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There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end leads to destruction. (Proverbs 14:12)

Many churches and much of our society are embarked on a new course in the way they deal with homosexuality. Motivated by compassion and a desire to be open and tolerant, the homosexual person and the life that he or she lives are becoming accepted as they have never been before in any time or culture.'

That we should cease persecuting or discriminating against people who happen to have a homosexual orientation is right and consistent with all that we should stand for in a free, democratic nation, and more importantly with what we are taught as Christian believers. We all are created in the image of God; we all fall short of God's standard; Jesus came to save all who would accept His sacrifice for us - gay or straight.

On the other hand, acceptance of the individual has never had to mean we accept or endorse all that the individual does. Whether it be our children, our neighbors or our friends, at times people we love will do things that we cannot condone. Many in the gay community, however, demand not only that we accept them as persons, but that we accept homosexuality; that we declare it a good and acceptable thing, and ultimately that we recognize homosexual relationships as the equivalent of heterosexual marriage.

Many people in their desire to be compassionate to the "gay or lesbian person" have accepted this linkage. This has happened, I believe, because the bridge between the person and the behavior has been constructed on many modern myths about homosexuality. Viewing gay and lesbian persons as "different" types of people, born to be homosexual, with no other options open to them, and viewing the gay or lesbian person in the context of the radical sexual revolution of the past 30 years, modern western culture is taking a view of homosexuality that is unique in the history of man.

Books could be - and have been - written on theories about the causes of homosexuality, its changeability, etc. Most people are not going to dig deeply into these subjects. However, I believe even a cursory view of these subjects will reveal that many of our assumptions about these subjects are based on nothing more than myths, and that with the removal of these myths we can start to view the homosexual issues that are dividing society and the church so significantly with greater objectivity.

Let me review with you five of what I believe are myths about homosexuality:

A homosexual or gay or lesbian person is one whose primary sexual and romantic attractions are to people of the same sex rather than to people of the opposite sex. That's all. It's quite plain and simple. The concept of a "homosexual person" is of fairly recent (19th Century) origin. But to define a person primarily by his or her sexual attractions is absurd. Those attractions are only a small part of who we are. Defining a person primarily by his or her sexual attractions is wrong, as wrong as defining a person primarily by the pigment of his or her skin. The gay and lesbian community is often the first to point out - as in the struggle over gays in the military - that except for these sexual and emotional feelings they are just like anyone else. Gays and lesbians point to studies that show that the psychological makeup of the gay or lesbian person on average is indistinguishable from the heterosexual.

The concept of the homosexual person has suited people who not only reject homosexual behavior, but also want to reject the person drawn to that behavior. Ironically, the concept of the homosexual person has also been embraced by gays and lesbians who for political reasons, and reasons of personal power, wish to create a solidarity among men and women who have homosexual attractions. Both reasons are unworthy, and both groups are wrong.

Continued