Gay ex-workers and workers board

[StAnne]

Nov 12, 2010 12:27:39 GMT -5 twagner said:

I appreciated reading one post on being very very very careful when judging. I think all the judging I heard from friends and workers during my time in the Work and fellowship really tired me and made me feel so sick. I joined this fellowship when I was on my late teens, I was a complete stranger and no one in my family or community took interest. I believed this to be an exclusive truth and I didn't spare the cost, the ridicule of family and friends. All I wanted to do was to live an upright life and please God. I endured a lot and at the age of 23 I started in the Ministry. My family isolated me from them totally and I hardly heard from them. I spent 6 years in the Work and they never visited me. Yet I embrace the friends and workers as my new family and tried to serve them with my best. I knew deep inside my heart that I was gay and I remember spending many many nights on my knees praying to God for direction and strength and i tried to walk worthy of my calling. I was young and out going, many look at me as a role model, because of having left the world, friends and family and having fit in so happily in the fellowship and the Work. My ministry enabled me to reach out to many young kids struggling with the faith, addressing problems such as sexual relations, pregnancy, etc and even some people I met along the way who were dealing with same sex attraction. I came to be at a cross road. How to help them? Deep inside my heart I didn't believe they were evil because I didn't believe I was evil. The time came when I fell in love for the 1st time to a guy I met after Conventions. I examined myself a lot, it wasn't even about sex, just that overwhelming feeling of being in love and why would that be wrong? Then all the judgement weight and made me feel so sick. People didn't know I was gay, they seemed to like me but if they knew, would they still like me, that was my question!!! I was under a lot of stress and many things happened during my ministry, accidents, depressed companions, etc that left me stressed and tired. When I couldn't continue anymore I asked my overseer the help to go to therapy or take a break and his answer was: talk to some of the friends or a worker, i don't like that therapy business. I had no choice but to walk away. I had no family and no where to go. The friends didn't really show much interest. I was glad some worldly friends took pity on me and offered help. The first few months were very very difficult. I was so depressed, anorexic, so lost. Most of the people that helped me were either homosexuals, jews or atheist.
Now I am finding my bearings a bit easier but it is still difficult. I am single, celibate and I live a clean liife, yet I don't feel I could be accepted in the fellowship If I were open about my feelings. It feels so sad to be left out of something that has been so meaningful in my life and for which I have invested so much. So please be careful when judging, you never know who you are hurting and these wounds take a long time to heal and there are very few who could understand and bring aid to ease the pain!!!

An apostolate...
www.couragerc.net/

[hangingout]

"There is nothing in the bible about it being wrong for two women for example, it is just wrong for men. Why would that be?"- quote


Well, it's in there, actually.

"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error."

Romans 1:24-27

[Deleted]

As my husband says it wasn't Adam and Steve. I do feel genuinely sorry for people who are born with different x and Y chromosomes and are the wrong sex But to chose to be gay as a lifestyle is not right. My cousin was raped by a priest at a catholic college and is gay. I would do something bad to anyone touching my child.

[Gene]

Mar 20, 2014 18:08:36 GMT -5 @heavenhelpus said:

As my husband says it wasn't Adam and Steve. I do feel genuinely sorry for people who are born with different x and Y chromosomes and are the wrong sex But to chose to be gay as a lifestyle is not right. My cousin was raped by a priest at a catholic college and is gay. I would do something bad to anyone touching my child.

So your cousin chose to be gay because he was raped by a priest? Seems like that would be the LAST thing he would choose.

[faune]

Mar 20, 2014 18:08:36 GMT -5 @heavenhelpus said:

As my husband says it wasn't Adam and Steve. I do feel genuinely sorry for people who are born with different x and Y chromosomes and are the wrong sex But to chose to be gay as a lifestyle is not right. My cousin was raped by a priest at a catholic college and is gay. I would do something bad to anyone touching my child.

I really don't believe that homosexuality is a product of one's choice or preference, but rather a part of their natural born make-up from birth. Also, evidence of gay behavior has been around for centuries going back to the Book of Genesis.  There have been a number of scientific studies done on this subject of gene inheritance and recent evidence has suggested a difference in the hypothalamus of the brain between heterosexual and homosexual men, which may contribute to homosexuality. Upon autopsies of men of known sexual preference who were gay and died from AIDS, and  heterosexual straight males, they discovered this unique finding in the excerpt below from Frontline News.  

www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/assault/genetics/nyreview.html 

Is Homosexuality Inherited? by Richard Horton 

By contrast, the work of Simon LeVay, Dean Hamer, and a small group of researchers concerned to distinguish biological and genetic influences on sexual behavior has discredited much of the loose rhetoric that has been used about homosexuality. In August 1991, LeVay, a neuroscientist who now directs the Institute of Gay and Lesbian Education in southern California, published in the magazine Science findings from autopsies of men and women of known sexual preference. He found that a tiny region in the center of the brain--the interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus (INAH) 3--was, on average, substantially smaller in nineteen gay men who died from AIDS than among sixteen heterosexual men.[7]

The observation that the male brain could take two different forms, depending on one's sexual preference, was a stunning discovery. The hypothalamus-a small, intricate mass of cells lying at the base of the brain-was long believed to have a role in sexual behavior, but direct evidence that it did so was weak. Yet LeVay expressed caution. Although his data showed that human sexual preference "is amenable to study at the biological level," he noted that it was impossible to be certain whether the anatomical differences between the brains of gay and straight men were a cause or a consequence of their preference.[8]

In the thirteen persuasive essays that make up The Sexual Brain, LeVay takes account of the current bio-behavioral controversy over the science of sex. From the union of wiry sperm and bloated ovum to the child-rearing practices of mammals and humans, for which mothers are largely responsible, he writes (metaphorically), the "male is little more than a parasite who takes advantage of [the female's] dedication to reproduction." He goes on to draw from a wide range of sources to support his contentious assertion that "there are separate centers within the hypothalamus for the generation of male-typical and female-typical sexual behavior and feelings." He argues that a connection--the details of which remain mysterious--between brain and behavior exists through hormones such as testosterone.

The most convincing evidence he puts forward to support his view comes from women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. This condition, in which masculine characteristics, such as androgenized genitalia, including clitoral enlargement and partially fused labia, become pronounced in women, is caused by excessive testosterone production and leads, in adulthood, to an increased frequency of lesbianism affecting up to half of all the women who have the condition. The theory, still unproven, that is proposed to explain these behavioral effects of hormones is that one or more chemical signals act during a brief early critical period in the development of most males to alter permanently both the brain and the pattern of their later adult behavior. Unless this hormonal influence is switched on, a female pattern of development will follow automatically.

What might be the origin of biological differences underlying male sexual preference? In 1993 Dean Hamer and his colleagues at the National Cancer Institute discovered a preliminary but nevertheless tantalizing clue.[9] Hamer began his painstaking search for a genetic contribution to sexual behavior by studying the rates of homosexuality among male relatives of seventy-six known gay men. He found that the incidence of homosexual preference in these family members was strikingly higher (13.5 percent) than the rate of homosexuality among the whole sample (2 percent). When he looked at the patterns of sexual orientation among these families, he discovered more gay relatives on the maternal side. Homosexuality seemed, at least, to be passed from generation to generation through women.

Maternal inheritance could be explained if there was a gene influencing sexual orientation on the X chromosome, one of the two human sex chromosomes that bear genes determining the sex of offspring.[10] Men have both X and Y chromosomes, while women have two X chromosomes. A male sex-determining gene, called SRY, is found on the Y chromosome. Indeed, the Y chromosome is the most obvious site for defining male sexuality since it is the only one of the forty-six human chromosomes to be found in men alone. The SRY gene is the most likely candidate both to turn on a gene that prevents female development and to trigger testosterone production. Since the female has no Y chromosome, she lacks this masculinizing gene. In forty pairs of homosexual brothers, Hamer and his team looked for associations between the DNA on the X chromosome and the homosexual trait. They found that thirty-three pairs of brothers shared the same five X chromosomal DNA "markers," or genetic signatures, at a region near the end of the long arm of the X chromosome designated Xq28.[11] The possibility that this observation could have occurred by chance was only 1 in 10,000.

 

[Deleted]

hmmmm...then maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for this?

[faune]

Mar 20, 2014 20:51:22 GMT -5 @wally said:

hmmmm...then maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for this?

Wally ~ I doubt it, because it's an inherited trait from birth passed down through the mother's genes.  From scientific research, it appears the female (Eve) takes the rap for supplying the gene which contributes to homosexuality?  These women will never learn, huh?  LOL    You should read that long Frontline article.  It's pretty interesting.  I just discovered it today and had just finished it when I read a recent post on this old resurrected thread created in 2007.

Honestly, this is like another "flat earth theory" that needs to be put to rest, because there's no basis for the homophobia.  Gay people have been around since the beginning of time and down through the centuries.  Actually, we read about it first in the book of Genesis.   

[matisse]

Too bad there isn't gene therapy for homophobia.

[mangochango]

I don't have a problem with gays or lesbians - that's not my problem to decide or solve. What I do have a problem with is gay or lesbian workers who molest their co-workers; who force their unwanted attention or ways on people that don't want it. If you want to live that life and be intimate with someone of the same sex go find someone who shares those desires. The work is NOT the place for that and it's wrong to take advantage. Just because you are with a co-worker of the same sex doesn't mean it's a free for all.

[snow]

Mar 20, 2014 20:51:22 GMT -5 @wally said:

hmmmm...then maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for this?

Why do you feel they need to be 'cured'? What's wrong with just letting them be who they are?

[Deleted]

if its a genetic anomaly then we should cure it...

[matisse]

Mar 21, 2014 0:18:16 GMT -5 @wally said:

if its a genetic anomaly then we should cure it...

Or accept it as a human trait, like male pattern baldness or left-handedness, and get over the need to condemn people for it.

[BobWilliston]

May 2, 2008 20:57:29 GMT -5 calleduntoliberty said:

Oct 28, 2007 20:39:42 GMT -5 spanky said:

Jesus NEVER, EVER, said ANYTHING about homosexuality.

Paul did -- and he was sent directly by Jesus to preach and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Paul never met Jesus. And what he said about homosexuality was in fact against "male prostitutes".

[faune]

Mar 21, 2014 1:41:18 GMT -5 BobWilliston said:

May 2, 2008 20:57:29 GMT -5 calleduntoliberty said:

Paul did -- and he was sent directly by Jesus to preach and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Paul never met Jesus. And what he said about homosexuality was in fact against "male prostitutes".

Bob ~ I believe he's referring to Paul's vision of Jesus on the Road to Damascus where he was blinded by a beam of light and heard the voice of Jesus in Acts 9.  Although Paul never physically met Jesus, he did have his visions of him and received his commission as an apostle through this vision.  Later the leading apostles of Jesus (Peter, James, and John) accepted him into the fold in Galatians 2 as an apostle appointed to the Gentiles. 

[Deleted]

Mar 21, 2014 0:18:16 GMT -5 @wally said:

if its a genetic anomaly then we should cure it...

I didn't think there was any evidence that homosexuality was a 'genetic anomaly'. Humans are social creatures, there may have been some evolutionary advantage to having a percentage of homosexuality within a community. It has always amazed me that in Thailand there is such a huge percentage of lady boys. Is this because they are more tolerant and the indicidence would be similar in other countries if we were more tolerant or is this some anomoly?

I don't get the whole fear thing that so many straight people seem to have with regards to homosexuality. I've never met a gay person who wanted to force their sexuality upon me. Sure a few guys have made a pass - i found that flattering. Someone who forces their sexual desire on another, well that is about power, rape, which has little to do with homosexuality. I don't know any facts in this regard but I can see that sort of thing coming to pass amongst workers because of the extent to which sex/sexuality is repressed in the group, particularly amongst the workers.

[Gene]

Mar 20, 2014 20:51:22 GMT -5 @wally said:

hmmmm...then maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for this?

Or maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for heterosexuality?

Just think -- you breeders could CHOOSE to become gay with a simple regimen of gene therapy!

You know you're curious - go for it!

If it doesn't work out, you could always have it reversed!

[Deleted]

Mar 21, 2014 5:19:23 GMT -5 Gene said:

Mar 20, 2014 20:51:22 GMT -5 @wally said:

hmmmm...then maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for this?

Or maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for heterosexuality?

Just think -- you breeders could CHOOSE to become gay with a simple regimen of gene therapy!

You know you're curious - go for it!

If it doesn't work out, you could always have it reversed!

That might be the cure for overpopulation.

[matisse]

Mar 20, 2014 23:37:17 GMT -5 mangochango said:

I don't have a problem with gays or lesbians - that's not my problem to decide or solve. What I do have a problem with is gay or lesbian workers who molest their co-workers; who force their unwanted attention or ways on people that don't want it. If you want to live that life and be intimate with someone of the same sex go find someone who shares those desires. The work is NOT the place for that and it's wrong to take advantage. Just because you are with a co-worker of the same sex doesn't mean it's a free for all.

Sounds lHuman Resources needs to put a comprehensive anti-harrassment policy and training program in place for co-workers.

The situations and behaviors you describe sound awful.

[mangochango]

Thanks Matisse, they are horrible.

[matisse]

Mar 21, 2014 9:44:06 GMT -5 mangochango said:

Thanks Matisse, they are horrible.

This brings tears to my eyes. Another layer in a culture that permits abuse. It makes sense that it would exist ...it's consistent with the other patterns of abuse that are discussed here.

I know there are some really wonderful people in the Work (and among the friends.). It makes me feel heartsick to know this is yet another part of the underbelly that people like you have had to deal with.

[Deleted]

Mar 21, 2014 5:19:23 GMT -5 Gene said:

Mar 20, 2014 20:51:22 GMT -5 @wally said:

hmmmm...then maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for this?

Or maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for heterosexuality?

Just think -- you breeders could CHOOSE to become gay with a simple regimen of gene therapy!

You know you're curious - go for it!

If it doesn't work out, you could always have it reversed!

that would be suicide

[faune]

Mar 21, 2014 3:45:46 GMT -5 @passerby said:

Mar 21, 2014 0:18:16 GMT -5 @wally said:

if its a genetic anomaly then we should cure it...

I didn't think there was any evidence that homosexuality was a 'genetic anomaly'. Humans are social creatures, there may have been some evolutionary advantage to having a percentage of homosexuality within a community. It has always amazed me that in Thailand there is such a huge percentage of lady boys. Is this because they are more tolerant and the incidence would be similar in other countries if we were more tolerant or is this some anomaly?

I don't get the whole fear thing that so many straight people seem to have with regards to homosexuality. I've never met a gay person who wanted to force their sexuality upon me. Sure a few guys have made a pass - i found that flattering. Someone who forces their sexual desire on another, well that is about power, rape, which has little to do with homosexuality.  I don't know any facts in this regard but I can see that sort of thing coming to pass amongst workers because of the extent to which sex/sexuality is repressed in the group, particularly amongst the workers.

Passerby ~ I agree with your conclusion  above and see how it could easily happen within the 2x2's due to the repression of ones sexuality.  Such an unhealthy practice could easily bring CSA into play, which we  tend to see more in faiths who embrace the celibate ministry and lifestyle ~ like the Catholics and the 2x2's.

I also noticed that mangochango brought this point out in her post regarding her experiences within the work and saw it as a problem due to the power play involved between workers who are over you in the ministry.  Leslie White's actions  as an overseer comes to mind here, too.  However, I have no doubt there are some female and male workers who would be considered homosexuals within the faith, who have tried to force themselves upon their younger co-workers in the ministry.  It's just not discussed much out in the open, but any unwanted advances from a senior worker with his/her companion is a power play with the intention to control the other under their supervision ~ unless the feeling is mutual.  It just seems to be one of the well kept secrets kept under wraps regarding the 2x2's?   

Posted by mangochango

12 hours ago
.
I don't have a problem with gays or lesbians - that's not my problem to decide or solve. What I do have a problem with is gay or lesbian workers who molest their co-workers; who force their unwanted attention or ways on people that don't want it. If you want to live that life and be intimate with someone of the same sex go find someone who shares those desires. The work is NOT the place for that and it's wrong to take advantage. Just because you are with a co-worker of the same sex doesn't mean it's a free for all.

[hangingout]

I just believe the Word about this. And on loving others - I believe the Word there, too. I don't believe in mistreating anyone.

I have seen things in Gay-Pride events that I think are gross and degrading, like the S and M behavior.

I heard Ellen praising Ricky Gervais. She called him "great" and she really "admired" him. I didn't know him at all. I wanted to see this "great" man. I listened to his comedy video on YouTube the other night. But it was sooo vulgar, I had to turn it off. Vulgarity is so disgusting!

People have been writing that there is not just one type of atheist. Yes, I think so, as well. And I think that also there is not only ONE type of person who is attracted to their same sex. I am very sure that not every gay person enjoys vulgarity! But some really do

I believe in looking at people "by the content of their character" - like Dr. King said - not by the labels they wear or by what’s on the outside.

When a gay person stands up for Christians' rights to preach on homosexuality, I know this person believes in fairness. (That should never be done with hate, though!) A lot of people today are all for "Freedom of Religion!" ...but just not the religions they don’t like.  Freedom in America means tolerating the views we don't all agree on, whether we are: "liberal", "ultra-liberal", "conservative", "ultra-conservative". I know it can be hard to do this. 

Civil rights are supposed to be for everyone, and that means even for people who don't see eye to eye.

I have three gay friends and I love each one. One is in a relationship. He's a dancer and is just naturally hilarious. I have known him since he was a kid. The other is hoping to find someone. He is educated and talented and also very funny.I've also known him since childhood, too. All three are really creative people. One grew up without a dad at all. The other's Dad is there, but he is very critical and kind of cold. And the third was molested by her Dad. All are extremely close to their Moms.

I will always love these people....I won't give up my beliefs for them, but I will always care, and treat them with kindness.

Everyone is unique!

Vulgarity just makes me cringe on the inside, whether it is by heterosexuals or homosexuals.

“Paul never met Jesus. And what he said about homosexuality was in fact against "male prostitutes". - quote

I have heard people write on blogs that homosexuality in the Bible is only talking about male prostitutes. But I have looked into this, and I have had to disagree. I hope my words do not offend anyone, but this is a very sensitive topic and they might. If so, I’m sorry! I don’t want to cause anyone hurt.

When I read Leviticus 18, it does not talk about prostitutes at all. It is about every kind of sexual act that is forbidden. God says that all of “the nations” did those types of sex acts listed there and the land threw them up. His people are NOT to do ANY of them.

The Bible does mention temple prostitutes in Deuteronomy 23:17 and 18, though. “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute. "You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God..”

I have Leviticus 18 here, if anyone would like to confirm what I am sharing:

1. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2. "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'I am the Lord your God. 3, 'You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes.4. 'You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God. 5. 'So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord. 6. 'None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord. 7. 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness. 8. 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness. 9. 'The nakedness of your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover. 10. 'The nakedness of your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for their nakedness is yours. 11. 'The nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, born to your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 12. 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister; she is your father's blood relative. 13. 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is your mother's blood relative. 14. 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother; you shall not approach his wife, she is your aunt. 15. 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16. 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness. 17. 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are blood relatives. It is lewdness . 18. 'You shall not marry a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness. 19. 'Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity. 20. 'You shall not have intercourse with your neighbor's wife, to be defiled with her. 21. 'You shall not give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. 22. 'You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. 23. 'Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. 24. 'Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 25. 'For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. 26. 'But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you 27. (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); 28. so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. 29. 'For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. 30. 'Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the Lord your God.' "

People also say that Jesus never said one word about homosexuality. It is a Christian belief that Jesus in his pre-incarnation is the Word of God, the only mediator between God and man, who gave God’s words to the people. Jesus also speaks about the day when people will come to him at the Judgement and talk about all the great things they did in his name and he will tell them he never knew them, and to get away from him, because they work lawlessness. Jesus told everyone not to think he had done away with the law. Paul also tells us not to think of God’s grace as an reason to become law-less.

Jesus cleared up what is marriage when they asked him about divorce. He referred to the union of a man and woman ‘in the beginning, quoting from Genesis.

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:4 through 6.

Jesus lived as a rabbi. There was never any homosexual marriage for the Jews. It was forbidden. It was still there in the areas around Israel, though, and so they all knew about it.

Nowadays it is hard to talk about this.  People get very angry and call Christians who just believe the Word all kinds of hurtful names.  I have been called these, too.  I guess I am just a person who has decided to cling to the rock of Christ, no matter what it costs me.  God bless.

[Deleted]

preach it sister!

[faune]

Hangingout ~ You shared so many good points in your previous post,  that I don't know where to start in my response.   I do respect your opinions which you gracefully presented and agree with many of the things you shared. Thanks for your bravery in sharing these thoughts with the rest of us! 

I admired the "spunk" you demonstrated in sharing your honest convictions, which is a breath of fresh air on this Board.  Walker expressed on another thread that  "Christians should stand their ground for what they believe."  I agree as a Christian, but feel they need to  express these beliefs in a way that can be gracefully received by others and clearly understood.  I feel you did a very good job of expressing your own Christian convictions without offense to the readers.  

I also appreciated the thoughts you expressed about some gay friends of yours who are not offensive in their language and fun to hang around.   I have also had such friends among co-workers in the past and valued their friendship.  I do not like to see "bashing" of people for characteristics they inherited from birth and no fault of their own.  People just need to accept them as they are and not make a big issue over their inherited sexuality.

Homosexuality has been around for centuries and I don't believe it's just a preferred lifestyle that some embrace to stand out in the crowd.  However, perhaps there are some cases of sexual exploration to see what it would be like?   Hateful comments like we saw in the news relating to the Westboro Baptist Church  should never be acceptable as a Christian response to homosexuality!  I'm well aware of the many references found within the Bible regarding this subject.  However, we need to remember the process whereby the Bible was originally assembled  by the Roman Catholic Church.  Also, the fact that the books contained within the Bible were the product of human authors, sharing their views on different topics.  Homosexuality and the existence of Hell  are just a few of these controversial subjects found within its pages that have gained a lot of attention over the years.         

[dmmichgood]

Mar 20, 2014 20:51:22 GMT -5 @wally said:

hmmmm...then maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for this?

Homosexuality isn't a "disease!"
Therefore, it doesn't need a "cure", gene or otherwise.

Since the 1970s, the consensus of the behavioral and social sciences and the health and mental health professions globally is that homosexuality is a normal variation of human sexual orientation,

American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. The American Psychological Association Council of Representatives followed in 1975.[3]

Other major mental health organizations followed and it was finally declassified by the World Health Organization in 1990.

Current research and clinical literature demonstrate that same-sex sexual and romantic attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality

[faune]

Mar 21, 2014 14:45:31 GMT -5 dmmichgood said:

Mar 20, 2014 20:51:22 GMT -5 @wally said:

hmmmm...then maybe through gene therapy we could have a cure for this?

Homosexuality isn't a "disease!"
Therefore, it doesn't need a "cure", gene or otherwise.

Since the 1970s, the consensus of the behavioral and social sciences and the health and mental health professions globally is that homosexuality is a normal variation of human sexual orientation,

American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. The American Psychological Association Council of Representatives followed in 1975.[3]

Other major mental health organizations followed and it was finally declassified by the World Health Organization in 1990.

Current research and clinical literature demonstrate that same-sex sexual and romantic attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality

Dmmichgood ~ I knew I could depend on you for clarifying this issue that homosexuality is not a "disease" with some up-to-date findings regarding this topic.    However, just as the "flat earth theory" hung around for centuries, and still does today within some groups who refuse to consider scientific evidence to the contrary, I feel the subject of homosexuality suffers from the same misconceptions.

However, that being stated, I do not appreciate, along with Hangingout on this Board, the vulgar displays we sometimes see in these national Gay Parades, such as S & M bondage displays.   I have no problem with people living out their sexual preference or fantasies with others who embrace the same lifestyle, but I do not like it being sensationalized for all to see!   Just call me old fashion in that respect, but I know a few gays co-workers from the past who were very nice people and fun to be around.  Gays pose no threat to me or anybody else in society and deserve to be treated with respect for their personhood.  Anybody, whether gay or straight, can cross the line in the area of sexual assault and be considered criminal by such undesirable behavior.  I don't feel there is any "respecter of persons" here in that regards?     

[dmmichgood]

Mar 21, 2014 12:46:05 GMT -5 hangingout said:

Civil rights are supposed to be for everyone, and that means even for people who don't see eye to eye.

I have three gay friends and I love each one. One is in a relationship. He's a dancer and is just naturally hilarious. I have known him since he was a kid. The other is hoping to find someone. He is educated and talented and also very funny.I've also known him since childhood, too. All three are really creative people. One grew up without a dad at all. The other's Dad is there, but he is very critical and kind of cold. And the third was molested by her Dad. All are extremely close to their Moms.

I will always love these people....I won't give up my beliefs for them, but I will always care, and treat them with kindness.
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How do you think that the Civil Rights for gays impinges on YOUR Civil Rights?


Do you think that these things that you noted about your friends caused them to be gay?

    "One grew up without a dad at all. The other's Dad is there, but he is very critical and kind of cold. And the third was molested by her Dad. All are extremely close to their Moms."

You say that you  have three gay friends
You say you  will always love these people, but you won't give up your  beliefs for them.

I wonder, Have your gay friends or anyone one this board or anyone  else ever ASKED or EXPRESSED to you that you should give up your beliefs for them?

I wonder  exactly why anyone who is  anti-gay seem to see it so necessary to go on the defensive about their belief?