Disclaimer: this discussion is moving beyond the legal issues surrounding gay marriage and focusing on my personal beliefs. This is important to say because my views on legal marriage and Christian marriage are different. Also, when I say "Christianity", I recognize that I am speaking about a specific set of beliefs that are not held by all organizations who use the title. I hold to the teachings of what I call "Evangelical" Christianity, which affirms the orthodox teachings of the church and recognizes the bible as the only infallible standard of truth. I just want to make it clear where I'm coming from, because there are plenty of churches (like my mother's) with differing views on homosexual marriages.

To start with, I have two basic premises that guide my beliefs about homosexual marriage:

1) Christianity is true.

2) Christianity teaches that homosexual acts are sin.

For me to agree that homosexual acts are not sin, one or both of the preceding statements would have to be disproved to me. So while we can talk about the nature of choice (which I think it will be beneficial), ultimately my beliefs stem from what I think God teaches.

Now to your question:

Quote:
Jeff, if you really feel that homosexuality is a choice, consider this: What conceivable inducement could I offer you that would persuade you to "choose " to find another male sexually attractive? Even if I were empowered to offer you the one thing you desire more than anything else in the world, i.e., an absolute guarantee of life everlasting in God's kingdom if you could make that "choice", and at the same time promise you the torments of Hell if you couldn't... you would not be able to do so.

First off, I don’t believe that “going straight” has gotten anyone entrance into heaven. The bible is crystal clear that heaven is given to people on the basis of faith alone; i.e.: that they trust in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ as the solution to their sin problem. Yes homosexual acts are sin from a biblical perspective, but so is lying, lust, cheating, stealing, drunkenness, gluttony, promiscuity, and an endless list of other things. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, none of this is strong enough to keep anyone out of heaven including those who peform homosexual acts. Understand that I am as guilty as anyone else here and commit sin on a daily basis- some sin which I know to be wrong and other sin that I have misunderstood. I am incapable of keeping myself pure of sin, though God has released me in some areas and continues to work in me for others. It is only in the grace and forgiveness of God I have hope, for I have demonstrated my failure at righteousness time and time again.

The bottom line: it is no easy task to struggle against our sin nature. I did not have sex before I was married, and that was a constant struggle, especially during the time in which I was engaged and I knew my fiancée and I would be together that way in only a few (very long) months. Most of you do not consider this an issue, but for us it was and it was not an easy thing. But that was one area in which I had success- by the grace of God. In many others I have fallen short, but even in the struggle I honor God by recognizing I am not who I need to be and must be renewed by His continuing grace.

And please note: I haven’t said that homosexuality is a choice, though I did say homosexual marriage is a choice. I’m not completely conceding the former, but I find it likely that homosexuality isn’t a choice. We live in a fallen world where creation is not what it is meant to be. In a perfect world I would not struggle with lust, pride, or any of the other sins that plague me. To answer Doug’s question before he asks it (because we’ve had this discussion before), there was never a time I chose to be heterosexual; I just was. But knowing that I liked women was a different thing than sleeping with them. My choice before marriage was not to have sex, and that was a choice I had to make over and over. Even now, not lusting after women who are not my wife is a choice I have to make again and again.

Part of the Christian life is to struggle with sin. This glorifies God because it shows our love and devotion to Him. Ultimately those who trust in Christ will be healed of our sins and inequities so we can spend eternity as we were meant to: in a sinless, love relationship with our Creator. For now we live in a fallen world where we struggle with sin, disease, war, death, and all things that make this life a dim shadow of what is to come. But a lifetime is miniscule in comparison to the eternity that the Christian faith looks toward.

Could I find men sexually attractive to please God? Not without his help for sure. But if that were what he required His grace would be sufficient to cover me. All that I could to would be to have faith and struggle.