I Didn’t Know I Had a Choice!

That billboard is actually a Photoshop, one which the ministry didn’t like and released a statement against it.

No one chooses to have same-sex attractions.

But you can choose self-loathing though Jesus Christ!

We overcame our past, through placing our trust and lives in Christ Jesus and following His plan for our lives.

You too can ignore all your natural urges and marry someone you are not sexually attracted too! That will be awesome for both of you!
And it totally worked for Teg Haggard in three weeks.

That’s just not right. What’s worse is, they try to perpetuate that idea that homosexuals can change. I wonder what would happen if homosexuals put out something that said God changed them from being straight to gay and he can change us too.

OK yeah, I like men too much, so I don’t want to change. Such a statement could also offend a lot of straight people who have violent tendencies, but my point is, I seriously doubt they were ever gay if they changed that easily. If you can throw a gay man in with a bunch of sexy women or even just one and nothing happens, not even a rise out of him, then you know it’s something in his nature that isn’t changable- at least not that easily.

So, why are weirdos going around saying, “Once I was saved I was no longer gay. Turn your life over to the Lord and you won’t be gay anymore”? It’s the dumbest thing. I wonder if they realize we are all born bi-sexual and then one or the other eventually clicks off and we end up being straight or gay depending one which one clicks off?

I could touch upon some other myths in their statements too, but I won’t because we all know what they are already.

Oh one more thing, if they de-Indianize you, you think they could give me your wonderful skin colour? I wouldn’t mind having that nice tan skin colour.

That press release makes me feel like I need a shower.

ridiculous. why is it so hard for them to understand that some people are just born different and that’s ok? diversity is what makes the world beautiful. why can’t they just accept it?

ridiculous. why is it so hard for them to understand that some people are just born different and that’s ok? diversity is what makes the world beautiful. why can’t they just accept it?

Science will one day take from the fundies their two pet moral issues: abortion and homosexuality. At some point, long before gay hatred is gone from our world (if it ever goes), genetic engineering will have provided a fool-proof screening mechanism and treatment for homosexuality. No parents that have access to such a treatment would hesitate to use it–not in a homophobic country like ours.

The billboard is hilarious, and the press release is infuriating.

However, I think it’s important to consider the issue of choosing sexual orientation. It’s very politically incorrect to say these days that (any) people choose their sexual orientation, but let’s talk this through. Hear me out please (no pun intended). First, no one has found a single gene that causes homosexuality in a simple Mendelian way (although many, like Dean Hamer, have tried). Much research needs to be done, but the most you can say is that there is a genetic predisposition. Having a predisposition for something–let’s say liking cheetos–is not synonymous with being “born that way.” However, there can also be a tremendous influence on a developing fetus from its chemical environment during pregnancy, and this is one very likely way in which a predisposition for one sexual orientation develops.

That said, there are most certainly a number of people whose predominant sexual orientation from birth is homosexual, with no desire for the opposite gender. A much larger proportion of a population is predominantly heterosexual, with no desire for the same gender. There does exist a group in the middle though–many of whom choose to identify as bisexuals–whose orientation is more fluid. What exactly influences these people to identify as homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual? You can bet that their personal developmental psychology plays a role, as well as social norms. Many of these ‘flexible’ people may choose to identify with a group that is not discriminated against (heterosexuals) due to outside pressure. I would bet this is where many of the “conversion” stories come from. A biologically informed opinion would include the factoid that many traits are determined by a complex interaction of genes, developmental environment (pre- and post-natal), social norms, and personal choices.

So, it’s important to recognize that sexuality, for a significant portion of the population, is much more fluid than many people would care to admit. So a Christian ministry can certainly hope to ‘convert’ some people (which is all the more reason to resist such “ministries” that cause people emotional harm).

I’m pretty sure he missed the real meaning, it’s not really that Asians don’t choose to be Asian, it’s that there’s nothing wrong with being Asian in the first place.

And that’s exactly what the response should be. It is much easier to respond “I was born this way,” but it’s simply not true for everyone. It’s harder to argue that “because the Bible says so doesn’t make it wrong,” but that seems to really be at the root of all this. Thoughts?

I think you make interesting points, globalizati.

[...] Heteroflexuality Over at Friendly Atheist, Hemant posted this billboard from a Christian group: [...]

Regardless of the complexities of the root causes of sexual preference and the subtle nuances of those with mixed preferences, it seems to me that the Truth Ministry (such an Orwellian name) has put its foot firmly in it’s mouth by saying “No one chooses to have same-sex attractions.”

By saying this then from their world view God must have made them that way. If that is the case then either it is wrong to interfere with the way that God made them, or God is an unfair, double-binding sadist to have made them that way and also said that it is an “abomination” in his eyes.

So which way is it, oh Ministers of Truth?

Mriana said,

I seriously doubt they were ever gay if they changed that easily. If you can throw a gay man in with a bunch of sexy women or even just one and nothing happens, not even a rise out of him, then you know it’s something in his nature that isn’t changeable- at least not that easily.

Is that how Truth Ministry does it? I could pretend I was gay and bravely struggle through that rigorous treatment. I wonder how long I could convince them I need to have supplemental treatment to prevent relapse? Does it cost as much as going to Trixie’s Escort Service?

or God is an unfair, double-binding sadist to have made them that way and also said that it is an “abomination” in his eyes.

I thought we already knew this about God from reading the bible. The Christian God has created all sorts of poor folks destined to burn in hell from the moment they are born. It is all part of Gods plan.

The point is that it is flat-out bigotry to descriminate against people on the
basis of their sexual orientation, regardless of its origins. The pleading by TruthMinistry to “not allow this one issue [sexual orientation] to define who
you are” is particularly sad because it is precisely bigoted individuals and
groups like TruthMinistry that define millions of people by their sexuality.