Several weeks ago, I watched a clip of Melissa Etheridge interviewing and questioning the democratic presidential candidates on behalf of the gay and lesbian community. As she turned her gaze on Tommy Thompson, you could see him wince at "the" question that he knew was coming. "Do you think homosexuality is a choice or is it genetic?"
As I reflected on this clip for the past couple of weeks, it struck me how limiting that question truly is and how the use of "the" question by the gay and lesbian community is shaping the answer that they receive. Of course, by asking that question, they are trying to force the answer to be, "it is genetic," because if anyone answers, "it is a choice," then they would immediately respond with one of the following pat answers: 1) "I did not make a choice to be gay;" or, 2) "Did you choose to be heterosexual?"
Using "the" question and framing it this way limits the answers to one of two -- either it is genetic or it is a choice. But, perhaps, the best answer to this question is "none of the above." And, if that's the answer, then what makes a person a heterosexual or a homosexual.
Wading into the deep end on this issue for the first time, here are my thoughts on the homosexuality issue using the issue of alcoholism as an analogy:
1. Is it a choice? If this question means, "Do people choose to be attracted to same-sex persons in a sexual manner," then I would have to say, for the most part, no. I don't think that anyone consciously would choose to be gay and to accept the lifestyle that goes along with this choice. Likewise, I don't think anyone in their right mind would choose to be an alcoholic and suffer through the associated lifestyle. So, if it's not a choice, then what is it?
It could be genetic, but it could also be a learned behavior. Think about prejudice. Is prejudice a choice or is it genetic or is it neither? Prejudice is not genetic. Babies aren't born prejudiced. It is not a choice in that people make a decision one day and say, "from this moment on, I will prejudge this race." It is a learned behavior, picked up over time as children learn to copy the actions of the adults in their lives or are negatively influenced by someone and apply that negativity towards an entire race.
But, for sake of argument, let's rule out learned behavior in this discussion of homosexuality.
2. Is homosexuality genetic? Maybe. Looking at the issue of alcoholism, we know that some people have a genetic predisposition to become an alcoholic. Maybe it is the same with homosexuality. It is possible that some people have a genetic predisposition to be homosexual. But, does that mean that this genetic predisposition has to be activated?
3. How does the gene get turned on? In the case of the alcoholic, the genetic predisposition to drink alcohol to excess happens only after the first taste of alcohol. I am sure that there are genetic alcoholics all around us who have never expressed this trend of alcoholism simply because they have never had a drink of alcohol. Assuming (and this is an assumption on my part without any scientific evidence to support it) that the genetic tendency for homosexuality works the same way, then in order for homosexuality to be expressed by an individual, they would have to first act upon it. If a person chooses to remain celibate for life, then their genetic predisposition to heterosexuality or homosexuality will never be truly expressed.
4. What would cause someone to act on this genetic predisposition? Now here is where the debate over choice really heats up. Statistics show that the majority of homosexuals come from broken homes or single parent homes. In the case of male homosexuals, a large proportion of them come from a home where there was not a strong male parental figure. Perhaps the expression of this genetic predisposition for homosexuality first became expressed when the child began seeking a relationship and love to make up for the lack of a relationship with a parental figure. In such a case, this would not be a true choice the person was making, because they would be driven by a desire for a missing relationship and end up expressing it in a sexual manner. This leads us very close back to the question of a learned behavior.
5. So, is homosexuality a sin? Based on my exegesis of passages such as Romans 1, I would have to say that it is. We know that genetic tendencies can cause us to have desires and urgings that are sinful. Look again at alcoholism. The expression of this genetic predisposition, the drinking of alcohol to excess and all that goes along with it, is definitely a sin. In fact, if you were to carry this back to the doctrine of original sin, you could make the case that all sin is the result of a genetic predisposition. Because Adam and Eve sinned, our very genes were corrupted and now we have within us this genetic predisposition to sin. In ourselves, we have lost the ability to turn away from the temptations our genes trigger within us.
6. So, does a genetic predisposition for homosexuality mean that people will be homosexuals? The anwer, of course, has to be "maybe." Why do people participate in the sin of premarital sex? It is because they are acting on a genetic predisposition within them to procreate. We are sexual beings. There is no doubt of that. But, we have within us the capacity to choose whether we will give in to this genetic tendency or whether we will not. If we give in to it and participate in premarital sex, then we have sinned. The Bible is clear on this. Why can't the same case be made for homosexuality? If it is a sin, as the Bible seems to define it, then giving in to the temptation/urge/genetic predisposition, would be sin.
7. So, is homosexuality a choice? In one sense, yes. It has to be. Just because you have a temptation does not mean you have to act on it. Just because you have a genetic predisposition, doesn't mean you have to act on it. A person can be an alcoholic genetically and never drink a drop of alcohol. A person can choose to have or not have premarital sex. And a person can choose whether to participate in homosexual activities or not. In this sense, it is a choice.
So, what is the answer to "the" question: Is homosexuality genetic or is it a choice? The answer, I think, I has to be, "Does it matter?" The real question is, "Is homosexuality a sin? And, if so, are you choosing to sin in this way?"
No comments:
Post a Comment