As one who has had a lifelong interest in design, both academically and personally, there is, it seems to me, a certain undeniable obviousness to the idea that God, the Creator and Great Designer of reality, had an intentional design and function in mind when He created male and female and named them, collectively, Man. Male and female are designed and clearly intended to go together as a unit. Historically, marriage has been defined and understood by this self-evident design. It would take an impossible stretch to suggest otherwise. Male and male do not serve any sexually fruitful function in keeping with that design. Nor do female and female. This truth is self-evident even for anyone who rejects a religious point of view, and opts for a strictly "scientific" or "evolutionary" view. Everything about the design of male and female works with wholeness-producing integrity. That is not the case in male/male, female/female sexuality.
That is not to say that men and women cannot experience non-sexual, loving relationships with members of the same sex.. Human beings are designed by God for love in its biblical sense: the giving of self for the well-being and good of others, including the wholeness of the community and the entire human family, irrespective of their gender. There are many examples, some well known, some not, in which a deep, selfless love is generated in these relationships. A clear example is the love that binds together soldiers in battle, who often have laid down their lives for their friends.
Some suggest that certain people have an inherent, possibly genetic predisposition toward homosexual relationships. But this notion falls into the trap so common to much current thinking; namely, that all things are "normal," and what is normal is "right." Common sense hardly needs the Bible’s revelation to show us that the world is filled with dysfunctionality on every level. Yet so many are oblivious to, or even outright reject the notion of the fallenness of the world, into which the "Pandora’s Box" of selfishness and anti-love (what the Bible refers to as the power of sin and death[1]), was let loose. It affects not only human beings, but all creation. The fall brought more than sin. It also brought all sorts of aberrations; i.e., thalidomide babies, dicephalic twins, down syndrome children, hermaphroditism, automobile accidents, misunderstandings, war, just to name a few out of conceivably millions, all of which are deviations from God’s design and intention. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that individuals could be born with effects of fallenness (dysfunctionalities) that incline them to have a psycho-physical makeup disposed toward homosexual relationships, which they did not choose as an exercise of their will (though they do choose to express it).
It remains, however that this "genetic" or psycho-physical predisposition is a deviation from the design - an aberration - that which, in a world where everything worked as it was designed[2] to work, would not exist. God does not make mistakes. Mistakes happen because of the dysfunctions of fallenness.
When we see a person who is deformed because of Thalidomide, we do not condemn them (notwithstanding certain ignorant people with a cruel streak who do taunt and plague anyone who is "different"). Instead, most people normally feel a degree of sympathy and concern for those with such aberrations, and extend loving kindness and compassion toward them. Nor would it be appropriate to claim they are "normal," and supposed to be that way, thus denying them any sort of hope of a life consistent with God's[3] design[4]. Instead, society attempts to compassionately seek and provide resources to cope with dysfunctionalities and to help overcome them to the extent possibe. This may be offensive to some, but wishing it were different doesn’t negate the inherent human design and its implications.
. We may sympathize with men and women who are struggling with homosexual feelings and behaviors, and the confusion, guilt, and a host of attending problems - sympathize in the sense that they are dealing with dysfunctionality - an aberration that runs counter to the intention and design of God[5]. Every one of us deals with dysfunctionality in our lives in one way or another. But if we acknowledge God as God, we cannot simply gloss over what is contrary to an all too obvious design and plan. We are called to love fallen human beings as we love ourselves, because of the love that God has so freely given to us - even while we too, remain sinners in process of transformation. Love does not mean simply saying "Yes," to every desire human beings express. The Bible speaks of the hope and promise of an ultimate restoration of the original design, freed from bondage to the power of sin and death.
The bottom line, however, is that homosexuality and gay marriage are absurdities because they are expressions of an attempt to legitimize and make “normal” that which is inherently abnormal, and contrary to both nature and science. It flies in the face of what is real by rejecting the evidence of the exclusivity of male/female marriage (mating), which is what sexuality is, in its essence, all about.[6]
That is not to say that men and women cannot experience non-sexual, loving relationships with members of the same sex.. Human beings are designed by God for love in its biblical sense: the giving of self for the well-being and good of others, including the wholeness of the community and the entire human family, irrespective of their gender. There are many examples, some well known, some not, in which a deep, selfless love is generated in these relationships. A clear example is the love that binds together soldiers in battle, who often have laid down their lives for their friends.
Some suggest that certain people have an inherent, possibly genetic predisposition toward homosexual relationships. But this notion falls into the trap so common to much current thinking; namely, that all things are "normal," and what is normal is "right." Common sense hardly needs the Bible’s revelation to show us that the world is filled with dysfunctionality on every level. Yet so many are oblivious to, or even outright reject the notion of the fallenness of the world, into which the "Pandora’s Box" of selfishness and anti-love (what the Bible refers to as the power of sin and death[1]), was let loose. It affects not only human beings, but all creation. The fall brought more than sin. It also brought all sorts of aberrations; i.e., thalidomide babies, dicephalic twins, down syndrome children, hermaphroditism, automobile accidents, misunderstandings, war, just to name a few out of conceivably millions, all of which are deviations from God’s design and intention. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that individuals could be born with effects of fallenness (dysfunctionalities) that incline them to have a psycho-physical makeup disposed toward homosexual relationships, which they did not choose as an exercise of their will (though they do choose to express it).
It remains, however that this "genetic" or psycho-physical predisposition is a deviation from the design - an aberration - that which, in a world where everything worked as it was designed[2] to work, would not exist. God does not make mistakes. Mistakes happen because of the dysfunctions of fallenness.
When we see a person who is deformed because of Thalidomide, we do not condemn them (notwithstanding certain ignorant people with a cruel streak who do taunt and plague anyone who is "different"). Instead, most people normally feel a degree of sympathy and concern for those with such aberrations, and extend loving kindness and compassion toward them. Nor would it be appropriate to claim they are "normal," and supposed to be that way, thus denying them any sort of hope of a life consistent with God's[3] design[4]. Instead, society attempts to compassionately seek and provide resources to cope with dysfunctionalities and to help overcome them to the extent possibe. This may be offensive to some, but wishing it were different doesn’t negate the inherent human design and its implications.
. We may sympathize with men and women who are struggling with homosexual feelings and behaviors, and the confusion, guilt, and a host of attending problems - sympathize in the sense that they are dealing with dysfunctionality - an aberration that runs counter to the intention and design of God[5]. Every one of us deals with dysfunctionality in our lives in one way or another. But if we acknowledge God as God, we cannot simply gloss over what is contrary to an all too obvious design and plan. We are called to love fallen human beings as we love ourselves, because of the love that God has so freely given to us - even while we too, remain sinners in process of transformation. Love does not mean simply saying "Yes," to every desire human beings express. The Bible speaks of the hope and promise of an ultimate restoration of the original design, freed from bondage to the power of sin and death.
The bottom line, however, is that homosexuality and gay marriage are absurdities because they are expressions of an attempt to legitimize and make “normal” that which is inherently abnormal, and contrary to both nature and science. It flies in the face of what is real by rejecting the evidence of the exclusivity of male/female marriage (mating), which is what sexuality is, in its essence, all about.[6]
[1] While I use Christian terminology in a few places in this article, the meaning thereof in non-Christian terms comes out the same. It is informative to notice a small part of a large list of behaviors that define the “power of death,” that is, things which are opposed to love in the sense of giving of self for the good and well-being of others, and of the whole. Notice also that the opposite of death is not “life” but “love.” Here’s a sampling: Love is creative, death is destructive; love is selfless, death is selfish; love is interdependent, death is independent; love is healing, death is harming; love is wholeness producing, death is fracturing; love is cooperative, death is competitive (don’t think sports, think war – though it’s only a matter of degree; love is integrating, death is disintegrating; love is uniting, death is separating; love is in-gathering, death is alienating; love is self-sacrificial, death is self-preserving; love is other focused, death is self-centered; love is giving, death is taking; love is understanding, death is misunderstanding; … etc.
[2] Whether one means by God, or by natural evolutionary processes, there is still obvious design. The creation (universe) is not random.
[3] Or evolution’s natural design (but this leads to the point in footnote 4)
[4] From an evolutionary point of view an animal that wanted to mate with its own sex would seem, by definition, to fall into the category of those that were not among the “fittest” that were likely to survive.
[5] Or the natural survival force of evolution
[6] It is interesting to note that this article has been circulated in news media, and, especially to persons in government in my own state, neighboring states, and members of congress, and state governors, all of whom have significant influence on legislation on the subject of gay marriage, etc.. To date it appears that the position taken herein has been widely ignored. The absence of argument leads one to believe that the reason for the lack of negative feedback may be due to what I believe is an irrefutable case against the normalizing of the entire gay agenda.
