Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Nature or Nurture

Rather than writing a long post, I thought I would just ask the question and see where it goes.

I had a discussion with a friend and the subject of homosexuality came up and how Christians view this issue. Naturally the question came up as to whether this is something you are born with or something you grow into. The idea that someone can be born this way really disturbs the Christian community and rarely is the subject brought up.

So... Can someone be born homosexual?

6 comments:

Jimmy Hoogewind said...

i guess i'll be the first to take a swing! fyi: i answer a lot of questions with more questions... this usually brings out my true feelings on the issue in the end... usually!

where does one draw the line once s/he establishes the fact that, yes, people can be born homosexual?

also, why does our society insist on defining a person by her/his sexual preference? i feel that i, as a Jesus follower, must strive to define a person as God does... as human - and do my best to help her/him become fully so.

to answer your question (finally), i do not believe people are born homo or heterosexual... i do, however, believe people are born with certain tendencies, if you will... and it's their environment (nurture) that either reinforces those tendencies or not.

Anonymous said...

I would fully agree with jimmy's comments. I have had a few friends over the years that considered themself homesexual. human, friend, and broken just like me. my hope is that I never categorize people but simply see them as an individual that needs Jesus just like me.

matt gross said...

I started thinking about this when I found out that one of my favorite band's lead singer came out. The band never classified itself as a "Christian" band, but all its band members were. As a result the CCM industry pulled everything and banned everything this band did and does. In the article he said he has never had a "boyfriend" nor does he ever plan to. Kind of made me look at the subject differently.

I like your thoughts jimmy, I for one have never liked labels, whether they are political, religious, or otherwise. I feel I want to place this issue in the same category as all other "physical attractiveness." We really can not control who or what we are attracted to, but we can certainly control how we react.

Anonymous said...

I have thought about this question before. First of all we are in a sin filled world. With that in mind in birth is where the child is determined to be male or female. We know that some can be born with both parts. I believe sin can corrupt the process and a small part come out with a male body and female everything else. The world loves to "label" everyone. Since I love to cook and I take care of my daughters does that make me homosexual? NO WAY. Yes we all are born with tendencies that the world classify as male or female but that does not make one homosexual. You have to be attracted to the same sex and want to have sex and have sex with them in order to be homosexual. Just because you are good at picking out clothes that match or you can over haul a car does not make you one or the other. Second if you ever watch ( sorry) Jerry Springer, you will hear regular people say I turned him or her gay. You can't be turned if you are born. Third, the voice of the homosexual community wants everyone else to believe it is not their fault. It started in the 80's this idea that "It's not my fault". A movie made me do it, a song made me do it, a talking dog made me do it, and the best eating Twinkies made me do it. With that in mind they needed proof. Back in 85 or so the Gay community hired a scientist to find the "Gay Genom". They paid him 50 million dollars. Sure enough out of Stamford (I believe) he found it. The Human gene is so complexes it would be like me finding the genome that said you like Blueberries. Just plain crazy. But if it is not your fault in can be accepted better. Just like someone got Lyme Decease from a tick. It's not his fault the tick bit him so we cam feel sorry for him. I believe only a small part maybe 5% are born "homosexual". The rest choose to be out of peer pressure or to fit in somewhere when the rest of the "normal world" turns their back on you. As far as I have read God's word, God looks at the heart only. Man looks at the outside and we all have some reason for that from time to time.

Anonymous said...

Well this is rather a tough one. To try to answer this I pose this question to help answer Matt's question. Can a person be born a criminal? This question, and Matt's has been discussed alot over the past few years. Here is my best attempt to answer it. I say its both. Genes play a part in who we are, how we develop, and what our basic make up is as a human being. We get this from our parents and their lineage. Now as that baby grows, and picks up verbal, and many non-verbal ques from whoever the caretaker of the child is, help shape and determine how this child can develop after being born. Can people change? Yes but somethings are born and rather instinctive. And with instincts, its not always what we were born with, its also what we learned from those around us.

As for what factor specifically plays a role for how someone determines if they are homosexual or not, I could not say. My best guess would be to perform a social experiment and talk to many different gay, lesbian, and homosexual people and families as possible and see what they have to say.

To say is this a part of God's plan I wouldn't know. To me saying that it is or isn't is to presume much since we don't get to talk to God like we can to each other. I mean he listens and answers in his own time, but its not like talking on the phone. But human beings are adaptive to environmental changes as well as whatever "Mother Nature" feels we need to change or adapt into. This almost to me brings out the theory of evolution but that's for another time. Don't know if this answers the question but this is where I feel the answer leads me to at the moment.

Unknown said...

I don't think anyone is born desiring sex with someone of their same gender. They may be born with a desire to drink milk and disturb their parent's sleep, but thats abotu it. I will say, though, that I think a person can be born with a chemical nature that might leave them with the possibility of homosexual desires. But that possibility does not manifiest itself, it would be nurtured by disfunction. Sexual desires develop, and I think that homosexuality is not 1005 nature, but it could be 100% nurture. It think most times in women is is more nurture, and in men, it is most times a combination of both, but more nurture than anything. Thats my two pennies!