New Article - Watchtower View of Homosexuality (page 2)

KateWild

Great work Paul....... Very easy to read and you remain very factual.

Thanks

Kate xx

jwfacts

A person is born homosexual; it is not a choice
There is no evidence that the first part of this statement is true. From genetics we learn that at birth the individual's sexual proclivity is not differentiated or determined. There is no test which could determine that a baby is born homosexual or heterosexual.
Nevertheless the second part of the statement

Half Banana, thank you for the clarification. I will adjust that sentence.

OneEyedJoe

It shows how all-controlling Watchtower leaders want to be, when a well dressed man in a business suit can be counselled for their clothing.

Either change this to read "when well dressed men" or change "their" to "his" in order to make the pronoun match what it is referring to.

In the video, Sophia does not appear judgemental of Carrie's parent's

Just parents, without the sky comma. It's plural, not possessive.

</Grammar Nazi>

I can't find it, but I do recall a thread a while ago about some videos shown in the elder's school that addressed the issue of non-practicing gays. If I remember correctly elders were told to be on the lookout for those that act gay and this would disqualify that person from holding "privileges" in the congregation. This is in direct conflict with their claim that they are not bigoted against gays, and are only upholding the Bible's moral guidelines. The implication, again, is that homosexuality is a choice and in order for someone to be accepted they have to go beyond not acting on their desires but root them out entirely - in other words, they must become heterosexual.

Finkelstein

Why would intentionally emulating the social morals standards of a civilization that existed 3000 years ago be a problematic folly in are modernized knowledgeable social environments ?

LisaRose

Very well written, this should be included in the "best of" topics.

freemindfade

Great work! Thank you

steve2

Hi Paul. As a born-in gay man, I like the methodical approach you take in providing an overview of the organization's teachings on homoseuality and transgender.

To be 'fair', if you go back to the 1970s, many organizations, religious or otherwise, were writing incredibly uninformed things about causal factors in homosexuality - in that regard, the organization's literature hardly 'stands out'.

It is also clear that some minority groups/sects in the US are far more outspoken and derogatory about homosexuality - e.g., Westboro Baptist Church and diverse 'Brethren' groups - but they are numerically too small to be included in the Pew research. So, you wouldn't want to give impression JWs are the most anti- gay -except to note that, among groups included in the resesrch, they are.

Lastly, you describe the organization's literature on homosexuality as, among other things, "slanderous" - whereas that word technically is applied to named individuals who are demeaned and personally maligned - unless you have evidence that the organization's published literature on the topic has 'outed' and called named individuals chsracter and reputation into question, it does seem a bit OTT to describe the literature as "slanderous" - unless you are speaking figuratively?

cofty

I agree with half-banana about sexuality not being genetically determined. Identical twins prove that much.

There is no "gay gene" but there is a gene on the x chromosome that seems to be involved in sexual preference. A variety of factors seem to be involved that are a blend of nature and nurture. Exposure to testosterone in the womb is a strong candidate for part of the explanation. Finger length ratios show a strong correlation to testosterone in the womb and to sexual preference.

Daryl J Bem proposed a theory in '96 that has been labelled "Exotic Becomes Erotic"...

Briefly, little boys who like typical male games and contests play with other boys and come to view girls as very different from them i.e. "exotic". At puberty the exotic, mysterious girls become the object of erotic desire. Little boys who prefer to play nice with little girls end up desiring boys.

Biological factors, such as the prenatal hormones to which we are exposed, do not directly cause us to become gay or heterosexual but rather merely determine our childhood temperaments: aggressive, calm, sensitive, etc. This may not be a full explanation of sexuality but it seems to have some merit.

Sexuality is not binary. There is a spectrum - from those who have always felt repulsion at the thought of same-sex activity through bisexuality to those who have no attraction to their opposite sex. The balance of influences of nature and nurture may vary along that spectrum.

I think it is simplistic to say that is no element of choice is involved in every case.

What is more respectful of gay people - implying that we should be nice to them because they can't help it, or that we should just respect the sexual freedom of consenting adults?

Balaamsass2

Thanks for another great post Paul.

Since leaving WT, It now strikes me as odd the preoccupation Watchtower had/has with all things sexual.

In my day to day conversations and business these subjects just don't come up.

Growing up in San Francisco, and then serving at the 124 Building Bethel I found it odd how many obvious homosexuals were at Bethel in the 70s in the "management"-even GB, and the constant rabid anti gay rhetoric was odd. An almost split personality of sorts..some kind of self loathing. Someone with a degree in those areas should chime in on this subject someday.

steve2

What is more respectful of gay people - implying that we should be nice to them because they can't help it, or that we should just respect the sexual freedom of consenting adults?

Is that the full range of responses: either/or?

To answer you question Cofty: No more so than being 'nice' to heterosexuals "because they can't help it".

I had thought that dicussions on sexuality had moved away from 'tolerance' and 'being nice'.

It would be hard to argue that heterosexuals' attraction to the opposite sex is a "preference".

Surely a healthy position is to respect all expressions of adult sexuality, regardless of where individuals are on the spectrum, provided it involves consent adults.

New Article - Watchtower View of Homosexuality

Share this