addendum to the previous post

i must add a point that i forgot to include in the original post. i mentioned that "the problem here is that the notion of his cure implies that one can be cured of sin or the temptation to sin..." that being said, i think that the lines of sexuality that the church has drawn are far from the reality of human existence. this is not some sorry attempt to justify behavior of any sort, nor is it a ploy to shift the church toward liberal thinking. there are plenty of bishops and priests doing that already--especially in the episcopal church. what i am trying to emphasize is that shock therapy, ice baths or even 'intense counseling' cannot change the hard wiring of a person, yet such services can influence and change his resulting actions.

for instance: an alcoholic joins a twelve step program because he has a problem with drinking. he completes the program successfully but what he does NOT say at the end is "i'm no longer an alcoholic." in fact, he is quick to notify others of his former alcoholism so that he can be accountable. he knows that it could only take one drop of gin to push him into drinking himself silly. so his orientation has not changed, but his actions have. do you get the picture?

many will disagree with me on this point. that is fine. we will disagree. i think it is dangerous to categorize a person's sexual identity as one would an addiction. what this does is encourage the idea of an unrealistic cure and when a person, especially a teenager, learns of the illusion, it can create a despair in him that life will not improve and that he will never be normal. perhaps this is why so many people with sexual issues are afraid to talk to people in their churches. they are afraid that they will be thrown into some program far and away from their loved ones, when in actuality they probably just needed to talk to some safe family members, pastors or friends to help through what has been discovered to be quite the common issue in churches these days.

i probably need to give this one a rest.