ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)–It is no secret that I disagree with the popular notion that homosexuality is natural, normal and healthy. As a result, I have been accused of being filled with hate or fear. I even have been told that I have cornered the market on both of these loathsome qualities.
If I had a dollar for every time I have been called a “hater,” I could well be retired and living on a secluded island somewhere in the Caribbean.
For the record, I do not hate anyone nor am I fearful of any person or group of people. I simply believe homosexuality is an aberrant lifestyle and that the Bible teaches it is sinful — and that through the power of the Gospel, people can change and resist their temptations.
I also believe a rudimentary understanding of human biology supports my belief.
I do not believe that those who practice homosexuality should be bullied or beaten. No one should be subject to harassment or abuse simply because they are mired in what I believe a sinful lifestyle.
My motive in publically taking issue with homosexual behavior is less about the fact that I believe it is sinful, and more about it being promoted as a lifestyle that should be embraced as normal, natural and healthy.
The Bible deems a variety of attitudes, actions and even motives as sinful. Among them is homosexual behavior. That said, if homosexual behavior were not being pushed by political activists as a lifestyle that must be embraced as legitimate, I would not write about it nearly as much as I do.
However, homosexual activists and politicians who pander to them want to force society to accept homosexual behavior as being on par with heterosexuality. They insist that homosexuality is natural, normal and healthy. I believe it is none of the above.
I do not believe that homosexuality is natural. To date, there has not been one single, solitary scientific study that has proven that homosexual behavior is genetic or based in biology.
In 1991 it was widely reported that Simon LeVay, a scientist from Calif., had found a biological cause for homosexuality by comparing the brains of deceased homosexual men with that of deceased straight men.
LeVay’s research did not quite yield what was reported. In 2001 he was quoted in “The Salt Lake Tribune” as saying: “It’s important to stress what I did not find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I did not show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain.”
The most comprehensive study of genetics was completed on April 14, 2003, when the International Human Genome Project announced the successful completion of the Human Genome Project.
Major science journals reported on the incredible advances made in the field of genetics based on Human Genome Project. However, the one piece of information that never materialized from the project was the identification of the so-called “gay gene.” So, as far a science is concerned, a genetic predetermination for homosexuality has never been established.
But just for the sake of argument, let’s say a genetic cause is one day discovered. Just because something is genetic does not necessarily mean it is healthy or normal. After all, some scientists believe that alcoholism and obesity are linked to genetics.
I also do not believe that homosexual behavior is normal. “The Concise Oxford English Dictionary” defines normal as: “conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.” According to a report released in March by the Centers for Disease Control, only 1.7 percent of men identify themselves as “gay” and only 1.1 percent of women say they are “lesbian.”
If the CDC study indicates anything, it is evidence that, as a behavior, homosexuality is simply not the norm in society.
Additionally, I believe homosexual behaviors are decidedly unhealthy. Homosexual practices are apt to produce a variety of maladies too numerous to mention here.
Those who have called me hateful assume that I have had no contact with practicing homosexuals. But that is wrong. I lost a childhood friend to AIDS in 1986. In 1996, a college friend succumbed to the same disease. I have sat by the bedside of others wasting away due to AIDS. I have not hated or feared any of these people.
The reasons I believe homosexuality should not be accepted as natural, normal and healthy are not only biblical, but they are also rooted in basic biology, solid research and personal experience.
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Kelly Boggs is a weekly columnist for Baptist Press and editor of the Baptist Message (www.baptistmessage.com), newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention.
