If we are made in the image of God, where does homosexuality fit?

[Matthewj1985]

Pretty straight forward question that has always bugged me. I personally don't feel that homosexuality is any more a choice than my own heterosexuality is. I am simply not aroused by a naked man, on the other hand naked woman DO arouse me, I am not making a choice. So if God created us in his image, why are some of us gay?

 

[Hentenza]

Mod Hat On


Thread moved to CP&E from CA.
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[BigBadWlf]

Cuase people are how God made them
Some have dark skin…some have light skin
Some have red hair…some have no hair
Some are left handed…some are right handed
Some are gay…some are straight
Some have blue eyes…some have brown

No one is any better or any worse than any other

 

[Yardstick]

Pretty straight forward question that has always bugged me. I personally don't feel that homosexuality is any more a choice than my own heterosexuality is. I am simply not aroused by a naked man, on the other hand naked woman DO arouse me, I am not making a choice. So if God created us in his image, why are some of us gay?

This same question can be asked of any abnormality someone is born with.

 

[BigBadWlf]

This same question can be asked of any abnormality someone is born with.

Abnormality is a loaded word
Are left handed people abnormal? What about blacks?
Would it be OK to refer to any other minority as “abnormal”?

 

[Matthewj1985]

Abnormality is a loaded word
Are left handed people abnormal? What about blacks?
Would it be OK to refer to any other minority as “abnormal”?

I knew what he was going for.

 

[Yardstick]

Abnormality is a loaded word
Are left handed people abnormal? What about blacks?
Would it be OK to refer to any other minority as “abnormal”?

I think you are presupposing my opinion on this issue. When I use the word abnormal I'm not placing a value on it.

For instance, why was I born with poor eye sight? I'm not a lesser person for needing corrective lenses. But I highly doubt God needs glasses. So if I am born needing glasses, have I not been created in God's image?

 

[Adoniram]

Pretty straight forward question that has always bugged me. I personally don't feel that homosexuality is any more a choice than my own heterosexuality is. I am simply not aroused by a naked man, on the other hand naked woman DO arouse me, I am not making a choice. So if God created us in his image, why are some of us gay?

OK, so you don't make a choice as to who arouses you. Do you make a choice as to whom you have sexual relations with?

James 1
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

 

[†timmy]

For me, you're asking the wrong question. Your question should be more along the lines of if we are made in the image of God, where does sin fit in? And the answer is that everyone is indeed created in God's image, but this image has been marred and stained by sin. Because we are under the fall following the original sin, as David puts it 'surely I was brought forth from my mother's womb in sin'. As we are sinners by nature (under adam) and choice, we are born separated from God and as such until
God regenerates a sinner's heart, we are slaves to sin, but in Christ we are freed to live as a slave to righteousness. Everything that was severed in the first Adam has been made whole again by Jesus (or the second Adam).

 

[Nadiine]

For me, you're asking the wrong question. Your question should be more along the lines of if we are made in the image of God, where does sin fit in? And the answer is that everyone is indeed created in God's image, but this image has been marred and stained by sin. Because we are under the fall following the original sin, as David puts it 'surely I was brought forth from my mother's womb in sin'. As we are sinners by nature (under adam) and choice, we are born separated from God and as such until
God regenerates a sinner's heart, we are slaves to sin, but in Christ we are freed to live as a slave to righteousness. Everything that was severed in the first Adam has been made whole again by Jesus (or the second Adam).

great post
welcome to CF too

 

[tz620q]

Pretty straight forward question that has always bugged me. I personally don't feel that homosexuality is any more a choice than my own heterosexuality is. I am simply not aroused by a naked man, on the other hand naked woman DO arouse me, I am not making a choice. So if God created us in his image, why are some of us gay?

Genesis 1:27
God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it."

Being created in God's image is not a physical image. God is not male and female. It was about man being created with some of the attributes of God like freedom of will and desire for love (agape, not eros) and communion.

Genesis 2:22
When he brought her to the man, the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken." That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.

Sexuality may have been part of Adam's original constitution; but it was not an attribute of God. It was added to form the bond of attraction between man and woman that would lead to the joining of the two fleshes. There is no mention of homosexuality prior to the fall; but there is mention of this attraction between male and female. So I do not see any basis for saying that God created homosexuality or that it was ever condoned by God.

 

[Nadiine]

Genesis 1:27
God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it."

Being created in God's image is not a physical image. God is not male and female. It was about man being created with some of the attributes of God like freedom of will and desire for love (agape, not eros) and communion.

Genesis 2:22
When he brought her to the man, the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken." That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.

Sexuality may have been part of Adam's original constitution; but it was not an attribute of God. It was added to form the bond of attraction between man and woman that would lead to the joining of the two fleshes. There is no mention of homosexuality prior to the fall; but there is mention of this attraction between male and female. So I do not see any basis for saying that God created homosexuality or that it was ever condoned by God.

exactly.
For that matter, we have to ask why God created pedophiles
who can't help but be sexually attracted to little children....

 

[tz620q]

exactly.
For that matter, we have to ask why God created pedophiles
who can't help but be sexually attracted to little children....

I may be losing your sarcasm in the above post; but I wonder why you used the words "who can't help but". Isn't morality all about the freedom to make choices and how to determine which choice is right? If we remove the freedom of choice from the equation, we have compulsion, not moral conduct. This argument for genetic disposition to homosexuality is an attempt to do just this and place homosexuality at the feet of God, the creator. I find that an interesting argument that breaks down when you look at truly disadvantaged children who have true genetic or developmental disabilities.

 

[BigBadWlf]

OK, so you don't make a choice as to who arouses you. Do you make a choice as to whom you have sexual relations with?

So interracial couples don’t have to be couples…they can just choose to fallout of love and then fall in love with individuals of the same race…right? ... or is that different?

 

[BigBadWlf]

exactly.
For that matter, we have to ask why God created pedophiles
who can't help but be sexually attracted to little children....

this same tactic is and has been used by racists for generations as a form of justification for prejudice. A racist will compare (sometiems obliquely) a person of color to a criminal, substance abuser or as a sexual deviant in order to try to justify their own petty personal prejudices.

It is a sad thing to do

Again and again we see this attempt to de-humanize a minority from those trying to justify discrimination. By claiming a minority is diseased or degenerate, or obsessed with sex, or any other number of hate based claims then it reduces that minority (and everyone else) and supposedly makes discrimination somehow justified.

Would it be acceptable to compare any other minority to someone who sexually abuses children?
Why is it OK to make that comparison to gays and lesbaisn?

 

[Inviolable]

Why is it OK to make that comparison to gays and lesbaisn?

Is there any abnormality that's acceptable to compare to homosexuality?

 

[elephunky]

OK, so you don't make a choice as to who arouses you. Do you make a choice as to whom you have sexual relations with?

James 1
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

See I think thats pretty unfair.

I personally am aroused by both sexes.

If God came to us one day and told us that we are all to be gay, would every straight man then stop himself from having relationshions with a woman, even though he was created to love and cherish a woman? Would he force himelf to have relations with a man even tho its against everything in his being?

 

[elephunky]

In regards to that pedofile question

Its not that they are sexually attracted to children, thats just a symptom of their sickness.

Where as Gay people arent just sexuall y attracted to the same sex, they have that capability to love them deeply in a partner way.

 

[BigBadWlf]

Is there any abnormality that's acceptable to compare to homosexuality?

Being gay isn’t abnormal
Just like being black isn’t abnormal
Or being left handed isn’t abnormal
Or having blue eyes isn’t abnormal
Or being Muslim isn’t abnormal
Or having freckles isn’t abnormal

So again why is it OK to compare gays and lesbians to people who sexually molest children?

 

[DrBubbaLove]

If Image of God is attributed to some aspect of our souls and not our bodies I fail to get the connection.
All humans are made in the Image of God. We are all His Children in that aspect.