When asked what the times would be like in Luke 17:26-30, Jesus said that at the time of his return the times would be the same as the days of Noah and Lot. While he did not mention homosexuality specifically, that was a primary characteristic of Lot’s day. More than the practice, it is clearly seen that it was widely and commonly accepted. All you have to do is read Genesis 19:4-5
“But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter: and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.”
If you have any question as to the nature of the word “know”, it is sexual in nature and I can show that through the rejection of Lot’s daughters who “have not know a man”.
Having said all that, I firmly believe that our world in general has turned from God to the point that it is well within the acceptance stage that Jesus predicted in Luke 17. How does this apply to homosexuality and our culture? That’s easy enough to answer. The further our minds turn from God, and the more sin is accepted in a society, the more natural things (like love and attraction) will be perverted. As I said earlier, we are attracted to both men and women. Attraction is normal, otherwise meaningful relationships would not form, intimate or platonic. I agree that you can not help what you are attracted to, but you can control who and what you love. The “eros” love is where the issue hinges. The way God intended it, the only natural use for “eros” love is between a man and a woman, and any other kind of love can and should be shown for everyone.
In the end I believe that homosexuality (and even bisexuality) is a choice and it is not natural. It doesn’t hinge on attraction, as we are attracted to all sorts of people, but it hinges on who we decide to express “eros” love to. Who we decide to show passionate, intimate love to, which usually includes a sexual component. My faith may provide the foundation, but the things I’ve learned about attraction and love tell me that we have full control over who we decide to love, as love and attraction don’t always overlap.
By:
Army0917
Age:
26-30
,
Male
48
responses
