Wednesday, March 21, 2007
(Weekly Column)If it were discovered that homosexuality had a biological basis, it would be morally acceptable for a mother to use a hormonal treatment patch to ensure her child was born heterosexual, Rev. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, suggested on his
personal website.
"If a biological basis is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin," wrote Mohler.
His comments
raised the ire of gay activists who accused him of
promoting eugenics and abandoning moral principles on the sanctity of life. But, in
Mohler's desire to root out homosexuality, he fails to consider an equally compelling question: If a biological or genetic basis for religious belief is discovered, would it also be morally acceptable to create a hormonal patch to eliminate fundamentalists, such as Mohler himself?
Before you dismiss this question as hypothetical or academic, consider that research into the origins of spirituality is a
robust field of inquiry. There are currently about a dozen studies that show shared personality traits among religious people, suggesting a genetic or biological basis.
In 2005, Laura Koenig, a psychology graduate student at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, postulated a
likely genetic link to spirituality by studying male fraternal and genetically identical twins. Koenig demonstrated that the identical twins had a much greater likelihood of sharing analogous religious beliefs into adulthood than the fraternal twins who were about a third less similar than they were as children.
Mohler's view on eliminating homosexuality is shortsighted, culturally myopic and leads us down a slippery slope. Once we allow prejudice and preferences to determine who lives, what moral basis would Mohler have to stop China, for example, from eliminating future political foes by eradicating those with religious inclinations in the womb? Karl Marx considered religion "the opiate of the masses." It is not a stretch to speculate that if the former Soviet Union possessed a hormonal patch to "cure" this addiction they may have used it.
In Mohler's world, conservative Christians are a majority and considered a paragon of virtue. However, the late singer John Lennon is not the only person who has "imagined" a world without religion and its Inquisitions and suicide bombers. Indeed, there are prominent scholars and writers who consider religion to be little more than a psychological defect - much like the Southern Baptists now consider homosexuality.
Oxford evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins wrote in his best-selling book
The God Delusion that, "Religious behavior may be a misfiring, an unfortunate byproduct of an underlying psychological propensity which in other circumstances is, or once was useful."
If future scientists or world leaders conclude that religious behavior is no longer useful or even potentially harmful to the evolution of the species, religious expression could theoretically be diagnosed as dangerous and thus considered expendable.
This sounds far-fetched until you consider how drastically times and attitudes have changed in recent centuries. For example, Massachusetts, the onetime home of Puritanism and witch burnings, today marries same-sex couples. The Europe of brutal religious wars and the Crusades is now largely secular.
How painfully ironic it would be for Mohler to wake up in twenty years to find masses of potentially gay babies "corrected" in Kentucky, but an even larger number of future fundamentalists medically modified in California. If social conservatives doubt this could happen they ought to read their own websites, which are filled with examples of Christians who have been persecuted worldwide.
Mohler may look to the lab and gleefully envision a future without Elton John or Ellen DeGeneres. But there is also no shortage of people that would prefer a world without fundamentalists such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. You simply cannot claim to respect the sanctity of life and then carve out a gay exception, unless you are prepared to surrender your moral authority when the exception becomes the person in the mirror. Perhaps, it is time for all of us to stop playing God and start accepting people exactly as God created them.
31 Comments:
Amen to the above! It seems curious how these so called Christians are not anti-abortion when it comes to eradicating gay people. They are the same zealots who cherry pick from the Bible in its "Thou Shall Nots." Whatever is convenient in their cause the fundies use; the rest, they ignore. Apparently, the fundies like to have it both ways in serving their anti gay cause. The Spanish Inquisitors thought they were doing God's work by burning heretics and ridding society of Jews. It is time to stop those who are sincere in doing God's work by advocating the elimination of gay people.
-richard schillen
posted by , at
3/21/2007 8:42 AM
I totally agree that organized religion has a lot to answer for; but Richard Dawkins (a complete materialist) hardly has the final word on anything spiritual. For an alternative viewpoint on how one can embrace both science and a spiritual life, I recommend anything by John Polkinghorne, a quantum physicist cum Anglican priest.
Although I think much of the Christian story is (as all religions are) more metaphorical and symbolic than literal; I admit that I occassionally love going to an old high Anglican church in the city (Phil.) where the old Catholic mass is still said with renaissance choral music, real candles, clouds of incense, and vestments that would make a drag queen weep. This may just trigger the release of dopamine and seratonin left over from some primitive need in our evolutionary past, but, what the hell, Gregorian chants are better than doing drugs; and it does inspire one to be a better person.
posted by , at
3/21/2007 9:31 AM
Richard, totally agree with your comments. What I do is send right wing organizations the following link, www.fallwell.com. Its a website that outlines all of the not so nice references that primarily affect heterosexuals, but I find it amazing that all of the major religions conveniently choose to ignore them, but use just one scant reference in Leviticus to attack us. Maybe General Pace has a a blogsite or website where we could send it, then he can be the decide once and for all who really are the immoral ones. Their hypocrisy is mindboggling and hardly Christian.
Robert, NYC.
posted by , at
3/21/2007 9:57 AM
My apologies to readers for omission in grammar or words I failed to insert. I was in a rush to post.
Robert, NYC.
posted by , at
3/21/2007 9:59 AM
Wayne,
This has to be one of your better articles. How is it that so called religious thinkers come up with such non-sense? They do however always seem to think that the world spins on their axis and that the rest of us are just trash waiting for the genetic dump truck to come and pick us up to be re-claimed. I guess the Bible was right on at least this issue... "professing themselves to be wise, they became as fools."
posted by , at
3/21/2007 11:47 AM
I saw this on TV a few nights ago and felt,what would this World be like with No more gay people? pretty bland & boring comes to mind. I'm not saying that all straight people are bland & boring.
I know alot of straight people love and support us in anyway they can. It's just that it takes all kinds to make this world more interesting (well except for fundies ofcorse).
posted by , at
3/21/2007 11:49 AM
What Mohler posits, and what so many in religious communities maintain, is the assumption that heterosexuality is a virtue unto itself (at least when confronted with gay people).
There is the assumption of supremacy.
One can look at religious texts, and sure it instructs to be REACTIVE to gay people...
But what Mohler fails to say as most of his ilk do,
what have gay people accomplished throughout history, CONSIDERING?
Not only accomplished, but how have gay people REACTED to the straights who have harmed them?
This is one of those instructive times that a person of deep moral thought, would have already considered. Heterosexuals obviously make up a majority, and use threat to keep gay people in dark corners where they don't have to REALLY see them.
Yet, our relationship (gay and straight together throughout our entire human lives) shows an indestructable bond that Mohler assumes is meant to be destroyed.
Rather than assume he's interpreted GAY PEOPLE wrongly, as did the Gospels, he won't even allow modern life to instruct his views and assume that religious instruction has to evolve with education and compassion about the exotic. The different.
He's not considering for a moment that, just like the left handed...there is a sort of intelligence that coordinates differently with gay folks that ENHANCES our lives, rather than deconstructs it.
This is how Mohler and many others use religion as a way to think no longer. Where gays are concerned it's a done deal, no other amount of self examination or expansion mixed with experience will budge them.
He may not be intelligent enough (and we're assuming he is) to discuss the more nuanced aspects of dealing with gay people.
But all we have to do is look around and some of the bloodiest and cruelest battles rage still in countries espousing the strongest religious principle. They are in chaos. They are cruel to women and homosexuals in particular.
The indulgence of straight men virtually knows no bounds in who they will destroy to maintain their delusion of supremacy and intimacy with the thoughts and intentions of God.
Mortals like Mohler will assume also, that their interpretations of the Bible are not to be challenged.
We'd be right to challenge those of such selective religious principle. Especially their inability to understand the difference between homosexuality and cancer.
Or that indulgence in the CHOSEN lifestyle of being Christian, has historically killed millions.
In ways they cannot claim being gay EVER did.
So, if one had to go...I'd choose religion as the least worthy for Constitutional protection.
Recent history we're all privy to, should be evidence enough of just that.
We don't allow religion in this country for the purpose of hurting other people and keeping them from due process of law and protection for their pursuit of happiness.
We allow it and other religions for the sake of diversity, understanding and education.
posted by Regan, at
3/21/2007 12:34 PM
Oh, Lordy!!
Mohler's comments go against everything the church teaches - let God create what God creates and do not interfere with procreation.
As a Christian, I am in complete disagreement with Mohler's comments.
posted by , at
3/21/2007 1:02 PM
Surprising that Mohler (and others like him) aren't suggesting they'd support an exception to their "pro-life" stance if it meant terminating a homosexual fetus.
posted by , at
3/21/2007 1:24 PM
If the fundos get rid of gays, who will be left to do the BIG hair that suth'n gals love so much?
B. Queer
Drink your juice Shelby!
posted by , at
3/21/2007 4:57 PM
Incredible letter by Larry Kramer, founder of ActUP in the LA Times Opinion Page about Why do heterosexuals hate us?
Very powerful:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-kramer20mar20,0,1705133.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
richard schillen
posted by , at
3/22/2007 1:08 PM
Gay lives will always exist. Changing hormones will not change family and social environments and it will not change people who are happy being gay.
posted by , at
3/22/2007 4:07 PM
Great article, it turns the tables on the fundamentalist. Just one very minor correction...No witches were ever burned in Massachusetts. According to court records of the witch trials, there were 20 people put to death for witchcraft in Salem, but none of them died by fire. They were all hanged except one, who was pressed to death.
posted by , at
3/22/2007 7:30 PM
Sheesh, Kramer's article made me want to open a vein. I realize that much of what he says is true, but we *have* come a long way since Stonewall 1969; and polls of the younger generation indicate continuing progress. I hope Kramer finds some mental peace before he leaves this world.
posted by , at
3/22/2007 9:08 PM
To see a satirical visual of the religious right's new mission..."Fighting The Choice To Be Gay"...link here:
www.thoughttheater.com
posted by daniel, at
3/26/2007 8:47 PM
It Frightens me to think these people want nothing more then to wipe all the gay& bisexual people off the planet in oder to suite thier idea that society would be better without gay people, also If I were straight and knew that my wife is pregnat, I would be unwilling to give permission to do any kind of tampering to a unborn fetus,once they go in and start messing around and try to shut off some componet they claim causes homosexuality they could easly shut out other very important traits as well but I guess it would be all worth it to these homophobes if the child grew up to be severly deformed or mentaly retarded then to just have same sex attractions, plus by which time they say they may be able to try such a treatment, my thoughts are GLBT people are slowly becoming more and more accepted that most people would think a gay persons life would'nt be as hard.
Also as Wayne stated that if they can change a fetus from becoming gay they could probably change a fetus from becoming biggoted and homophobic.
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