No one is homosexual ‘by choice’—the point of view that they are that way by choice actually is that homosexual acts are a choice.

Those who believe the viewpoint you are asking about either believe homosexuals are born or have a propensity to be that way, or that certain psychological experiences made them that way. But the acts of homosexuality is what they condemn.

Of course, a lot of homosexuals would not be any other way if they could. They have dignified homosexuality in such a way that they would not choose to be different from the way they are.

Their religion tells them so.

Some people believe that the Earth is flat. A far more feasible idea, than most religious beliefs. Yet both are based upon very old thinking, lack of observational abilities, and willful ignorance…

Some people are just ignorant and can’t justify why they believe what they believe. The earth is flat, we evolved from Adam and Eve, etc. There’s no logic to it.

Seems like it tends to have to do with one or more of:

* their religious authority is their main source of information, as is backwards and homophobic, due to misreadings of religious doctrine which seems to condemn homosexuality as if it were a crime, hence a choice

* their childhood community had the idea of homosexuality as a tabboo/bad thing and since children don’t tend to be sexual at first, and some cultural conversations have it as a crime and/or choice, that idea is picked up on

* they are themselves a bit (or even more than a bit) queer on the non-binary sexuality scale (as most people are not utterly hetero, even if they don’t realize it since our culture tends to want to firmly label things), and/or unsure (again, especially as children), and are afraid of the terrible social stigmas and social (and violent) consequences of being homosexual, their ego greatly prefers the idea that it is a choice they can make to avoid that danger (i.e. it is terrifying to know that your family may abandon you, you may be a social outcast, attacked, etc).

* other variations on similar ideas to the above

If you actually ask someone who appears to believe that to explain their position in detail and the mechanics of such a “choice”, they often can’t. “It’s a choice” seems to be a way that some people rationalize homosexuality. It isn’t a well-thought out philosophical position on human sexuality. Most people who say it’s a choice haven’t given much thought to what that actually means, in my experience, having argued a lot about homosexuality in the past. It stems from a line of thinking such as “it’s not normal, they can change themselves to become normal, they must have chosen to be not normal in the first place”.

@Yellowdog I wouldn’t say that those who claim homosexuality is a choice are always speaking only of “acts”. I’ve come across many who seem to believe the attraction itself is a choice. The main implication being that one can choose to rid oneself of the attraction. The important part seems to be the propensity for change.

Because if being gay is a choice, revulsion and stigmatization are required just as with any other “crime.” But if you’re gay because “that’s the way God made you”, persecution of you for being gay is a powerful civil rights issue. Back when all the hubbub was over whether being gay is a matter of choice, I found the allegation that people chose homosexuality to be blindingly stupid. I mean who in their right mind would deliberately choose a lifetime of persecution and ostracization?

“When Did You Choose to be Straight?”:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QJtjqLUHYoY

I argue about this constantly, even now. Many people here do believe it’s a choice, and a choice to sin if they act upon those ‘urges’.

The Bible defines “family” in a narrow sense as the union of one man and one woman in matrimony which is normally blessed with one or several natural or adopted children. In a broad sense, this family also includes any other persons related by blood (the extended family). In the book of Genesis, we read that God in the beginning created first a man (Adam) to exercise dominion over his creation and subsequently a woman (Eve) as the man’s “suitable helper” (Genesis 2:18, 20). Then, the inspired writer remarks, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 ESV). This verse sets forth the biblical pattern as it was instituted by God at the beginning: one man is united to one woman in matrimony, and the two form one new natural family. In this regard, “become one flesh” not only refers to the establishment of one new family but also to the husband and wife’s sexual union leading to the procreation of offspring. This, in turn, is in keeping with God’s original command to the first human couple to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion” over all of creation (Genesis 1:28).
https://www.frc.org/brochure/the-bibles-teaching-on-marriage-and-family

Interesting point and rather splitting hairs that while homosexuality might not be a choice, acting like one, or rather engaging in those actions that define homosexuality, is.

I guess it is ok to be a pederast or a serial killer as long as you don’t act upon your nature.

Yes, choosing to act on sexual desires is a choice. Who would have thunk that? :P

Considering Jesus said that even looking at another woman with desire is committing adultery, I think it’s clear that for people opposed to homosexuality for religious reasons, “acts” are not all they’re concerned with.

@Demosthenes Actually that’s incorrect. To the uber-religious, acting AFTER you know it’s sinful, is what makes it wrong and sends you to Hell. If you repent and never commit another sin, you’re good for Heaven.

Trust me, there’s a whole group here that believes ‘pray you straight’ camps and hetero marriages are the only way to ‘cure’ and ‘save’ homosexuals.

Although, incest and adultery are both in the bible and not frowned upon in different scripture.

You’d think God would want to prioritize problems like nuclear weapons, over “problems” like homosexuals…

Nuclear technology came from Nyarlathotep, an emissary between God and humankind. Probably so that humans would destroy themselves due to their own sin.

^Either way. No mention of it in the bible….

Well, the Necronomicon and MANY ancient tomes have a lot of ancient knowledge on these subjects.

I’d love some references.

Religion is a load of bullshit invented by men to control the dumb masses. Evolution is based on physical fact. Humans evolved from the same ancestor as the chimp and that is why humans are so closely related to chimps. Chimps (especially bonobo chimps) like ALL mammals practise homosexuality. Its natural behaviour.

Christians can’t stand to think that God would make a mistake and that people are born gay. So all they can do is have the ignorance to say people would CHOOSE to live a lifestyle that can kill them, that many people laugh at ,that can cause families to disown them and it’s sickening to me. We don’t know why people are born gay so let’s just say they choose to live that way . They just can’t deal with the truth. My grandson’s roommate is black and gay and just adorable. His mother treats him like he’s a disgrace to their family.