From: Rick_Granberry@pts.mot.com (Rick Granberry)
Subject: Re: FAQ essay on homosexuality
Lines: 62

Before you finalize your file in the FAQs (or after), you might want to 
correct the typo in the following:

> Kinsey (see below) is the source 
> of the figure 10 percent.  He defines sexuality by behavior, not by 
> orientation, and ranked all persons on a scale from Zero (completely 
> heterosexual) to 6 (completely heterosexual).

It seems one or the other end of the rating scale should be identified with 
"homosexual".

As a personal note, I guess I differ with you on the question of work 
entering human life as a result of sin.  
> Note that in the 
> creation story work enters human life as a result of sin.
 
Before the fall (Gen 2:15) "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into 
the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." which I would call "work".  
For me, the difference introduced by sin is the painful aspects of work added 
at the fall (I take the cursing of the ground in vs.17-19 to apply to the 
work for sustenance).  In a way, some view "work" as a blessing (Ecclesiastes 
is a fun book! - for melancholies).

I hope I do not sound caustic, maybe you can enlighten me further.

Well, this is certainly a delicate subject, and I guess you accomplished what 
you state as your purpose "It summarizes arguments for allowing Christian 
homosexuality", not for me the most noble goal, but you are writing a FAQ.

I wonder if you might temporize the apparent "sentence" of the specific 
homosexual you propose (arguably tenuously define).
> The danger in advising Christians to
> depend upon such a change is clear: When "conversion" doesn't happen,
> which is almost always, the people are often left in despair, feeling
> excluded from a Church that has nothing more to say but a requirement
> of life-long celibacy. 
  Perhaps that would be true of "celibacy from homosexual relations", or 
refrainng from their choice relationships, but that does not forbid 
heterosexual.  Could they not have/enjoy heterosexual relations "for what it 
was worth"?
 
[This depends upon the person.  In some cases I think the answer is
no.  Even with those who could, consider what you're asking.  I assume
we're talking about marriage -- I certainly would not want to suggest
sex outside that.  You're talking about a permanent commitment to a
kind of sexual relationship that they aren't really sure they can live
with.  There may be people for whom this is a possible solution, but I
wonder whether it's entirely fair to the other partner.  I have a
cousin who was a victim of exactly this situation.  We found out later
(after her death) that her husband had had problems with his sexual
identity.  His family (conservative Christians) knew it, and pushed
him into getting married.  He continued having problems, and they were
near divorce.  She died in an accident whose circumstances some of the
relatives consider odd.  He has since had a sex change operation, and
has been moving around from state to state without being able to hold
a job, keeping their children in a kind of home life both sets of
grandparents consider irresponsible.  I hope you can understand why I
am not enthusiastic about pushing homosexuals into marriage.  I really
liked my cousin.  This is sort of an emotional issue for me.  Again,
it may be possible for some, but this is the sort of situation that
needs to be dealt with pastorally and not as a matter of fixed
ideology.  --clh]