"Born this way"?

Given a post that’s generated a lot of interest the last day or so, I think some readers might want to take a gander at what Elizabeth Scalia has to say on the subject of homosexuality over at First Things:

Perhaps homosexuals are in fact “special and exceptional others,” whose distinctions are meant to be noted. Perhaps they are a “necessary other” created and called to play a specific role in our shared humanity.

If so, what might that be?

This plunges us into deep waters that are not easily or safely navigated, beginning with the fundamental “nature/nurture” riptide. A few years ago there was talk of science perhaps isolating a “gay gene” and some expressed concern that babies so-identified would suffer the shredding in utero that has become so shamefully common for babies diagnosed with a genetic defect like Down syndrome, or who are of undesirable gender. Given the culture’s mania for perfection (and for having just what we want) such concerns seem valid. Similarly, if particular forms of “nurturing” were deemed to affect sexuality, legislative thought would likely fall along lines of fostering gender-exploration in one’s child, whether a parent wished to or not, and perhaps taking entirely natural phases (I was such a tomboy!) much too seriously.

Assuming homosexuals are—as per Lady Gaga (and perhaps Matthew 19:12)—“born this way,” the question of purpose arises. Those who believe in a God who said, “I know the plans I have for you; plans of fullness, not of harm . . .” and who creates nothing by accident, must ask why God would love into being this “other,” which the church—objectively considering form and function—defines as “disordered?” Such created creatures must be recognized as loved into being, and they cannot be denied their God-given human dignity, with their “otherness” recognized as part of a plan.

Read the rest.

And for another take on the topic, check out Mark Shea over at Crisis Magazine, who looks at “disordered appetites” through his own experience as a guy who likes to eat:

Not being homosexual myself, I don’t presume to say how homosexuals should cooperate with grace in order to confront this disordered appetite. For that, I would talk to a same-sex-attracted person who is a devout and holy Catholic. They do exist, after all. Personally, I suspect there is no one-size-fits-all way to cooperate with grace in redeeming our disordered sexual appetites (and everyone, not just homosexuals, has disordered sexual appetites). That’s because, being a glutton, I know there is no one-size-fits-all remedy for disordered appetites of the stomach. One thing I do know is that disordered appetites are not intended by God to define us, nor are they a license for me to demand that everybody in the room celebrate gluttony as a gift of God (except in satire).