John Boanerges
Preterist
This thread arose from another that I contributed to recently. Of course, the discussion got heated and started heading down a road that I didn't intend.
Here was the premise: There is now (overwhelming) medical evidence that sexual orientation can be determined/changed in the womb by prenatal exposure to chemicals and hormones, particularly xenoestrogens, which are exogenous (made outside the body) estrogens from plants (e.g. the powerful isoflavones of soy) and man-made chemicals (e.g. from toxins/pollutants, pesticides, plastics, and more). Genetics have also been implicated in determining sexual orientation, with certain genes being turned on or off by certain outside stimuli, such as the ones listed above, much like "genetic diseases" (e.g. familial cancers) are expressed under the influences certain chemicals (e.g. carcinogens).
If you Google "xenoestrogens, sexual orientation", "epigenetics, sexual orientation", "prenatal hormones, homosexuality", "right hand finger length study, homosexuality", and related searches you will find plenty of scientific evidence. Epigenetics is particularly fascinating - the layer of genetic information (much of which is viral) that helps determine what the true genes in the DNA are going to do when challenged by outside forces, such as xenoestrogens, chemicals/toxins/pollutants/carcinogens.
So...there are physiological events that help explain why many gay individuals unequivocally state that they have felt the way they do for as long as they can remember. In some, it may be a lifestyle choice. However, most that I know have felt this way...some even fighting the compulsion to be this way...their entire life. They are as convinced of their sexual orientation as any heterosexual.
Here was my point: The church is going to have to deal with the fact that homosexuality is not simply a matter of being "seduced by the dark side". There is overwhelming evidence that sexual orientation can be changed in utero and even later in life through epigenetics. Homosexuality is now much more than the simple lifestyle choice that the uneducated individual thinks it is. It may have been more of choice in OT times and the Word (the law) was there to govern this behavior. But in today's world, under the influences of MAN, this has changed and become more of a physiological issue.
Now, this concept is not a "win" for either side. In fact, it will be hard to swallow by both sides. Many evangelical are convinced that homosexuality is merely a choice and purely sinful behavior and don't want to hear otherwise while I'm sure that most homosexuals will not enjoy the perspective that their sexual orientation is "abnormal" in any way (e.g. being a "birth defect" caused by chemical exposure in the womb). But...the medical data is what it is - a scientific explanation for the rise in homosexuality in modern times AND support for the testimony of those who are gay and (correctly) claim to have been born this way. Just as most homosexuals will tell you, they did not choose to be gay.
As painful as this topic may be, I believe it opens the door for reconciliation between the two groups. Yes, most homosexuals were born this way or became so under what we now know to be definable circumstances. Again, they were not simply "seduced by the dark side" or products of "improper upbringing".
This should help open the minds - and the church doors - of Christians to the homosexual individual and afford them the unconditional love that we all desire...and that Christians are being slammed every day for not exhibiting (and rightfully so. Shame on us!)
This is/should be the bridge.
Then, if we want to address the Scriptural aspects of this lifestyle, we can hopefully do so in a setting of love and understanding, remembering that "sin" comes in many forms...with ALL of us being guilty. If heterosexuals battle lust for members of the opposite sex (which most do much more than they care to admit), imagine how hard it must be for those who have those same urges for someone of the same sex before they can fully comprehend/integrate those feelings as an adult. And many pour gas on the fire through ignorant condemnation, which is both factually and spiritually the wrong thing to do.
We must address the hatred that is being expressed on both sides of this issue, much of which can be defused by understanding the physiology of sexual orientation.
So...will you Google it?
Can we at least discuss this in a civilized manner?
Here was the premise: There is now (overwhelming) medical evidence that sexual orientation can be determined/changed in the womb by prenatal exposure to chemicals and hormones, particularly xenoestrogens, which are exogenous (made outside the body) estrogens from plants (e.g. the powerful isoflavones of soy) and man-made chemicals (e.g. from toxins/pollutants, pesticides, plastics, and more). Genetics have also been implicated in determining sexual orientation, with certain genes being turned on or off by certain outside stimuli, such as the ones listed above, much like "genetic diseases" (e.g. familial cancers) are expressed under the influences certain chemicals (e.g. carcinogens).
If you Google "xenoestrogens, sexual orientation", "epigenetics, sexual orientation", "prenatal hormones, homosexuality", "right hand finger length study, homosexuality", and related searches you will find plenty of scientific evidence. Epigenetics is particularly fascinating - the layer of genetic information (much of which is viral) that helps determine what the true genes in the DNA are going to do when challenged by outside forces, such as xenoestrogens, chemicals/toxins/pollutants/carcinogens.
So...there are physiological events that help explain why many gay individuals unequivocally state that they have felt the way they do for as long as they can remember. In some, it may be a lifestyle choice. However, most that I know have felt this way...some even fighting the compulsion to be this way...their entire life. They are as convinced of their sexual orientation as any heterosexual.
Here was my point: The church is going to have to deal with the fact that homosexuality is not simply a matter of being "seduced by the dark side". There is overwhelming evidence that sexual orientation can be changed in utero and even later in life through epigenetics. Homosexuality is now much more than the simple lifestyle choice that the uneducated individual thinks it is. It may have been more of choice in OT times and the Word (the law) was there to govern this behavior. But in today's world, under the influences of MAN, this has changed and become more of a physiological issue.
Now, this concept is not a "win" for either side. In fact, it will be hard to swallow by both sides. Many evangelical are convinced that homosexuality is merely a choice and purely sinful behavior and don't want to hear otherwise while I'm sure that most homosexuals will not enjoy the perspective that their sexual orientation is "abnormal" in any way (e.g. being a "birth defect" caused by chemical exposure in the womb). But...the medical data is what it is - a scientific explanation for the rise in homosexuality in modern times AND support for the testimony of those who are gay and (correctly) claim to have been born this way. Just as most homosexuals will tell you, they did not choose to be gay.
As painful as this topic may be, I believe it opens the door for reconciliation between the two groups. Yes, most homosexuals were born this way or became so under what we now know to be definable circumstances. Again, they were not simply "seduced by the dark side" or products of "improper upbringing".
This should help open the minds - and the church doors - of Christians to the homosexual individual and afford them the unconditional love that we all desire...and that Christians are being slammed every day for not exhibiting (and rightfully so. Shame on us!)
This is/should be the bridge.
Then, if we want to address the Scriptural aspects of this lifestyle, we can hopefully do so in a setting of love and understanding, remembering that "sin" comes in many forms...with ALL of us being guilty. If heterosexuals battle lust for members of the opposite sex (which most do much more than they care to admit), imagine how hard it must be for those who have those same urges for someone of the same sex before they can fully comprehend/integrate those feelings as an adult. And many pour gas on the fire through ignorant condemnation, which is both factually and spiritually the wrong thing to do.
We must address the hatred that is being expressed on both sides of this issue, much of which can be defused by understanding the physiology of sexual orientation.
So...will you Google it?
Can we at least discuss this in a civilized manner?