homosexuality, church, society - how homosexuality influences churches

Homosexuality, the church and society

Today, homosexuality is not considered a sin and a lust. It is defended in the name of love and equality. Development in society also affects churches

- (Acts 22:17,18) And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

18 And saw him saying to me, Make haste, and get you quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive your testimony concerning me.

When Paul was in Jerusalem during his times, he was faced with great opposition . There was a loud group of people who did not accept the Gospel about Jesus Christ preached by Paul; they were strongly opposed to it. They considered it impossible for Jesus to be the promised Messiah and the Son of God, thus they rejected Paul's message.

What about the situation today? The same kind of opposition is met today, too. People are not always directly opposed to Jesus Christ but they may have other prejudices that prevent them from studying the teachings of the Bible. One such prejudice favours the evolution theory. If people are convinced that all the current plants and animals evolved from more primitive forms of life, and life came into being by itself, then they are not interested in learning about the Gospel. If the story about the Creation is not historically reliable, why believe in the Gospel about Jesus Christ?, they tell themselves. It naturally follows, then, that they reject the Gospel.

However, this writing does not address the theory of evolution and its accuracy. Our task in this writing is to look into quite another subject: homosexuality. Fairly recently this topic has gotten much attention, although in today’s media we often hear only one side of the story. The media often speaks about human rights and equality, but it does not pay much attention to other aspects of homosexuality. Therefore, the purpose is to bring up points of view that we rarely hear or can read. If you have a different attitude, try to consider how reasonable the following points of view are.

Are humans eternal beings? Firstly, we should think about whether or not eternity is real, that is, whether or not we exist as eternal beings. This will give us a whole new perspective, because compared to our eternal nature everything else is trivial. If we exist in this world for only a short time, then we should not waste our lives.

So, if we continue living after death, and if our choices influence our destiny, then we should change our actions. If it is true that intentional sinning – including homosexuality – will prevent us from inheriting the kingdom of God, we must take it into account. We are unwise if we fail to pay attention to, for example, the following passage. We should look at our actions and opinions in the light of eternity; otherwise our thinking is not wise. So please take into account the following words; think about whether or not they are true, and about how they will influence your life!

- (1 Cor 6:9,10) Know you 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,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Niilo Yli-Vainio, a well-known Finnish preacher, used to talk about this subject. He said that the human soul is immortal and that eternity is endless. The choices we make during this life are very important.

So, if our current life is like the flight of a bird or vapor that vanishes away (James 4:14), it is absurd to invest everything on it. It makes more sense to take eternity into account and also to make preparations for it. It is worthwhile for us to work towards this and to make the most of our time. Living selfishly and refusing to think about life after death is the dumbest thing we can do.

Thirdly, I think about the value of a human based on that the human soul is eternal, everlasting... Have you ever thought that you are an eternal being, that you carry the true person inside you? This, all the things we can see on the outside... Like the old Finnish man I see in the mirror, it is only the house of the old Finn that I see... It will soon rot away and be torn down!

But the inhabitant is inside the house! The true inhabitant.

This body is of earth and will return to earth. But the one inside – that one is eternal, eternal, eternal.

And think about how long a time eternity is, it is very long. And your soul is an eternal being, believe it or not, that will not change either way... God has said what God has said and people cannot change it.

If people believe that a tree will rot where it fell, let them think so. And that is quite true in the case of a tree. But not in the case of the human soul. It is eternal... eternal and never-ending! And think, my dear friend, think with cold reason: if you lose your precious soul, the eternal soul, you will lose it forever.

Oh, dear God! I'm running out of words when thinking!

The valuable person that God made, the person made for Heaven, the human soul made for Heaven will some day lose itself and its soul and enter eternity that will never end.

The mere awareness that it will never end will make it hell. Nothing else is needed! No pain or brimstone is necessary: only this awareness! That it will never end! It will be enough to make it hell.

Listen to me: you are valuable! (1)

Not an idea created by modern man. When it comes to the previous and other similar verses, you have to understand that they are not the invention of modern people. No modern person has invented them to annoy others, but the question is whether these old writings are current and true even today.

It is easy to contrast the different views of modern people on extramarital relations, homosexuality and other similar matters, but basically it is a question of these teachings from 2000 years ago and the attitude towards them. Do we consider them true or false? Others consider Jesus and the apostles appointed by Him to be liars or ignorant when it comes to eternal life (even though these people themselves have no personal knowledge of the afterlife), but others believe that the teachings of Jesus and the apostles are true and relevant even today. It is a matter of different approaches to these old writings. Every person leans towards one or the other of these approaches and different points of view arise from that. Which group do you belong to? Do you believe the teaching of Jesus and the apostles to be true or false?

- (Matt 22:16-18) And they sent out to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God in truth, neither care you for any man: for you regard not the person of men.

17 Tell us therefore, What think you? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt you me, you hypocrites?

- (John 8:44-46) You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stayed not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

45 And because I tell you the truth, you believe me not.

46 Which of you convinces me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe me?

- (2 Cor 4:2) But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

- (1 Tim 2:3,4) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;

4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

- (2 Tim 3:6,7) For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

- (2 Tim 4:3,4) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables.

- (John 21:24) This is the disciple which testifies of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

What is love? People often justify their opinions about homosexuality by saying that they care about people and want to extend love to everyone. That is a right attitude -- we must truly love everyone, even people who have drifted into homosexuality. Clearly, we have not always been successful at doing this.

But as stated, if we are eternal beings, we have to think about things from that point of view. If it is true that the willful practice of sins – homosexuality along with them – prevents us from inheriting the kingdom of God, it must be taken into account. If our actions have consequences, and doing wrong things leads to perdition, then it is love to warn another person. That's real caring.

It's the same thing as warning someone about weak ice: “I'm worried about you. Don't go on weak ice, lest you just drown. It could be bad for you.” On the other hand, a person who hugs a person in danger and does not warn them is being indifferent. Another possibility is that such a person himself does not believe that there is a danger, i.e. that weak ice can deceive. That's why he just hugs the other person and doesn't warn him.

Human rights or sin and lust? When talking about homosexuality, human rights and equality are often brought up in connection with it. This matter is pushed forward with these arguments.

What about the perspective of the New Testament and the Bible? According to it, the issue is simply sin and lust (1 Cor 6:9,10, Lev 18:22, Rom 1:26,27, 1 Tim 1:9,10, Jude 7). Those who practice homosexuality are in the same position before God as other sinners - neither worse nor better. It is equality from another point of view.

However, the teaching of the Bible is also that every person should repent, no matter what his sin was. No one is in a special position, but everyone must go before God confessing their sins. The problem with people today is that they do not recognize their sins as sins, and that is what prevents them from being forgiven. In the Bible and the New Testament, we do not find a teaching that unrepentant sinners are saved. (1 Cor 6:9: Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived …):

- (Luke 13:2-5) And Jesus answering said to them, Suppose you that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

3 I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.

4 Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think you that they were sinners above all men that dwelled in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.

- (Acts 17:29,30) For as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by are and man's device.

30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent.

- (1 John 1:8-10) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Influence of the gay movement in the media. From the Biblical perspective, homosexuality is one of several sins that lead people away from God and towards damnation. If homosexuals keep on doing sinful things and they refuse to repent and turn to God with all their heart, then they will face eternal damnation.

However, everyone can be forgiven, because God loves us all -- including gay people. He does not hate these people: He wants them to be saved and wants them to come to Him. He loves all of us, and that is why He gave Jesus to the world. This truth lies in the heart of the Gospel:

- (John 3:16,17) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

- (1 John 4:9,10) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

- (Rom 5:6-8) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Unfortunately, many homosexuals and others fail to understand this. They think that God, and Christians, are against them even though it is a question of what we believe to be morally right and wrong. We might compare this to a mother whose son is a drug addict. The mother is surely not happy that her son is doing drugs, and she thinks that this kind of behaviour is wrong, but she still cares deeply for her son. This – although inadequately – describes a little of what God’s feeling is for all sinners including homosexuals. He cares for them, but does not want them to sin. If people follow the Bible, they should think along the same lines.

One good illustration of how some homosexuals rebel against God and His love can be found in resistance to change therapy. They don't want to accept the fact that some people want to reject the homosexual way of life and want to change, and that is why they claim that such therapy is either not scientific or that it in some way steps on gay rights. A person who practiced a homosexual lifestyle describes his experiences:

It is clear that all homosexuals are not seeking for a way to change their sexual orientation, and these people should not be forced to do so. The problem is actually different now: prior to the 1970s, all homosexuals were offered change therapy but now it is not given even to those who want it. The worst antagonist towards change therapy and the largest oppressor towards all homosexuals who want to become whole is the gay movement that systematically tries to prevent any discussion about change therapy in the academic and psychotherapeutic circles. The oppressed have become the oppressors.

Their tactics include sabotaging change therapy lectures and threatening change therapists with imposition from abroad. Free discussion is difficult because many people are afraid of becoming threatened and vilified by gay activists. (2)

The second quote continues to talk about how the gay movement should influence the media and accustom society to homosexuality. It's from Marshal Kirk and Hunter Madsen's book (After the Ball: How America Will Conquer its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 1990s (1989), which is a marketing guide for the US gay movement. It aims to stigmatize dissenters in a negative way. Anyone can judge, how far these goals in the book have progressed.

If you yourself have been behind such an activity, what is the benefit of slander and smearing, or to get everyone's approval for your way of life? Do not reject God's love, but turn to Him and receive grace through Jesus Christ! Why are you fighting against God just as Paul did before his conversion, Acts 9:3-5: And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you persecute.”

"What we must do is make the average heterosexual feel extreme shame. They are repeatedly exposed to images and verbal statements that may contradict all thoughts related to the abnormality of being gay with the fact that deep down he still wants to be accepted by others and blend in. That is why propagandist advertising labels all opponents of the gay movement as homophobic bigots who 'are not Christians'. Finally, propaganda shows these individuals as criticized, hated and silenced...

Our goal is achieved without reference to facts, logic, or reasoning...a person's beliefs can be changed through repeated emotional conditioning, whether the person is aware of the attack or not...In the proselytizing of a heterosexual, written images are repeatedly presented in which homosexual people are shown as similar to traditional heterosexuals. Such an image must be an icon of normalcy. Advertisements have an effect on them, even if they don't believe them. A heterosexual experiences two conflicting feelings: he reacts positively to the image, but negatively to the homosexual, a good reaction to the image and a bad reaction to homosexuality.

At worst, the reactions cancel each other out and we have succeeded in messing things up. At best, conditioning based on association will slowly start to cause positive feelings towards the person in the image. (3)

The development will not stop

- (2 Tim 3:1-4,13) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Society’s change and the degradation of morals are not separate matters; this is what we must understand. The acceptance of homosexuality is just one part of the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s and continued ever since. Back then, a few people started to defend free sex without marriage. These people were treated as heroes by the media. The same people also demanded that abortions should be made legal and interviewed homosexuals. So, the seeds for our current societal divisions were sown back then. This new morality – that was generally considered wrong through past decades and centuries – became widely acceptable and began to influence people's individual decisions. One whole generation rejected the values that previous ones had respected.

The next quote is about this subject. It describes developments in the 1960s and explains how the situation changed: things that people used to consider immoral or wrong became popular because they were repeatedly discussed in the media. Slowly, people’s minds changed.

I was away from my homeland for three years, the years 1965 to 1968. When I returned in the autumn of 1968, I was very surprised at the change that had taken place in the atmosphere of public conversation. This concerned both the tone of conversation and also the framing of questions.

(...) In the student world, those who demanded justification of sexual relationships were the ones blowing their trombones loudly. They insisted, for instance, that boys and girls should be allowed to live together in university dormitories even though they were not married. It seemed that the Teen League had been taken over by new leaders who proclaimed not only socialism and school democracy, but also the idea of free sexual relations. All in all, what was new was that reference groups had formed that spoke much more openly about gender issues than had previously been customary in public, accusing society and the Church of applying double standards.

The tone of the conversation was to a large extent ethical. Morality was considered evil. It was reproached. At the same time, however, new morality was proclaimed, often in a very moralistic and intolerant manner. Whereas in the past there was talk of understanding the sexual behaviour of young people, some groups declared now that it is right to have casual sexual relations. The institution of marriage and real genuine love were even contrasted. Couples living unlegalized cohabitation were interviewed in public as some kind of heroes of a new morality who dared to stand up against the morality of a degenerate bourgeois society. Similarly, homosexuals were interviewed and free abortion was called for.

(...) Even though, according to my observations, the atmosphere of public conversation in Finland had changed surprisingly much between the years 1965 and 1968, the topical questions discussed everywhere else in the world were the same as in Finland. The difference was only in the vehemence of conversation and perhaps in the fact that in a small country like Finland, small active groups can almost overpower the media. In addition, we are probably still unaccustomed to public conversation. Therefore, a single-minded attitude of being right becomes dominant much more easily here than in larger countries. (4)

There is, thus, a generational gap in morality. A person who holds the opinion that abortion (You shall not kill.), extramarital affairs (You shall not commit adultery.), or homosexuality are wrong actions, is now often labelled a radical conservative, even though these were commonly held beliefs amongst previous generations. Only this generation has adopted these new doctrines and standpoints. The change can also be seen on television. Programs contain much more pornography, violence and foul language, which was not there before. If there has been change, then this change has certainly not gone in the right direction.

- (Jer 16:11,12) Then shall you say to them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, said the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;

12 And you have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, you walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not listen to me:

Another quote dealing with pedophilia and pederasty (boy-man relationships) refers to the same topic. (There has already been a pedophile party in the Netherlands). Once people and the media have gone down the wrong path, there is no end to it, but it leads to deeper and deeper hardening, where good is called bad and bad is good. (Isaiah 5:20: Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!). It is likely that this will happen the closer we get to the coming of Jesus. Several Bible prophecies have predicted such a time.

In the past decades, we have noted how the breaking of one social taboo related to sex has cleared the way for the acceptance of the next, more serious taboo. Pre- and extramarital sex has become more and more publicly accepted, starting in the 1960s. The next in line, in the 1990s, were homosexuality and transsexual-ism. The only things left now are paedophilia and pederasty.

This is usually considered to be an exaggeration and an attempt at intimidating people. Homosexual movements are also opposed to comparing homosexuality with paedophilia. This is not an issue that can be lightly set aside, however. Most regular homosexuals are not even familiar with what the international homosexual movement has done or with the discussions that are currently taking place in academic homosexual publications. (5)

WHAT IS ITS CAUSE? A topic rarely discussed in the general media is why people are homosexual. We hear a lot of talk about human rights, equality and tolerance but not much about this aspect. It has been forgotten in modern discussions, and it is not a topic in which many people are interested. Maybe that is because people think science has already resolved this point.

Is homosexuality caused by genetics? The standard explanation for homosexuality now is that it is congenital and caused by genes or hormones excreted during pregnancy. People think that homosexuality is mainly caused by biological factors.

This explanation is not supported by studies done on twins, however. Identical twins have the same genes and were subjected to the same environment in the uterus, but still only one of the pair may be sexually attracted to people of the same sex. If homosexuality was caused by genes, this should not be the case. The next quote is about an extensive study of this question done in Canada. There were around 20,000 subjects included in the study. The results suggest that genes and genotypes do not play a decisive role in the occurrence of homosexuality.

A study on twins in Canada showed that social factors are more important than genes. Researcher Peter S. Bearman of the University of Columbia and researcher Hannah Bruckner of Yale University (2002) studied a group of young people representing the entire nation (Bearman, P.S. and Bruckner, H.: ”Opposite-Sex Twins and Adolescent Same-Sex Attraction.” American Journal of Sociology 2002, 107,5, pp. 1179–1205).

Identical twins have the same genes; this is why they are so similar. If they differ from each other in any way, this must have been caused by the environment in which they live. Only 50% of the genes of non-identical twins are the same. If homosexuality were determined biologically, it should be more common among identical than non-identical twins. There should be more homosexuality among non-identical twins and other siblings than adopted children of the same family who do not share any of the same genes. If the results do not fit in with this idea, [then] the simplified genetic model is simply not suitable as an explanation of homosexuality.

The research results show that genes do not have any major significance. If one of a pair of identical twins was homosexual, there was a 6.7% probability that the other twin was also interested in people of the same sex. The percentage for non-identical twins was 7.2% and for regular siblings 5.5%. These results strongly disagree with the above-mentioned genetic model for homosexuality.

The environment in which twins grow inside the uterus of their mother is exactly the same for both twins in terms of hormones, and thus the results obtained by Bearman and Brucker disprove the theory that an imbalance in the hormones of the mother during pregnancy causes homosexuality.

(...) Previous twin studies had obtained their subjects at clinics or through homosexual organisations, or otherwise had a limited sample. Bearman and Brucker state that their study is the most reliable one because it was based on a random sampling from a youth study including the entire nation. There were around 20,000 test subjects! Furthermore, the researchers did not rely on what one of a pair of twins said about the twin's sexual orientation: Instead, they went to the other twin and asked them about it. (6)

The same subject is addressed in the interviews below. The interviews are of people who have experienced homosexual feelings. These people say that they do not believe the homosexual behaviour to have been caused by genes or genotypes. (This does not mean that all people who have had homosexual ideas would feel the same.) These people mention some background factors they believe to have contributed to their feelings and inclinations more than genes.

Ole does not believe, however, that there is some kind of a "homosexual gene". He believes that the causes of homosexual feelings are more complex, and he mentions, for instance, that he knows many pairs of identical twins of which only one of the pair is homosexual.

Ole believes that many factors contributed to his behaviour, such as his complex and poor relationship with his father when he was a child.

Ole does not hold back when telling about his relationship with his father as a child. He felt that his father was never there and he feared his father. The father sometimes had a raging fit, and Ole felt a few times that his father intentionally humiliated him in public. Ole says bluntly that he hated his father. (7)

Harri is interested in the discussion about homosexuality in the media and studies about homosexuality. He is convinced that homosexuality has very little to do with congenital factors. He bases this view on, for instance, the fact that it is often easy to find out why people have homosexual inclinations. They have usually been subjected to sexual violence or have a difficult relationship with their parents or peers.

"This has convinced me that it is not first and foremost about genes. However, I don't think that it is impossible for some people to have some genes that make them more susceptible to homosexual inclinations," Harri says. (8)

In her case, Tepi believes that homosexuality is due to the fact that she has some kind of emotional deficit that she is trying to fill. Tepi says she was afraid of her father as a child and still has "such a fear of men". Tepi says she is looking for a mother among women. Although Tepi thinks about the reasons for her lesbianism, she also says about her crush on women: "As it has gone kind of shockingly naturally, I've sometimes really wondered how it can go that way." On the other hand, she believes that there is a reason for this, too.

Tepi does not believe that homosexuality is due to genes or that a person can be gay or lesbian from birth. In her opinion, a person grows up gay or lesbian, even without any special disorders. (9)

Of course, I, like many gay people, wonder where homosexuality comes from. I believe that a child's personality is formed during the first three years of life, including sexually. This is influenced by both the environment and human biology. I do not believe at all that homosexuality is hereditary. For some of my relatives, my homosexuality is hard precisely because they fear its heritability. (10)

Background factors. It has been noted that homosexuals suffer from mental illness, depression, anxiety and alcoholism more often than other people. For example, Robert P. Capaj describes in his Textbook of Homosexuality and Mental Health (1998) how abuse of chemical substances is very common among homosexuals:

Most studies (...), reports (...), surveys (...) and healthcare professionals who have worked with gays and lesbians estimate that around 30%, varying between 28 and 35%, of homosexual people abuse some chemical substance. Among the general population, around 10–12% of people are substance abusers. (...) The figures are significantly similar in urban and rural areas, among different socioeconomic groups, in the United States and other countries – even though some differences in substance abuse do occur. (11)

Another extensive study has reached similar conclusions. The study shows that many lesbians have suffered from depression and mental illness:

A research team managed by Judith Badford (1994) recruited 1,925 lesbians for their study through homosexual organisations, healthcare centres and lesbian magazines. The researchers stated that it was the most thorough study on lesbians done in the US thus far.

Almost three in four (73%) of the lesbians were in therapy at the time of the study or had previously gotten help from some sort of a mental health professional. The most common reasons for the therapy were depression (50%), problems with a lover (44%) or family (34%) and being a lesbian (21%). 37% of the respondents had experienced a long period of depression or grief at some point in their lives. 68% of the respondents stated that they had some sort of problems with their mental health in the past, such as long-term depression, grief, anxiety or fears. The prevalence of depression is not explained by the homophobia of society alone, as only 12% of lesbians expressed concern about whether people knew them to be lesbians. (12)

What causes the above-mentioned problems, then? It is easy to say that the cause is ultimately our homophobic society or that not all people accept as right the homosexual way of life, but this is surely not the right explanation. After all, such problems are found in cities and other geographic areas where the general attitude towards homosexuality is positive. The Netherlands is one such area.

An extensive study conducted in the Netherlands strongly suggested that even Dutch homosexuals have more problems related to mental health than the rest of the population. (Sanfort, Theo G.M; de Graaf, Ron; Bijl, Rob V. and Schnabel, Paul: ”Same-Sex Sexual Behavior and Psychiatric Disorders: Findings From the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS)” Archives of General Psychiatry 2001, Vol.58,No.1, pp. 85-91) This is only one among many similar studies.

The best explanation for the occurrence of mental health problems among homosexuals, and for homosexuality itself, is the presence of background influences in these people's lives, in much the same way that alcoholism, drug addiction and criminal behaviour often results from traumatic relationships, or from loss of a parent.

These similarities have been noted in several books including biographies about, and interviews of, various homosexuals. We can draw some conclusions from these reports.

It is important to note that there are no perfect parents, perfect childhoods or a perfect environment in which to grow – not in this world. Even Christian parents who want to follow the will of God and who love their children can fail to some extent. This is because we are not completely freed yet from our sin.

Generally, the following background influences have been noted in the lives of homosexual people:

Among men:

- Father who rejects them. Many homosexual men as children had a difficult relationship with their father. Their father may have had a bad temper, or he was aloof or indifferent; they may have lost their father when very young.

- Other males. They may have been rejected by other boys at school, or had brothers who were more successful and/or met parental expectations better.

- Mother's influence. A mother who always slanders the father causes harm. Also, a mother who separates her children from their father and binds them to herself is harmful.

- Parents reject the baby’s sex. Parents wanted a girl instead of a boy, and showed their disappointment for getting a boy.

- Same-sex abuse. It is common to find that a gay man has been sexually abused by another male.

What about lesbians? Among lesbians, the most significant influence seems to be a girl's struggle to relate to her mother; it is also possible that the girl lost her mother at a very young age.

The following was observed in a study:

The study by Marcel T. Saghiri and Eli Robins (1973) was not based on a patient sample; instead, they recruited their homosexual interviewees through homosexual organisations. They noted that 27% of lesbians and 2% of heterosexual women had lost their mother before the age of 10. The relationship between lesbian women and their mothers had often been broken or was distant or indifferent. However, they had a warm relationship with their father. (13)

The quotes below suggest the same. In the first quote, Leanne Payne describes her observations while providing pastoral care over the years. The other quotes are from women who have had homosexual feelings.

I now understood that emotional emptiness which made Lisa especially sensitive and had caused her to easily drift into a relationship with her lesbian teacher. Lesbian behavior (except when it is a question of a hysterical personality) as a sexual neurosis is not as complicated as homosexual behavior in men. According to my experience, it is generally caused by the need to climb into the mother's lap that was not fulfilled at all or not enough in childhood. (14)

I'm a 37-year-old woman. My mother left me alone in my room to cry at night, starting when I was around 30 days old, because the experts then said that this is what you should do after you had fed, diapered, etc. the child. I cried every night for about two weeks, until I was all cried out.

I believe that this has affected me strongly. I have shut my mother out of my life even though I miss her a lot. I believe that I felt rejected by my mother because she did not come to me when I was crying.

(...) I don't have any recollection of my mother having held me in her arms when I was less than six years old. I believe that our relationship was distant and aloof. I can only remember that she used to clean and keep the house tidy but did not have time for me when I was little. I don't remember having any special emotional contact with my mother between the ages of seven and twelve. I tried to please her by cleaning and doing the things she liked, to get some attention. (15)

I was a shy and timid child, on whom the locked emotional atmosphere of my childhood home left deep traces. Even though it was perfectly safe at home, I didn't like my mother. I couldn't understand the song "I got the best of mothers". I never told him my affairs.

If I wanted to go play next door, I didn't dare ask my mother for permission. I was afraid of her anger. I preferred to write a note on the table.

As a young girl, I wondered why some girls liked their mother and had intimate chats with [them]. It was often very pleasant when I was at a friend's house and I saw my friend talking to her mother without any fear. I have come to understand that my mother had never received any acceptance or intimacy from her mother, either.

(...) Still, I was attracted to other women, women who were a little like my mother but who were capable of intimacy. When a girl I had been involved with started to date someone else, I was jealous. I started to realize then that I was looking [to] other women for something that I had never gotten from my mother: a feeling of intimacy, closeness and acceptance. (16)

My mother has always been lost to me. That has been the root cause of all my problems. I did have a mother, but I never had a close and warm relationship with her. I don't remember ever sitting on my mother's lap. I would have wanted to, but she was always too busy because she had many children.

I didn't want to copy my own female identity from the position my mother had in our family. Thus, my self-image and [my] sexuality as a woman are unclear to me. (17)

What about transgender people who are dissatisfied with their own gender? It is impossible to infer from their appearance and physical body their innermost. It is not a physical thing, it is a matter of the world of thought. Revolving thoughts in their minds guide them, and they believe they are happier if they had been born in the body of the opposite sex.

However, the thoughts of transgender people are not exceptional. Each of us may be dissatisfied with ourselves at some point in our lives. It can manifest in different ways, but they are all a matter of thoughts revolving in our minds. A person thinks he would be happier if he were different.

• Eating disorders such as Anorexia nervosa are a good example. In anorexia nervosa, a person may feel that they are fat, even if they are quite thin. A person's body image is distorted and he believes that he is happier as thin.

• Heavy drug and alcohol use often stems from strong feelings and thoughts of inferiority. A person uses substances to get rid of his weakness, feelings of inferiority and negative thoughts.

• Plastic surgery is caused by dissatisfaction with one's own body. Sometimes it can achieve good results when an aesthetic aspect that is considered ugly is removed. However, that doesn't always happen, instead a person may remain under the power of the image that has dominated his life.

• Men may be dissatisfied with their bodies and try to increase their self-esteem and satisfaction by building muscles.

• Self-hate and self-loathing is intense dissatisfaction with oneself. At worst, it can lead to suicide or self-harm. Usually, self-hatred originates from rejection of others and our attitude towards it. Other’s rejection in itself does not cause self-hate, as it has to do with our own negative thinking. That is, if we can think rationally, we can be happy, even if the whole world was against us.

So why are some people dissatisfied with the sex they have had at birth? Often the background may be other people’s expectations; just as eating disorders may originate from the negative remarks of others. For if the parents or someone else have openly desired a child to be the opposite sex, it may trigger the development, in which a person himself/herself rejects the sex, which he/she has got in the birth. The following example illustrates this:

Loren, an elegant, handsome forty-year-old man, had been openly homosexual since his youth. This had caused great conflicts between him and his father, and problems in his other relationships. He did not accept himself but defended his behavior passionately when arguing with his father. He understood that his homosexuality included a grudge and a rebellion towards his father, but he was never able to deal with these. This man had genuinely found Christ and salvation, but he often lost the battle against his homosexual tendency, until God brought into light his first memories. This happened when we asked the Lord to find that recollection that would expose the cause of the problem. During this prayer, he relived an occurrence that took place when he was only just born.

He saw his father coming into the room where he had just been born. Disappointment quickly filled the room and heavily weighed on him. His father looked at him with disgust and said, "Boy again!” Then he turned and rushed away from the room. Loren was their third son, they had been hoping for a girl. Loren "saw" all of this and experienced it again – and this time, understood it both intellectually and emotionally. This rejection explained why Loren had later tried to become a girl, to the great astonishment of the family. He wanted to play with dolls and girls, not with boys. He unconsciously tried to be the girl his father had hoped for. (18)

How psychologists changed their perceptions — that is, how politics supplanted science and related research. If we look at the development of history, it was common in the past that secular psychologists also offered change therapy to those who wanted to give up the homosexual lifestyle. This was common even 50 years ago. At the time, it was taken for granted that the causes of homosexuality were due to difficult experiences in the past, just as the same causes are often underlying alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental health problems.

But why did the change in attitudes happen? Was the reason scientific and that something new was invented that was not previously known? Not so, but because the gay movement put pressure on psychological unions, first in America and later in Europe. Pastor Ari Puonti, who himself has a homosexual background, has described in his book “Suhteesta siunaukseen” how development took place:

In 1970, protesters from the Gay Liberation Front rioted in the streets, taking over a meeting of the American Association of Psychiatrists, which introduced homosexuality transformation therapy. Activists interrupted meetings of psychiatrists elsewhere as well. Their goal was to eliminate homosexuality from the classification of diseases through direct action. Psychoanalytic psychology and transformation therapy for homosexuality were considered specific tools of gay oppression. The American Association of Psychiatrists began to listen to the protesters, as the meetings of psychiatrists were disrupted. Some psychiatrists began to push for the demands of homosexuals.

The second quote points to the same thing. Ronald Bayer (1981) has written a thorough book on a change in disease classification, which many gay activists consider a reliable work (including Olli Stålström, one of Seta's founding members, who often quotes Bayer positively). In this work, Bayer admits that this issue was not resolved on scientific grounds, but the reason was the political climate in society:

The whole process of the first confrontation organized by gay protesters, culminating in a vote demanded by psychiatrists advocating (psychoanalytic) orthodoxy, seemed to make violence against basic expectations of how scientific issues should be resolved. Instead of engaging in a common-sense debate about the evidence, psychiatrists were drawn into a political argument. The result was not a conclusion from the evaluation of scientific knowledge determined by reason. It was an act required by the ideological climate of the time. (Ronald Bayer: Homosexuality and American Psychiatry: The Politics of Diagnosis. 1981. pp. 3-4. New York; Basic Books)

The third quote from the University of Helsinki refers to the same development in Finland. Marko Hamilo talks about his own activities there when he studied psychology and theoretical philosophy. His act is a typical example of how the scientific community is being pressured to change its perceptions of scientific issues on a non-scientific basis:

The first thing I encountered was the problem of the autonomy of science. My psychoanalytically oriented older fellow students Ari and Pertti Ollinheimo taught me that by supporting the gay movement, I had tried to pressure the scientific community to change its understanding of a scientific question on non-scientific grounds. If the understanding of the psychology of homosexuality is to change, it must change through science's own, self-correcting mechanisms. I basically agreed with this. Shortly afterwards, the Student Union of the University of Helsinki demanded the removal of the medical textbooks of Achtén... in which the notion of homosexuality was incorrect… to me, however, the student union's statements reminded me of book pyres and the 1970s Black Book, which listed all the works criticizing the Soviet Union - works which, in the opinion of the then advanced people, were considered detrimental to Finland's peaceful foreign policy and which should taken away from textbooks. (Timo Vihavainen, Marko Hamilo, Joonas Konstig: Mitä mieltä Suomessa saa olla, p. 194)

It was staded above that the change in psychological circles took place through political pressure and not on scientific grounds. All previous research and interviews related to the topic were rejected because people wanted to be politically correct. It was no longer desired to acknowledge that social factors have played a decisive role in the emergence of homosexuality. Instead, it has been replaced by the notion that homosexuality is an innate trait, like the notion of how a person can be born into the wrong sex has became general today. Neither of these perceptions is based on facts. However, these perceptions have an impact throughout society and are widely accepted among those who support these issues within the Church.

FEELING OF LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH. One of the justifications for free sex at the time of the sexual revolution was, "I don't see anything wrong with it if the two people love each other." People thought that love is enough to justify sexual relations outside of marriage.

Homosexual relations have also been justified by using the same argument. People say that if the relationship is equal and the people love each other, it is not wrong. People think that love is justification for any relationship.

Relationship with God. The problem with the previous thinking is that people do not take into account eternity and the relationship with God. If certain things, such as extramarital sex affairs and the practice of homosexuality, have been called sin, they do not turn into good things, even though it is claimed to be so. E.g. Solomon's problem was love for foreign wives (1 Kings 11:1-4), and this caused his heart to turn away from God. Love, which in itself is a good thing, became a trap for him. Jesus taught about this topic and the order of priorities as follows:

- (John 14:15) If you love me, keep my commandments.

- (Matt 10:37) He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Distorted sense of love. If you think about things only in terms of this life, a distorted sense of love can cause damage. By itself, it does not turn things into good and positive:

• Distorted maternal love, where the mother "because of her love" controls her child even in adulthood and interferes in his marriage. Mother-in-law problems are common.

• A married person falls in love with a person who is not his spouse. He considers it love, but can abandon his spouse and children for it.

• A young couple interested in each other have sex, resulting in a baby. However, the boy later rejects the girl, so it is not true love.

• A person who indulges in loose relationships may consider their relationships as love, but does not take into consideration sexually transmitted diseases and broken relationships. For example, AIDS is a disease that has destroyed the lives of millions of people in Africa and elsewhere because of this reason.

• A person who enjoys gay relationships can talk about love, but does not consider eternity and sexually transmitted diseases. These people have more sex relationships than usual and diseases spread more easily in them (in relationships between men).

Status of children. Distorted love can also lead to a deterioration in the status of children. In this area, it is talked only about the human rights and equality of adults, but is forgotten the interests of children and their right to both parents. Children are made like playthings because of distorted love and selfishness. Fertilization treatments for single women are accepted (Fertilization treatments can be considered very questionable because they destroy fertilized eggs. Human life begins when gametes unite and fertilization takes place) and adoption rights for gay couples, but not that the children have both a father and a mother. Two mothers cannot replace a father, and two fathers cannot replace a mother. Both genders are needed. The right model of father and mother is born only by living together.

In addition, several studies have shown how both parents are needed. It has been established that there are significantly more social problems in single-parent families than in families where both parents are present. It's an unfortunate fact and there's nothing you can do about it. Fatherlessness in particular is a modern problem. (Studies have been conducted in this area on children raised in gay families, but the problem with the studies has been that the results have only been compared to single-parent families. Then the differences are not as great as when compared to normal families where father and mother are present):

When I was speaking at a certain men's camp in Hume Lake in California, I mentioned that the average father spends only three minutes of quality time with his child a day. After the meeting, one man questioned my information.

He scolded, "You preachers only say things. According to the latest research, the average father doesn't spend even three minutes daily with his children, but 35 seconds."

I believe him because he worked as a school inspector in central California. Actually, he gave me another startling statistic.

In a certain school district in California there were 483 students in special education. None of those students had a father at home.

In a certain area on the outskirts of Seattle, 61% of children live without a father.

The absence of a father is a curse nowadays. (19)

The quote below is also about this same subject. In this quote, a person who led a homosexual life states that he does not approve of the adoption right of homosexual parents:

I know a lesbian couple where one of the women was expecting a child so that the couple's relationship would strengthen. It's creepy to me. It is selfish to have a child because of your own relationship. You should think about the child. I grew up in a normal petty-bourgeois family, and if a person who grew up in such an environment has problems, how many problems will there be for a child who has two fathers or two mothers? I have argued about this with many homosexuals, and I'm absolutely of the opinion that we should not be allowed to adopt. My opinion is also partly due to the fact that I know so many male couples in which both of the men are alcoholics. (20)

CHANGE AND HUMAN RELATIONS. The homosexual lusts of a person can be compared to alcohol, drug, pornography or game addictions. The cause for all of these is found in the way a person thinks and in his or her lusts, nothing more. Lusts are controlling and enslaving the person.

However, when God touches a person, He can instantly remove the feelings of lust and attraction to dirty images that are present in the lives of both heterosexual and homosexual people. He frees the mind from lust and disturbing thoughts. Let's look at two examples. One of the men described below has a homosexual background, and the other a normal heterosexual background. Both of them suffered from a similar problem and were freed from it. Lust is always an enslaving thing, in whatever direction it is directed.

The following day and the days after, I noticed that a whole lot of miracles had taken place. Homosexual fantasies that I had had every day over the past 25 years had disappeared. I experienced such a love towards Willa that I had not even imagined it to be possible. And what is perhaps even more important, God was not a distant judge to me anymore, but He had become my personal Saviour. Jesus loved me, and I loved Him a lot. It was the first time I understood what loving and to be loved really mean. (…)

Because the healing from homosexuality took place so suddenly, I am often asked how perfect the healing really is. I can answer by saying that time is a proof of its genuineness and that a blessed marriage is the fruit of it. Over the last ten years, I have not experienced any homosexual temptations. With temptation I mean that I would have seriously considered or wished to have sex with men. However, after the basic healing I in a way missed having an older, stronger man in my life. Also this has now gone, and I regard men as my brothers, not as fathers or protectors. (21)

One day I was reading a book by Glenn Clark when I heard a voice saying: "Would you like to live like Jesus?"

The only thing I could say in response was: "Yes, Lord."

"But are your thoughts and wishes pure?"

"No, they are not, Lord."

"Would you like them to be?"

"Yes, Lord." I had fought all my life to be freed from my impure thoughts and wishes.

"Do you want to leave all your dirty thoughts with me?"

"Yes, Lord."

"Forever?"

"Yes, Lord, forever."

Suddenly I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, all the dirty things were gone from me, and my entire being was pure and free of filth. The door of the room opened and a young nurse came in. I followed her with my eyes. She was a beautiful young nurse, and I thought: "What a beautiful child of God." I didn't have the slightest urge of having an impure thought. (22)

Usually, the change (in the terms used by the Bible, the sanctification) is a process that takes years and in which human sexuality is only one part. Changes occur or should occur in other areas of life, as well. The Bible teaches of continuous change. Consider these words written by Paul:

- (Rom 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

- (2 Cor 3:18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.

What role does the local congregation play in helping homosexuals? There is surely plenty of need for improvement. However, the key to helping people change is to help them build healthy human relationships. Homosexuals need to receive love from people of their own sex because of some unmet childhood needs, or because they’ve suffered some kind of traumatic injury. Others may have trouble in their relations with the opposite sex. Helping them to build healthy human relations can make it easier for them to change.

"I believe that journalist Helge Simonnes of the magazine Vårt Land was right when he wrote that '”the Christian connection has been a warmer place than many others for many homosexuals. Many homosexuals have experienced the warmth even though they knew all along that the church frowns on homosexual relations.' Practical tolerance can extend further within the church than in many other circles where people do talk about tolerance but actually implement rock hard macho-hetero sexism." Björn Helge also quotes a homosexual in a magazine interview: "The congregation is the only place where I'm not bullied". (23)

IMPACT ON THE CHURCH. When some people, who have promoted homosexual behaviour, have had a strong influence on the media and society, it has also had an impact on the church. It means that a certain group, usually non-believing priests, have become sympathetic to the cause and started to believe in the notions presented in the media. Many liberal priests have adopted the media's notion that it is about human rights and love, but have forgotten that it is a question also of sin and lust. They only see the other side of the matter, but sin should not be forgotten either. Of course, God does not force anyone to follow Him, and everyone can decide for himself how he lives.

What about attitudes towards homosexuals and other people, and how did Jesus relate to them? Is his attitude different from the liberal priests of today?

The answer is that we can well see his positive attitude towards sinful people because he was said to be a friend of publicans and sinners (Luke 7:34). He received such people and talked with them. That's a model that everyone should aspire to.

- (Luke 15:1,2) Then drew near to him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners, and eats with them.

- (Luke 7:36-43,47-50) And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.

37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him: for she is a sinner.

40 And Jesus answering said to him, Simon, I have somewhat to say to you. And he said, Master, say on.

41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said to him, You have rightly judged.

Why I say to you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.

48 And he said to her, Your sins are forgiven.

49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also?

50 And he said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

However, there is one major difference between many priests and Jesus: Jesus never said that sin is a good thing, as many priests are saying today. Jesus loved people but He still encouraged them to repent and confess their sins. There is a clear difference to the current situation. Many liberal priests do not talk about this, apparently because they want to be considered moderate, loving and progressive people (Jesus also said: Woe to you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets, Luke 6:26), or because they do not believe that our actions in this world could have consequences.

- (Luke 15:7) I say to you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

- (John 5:14,15) Afterward Jesus finds him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come to you.

15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.

- (John 8:10,11) When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said to her, Woman, where are those your accusers? has no man condemned you?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more.

- (Mark 1:14,15) Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the gospel.

"Paul did not know equal relationships". One very common defense for gay relationships today is that Paul and the writers of the Bible did not know equal relationships, but only opposed abuse, violence, and procreation.

However, this notion finds no support from these verses or even from the study of ancient history. At that time, equal relations were also known, and the society and people of that time did not differ much from today's society, except that technology was not as developed. It is certain that Paul was very familiar with the Greek world and the diversity of the big cities. It can't be a coincidence that the Bible passages that talk about homosexuality are in letters sent to big cities.

The same people who defend homosexual behavior or other ways of life have also said that it is a cultural thing, and that Paul and the other writers of the Bible were "children of their time".

However, this can also be turned the other way around: people with this point of view are themselves culturally bound and children of their time. They also interpret the same things from their own narrow point of view. Have they taken this into account?

Furthermore, they do not take into account that Paul and the apostles were people authorized by Jesus, the Son of God. They certainly knew things and did not teach their own:

- (Luke 6:13) And when it was day, he called to him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles

- (John 15:16) You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

- (Matt 28:19,20) Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you: and, see, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.

- (Gal 1:1,10-12) Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

11 But I certify you, brothers, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

- (2 Peter 3:15,16) And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given to him has written to you;

16 As also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.

References:

1. Mauno Saari: Saarnaaja, p. 180-183

2. Ari Puonti: Homoseksuaalisuus – hämmennyksestä selkeyteen, p. 130

3. Marshal Kirk ja Madsen Hunter: After the Ball: How America Will Conquer its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 1990s. 1989, p. 152-155, Plume Press, Penguin Group

4. Matti Joensuu: Avoliitto, avioliitto ja perhe, p. 12-14

5. Ari Puonti: Homoseksuaalisuus – hämmennyksestä selkeyteen, p. 166

6. Ari Puonti: Suhteesta siunaukseen, p. 76,77

7. Espen Ottosen: Minun homoseksuaalit ystäväni (”Mine homofile venner”), p. 104

8. Espen Ottosen: Minun homoseksuaalit ystäväni (”Mine homofile venner”), p. 131

9. Lesboidentiteetti ja kristillisyys, p. 87, Seta julkaisut

10. Sinikka Pellinen: Homoseksuaalinen identiteetti ja kristillinen usko, p. 77, Teron kertomus

11. Robert P. Capaj: ”Substance Abuse in Gay Men, Lesbians and Bisexuals” teoksessa
Textbook of Homosexuality and Mental Health, toim. Robert P. Capaj ja Terry S. Stein. 1998, 783-784. Washington, London: American Psychiatric Press Inc.

12. Ari Puonti: Homoseksuaalisuus – hämmennyksestä selkeyteen, p. 121,122

13. Ari Puonti: Homoseksuaalisuus – hämmennyksestä selkeyteen, p. 101

14. Leanne Payne: Särkynyt minäkuva (The Broken Image), p. 30

15. Ari Puonti: Homoseksuaalisuus – hämmennyksestä selkeyteen, p. 264

16. Espen Ottosen: Minun homoseksuaalit ystäväni (”Mine homofile venner”), p. 53,56

17. Sinikka Pellinen: Homoseksuaalinen identiteetti ja kristillinen usko, p. 50.51

18. Leanne Payne: Särkynyt minäkuva (The Broken Image), p. 84, 85

19. Edwin Louis Cole: Miehuuden haaste (MAXIMIZED MANHOOD), p. 104

20. Sinikka Pellinen: Homoseksuaalinen identiteetti ja kristillinen usko, p. 77, The story of Tero

21. Roland Werner: Toisenlainen rakkaus (Homosexualität – ein Schicksal?), p. 50,51

22. Merlin Carothers: Kiitoskirjat; Kiitä sittenkin (Prison to Praise), p. 45,46

23. Espen Ottosen: Minun homoseksuaalit ystäväni (”Mine homofile venner”), p. 71

Most important sources:

Espen Ottosen: Minun homoseksuaalit ystäväni (”Mine homofile venner”)

Ari Puonti: Homoseksuaalisuus – hämmennyksestä selkeyteen

Ari Puonti: Suhteesta siunaukseen