Hermaphrodites are proof that homosexuality is not just a life-style

I would also like to point out that while I didn't address the topic of lifestyle, my opponent didn't either (although he explicitly said that he would). In his second point he addressed hormones with respect to sexual attraction, not lifestyle. With my opponent's permission I would like to exclude lifestyle form the debate since neither of us addressed it and stick with what we have addressed so far: sin and hormones in relationship to homosexuals and hermaphrodites. ================ FIRST POINT ================ I would also like to define homosexual (Merriam-Webster): [DEFINITION-homosexual] 1 : of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex 2 : of, relating to, or involving sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex — ho•mo•sex•u•al•ly adverb I would also like to point out that the main reason why God punished the citizens of Sodom is NOT because of their sexuality, but because of their sexual mischief: "having given themselves to fornication, and going after other flesh," (Jude 1:7) As a matter of fact the only place where sodomy is ever addressed is in Deuteronomy 23:17 but looking at most Bible translations we actually find that the translation is: "None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute." And God's Word Translated Bible also defines it as a temple prostitute not as sodomy. Furthermore, looking at the LITERAL translation of the verses provided by my opponent we see that the people who were punished by God did not in-fact commit a sin by pursuing their sexuality, but by breaking one of the 10 commandments. This brings me to my second point: God gave Christians the 10 commandments which theoretically will get Christians in to heaven if those commandments are followed. None of the 10 commandments address homosexuality, therefore sexual orientation is not a sin. My opponent also stated that hermaphrodites chose one way of life or another. This brings in another factor: choice. But that leaves us with more questions than answers: hermaphrodites get to chose their sexuality, but when? Do they actually choose, or do their parents choose? How long do they have to make the choice, and finally if they're born with both sexes, then didn't God already choose their sexuality for them? I would like to answers those questions: 1. Most of the time hermaphrodites don't get to choose their sexuality, it's done by their parents and a doctor (in modern societies). 2. Some are left to figure out their own sexuality, usually by the early teens. 3. God created hermaphrodites, therefore he selected their sex for them. My opponent also said that hermaphrodites can be loyal to one sex, and I would say that this applies to homosexuals which also remain loyal to only one sex. Neither the verses provided, nor the arguments brought forward prove that homosexuality is a sin. As I have explained, the literal translations of the Bible don't show homosexuality as a sin. ================ SECOND POINT ================ My opponent has stated that hermaphrodites have the equal or same levels of estrogen and testosterone, but that's not really true. As a matter of fact, based on the definition of a hermaphrodite, how one is identified by their XY/XX chromosomes and the fact that hormone levels are rarely equal it really comes down to sexuality being a choice. In addition, the hormone levels often lean to one side or another and that's how doctors tend to decide which sex (sex chromosomes are also considered) they'll assign to a hermaphrodite. My opponent also stated that hermaphrodites are a SPECIAL case which has no relation or similarity to homosexuals at all. While I agree that hermaphrodites, biologically speaking, are a special case, I would like to point out that there are similarities. When we consider that emotions are just chemical reactions in our brains, an imbalance in certain hormones or chemicals can cause the "wrong" emotions. This clearly shows that sexuality and sex are fairly similar, thus making homosexuals and hermaphrodites conceptually similar. There have been medical studies that show a relationship in that area: "Pillard speculates that Mullerian inhibiting hormone, or a substance analogous to it, may have brain-organizing effects. Its absence or failure to kick in sufficiently may prevent the brain from defeminizing, thereby creating what Pillard calls "psychosexual androgyny." In this view, gay men are basically masculine males with female aspects, including perhaps certain cognitive abilities and emotional sensibilities. Lesbian women could be understood as women who have some biologically induced masculine aspects." Source: http://www.theatlantic.com... Based on the presented arguments I conclude that the literal translations of Bible so not identify homosexuality as a sin and that the similarities between homosexuals and hermaphrodites are sufficient enough to establish inherent natural causation for both.