From: ricko@ee.uts.edu.au (Rick Jelliffe)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Homosexuality and the so-called "Christian biblical stance."
Date: 28 Jul 92 06:24:05 GMT
Organization: University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

>In article <Jul.22.02.38.24.1992.19133@dumas.rutgers.edu>, GAVIN@phdlab.commerce.ubc.ca (Gavin Chin) writes:

>> On a different thread, does anyone know FIRST-HAND of any homosexual
>> who, after accepting Christ and becoming a well grounded Christian,
>> renounce their homosexuality and become heterosexual?  If you don't
>> have any first hand stories, can you please share some from RELIABLE
>> sources?  Some people say that homosexuality is genetic, and
>> there is nothing that we can do to change that.  I haven't formed
>> my own opinion on that but I am a little skeptical.
>> 

I know some people who used to do homosexual activities, but now no longer
do. Some of these now are married and probably do heterosexual things for 
all I know. As for what their temptations or secret thoughts are, I don't
know.

Without wanting to limit God, I think you may not find a positive answer, if
only because of the difficulty in defining terms heterosexual and homosexual
in the binary way you require.  I.e. I think you want to know if anyone has 
ever gone from exclusive homosexuality to exlusive heterosexuality in 
"orientation". Lets distinguish the various things (I think wrongly) 
lumped together and called Gay:

1/ Emotional love of the same sex. I there is nothing in Christianity 
against this per se. David and Jonathan loved each other. John was the
disciple Jesus loved the best, but neither David nor Jesus were gay. People
have emotions, and these can rightly spur to love each other more: it
is the intemperate, inappropriate emotion that is no good.

2/ Lack of emotional love for the opposite sex. Sometimes even straights never
fall in love. It cannot be ruled out that lack of an emotional love is not
just never having met the right person.

3/ Desire for physical closeness with the same sex. Again, there is nothing
in Christianity against physical closeness. At the last supper, John leant
against Jesus's bosom, which is a beautiful analogy I hope all men will want
to also do with Jesus. But this did not make them gay; it was reasonable
male-male love expressing itself in a physical way. In other cultures, men
can hold hands and kiss freely, though again this is not done in sexual heat.

4/ Lack of desire for physical closeness for the opposite sex. This might
make you a cold fish rather than a "wooly hoof".

5/ Sexual temptation about the same sex. Temptation comes from several places:
our urge to experiment (which is not bad in itself, and should be used 
under reason), easy outlets for appetites (which should not be out
of control), psychological needs for love/friendhip/parent-figures or whatever
transfering into sexual tendencies, Satan, pure physical response to 
stimulation, and so on. But all these are not so interior to a person
that their existance needs to compell a person to consider themselves
Homosexual. To take Satanic temptation, for instance: this is allowed by
God, and is not done more than we can stand. God could conceivably cure 
someone of the the psychological need causing tempations, but still allow
Satanic ones for His own good purpose: he would thus be both "cured" and
"afflicted".

6/ Lack of sexual temptation about the opposite sex. The person might be
being called to virginity or celibacy, perhaps as a priest, sister or 
brother.

7/ Willed sexual activity relating to the same sex. This is always
condemmed in scripture and tradition. But does this make you a Homosexual?
Many people have homosexual encounters before the age of 21, and most
don't continue into adult life: they could not be labeled as binary homosexual. 
But some will have imprinted themselves so strongly that gay sex will be
their habit.

8/ Lack of willed sexual activity with the opposite sex. Chastity is a
Christian virtue, though if the person is married lack of sexual activity is
not neccesarily chastity. 

So, I think its a bit more complicated than just turning a homosexual into
a heterosexual, because these are secular simplifications not really useful
to Christians. Without the assent of the will, there is no sin. So a person
who does not by their will engage in gay activity, but moderates 
themselves is not sinful, no matter how much emotional warmth they feel
towards a member of the same sex, or how much they want to be in the company
of men, or how much temptation they feel, or how little of any of these
they may towards the opposite sex.

To love God, we should avoid sin. That is more important than what the 
world might tell us we really are. God actually knows us, and actually
provides everything we need for life and godliness. 

-ricko

[Would someone be willing to volunteer as a translator from
Australian to American?  Wooly hoof??  --clh]