Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Are Religious Fundamentalists Bearing False Witness?

When the religious fundamentalists decry sexual orientation as a choice, are they violating the commandment to not bear false witness? ("Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16).
  • Most gays (including me) believe that we did not choose our sexual orientation. Indeed, we often struggled against it for years.
  • More and more scientific studies support that sexual orientation is biologically determined. (For a synopsis of the studies supporting sexual orientation as being biologically determined, click here.)
  • The American Psychological Association believes that sexual orientation is not a choice. (Click here for further information.)
  • Gays who try to become heterosexual through programs like Exodus International only have a success rate of one-half of one percent. (See my previous post on this statistic.) If sexual orientation were a choice, wouldn't they be more successful in changing their sexual orientation?

If sexual orientation is not a choice, are people bearing false witness when they claim it is?

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