Using "I was born that way" Opens up a Can of Worms!

Video Snippet From Voddie Baucham's Video, "Is Gay the New Black?"

See it at: Is Gay the New Black?

For some time now I’ve had problem with the idea that somehow, the gender, LGBT, argument that reaches into the realm of race, is a viable or even an honest argument (I’m using the word argument in the debate sense). For one, this argument doesn’t fit into a scientific argument since it is actuality comparing the ‘apple and orange’. Beyond this, it doesn’t fit into the realm of reality because my eyes and ears are seeing and hearing things that do not make any sense in reality unless our reality is totally based in emotion or feeling (subjective). Let me explain.

I don’t want to debate the ‘I was born this way’ biological argument because it is totally based on an illogical conclusion, that because one is born with a specific DNA or genetics, that they have no choice but to follow this into and act on the ‘sexual’ or ‘gender’ preference that they are born with. Let me mention three reasons that this argument doesn’t make any sense.

Have you ever heard of Apotemnophilia? It is a sexual disorder that is associated with ‘Body Integrity Identity Disorder’, or BIID. BIID displays itself in otherwise normal, healthy and sane individuals that express a specific and strong desire or need to have a body part removed. Statements by these individuals have been stated in terms such as, ‘I am a one legged man inside of a two legged body.’ So, Apotemnophilia is the sexual disorder of the individuals who feel that they would be more attractive sexually if they could have a body part amputated. There is still debate on whether or not this is a psychological or neurological disorder, at any rate, there is a definite difference in the mapping of the right parietal lobe of those with this condition. I believe this would fall into the category of ‘I was born this way.’ By the way, this condition also falls into a category called paraphilia; if you do some research on paraphilia you will find that what we now consider ‘gay’ or ‘homosexual’ were at one time classified as paraphilia. Genetics?

Now, how about Pedophilia? I’m sure you know what a pedophile is: someone over 16 years old that is sexually attracted to a child under the age of 11. But did you know that pedophilia is also a psychological condition with a biological and more specifically a neurological basis. Studies on pedophiles that have been done during the last decade and a half have shown through brain scans and testing that the pedophiles brain is essentially ‘wired backwards’ from birth. This was discovered as studies were done where noticeable differences were found in the pedophiles white matter, I.Q., right lobe brain function (making an exceptional difference in left handedness than the general populace), etc. When most of us think of pedophiles we think of child molesters and those who have made the news because of their monstrous behavior toward and with children. What many of us are unaware of is the number of pedophiles that are in society that never act on their pedophilia. They have the attraction, and yet they know that it is wrong so they don’t act upon it. Amazing isn’t it? To not act on something that you cannot control because “you are born that way”, isn’t looked at as being unfair to the pedophile, but it is encouraged because what they feel is not ‘right’ and to act on it would be ‘wrong’. This condition was also in the category of paraphilia, but is now mostly referred to on its own terms as a sexual disorder. Genetics?

Lastly let’s look at a condition that is not sexual in nature, but nevertheless has been shown to be a neurological/genetic malady that has repercussions in society when acted upon: Alcoholism. For most individuals a choice is presented to consume alcohol and for many if not most the choice results in having a few drinks or more and once the ‘party’ is over they are free to live life until the next time they choose to consume. For some it isn’t that simple. From the first time they consume alcohol, genetics come into play and the thought of consuming alcohol and actual consumption of alcohol totally consume their life. They become addicted to alcohol so much so that it begins to affect their schooling, jobs, family, marriages and life in general. For some it leads to job loss, homelessness, jail, prison, and in some of the most devastating cases it leads to death of themselves or worse, the death of an innocent victim. Genetics, when discussing alcoholism, has been shown in studies of brain waves and genetic markers (especially in the P3 area, Parietal lobe) to be the contributing factors that lead one to becoming an alcoholic. These genetic influences and how neurotransmitters effectively carry signals to release dopamine and other chemicals at rates that the general population do not produce when consuming the same amounts of alcohol is the reason your friend John can go to the party and have a few drinks and be fine, whereas your uncle Joe starts the party at 10 in the morning and doesn’t stop until he passes out that next morning at 2 a.m.! And this happens to people whether they are on the streets or dressed in their best business suits in the ivory towers. Genetics?

The question is raised in each of the above conditions, ‘is it genetic?’ The answer in each of the above could be said, based on the evidence that has been produced by research, to be yes. However, I don’t believe that those who are pushing for equality of the Gay and Lesbian rights to marry have the same graciousness, that they want from those ‘radical Christian Right Wingers’, towards a pedophile wanting to marry a 12 year old because they love her/him. “That’s ridiculous” is the accusation, “Your talking about a pedophile! We are two consenting adults.” That’s correct, however, if both are consenting in the pedophile ‘couple’, and it’s genetic, how can we deny them? Since they are born that way should we be so fast to throw stones? Or, what about the alcoholic? If they are genetically predisposed to consuming alcohol, shouldn’t we be gracious and tell them to go ahead and consume to their hearts content since that is what they were ‘born to do?”

Ridiculous isn’t it? Yes it is and here is why: just because we are born with genetic bents toward alcohol, pedophilia, or homosexuality (along with many other neurological and biological tendencies), it doesn’t mean that it is in ours or society’s best interest to act upon them. As a matter of fact, it is to the detriment of our society to encourage or promote the acting upon these ‘genetic’, neurological and psychological maladies. And if one is honest with themselves and they are involved in any one of the above mentioned conditions, they will admit that they have felt at one time or the other, shame, guilt, remorse, indecisiveness and the like. If you haven’t, most have.

This isn’t the case with Race. A person does not feel those emotions when it comes to race because that is who they are biologically. The neurological and psychological do not determine the ethnicity of the person, the biology does. In contrast, the above mentioned conditions are all shown by brain scans and sometimes confirmed by genetic markers that show the differences between ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’. The brains between different ethnicities show no differences in these types of areas. You see, Race, is neither psychological nor neurological; there is no differences in body mapping of the brain from a person of any race. To see any difference genetically in individual’s race, you have to find the DNA markers that point to a specific ethnicity. My eyes can see differences but beyond the visual the differences are so minute that in the scientific world it isn’t even a consideration any longer.

So, why does a person feel shame, guilt, remorse, indecision etc. when it comes to the ‘conditions’ as compared to race? Because the conditions are at variance with ones conscience and to act upon it (to choose) puts oneself in the precarious position of needing to justify their ‘choice’ to ease their own conscience. Now, I know that there are many of you that are wanting to fight with this argument because of the terms used such as, normal, abnormal, right, wrong, and choice. If you are wanting to argue and reason with this, take a moment and put yourself in one of the other ‘conditions’ and see if your reasoning’s hold up. If you don’t want the pedophile to marry the 12 year old; or the alcoholic to drink to his heart’s content; or the kleptomaniac to steal; or the sociopath to murder; then maybe you need to re-think your reasoning. But to say that it is normal for Gays and Lesbians to act upon their sexuality because they were born that way is certainly opening a can of worms that I don’t think we want to. And to push the LGBT agenda into the ‘Civil Rights’ arena by comparing it to racial actions in the past is also going down a road that isn’t based in logic. It is apples and oranges.

And it can’t be emotion or feelings that you are basing your argument on can it. If that is the case then we are dealing with a purely subjective rational for making your decision and that is another road that I don’t think most of us want to go down. “But”, you say, “I have always felt an attraction to the same sex, how can that be wrong?” Dare I mention again the pedophile who has ‘always felt the attraction’ or the person with BIID who says, “I have always felt like a one legged person trapped inside this two legged body.” Are their feelings any less feelings than yours? What about the person who feels that they ‘love all 8 of these woman and they love me and we want to be married”? Should they be allowed to marry because they ‘feel love’ for each other? What about the person who wants to marry their pet because they ‘feel’ attracted to them? (zoophelia). You see, feelings as a rationale for love, relationship, sex, etc. are not a solid and secure footing to base your life decisions on.

So, getting back to the original problem that I set out to address. I have had a problem with the LGBT agenda when it comes to comparing their plight with what happened during the era in our nation when the black Americans (I won’t say African American due to the fact that I have a black friend that said he is not African American, he is American and his ancestors came from Jamaica!) were struggling, demonstrating and fighting for Civil Rights. As shown above, Race and the LGBT condition are not the same and they should not be discussed as being the same sort of struggle. Race and ethnicity is not a choice, sexuality is. The ploy to move the sexual choices (remember, this does not mean you were not born with inherent tendencies, it means you have a choice to act or not act upon them) is a deceptive and selfish act on the part of those pushing this forward in an effort to ‘justify’ their choice to act upon their condition.

This brings me to the issues we are seeing across America at present where citizens have voted in some type of a  ‘Religious Protection’ act that is intended to let people of faith- Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Mormon, Hindu, etc. – choose to give their services to someone who is in direct violation of their religious convictions. This is not a civil rights issue, this is a moral and religious issue. If your religion opposes serving a wedding cake or delivering pizza to a LGBT wedding then you have the right to decline the business due to the violation of your religious beliefs. If a Christian goes into a Muslim bakery and asks for an Easter cake with Jesus and the Empty tomb on it with the inscription, ‘Jesus is the only Hope of Salvation’, that Muslim bakery has the right to decline. It is OK, it’s not discriminatory, there are other bakeries that will make the cake; however, the LGBT community want everyone in society to accept their beliefs even if those beliefs contradict one’s own religious beliefs. You see, tolerance in the LGBT community is a one way road- their way or the highway. They have changed a ‘choice’ into a ‘civil right’ and now they want everyone to accept their choice as law.

No one has a right to discriminate, but everyone in this nation has a right to the free exercise of religion. Civil rights are not what is in question here, choice is. It is whether a person with religious conviction has a choice to withhold service from a person who is choosing to do something that cannot be overlooked by the others religious beliefs. It is Choice against Choice. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different.

Technical Information came from:

Dr. James Cantor, “The Agenda With Steve Paikin”.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5^th edition. American Psychiatric Publishing 2013

Odin Van Der Stelt DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/34.3.267 267-282 First published online: 1 May 1999

http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/content/34/3/267.full

Apotemnophilia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apotemnophilia 2014

And other sources gathered over the years.