[CS-FSLUG] God Didn't Say That

[Timothy R. Butler]

K Montgomery said:
> That raises the question: Is it OK for a Christian to "stay gay," just 
> as long as he doesn't act out sexually?  In Psalm 51 David says to the 
> Lord, "You desire truth in the inward parts" (v. 6) and "Create in me 
> a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within
[...]

>   Thus a Christian who knows that homosexuality is wrong, but refuses 
> to confront it in his heart, is still in sin.  Still, anyone can 
> change who wants to and who trusts in God.  Many people have.

	I tend to think there will be a certain number of people who will 
always be stuck with homosexual desire. I don't think the desire itself 
is a problem, though, any more than heterosexual desire (in a single 
person). What is wrong is what one does with that both inside (lust, 
etc.) and outside.

	I don't like to use dramatic comparisons, because I think it can blow 
the whole thing out of proportion (using sensational comparisons when 
comparing homosexual activity to other sins makes it look like a 
"unforgivable" sin), but I think sex (regardless of orientation) and 
alcohol have a lot in common in that a lot of people lose control of 
better judgment in relation to these things.

	Anyway, they say that you can never stop being an alcoholic once you 
are -- you will always have a desire to drink lots of alcohol (thus why 
the said people must stay away from the stuff even if they have good 
intentions). And, regardless of whether it is cultural or biological, I 
doubt I could make myself stop being attracted to the opposite sex. 
Ditto for (at least some) homosexuals being attracted to the same sex 
-- I'm sure this isn't true for all, since some have re-oriented 
themselves, but I'm willing to bet it is true for some. Even if 
homosexuality is entirely "nurture" rather than "nature," something I 
think is logically plausible, it can still be as ingrained as the twang 
(which I do not perceive) in my voice.

	I've talked to people who have tried to "lose" a given accent, and 
they may succeed when their guard is up, but they usually do not remove 
it, only hide it. I think that's the key for homosexually attracted 
people, and for that matter, unmarried people in general. If I see an 
attractive woman, I need not lust for her, I can keep my mind on other 
things (the only non-sinful choice, given my single status). I think 
that is the key for the homosexual person trying to repent as well.

	-Tim


---------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy R. Butler       Universal Networks      www.uninet.info
==================== <tbutler at uninet.info> ====================
| Christian Portal:      | Have you not learned great lessons |
|      www.faithtree.com | from those  who  braced themselves |
| GNU/Linux News:        | against  you   and   disputed  the |
|            www.ofb.biz | passage with you?   --Walt Whitman |
---------------------------------------------------------------
Presently on "Albert" (DP PPC 970 "G5" running at 2.0 GHz)