Homosexual attraction

Homosexual attraction is a phenomenon, relating to the attraction between members of the same sex, that is not well understood by modern psychology or sociology. The study of it has been somewhat taboo since the mid-1970s, but it raises important questions about the nature of homosexuality. Considering genes aren't the source of this attraction, what accounts for this unnatural desire?

Memes would be another obvious possibility to consider. Much as obtrusive and blatant business propaganda is designed to rouse consumers' latent wishes, a culture that glorifies homosexuality tends to encourage experimentation with homosexual thoughts and actions. As with pornography, what begins with curiosity soon rages out of control into an obsessive fascination and uncontrollable addiction with devastating long-term effects. Once disturbingly perverse images and memories are imprinted upon the mind, they can be difficult to eradicate.

Romans 1:24 notes that when ungodly and unrighteous men did not glorify God, He "gave them up" (παραδίδωμι, a Greek judicial term used for handing over a prisoner to his sentence) "to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves" and "unto vile affections". When men consistently abandon abandon God, He will abandon them, indirectly and immediately, by removing His restraint and allowing their sin to run its inevitable course.

Same-sex attraction is a challenge faced by many. It is no more or less immoral than the temptation to steal or to commit adultery. It is just one of many forms of testing that human beings can encounter. As with any other temptation, one must choose whether to indulge in it or struggle to overcome it.

Research

• Dr. Rick Fitzgibbons, a West Conshohocken psychiatrist and principal contributor to the Catholic Medical Association's book Homosexuality and Hope, identifies the major causes of same-sex attraction disorder (SSAD) in men and women. [1]
• "Gender identity disorder in children regularly leads to same-sex attraction in adolescence," writes Dr. Fitzgibbons. "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV of the American Psychiatric Association defined Gender Identity Disorder (GID) in children as a strong persistent cross-gender identification, a discomfort with one's own sex, and a preference for cross-sex roles in play or in fantasies." [ibid]

See also

• ABC Theory of Emotion
• Ideomotor effect
• Zapping the Shrinks