3 Questions concerning Homosexuality
[Last Update: 01.12.2009 ]
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3 Questions concerning Homosexuality |
[Last Update: 01.12.2009 ] |
The following text is a translation of text from a flyer produced by the HuK mainly for distribution in church congregations.
Homosexuality - just the word triggers, for some people, a feeling of repulse. It probably is anxiety towards everything that appears strange, and therefore a lack of knowledge. It is true that nowadays, almost every TV soap opera has a lesbian or gay character in it. But who knows personally someone who is homosexual, and who knows, how they live? Therefore, many are just relying on prejudices. What do you think about the following questions:
There are a great number of theories, like "a mother that is too strong" or "a father that is too weak" are thought as the cause (for becoming gay, a male homosexual). But we have these conditions, and also the opposite conditions, among non-homosexual people also. Other theories like "Homosexuality is inherited" or "Homosexuality comes from anomalies in hormones" have failed to achieve consensus in science, as well as the claim "Homosexuality comes from sexual molestation".
The (German) Handbook on Christian Ethics therefore says "Until today, the question about a reason for homosexuality have not been answered in a satisfactory way. There are dozens of theories. None has, so far, shed light on the origin of homosexuality; they just have added confusion. If we ask for the origin of heterosexuality, we are clueless as well."
Many see it as a behaviour showing a sign of illness, and claim that it can be cured. With various methods - some of them quite cruel -, people have attempted to destroy homosexual feelings. What was destroyed, however, was the clients' personality. For neither electrical shocks, psychotherapy, hormon doses or pills brought the success that was hoped for.
Meanwhile, many physicians have come to the conclusion that homosexuality is not an illness. Consequently, the World Health Organization has removed homosexuality from its list of illnesses.
Even representatives of Christian fundamentalist groups that try to "heal" lesbians and gays through prayer, now admit that homosexuality is an unchangeable part of the person's identity.
The German professional society for behavioural therapy says: "Homosexuality is one of many conceivable forms of inter-human and partnership behaviour. It cannot be an illness in the classical definition of what we understand to be an illness."
Indeed, there are several
passages in the bible
that condemn sexual intercourse between men, or
between women.
But at closer inspection, we see that
they condemn homosexual behaviour of persons
who are really heterosexual.
The bible does not speak about persons with a
fundamentally homosexual or bisexual identity,
at most they are mentioned in passing.
The bible understands the whole person as God's creation. God's blessing encourages us in our bodily existence, with all our senses. We shall be able to develop ourselves with all our gifts and talents in support of life, and shall become a blessing ourselves.
To characterize homosexual relations as not intended by creation, as unnatural or against nature, implies that God's blessing is bound to the ability to procreate and to give birth. Such a narrow understanding is contrary to the biblical image of men and women.
A more detailled, English-language treatment of the third question in particular can be found Prof. Walter Wink's paper Homosexuality and the Bible. On the HuK web pages, there is a German translation of this text.
Aspects of the second question are treated in several (German-language) texts on our web site, section Umpolung von Homosexuellen. An English-language discussion can be found in the text Attempts To Change Sexual Orientation.
For questions about our group "Homosexuelle und Kirche" (Homosexuals and Church), please contact
Ökumenische Arbeitsgruppe
Homosexuelle und Kirche (HuK) e.V.
c/o Büro Seehausen & Sandberg
Merseburger Str. 5
10823 Berlin
Phone +49-(0)30-78954599
Fax +49-(0)30-78711753
Current phone numbers of the HuK national officers can be heard under (0241) 12346 (answering machine)
The addresses of our regional chapters can be found on our web page Address list of the HuK regional chapters
Personal counseling (confidential): beratung@huk.org
Other inquiries via email: info@huk.org
WWW home page of the European Forum of Lesbian and Gay Christian Groups: http://www.euro-lgbt-christians.org/