For more information please see: [[Homosexuality and biblical interpretation]] and [[Homosexuality and the Bible]] and [[Atheism and homosexuality]] and [[Atheism and the persecution of homosexuals]]
Below are some several [[Bible]] verses that condemn homosexuality:
* [[Leviticus]] 18:22 - You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.
* [[Leviticus]] 20:13 - If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their [[blood]] guiltiness is upon them.
* [[Romans]] 1:26-27 - For this reason [[God]] gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
* [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Corinthians%206:9;&version=31; I Corinthians 6:9] (NIV) - Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
*[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Timothy%201:8-11;&version=49; I Timothy 1:8-11 (NASB)] - "But we know that the [[Mosaic Law|Law]] is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and [[sin|sinners]], for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious [[gospel]] of the blessed [[God]], with which I have been entrusted." In addition, there are numerous other references that also condemn the lifestyle, such as 1 Kings 22:46 (NASB): "The remnant of the sodomites who remained in the days of his father Asa, he expelled from the land."
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A common argument is that an inclination to homosexuality is inborn and immutable. It is widely believed that the public will become more accepting of homosexuality if they are convinced that it is inborn and immutable. For example, [[Neuroscience|neuroscientist]] and homosexual Simon Levay stated: "...people who think that gays and lesbians are born that way are also more likely to support gay rights."<ref>[http://www.truenews.org/Homosexuality/homosexual_myths_and_facts.html Myths and facts about homosexuality]</ref>
Eight major studies of identical twins in the United States, Australia and Scandinavia during the last two decades indicate that homosexuals were not born that way.<ref>[http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/2013/06/identical-twin-studies-prove-homosexuality-is-not-genetic/ Identical Twin Studies Prove Homosexuality is Not Genetic]</ref> [[Causes of Homosexuality|Research into the issue of the origins of homosexuality]] suggests that adoptive brothers are more likely to both be homosexuals than the biological brothers, who share half their [[gene]]s which suggests that homosexuality is not genetically caused. <ref>(''Science'', Vol. 262, page 2063, December 24, 1993)</ref><ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/gaygene01.asp</ref> This data prompted the journal ''Science'' to report "this . . . suggests that there is no genetic component, but rather an environmental component shared in families".<ref>(''Science'', Vol. 262, page 2063, December 24, 1993)</ref><ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/gaygene01.asp</ref> However, in regards to [[psychosocial]] and biological theories in regards to the origin of homosexuality, [[Columbia University]] [[psychiatry]] professors Drs. William Byrne and Bruce Parsons stated in 1994: "There is no evidence that at present to substantiate a [[biology|biological]] theory. [T]he appeal of current biological explanations for sexual orientation may derive more from dissatisfaction with the present status of psychosocial explanations than from a substantiating body of experimental data".<ref>http://www.cwfa.org/images/content/bornorbred.pdf</ref>
Dr. Tahir I. Jaz, M.D., Winnipeg, Canada states: "The increasing claims of being "[[Homosexuality and Genetics|born that way]]" parallels the rising political activism of homosexual organizations, who politicize the issue of homosexual origins. In the 1970s, approximately ten percent of homosexuals claimed to be "born homosexual" according to a large scale survey....However, in a survey in the 1980s, with the homosexual rights movement increasingly becoming active, thirty-five percent claimed to be born that way.<ref>http://www.flyfishingdevon.co.uk/salmon/year2/hormones/tahir.htm</ref>
Dr. Dean Hamer is a researcher often cited to show that there is empirical data supporting the notion of genetic [[determinism]] in regards to homosexuality. News organizations like [[National Public Radio]] and [[Newsweek]] have done news stories regarding his work.<ref>http://www.narth.com/docs/istheregene.html</ref> In respect to the press trumpeting various findings genetics-of-behavior research uncritically the science journal ''Science'' stated the following in 1994:
{{Cquote|Time and time again, scientists have claimed that particular genes or [[chromosome|chromosomal]] regions are associated with behavioral traits, only to withdraw their findings when they were not replicated. "Unfortunately," says Yale's [Dr. Joel] Gelernter, "it's hard to come up with many" findings linking specific genes to complex human behaviors that have been replicated. "...All were announced with great fanfare; all were greeted unskeptically in the popular press; all are now in disrepute."<ref>[http://www.narth.com/docs/istheregene.html Mann, C. Genes and behavior. Science 264:1687 (1994)]</ref>}}
=== Gender and homosexuality ===
The [[Gallup poll|Gallup Organization]] reported: "The Family Research Report says 'around 2-3% of men, and 2% of women, are homosexual or bisexual.'"<ref>[http://www.gallup.com/poll/6961/what-percentage-population-gay.aspx What Percentage of the Population Is Gay?] by Jennifer Robison, [[Gallup poll|Gallup Organization]]</ref> The U.S Department of Health and Human Services reported: "While the percentage of women and men aged 18-44 years who reported they were either heterosexual or homosexual was similar (94% of women and 96% of men said they were heterosexual while 1.1% of women and 1.7% of men said they were homosexual or gay), the percentage of women who reported they were bisexual was more than 3 times as high as men (3.5% of women vs. 1.1% of men)."<ref>[http://www.hhs.gov/opa/pdfs/r-and-e-update-spring-2011.pdf OPA RESEARCH & EVALUATION UPDATE, January – March 201], U.S Department of Health and Human Services]</ref><ref>[https://carm.org/percent-population-homosexual Statistics on the percentage of the population that are homosexual and lesbian] by Matt Slick, [[CARM]]</ref>
===Volition as a Causal Factor of Homosexuality - Homosexuality as a Choice===
Immutability is the inability of a thing to be changed. For example, it is impossible to change a dog into a cat. Likewise, it is impossible to change one's [[race]], although with makeup or plastic surgery has made it possible to alter one's racial appearance. The immutability of membership in a group is an important consideration in determining the level of scrutiny given to a law against that group under the [[Equal Protection Clause]].
====Gender and homosexuality==== There has been much debate over whether [[homosexuality]] is immutable despite the existence of [[ex-homosexuals]]. Often the argument is made that it's either genetically determined (and thus immutable), or that it is entirely a matter of choice. Given this dichotomy, the premise that "I didn't choose to be gay" yields the conclusion that it must be genetically determined. However, the search for a "[[gay gene]]" has proved elusive. Many others, including most scientists, have a much less 'black and white' view. They propose that it is determined by a complex interaction of many factors, some of which could be genetic, but probably also include psychological, environmental and cognitive factors, and is shaped at a very early age.
Simon LeVay wrote:
"It's important to stress what I didn't find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn't show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain. ... Since I look at adult brains, we don't know if the differences I found were there at birth or if they appeared later."<ref name="byrd">Byrd, A. Dean, Shirley E. Cox, and Jeffrey W. Robinson (May 27, 2001), [http://www.sltrib.com/2001/may/05272001/commenta/100523.htm Homosexuality: The Innate-Immutability Argument Finds No Basis in Science.] ''[[Salt Lake Tribune]]''</ref>
====Neuroscience====
:Before 1960, the brain was considered by scientists to be immutable, subject only to genetic control.<ref> [http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/Neurosciences/articles/Response%20of%20the%20Brain%20to%20Enrichment/ Response of the Brain to Enrichment] - Marian Cleeves Diamond, Johns Hopkins School of Education</ref>
:For decades, the prevailing dogma in neuroscience was that the adult human brain is essentially immutable, hardwired, fixed in form and function, so that by the time we reach adulthood we are pretty much stuck with what we have.<ref> [http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1580438,00.html#ixzz2dHoDF56u Time magazine]</ref> ===== Frontal lobe injury and homosexuality ===== ''See also:'' [[Homosexuality and frontal lobe injury]] and [[Religiosity and larger frontal lobes]] and [[Atheism and brain function]][[File:Cerebrum lobes.svg.png|thumbnail|300px|right|Graphic of cerebral lobes. Light brown section of the graphic depicts the area of the frontal lobe. (Click on graphic to enlarge)]]The [[frontal lobe]] plays a role in controlling sexual behavior.<ref>[http://www.neuroskills.com/brain-injury/frontal-lobes.php Frontal lobes], The Centre for Neuro Skills</ref><ref>[http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/frontal-lobe/male Frontal lobe], Healthline.com</ref> According to the 2007 medical journal article (and its abstract) entitled ''Neurological control of human sexual behaviour: insights from lesion studies'' which was published in the ''Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry'':{{cquote|We review the human literature examining the effects of neurological insult on human sexual behaviour. We provide a synthesis of the findings to date, and identify key brain regions associated with specific aspects of human sexual behaviour. These include subcortical and cortical regions, with the mesial temporal lobe and the amygdala in particular being a crucial structure in the mediation of human sexual drive... Disinhibited sexual behaviour has been reported following damage to the frontal lobes, particularly the orbitofrontal region of the limbic system. Kolarsky and colleagues54 examined the relationships between “sexual deviation”, age of lesion onset and localisation of lesion (temporal vs extratemporal). The authors defined two diagnostic categories: (1) “sexual deviation”, involving a deviation of sexual object (for example, paedophilia). [[Homosexuality]] was included in this category, which would now be considered inappropriate, and (2) “sexual disturbances other than deviations”, including orgasm in response to stimuli unrelated to the subject's sexual preference, hypersexuality and hyposexuality... An association between temporal lobe abnormalities and paedophilia has been reported by Mendez and colleagues.<ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2117556/ Neurological control of human sexual behaviour: insights from lesion studies],J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2007 Oct; 78(10): 1042–1049.</ref>}}
== Ex-Homosexuals ==
In respect to Peter LaBarbera's statement above regarding homosexuals overcoming homosexuality through the power of God, in 1980 a study was published in the ''American Journal of Psychiatry'' and eleven men participated in this study. The aforementioned study in the ''American Journal of Psychiatry'' stated that eleven homosexual men became heterosexuals "without explicit treatment and/or long-term psychotherapy" through their participation in a [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] church.<ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7435713 E.M. Pattison and M.L. Pattison, "'Ex-Gays': Religiously Mediated Change in Homosexuals," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 137, pp. 1553-1562, 1980]</ref> The [[Apostle Paul]] in a letter to the church of [[Corinth]] indicated that [[Christianity|Christians]] were able to overcome being drunkards through the power of [[Jesus Christ]] (I Corinthians 6:9-11).
=== Abundant cases of ex-homosexuals in the sexology literature ===
Dr. Whitehead and Briar Whitehead state in their aforementioned book the following regarding ex-homosexuals [[Overcoming Homosexuality|overcoming homosexuality]]:
[[Image:Cycle.gif|thumbnail|170px|left|A recent study by the [[Canada|Canadian]] government states that "violence was twice as common among homosexual couples compared with [[heterosexual]] couples".]]
For more information please see: [[Homosexual Couples and Domestic Violence]] and [[Gay bashing]]
Studies report that homosexual couples have significantly higher incidences of violent behavior. For example, a recent study by the [[Canada|Canadian]] government states that "violence was twice as common among homosexual couples compared with [[heterosexual]] couples".<ref>2004 General Social Survey], Statistics Canada, Canada's National Statistical Agency, July 7, 2005</ref> According the [[American College of Pediatricians]] who cite several studies, "Violence among homosexual partners is two to three times more common than among married heterosexual couples."<ref>http://www.acpeds.org/?CONTEXT=art&cat=22&art=50</ref> In addition, the [[American College of Pediatricians]] states the following: "Homosexual partnerships are significantly more prone to dissolution than heterosexual marriages with the average homosexual relationship lasting only two to three years."<ref>http://www.acpeds.org/?CONTEXT=art&cat=22&art=50</ref>