Can a person change sexual orientation?

[Tellyontellyon]

I'm a straight man, but one of my best friends in the world is a gay woman.. she's not interested in religion.
I've noticed that many Christian churches are happy with people being gay these days, which I think it's a good thing...

But, I'm also aware that several churches and individuals still hold to the idea that being gay is a sinful choice! My question is really about what do those churches do with members who reveal they are gay.. are they encouraged to change...

Question* Is it possible to change orientation... I know abstinence may be possible with a struggle, but is it possible to change the attraction to the opposite sex and therefore have satisfying relationships?

 

[PloverWing]

Question* Is it possible to change orientation... I know abstinence may be possible with a struggle, but is it possible to change the attraction to the opposite sex and therefore have satisfying relationships?

Human sexuality is complicated, so I won't say a change of orientation is impossible, but it's rare. There have been Christian-based programs in the past that promised that they could change people's orientation, but I've seen these programs close down, as they can't actually deliver on that promise. In general, the conservative churches ask their exclusively gay members to take on the lifelong discipline of celibacy.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

I'm a straight man, but one of my best friends in the world is a gay woman.. she's not interested in religion.
I've noticed that many Christian churches are happy with people being gay these days, which I think it's a good thing...

But, I'm also aware that several churches and individuals still hold to the idea that being gay is a sinful choice! My question is really about what do those churches do with members who reveal they are gay.. are they encouraged to change...

Question* Is it possible to change orientation... I know abstinence may be possible with a struggle, but is it possible to change the attraction to the opposite sex and therefore have satisfying relationships?

I don't think its possible but with God anything is possible. Jesus Christ of Nazareth did say that there are three types of Eunuchs.

Matthew 9:12
For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

Gay Christians could possibly fall under the third catagory as well as Priests and nuns .

Blessings.

 

[Sir Joseph]

I'm a straight man, but one of my best friends in the world is a gay woman.. she's not interested in religion.
I've noticed that many Christian churches are happy with people being gay these days, which I think it's a good thing...

But, I'm also aware that several churches and individuals still hold to the idea that being gay is a sinful choice! My question is really about what do those churches do with members who reveal they are gay.. are they encouraged to change...

Question* Is it possible to change orientation... I know abstinence may be possible with a struggle, but is it possible to change the attraction to the opposite sex and therefore have satisfying relationships?

I'm no expert on the matter, but I have read and watched enough articles and video sermons to offer a response to your question.

Not long ago, a number of California psychiatrists were fighting the law that prevents them from counselling gay clients who wish to be straight. Apparently such reversion therapy is not only shunned by our culture today, but also outlawed in certain states (and countries). One outspoken doctor said that he had hundreds of gay patients coming to him, questioning their sexual orientation choice, and seeking support to change. Before the reversion therapy law was passed, many did. One can't know whether such individuals actually lost their same sex desires, but certainly some of them chose to pursue a heterosexual lifestyle in practice - this often being the result of becoming a Christian.

Perhaps it is a small minority, but there are individuals today giving testimony to becoming a Christian, giving up their gay lifestyle, and enjoying a normal marriage and family life. Like the smoker, alcoholic, or drug addict who quits, they probably don't lose the attraction easily, but none the less, one's willful, conscious choices can overrule one's desires. We all struggle with that on a daily basis on one level or another.

 

[OldAbramBrown]

- All that Holy Scripture says is that lust hampers you from trading the gifts with your peers to strengthen their integrity
- Christianity turned itself into an out and out Freudianism copy
- Private individuals can privately change, widen or narrow their many private orientations if they can and if they want
- The only thing I will admit to is being human being attracted and that hasn't got me very far as I don't know how to date

 

[Sketcher]

But, I'm also aware that several churches and individuals still hold to the idea that being gay is a sinful choice! My question is really about what do those churches do with members who reveal they are gay.. are they encouraged to change...

Question* Is it possible to change orientation... I know abstinence may be possible with a struggle, but is it possible to change the attraction to the opposite sex and therefore have satisfying relationships?

Is it possible for humans to change their orientation? I don't know. Now, there are people who have truly been attracted to the same sex and later on, truly became attracted to the opposite sex. And I believe the opposite happens too. I believe these are bisexual people just discovering more of what they like over time. I don't dismiss the possibility that they won't like one sex or the other anymore.

Is it possible for the Holy Spirit change a person's orientation by supernatural means? I will not discount that possibility. Can humans "manufacture" that through religious practice? I doubt it. Does the Holy Spirit absolutely need to do that in a gay person's life? I don't think so. All that's required is abstaining from homosexual acts and lusts. That doesn't mean the orientation necessarily changes.

 

[Daniel Marsh]

"
The researchers found five single points in the genome that seemed to be common among people who had had at least one same-sex experience. Two of these genetic markers sit close to genes linked to sex hormones and to smell—both factors that may play a role in sexual attraction. But taken together, these five markers explained less than 1 percent of the differences in sexual activity among people in the study. When the researchers looked at the overall genetic similarity of individuals who had had a same-sex experience, genetics seemed to account for between 8 and 25 percent of the behavior. The rest was presumably a result of environmental or other biological influences. The findings were published Thursday in Science.

Despite the associations, the authors say that the genetic similarities still cannot show whether a given individual is gay. “It’s the end of the ’gay gene,’” says Eric Vilain, a geneticist at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., who was not involved in the study."

Massive Study Finds No Single Genetic Cause of Same-Sex Sexual Behavior

Analysis of half a million people suggests genetics may have a limited contribution to sexual orientation

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[Daniel Marsh]

"A new study adds to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that the dominant narrative about sexual orientation—that it is genetically determined—simply cannot be true. Instead, the science shows that a person’s sexual orientation and choice of partners depends heavily on the development and expression of personal autonomy regarding one’s own sexual possibilities. People with same-sex attractions should be legally and culturally free not to identify with or act on them."

“Born That Way” No More: The New Science of Sexual Orientation

A new study adds to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that the dominant narrative about sexual orientation—that it is genetically determined—simply cannot be true. Instead, the science shows that a person’s sexual orientation and choice of partners depends heavily on the development and expre

www.thepublicdiscourse.com

 

[Daniel Marsh]

No ‘gay gene’: Massive study homes in on genetic basis of human sexuality

No ‘gay gene’: Massive study homes in on genetic basis of human sexuality

Nearly half a million genomes reveal five DNA markers associated with sexual behaviour — but none with the power to predict the sexuality of an individual.

www.nature.com

Is this a pro-child murder site? The biological basis of human sexual orientation: is there a role for epigenetics? - PubMed

Is Our Sexual Orientation Determined by Biology? | OpenMind

Science investigates the genetic component in the sexual orientation of the human being, which could be a double-edged sword, according to experts

www.bbvaopenmind.com

 

[Tellyontellyon]

But whether there is a gay gene or not doesn't mean that people can simply choose their sexual desires.
There can be all sorts of psychological influences that begin when we are babies. Freud, Klein, etc., put the key psychologic determinants in the first months and years of life.

 

[ladodgers6]

I'm a straight man, but one of my best friends in the world is a gay woman.. she's not interested in religion.
I've noticed that many Christian churches are happy with people being gay these days, which I think it's a good thing...

But, I'm also aware that several churches and individuals still hold to the idea that being gay is a sinful choice! My question is really about what do those churches do with members who reveal they are gay.. are they encouraged to change...

Question* Is it possible to change orientation... I know abstinence may be possible with a struggle, but is it possible to change the attraction to the opposite sex and therefore have satisfying relationships?

I believe LGBT+ should be allowed to attend church. Where else are sinners to go? We are all sinners before being saved by the Grace of God! We are not any different, as far as, being condemned in sin. Until we believe and are saved. Do I agree with the woke agenda, no. Do I agree that trans-people should be allowed in different bathrooms from their biological make-up, no. Should trans-women be allowed to play in women sports, no. I do believe they need mental health help. Things are getting out of hand. Reading about trans-women being allowed in women's bathroom and women getting raped, is the fault of our nation's leaders. How they can allow a biological man turned transgender into women's locker-rooms to watch them undress is ridiculous. And if you challenge it, you are called a transphobic, creating violence, or it's a hate crime is preposterous. I have 3 girls, and I will not allow a man watch them undress or compete against a biological man and get seriously injured. What is going on with this great nation????​

 

[Tellyontellyon]

I believe LGBT+ should be allowed to attend church. Where else are sinners to go? We are all sinners before being saved by the Grace of God! We are not any different, as far as, being condemned in sin. Until we believe and are saved. Do I agree with the woke agenda, no. Do I agree that trans-people should be allowed in different bathrooms from their biological make-up, no. Should trans-women be allowed to play in women sports, no. I do believe they need mental health help. Things are getting out of hand. Reading about trans-women being allowed in women's bathroom and women getting raped, is the fault of our nation's leaders. How they can allow a biological man turned transgender into women's locker-rooms to watch them undress is ridiculous. And if you challenge it, you are called a transphobic, creating violence, or it's a hate crime is preposterous. I have 3 girls, and I will not allow a man watch them undress or compete against a biological man and get seriously injured. What is going on with this great nation????​

You focus a lot on trans-people? Well, trans-women is all you mention....
What is your feeling about trans-men? Which bathroom should a trans-man go in?

And what about bathrooms that are not designated for either?
I've been to lots of places where the bathroom can be used by anybody so long as they wash their hands... Is that a burning issue for you too?

 

[ladodgers6]

You focus a lot on trans-people? Well, trans-women is all you mention....
What is your feeling about trans-men? Which bathroom should a trans-man go in?

To the biological bathroom, right? There is absolutely nothing anyone can do to change their sex. They can remove them, or add certain parts, but that doesn't change who they are. Would you allow a biological male into your daughter's bathroom?

And what about bathrooms that are not designated for either?
I've been to lots of places where the bathroom can be used by anybody so long as they wash their hands... Is that a burning issue for you too?

Unisex bathrooms are single bathrooms, right? I do not support the woke agenda that LGBTQ+ pushes. Pushing hormone blockers on our children is demented. Pushing this depraved behavior is not right, first of all. They need mental health assistance. I care about the person, not their life style and supporting their life style is not helping them. Because now they don't differentiate between man or woman, they look at it as non-binary or on a spectrum. Loving them is one thing, supporting their delusional mental deficiencies is a whole other matter.​

 

[seeking.IAM]

Here is the thing: for me to believe it is possible for someone to change his/her sexual orientation, it also means that under the right circumstances something could cause me to change my sexual orientation. I just don't see any possibility in that. When you place yourself as the subject of that sentence, it is suddenly much different than trying to place some other person in that sentence.

 

[NBB]

It should be possible or at least keep it check, since God is not going to ask something impossible.
Because we need to repent from our sins, the gospel is the new birth thanks to Jesus, and have communion with the Holy spirit.
You know what fornication, adultery, and gay sex do to the spirit of God? well, it quenches it, offends him, that you are going to end like worse than unbelievers if you keep at those things theoretically after receiving his Spirit.

So we don't want that, we want to have communion with God, and stay clean, because God loves us and doesn't want anyone to perish, so why be obstinate, and want a sin more than please God?

 

[OldAbramBrown]

It should ... please God?

You have got back to the point. Focus on "orientation" was a Freudian excuse to replace virtues with selective moralising.

 

[PloverWing]

Would you allow a biological male into your daughter's bathroom?

This is an odd focus for the conversation, this focus on daughters, rather than on our own experiences. (And, yes, I've heard the issue discussed in terms of "our daughters" before.)

Can you phrase the discomfort more in the first person? "When I have encountered trans men in the men's bathroom, the situation made me feel uncomfortable because ____ ."

It seems to me that if we start from a place of "this is a setting where I, personally, feel uncomfortable", we can then move to developing accommodations to help alleviate the discomfort -- better doors on the stalls, or whatever. It's hard to talk about the feelings of a hypothetical daughter when she's not even part of the conversation.

 

[OldAbramBrown]

What have sex changes including coerced and or fictional ones got to do with orientation?

This subject matter has been created with the deliberate intent to insult my acquaintances who are genuine non binary * , suffered illness and accident, born different, etc.

{ may or may not be in the process of or having become different: their affair, it didn't disturb us }

And deliberately to insult young people like a relative of my acquaintance due to his tastes in drama and novel reading, or countless boys who like pink and glitter and those of us who had mutual crushes without "anyone" wading in.

If it got heavy going bodily, maybe friends or family or counsellors could tactfully help us along and chase off predators, there were some then too and there were some people who looked after us as well.

I repeat again, what has it to do with orientation?

I just kept telling you this is an invention of Freud gleefully adopted by religious authorities with bad consciences (Falwell senior and the pope of the time).

You think you can normalise intrusion and switch it from one thing to another,,

You think you can wipe out thousands of years of common sense and tact and not disadvantage the young and middle aged.

Stop it! And get back to the question in the OP!

Emotions & tastes: hands off, keep your noses out! That means teachers, doctors, politicians, "forum pundits".

Emotions and tastes: NOT grounds to be induced into gruesome "pathways".

Don't normalise it!

Orientations have got nothing to do with intrusion, gruesomeness enforced or otherwise, nor infringements of any kind.

Most of you expect children and adults to agree to being weaponised.

I repeat: answer questions about orientation, which only arose once moralisers ceased praying.

 

[ladodgers6]

This is an odd focus for the conversation, this focus on daughters, rather than on our own experiences. (And, yes, I've heard the issue discussed in terms of "our daughters" before.)

Odd??? Well that says a lot about your woke agenda. I can resonate about having a biological male in a women's bathroom. Or in my daughter's locker room! Obviously that doesn't resonate with you. I'll bet you'll also dismiss cases of biological males [Trans] raping girls and women in those bathrooms as well. But I can resonate, and do will fight against such delusional propaganda. This is not about male and females, but about right and wrong! Furthermore allowing biological males [Trans] to fight in women's MMA, and have women suffer concussions or fractured/broken bones is plainly insane and demented, right? Or are you going to defend these imposters and cheaters who prey on women!
​

Can you phrase the discomfort more in the first person? "When I have encountered trans men in the men's bathroom, the situation made me feel uncomfortable because ____ ."

I think I have, having teachers teach woke agenda of gender identity to kindergarten and above up, behind or without parent consent is an evil agenda. I live in the greater Los Angeles area so I encounter it more than you do. The depiction of explicit sexual behavior with pictures in books that can be checked out of the library by these students is criminal.

Uncomfortable??? Really??? Should we also condone raptist behavior as well??? Or does that make you fell uncomfortable??? Why aren't talking about mental health? Why support the lifestyle and not help a person in need of physiological therapy?
​

It seems to me that if we start from a place of "this is a setting where I, personally, feel uncomfortable", we can then move to developing accommodations to help alleviate the discomfort -- better doors on the stalls, or whatever. It's hard to talk about the feelings of a hypothetical daughter when she's not even part of the conversation.

Your label of uncomfortable misses the whole point. Should we be like Italy and declared it's in legals rights to grope women any age as long it's not more than 10 seconds? Will this make you feel uncomfortable? Or does a more resounding adjective of a noun come to mind?

 

[PloverWing]

I live in the greater Los Angeles area so I encounter it more than you do.​

I'm sorry that the rate of violence is so high where you live.

Can you tell me about some of the incidents that you've experienced with trans men in your restrooms? Did the clashes involve strangers, or people who knew each other (co-workers, e.g.), and what happened?

You're right, that I don't live in your area. My experiences at my workplace, and at my children's colleges, have been entirely boring and peaceful -- we use the facilities, wash our hands, maybe chat about the weather, and leave. The environment may be quite different in Los Angeles.