Recent studies on the effects of behavior upon the brain have proven shocking. You may remember the media delight about fifteen years ago when it was discovered that the brains of homosexual men were different from straight men. It was immediately hailed as proof of the long-advanced conjecture that men who prefer same-sex eroticism are in fact born that way. What better justification for one’s “sexual orientation” than scientific proof that it is totally natural? The defense, “God created me this way” suddenly had irrefutable scientific backing.
However with further study, it was quietly revealed that the difference in the brains of homosexual men was not a condition of nature, but rather change occurring over time with the practice of same-sex eroticism. Rather than justifying homosexual orientation, science had uncovered the meaning of a passage in the Bible that had long baffled expositors.
“And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet…God gave them over to a reprobate mind…” (Romans 1:27-28).
Addressing same-sex sin, the passage says that homosexual men and women incur a change within themselves that constitutes a “recompence” for their error, and that the recompense was “meet.” That is, the internal reimbursement was suitable to the depraved act—resulting in “reprobate minds” (brains). Now we know why it is so difficult for homosexual men and women to come back from the perversion of their sexual preference; their actions have changed their brains, rendering them more compatible to their choices. In effect, rather than their sin being a product of their natures, their natures have become a product of their sin. Read the passage and note the degenerative change sin brings.
Romans 1:21–29
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers….
They began with vain imaginations, resulting in a darkened heart. This led to becoming a fool as they rejected the glory of God in preference for idolatry. God responded by releasing the hand that pulled away as they dishonored their bodies with their homosexual sin. They came to worship man rather than God, leaving God no choice but to give them up to their vile affections.
They now burned in their lust, men with men, and women with women. It resulted in a change in their minds, locking them into their sin. It left God no choice but to give them up to their “reprobate minds.” The mind is a function of the brain, and they had now thoroughly recreated their souls into an image that was nothing like what God created. They live in a gigantic dissolution of their own making, waiting the impending judgment that will surely come when they stand before their Creator and give account for their foolish choices.
The final verse in this chapter says, “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:32). The passage pronounces the same sentence of death upon those who are not homosexual but condone the lifestyle.
It is not too late to repent if one wants to change. I have known diehard homosexuals and lesbians that have come to Jesus Christ and were changed. Just as the brain was changed by choices the individual made, by choosing differently the brain will in time change back to become that of a heterosexual person, as God intended.
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 11).
The church at Corinth contained beloved members who had been effeminate—abusers of themselves with mankind—homosexuals. But they were washed from their sins, sanctified to be precious to God, and justified from all their sins in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ who died to pay the full price of their sin.
It is not too late if you don’t want it to be too late. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). When you come to Christ, you will be welcomed into the fellowship of believers and your sin will be remembered no more.
If you choose not to repent, but rather continue in your lifestyle, you will be treated with respect and dignity as a citizen of the human race and a fellow American in the land of the free; but our hearts will sadden, knowing that you are missing the best life has to offer and are destined for the worst eternity possible.
— Michael
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I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 4
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Living Parallel Lives in the Same Space
Can you share/link the studies to which you are referring? I agree with the bible and your great -- and needed -- article, but I want to share with some friends who are "fact-checkers." The "scientific proof" would help silence any potential, "Well, yeah but..." loopholes that tend to open up around justifying this issue. Thanks!
I second "K" above - I really appreciate what you've said and believe it because it matches the Word of God, but it would nice to know what studies you are referencing.
References to studies? And how can this account for the gays who knew they were at a young age before any sexual intact with anyone? Sorry, but if you include studies in tour blog, you HAVE to letyour readers know which ones they are so an informed decision can be made versus an opinion.
I also need to know the scientific references for the physical brain changes that you say happen after a person engages in homoeroticism.
I would be interested in your studies as well. and Q: What other than the effect of generational sins can explain young children with homosexual, not effeminate, tendencies?
Gay not gay, facts, loopholes, personal opinions....Born and raised in a church and every person I know could use some soul searching to better themselves! Why are Christians so set on fixing gays? Fix yourself! When you are done lying, drinking, smoking, having sex outside of marriage, cheating on your taxes, judging, gossiping and considering yourself pure....then you can move on to fix others! HYPOCRISY UNDERMINES CHURCH'S CREDIBILITY! The church is meant to welcome everybody! The weak, the poor, the needy! Now if you are not in the "click or member" you are judged before you walk thru the door to make sure you live up to their standards! Pastor are like the wizard on THE WIZARD OF OZ! Who is really behind the curtain? Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Amy Semple Mcpherson. How many sheep will follow that shepherd right off a cliff?
You apparently did not read the response toward the end. Please read all of the article, before throwing out all your anger. It makes you look foolish. I do have room to talk also, I am PK and have seen and heard alot over the years. I am only accountable for how I handle truth through the scriptures for myself. You will not be able to spew all you just said to an Almighty God one day when we all stand before Him (and we will) I'm afraid. Sincerely
Sin is sin. Not just homosexual sin. All brains are the same and when the sin is acted upon then the brain does change. My daughter is proof. Her brain is not the same as it was before she allowed temptation to control her. And it became very apparent that her brain had changed because of her sin. I thank Mr. Pearl for his article on what happens to the effects of behavior on the brain.
Jackie
Hi Annie,
Unfortunately, many people who profess to be Christians dishonor God through their conduct by disobedience. They don't live a life that honors God. Just because someone calls themselves a Christian, does not mean they are. However, that does not change the fact that sin is sin. Each person will be held personally responsible for his/her own actions. It is easy to point the finger at those hoity toity 'so called' Christians at the church up the road and reason that they are no better than you, but they are not our standard - Jesus Christ is the standard. Let's get that straight. It is a Christian's responsibility to spread the Gospel, which includes calling a sin, a sin; and then providing the remediation to that - Jesus Christ. Let's call those backsliding Christians to repentance, and start living lives that honor our God - so when we go out into the world to witness to the lost, we are found without reproach.
Sincerely,
Megan
Very interesting. I had not seen this before.
Rom 12:2 KJV - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Praise God the change can go back the other way as well, with a renewed mind!
Agreed, but yes, same thought here...for the sake of credibility a source for the study needs to be referenced.
Many articles can be found with a quick Google search on, e.g., "brain changes homosexuality berkeley"
el homosexualismo y su practica voluntaria son pecado.
Dios nos llama al arrepentimiento.
cambia tu manera de pensar.
Thanks for caring about this important subject. Praise God that he hath made Jesus to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him! Keep fighting the good fight of faith!
As usual, another great article!! I love the way you always put things right back on the word of God. It's the ONLY absolute in the entire world and every one wants to go by their own thinking and hearts. Thank you!!
NGJ, I urge you to read this article. It may be material to futher expand on Michael's article. God Bless
Identical twin studies prove homosexuality is not genetic
http://www.hollanddavis.com/?p=3647
The article was good, but it wasn't balanced. It only showed one side of the picture. I have a friend who is a Biblical counselor, and she says when she deals with homosexuals, she can't use the same approach on all of them. For some, she has to bring them to the realization that their lifestyle is a sin, and that God can give them victory over that sin. For others, she has to help them realize that God loves them so much and values them so much, that He would do anything to save them. Different approaches to meet the different needs.
I recently discovered that one of my childhood penpals is living as a lesbian, married to another woman. I called her and we talked for hours about all kinds of things. And during the conversation, I discovered that she has some misconceptions on the character of God. If she really understood who God is (and He is NOT the vindictive god that people claim He was in the Old Testament, encouraging slave ownership and reveling in the subjugation of women that she sees Him to be), she might have a motive to change. But based on what she understands (or rather, misunderstands), I do not blame her choices. Sure, they will lead to the wrong place in the end, but it means that as, little by little, I have opportunities to help change her perception of God, she will hopefully be given the chance to choose a better path. However, I recognize that if she continues in the path she is on, she will be lost in the end. But she knows what she is doing is wrong. Her attitude is, "If I have to go to hell, I'd rather do it with my best friend at my side." So I think she needs to see how much God really loves her. I pray I can help her see it.
Thanks everyone for your feedback on this topic. Because of the attention this article has received, Mike will be writing a follow-up article in the May-June edition of NGJ Magazine. Stay tuned to the website, and make sure you are subscribed to our print magazine and email updates so you don't miss anything!
http://www.mygenes.co.nz/Plasticity.htm
A good reference for the info you seek. Compare it to this...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/22/AR2008062201994.html
This article really opened up my heart for the need of training our children in all areas. Some have a tendency to lie, steal, rebel, be effeminate, or just dissatisfied with the gender God made them. All these sins are bad and when we let anyone of them go unchecked, our children will suffer. We looked up the definition of reprobate and part of the meaning is not accepted and rejected. I don't want to live in a society where people feel rejected and prejudiced against because no matter how nice you treat them they are still going to feel cut off and not accepted. When one feels that way its hard to have enough confidence to belong which makes it hard to get a job, get an education, etc. No matter how much the gays demand acceptance they will still feel rejected because God gave them up to a reprobate mind.
This is an article that I pulled up that references the discrepancies of Levay's findings and provides details about how behavior affects the brain. I am not sure if this is the study Mr. Pearl used as reference, but it could very well have been. The link to the article, “THIS IS THE WAY GOD MADE ME”— A SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE “GAY GENE” by Brad Harrub, Ph.D., Bert Thompson, Ph.D., and Dave Miller, Ph.D., is provided below:
http://ap.lanexdev.com/pub_rar/24_8/0408.pdf
Oh my. No, no it was not pearl. That never happened. People are gay for two reasons: they were born that way, or were traumatized at a young age. In general, it's the former. God wants us to accept everyone, even gay people. Jesus doesn't condemn you for your sexual orientation, he condemns you for hatred and violence and the like. Gay people are just as nice and have just as strong morals as straight people. Really, I'm quite certain that if anyone's being condemned, it's the homophobes who spew hatred and murder "in the name of the lord". None of those things is in the name of the lord. No matter what. Ever.
Gay people cannot just decide not to be gay, just like straight people cannot decide to be gay. Assuming anything else is what is truly saddening.
You have previously mentioned science, but there are no scientific studies using controlled groups, to show that the brain differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals is an inborn difference not the result of the thought process of self-identification and/or behavior. Because of possible outcomes and the current intolerance toward true scientific inquiry, it is not likely that there will be any such studies in the near future.
All immoral behavior, whether sexual or spewing hatred "in the name of the Lord" will be judged and condemn. Pointing out sin and encouraging others as Jesus did, to "go, and sin no more", is showing the love of Jesus and hatred.
Morals cannot save you. Only the blood of Jesus can.
One other thing: that entire piece of scripture was referring to people with loose morals. It doesn't mention anything that means gay.
Romans chapter one is about much more than "people with loose morals". I suggest that you read the entire chapter in the context of subsequent chapters, laying aside the modern commentary and doctrines of men. And FYI it does refer to the that acts practiced by homosexuals as the results of "vile affections" (verse 26).
We cannot say that homosexuality is a part of the brain is malfunctioning. Then they would get Disability payments and not have to work. Homosexuality is a choice no more no less. They like the attention they get, they are loud, they want to be the center of the party. You can't tell them anything. You are met with a furious argument. Let them be lost and one day maybe the demon inside them will leave. We for sure don't need and should not have gay priest or gay preachers. They are demons and should be excommunicated from the church . Away from our children. DR. Michael VonSchwartz PHD
Homosexuality is an abomination , Sodomite sand will bring you to hell if you continue ,without repentance
An outstanding share! I've just forwarded this onto a colleague
who had been doing a little homework on this. And he actually ordered me lunch because
I discovered it for him... lol. So allow me to reword this....
Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to
discuss this matter here on your site.