Jhild, I have the same hopes that you do. It is just so perplexing to me that people are so polarized on the issue of homosexuality, and that, for example, there are efforts now to repeal legislation designed to protect homosexuals from job discrimination. This was already successful in Maine.
Since much of the Christian world sees homosexuality as a sinful, voluntary state of being, there is obviously already so much polarization that focusing on the things that are the same in all of us does not seem to be effective, as is evidenced by the diversity of opinion and attitudes in the post here. Some people seem to feel that it is contagious, in fact. As long as there is that polarity, I am just fearful that we are too far apart to simply focus on our common humanity.
One thing I would note is that people who are devoutly religious tend to look to the Bible for answers, while more moderate people take psychological and developmental issues more seriously. There is a huge gap here, and I am not sure how we can bridge it.
This is not related, but illustrates my point to some small degree, in the sense of the dangers of relying on the belief system you already have, instead of looking for answers wherever they can be found. Last night on 20/20, there was a segment about a teenaged boy who killed his mother. He had been an excellent student and athlete, but over a year or so, he deteriorated mentally and emotionally, started running away from home, and skipping school. His grades dropped dramatically. His mother was very concerned, and wanted to take the child to a psychiatrist. The father felt threatened by this, because there would be a stigma attached, and embarrassment. He thought he could handle his son with a combination of tough love techniques and more hugging. Well, the boy continued to deteriorate, over a year. Finally the father gave up his position and agreed to the idea of the psychiatrist. But too much deterioration had taken place, and he lost control three days later, wounding his father and killing his mother. Now he is awaiting trial, and the dad goes from place to place, giving speeches about how important it is to take troubled children to mental health professionals for evaluation.
The connection here is that a child suffered, and a family was destroyed, because of ignorance. The same kind of ignorance towards homosexual children also hurts, and sometimes destroys, them. But there is a real reluctance to accept that professional help is available to help families love and accept these children, and people who look to their religions or rigid belief systems for answers are the least likely to find the help they need to understand the situation.
Now I have to go clean all of that paint off. I sure hope it's water based! |
