Andrew Comiskey, kustîbas "Desert Streams" vadîtâjs. Tâ apvieno bijuðos gejus - kristieðus, kuri ðodien ir dziedinâti un ,zdzîvo normâlu hetero seksualitâti. Arî pats viòð agrâk ir BIJIS gejs bet ðodien ir normâls
Understanding Homosexuality
Homosexual behavior is an attempt to fulfill normal needs for love, acceptance, and identity through sexual intimacy with someone of the same sex. Although the factors that contribute to the development of sexual orientation are complex and subtle, our experience suggests that one of the deepest roots of homosexuality is a break in early relational bonds. This relational breakdown can stunt the development of the individual's ability to healthily connect with others throughout life.
The security of a child depends on the three-way bond of mother to child, father to child, and the bond between the parents. Any break in these bonds can produce insecurity in the child and thus a lack of that sense of belonging and affirmation which is so vital in the development of gender identity.
If the child has an absent or an emotionally distant mother or father, he or she will feel a certain amount of vulnerability - a vague longing for closeness and protection that the parent has not been able to fulfill. In addition to this, if the young person has been sexually molested, the impact upon his or her ability to bond with others will be all the more broken.
The child may detach from the parent and other significant adults in order to avoid any further hurt and disappointment. This tendency to withdraw produces fear of intimacy, isolation from others, and envy on account of what is missing; it also adds to the weight of the unworthiness and rejection that the young person is already carrying.
This leaves him or her with tremendous needs for affirmation and affection. In most instances, the attraction for the same sex begins around the age of ten; it is emotional, non-sexual, and involuntary. With sexual maturity, these needs become eroticized; sexual intimacy becomes a primary means for feeling loved and affirmed.
Hence, sexual activity offers some sense of being truly accepted. What seems to be love is received, the person extending this love is idolized, and as the pain becomes covered over with pleasure, a momentary sense of self-esteem emerges - a temporary relief from the confusion of identity.
Finding Completion
Thus, the homosexual condition is a result of the many hurts, real or perceived, that the child has suffered in the wake of broken relationships. The homosexual behavior is the activity that emerges as that "hurt child" seeks to fulfill these unmet needs for love. He or she may not know that sexual union can not impart the sense of completion and connectedness that is perhaps the most essential longing of the human soul.
The result of these efforts to meet one's needs homosexually is loneliness; the individual is left more fragmented and ill at ease than ever. In addition to this emotional confusion, the person often blames God for the hurts and for creating him or her homosexual. This hinders his or her ability to trust the Creator, and taste of the deep intimacy with Him that would provide comfort and strength in the face of as yet unmet inner longings.
Are "they" born that way?
The teaching of Scripture is that God intended for men and women to experience relational completion - an easing of aloneness - through union with a partner who is sexually distinct from them, and who can thus be a true helpmate and companion in life.
"So God created man in His own image…male and female He created them….The Lord God said,
'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" (Genesis 1:27, 2:18)
Homosexuality is a relational brokenness that scripture reveals as contrary to God's creative intent for humanity's sexuality. In light of this, one can be sure that whether homosexuality is the result of developmental causes or inborn characteristics, it is not the result of an act of creation by God.
But is it inborn? Much research has been done to explore potential genetic or hormonal contributions to the origins of homosexuality. No conclusive evidence has yet to be found. The exploration continues, with most experts citing a variety of influences that include culture, family-of-origin, biological factors, and one's own reaction to these influences. At Desert Stream, we believe that biological factors influence the formation of personality. Our personalities in turn will partially determine how and why we act and react to the influences around us. Some personality types, when paired with other factors, may be more prone than other types to developing homosexual tendencies.
Is there hope for healing?
Homosexuality is clearly a two-fold condition. A fallen world imposes wounds, fears, identity confusion, and alienation; people react with sinful choices in an attempt to restore what has been broken and gain consolation in the midst of pain and need. Yet the goal remains unreached; the promise of real, lasting fulfillment proves to be all too elusive.
Jesus Christ is the alternative. He addresses the problem - humanity limited to self - and provides the way through which we can find fulfillment in God and His people. By releasing us from the dictates of the past, Jesus frees us to live as new creatures. The Holy Spirit carries on that process of change in our lives.
His grace is sufficient, for His strength is made perfect in weakness. He provides the mooring point for a new identity - the center out of which a true sense of well being can be enjoyed. As we draw close to Him, we are enabled to reflect His image in our humanity more and more fully.
The goal of our growth is the freedom to love aright: to relate intimately but non-erotically to the same-sex, and to be able to address the opposite sex as a needed counterpart without fear or disinterest. As we at Desert Stream believe such love is Christ's intent for us, we affirm His capacity to carry it out in our lives, and in the lives of those who seek to be free from homosexuality.