Feedback archive → Feedback 2014

Rational scientists and homosexual dogmatism

After reading National Geographic claims creationists are at war with science, M.D. from Australia sent us this encouraging note:

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Also, Mathias G., from the U.S., asked for help responding to his fellow students’ aggressive decrees regarding homosexuality.

CMI’s Keaton Halley responds:

Hi Mathias,

Thanks for the inquiry.

When you say you haven’t found answers, do you mean that you haven’t found anything helpful or persuasive to you, or do you mean that you haven’t found anything that has ultimately persuaded your friends? Because it may be that even an excellent argument will fail to persuade your friends. I recommend that you read The ‘knockout punch’ syndrome, Anyone for tennis? and Handling aggressive atheists to help you see that the problem may be hard-heartedness on the part of your friends, not necessarily poor arguments on your part.

I don’t think it is right that your friends can’t even tolerate you disagreeing with them and voicing your opinion (presuming you’ve been respectful toward them). It’s fair to tell them respectfully that you shouldn’t have to remain silent if they continue to talk about it. And I don’t think you should accept all the burden of proof. If they say that "everyone is a little bit bisexual", ask them what evidence they have for that claim. And if they say you can’t know your sexuality without experimentation, ask them why they believe that. But if they can’t substantiate the claims, then you can point out you have no reason to accept those claims.

Second, you can also ask about the relevance of the claims. For example, if everyone is a little bit bisexual, would that make it okay? Christians believe 100% of people are sinners, but that doesn’t prove that sin is okay. Or if experimentation was required before one could know what sexual desires they are capable of, would that make all those sexual desires good? Of course not.

Third, you can say you have reason to deny their claims, since they are contrary to the reported experience of most people. Most people do not identify themselves as a little bit bisexual, but have strong attractions to one gender. Note, this is even true of those homosexuals who claim they can’t change and are only attracted to people of the same sex. (Of course, we do not accept that their sexual desires, much less behaviors, are necessarily fixed and immutable, but I’m just making the point that many homosexuals would also disagree that they are slightly bisexual.) And most people, whether they identify as heterosexual or homosexual, make claims about their sexual preference based on their inner desires, without having to experiment first. So these claims are actually quite preposterous and contrary to common sense.

You said that you have read most of the articles on creation.com about homosexuality, but you might also want to pick up the booklet, Gay Marriage: right or wrong? And who decides?, which answers many of the common pro-homosexual arguments and shows how a proper view of marriage and sexuality is rooted in the Genesis account of creation. But, again, there’s no magic bullet argument that is guaranteed to change your secular friends. That’s okay, because your job is merely to lovingly present the truth and leave the job of changing their hearts to the Holy Spirit. If they continue to treat you with disdain, it may be time to end the dialogue and move on (Matt. 7:6).

I hope that’s helpful.

Regards,

Keaton Halley