19 October 2007

Do These Genes Make Me Look Gay?

"the most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born-that there is a genetic factor to leadership. this myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. that's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. leaders are made rather than born." -Warren G. Bennis

Over at Northern Lights some interesting ideas have been discussed in the My Genes Made Me Do It post:

  • Epigenetics
  • Twin Studies
  • Simple Science
  • Single Gene Theory
  • Dean A. Byrd is an idiot.
I can't help but chafe at the notion that any of this matters.* Wouldn't a single gene, once identified, be screened, cleaned, and "perfected" before birth? Or would all the gay babies merely be aborted? Probably whichever is cheaper.

I do understand the importance of asking, "Why?" It's human nature to take nothing at face value. We are compelled to find the cause of homosexuality even at the expense of learning to understand homosexuality itself.

Try as I might to avoid it, I think I may believe it. Genetics hold the key to pretty much everything in life so why not this?

"Can you honestly believe that GLBT persons are not created as such at birth? Can you in your heart-of-hearts, in your very soul, honestly believe that Heavenly Father would be so unfeeling and unjust as to create a person, innately GLBT, and then create LDS Churches whose dogmas... and rules would forever deny that GLBT person salvation, love, and the glory of Heavenly Father's kingdom, simply because of a simple aspect of their lives, instilled and created by that very same Heavenly Father? " - Phillip J. Ferrara, Sr.

Alas, I think it may be true, Phillip. I think it may be true.

*Except the thing about Dean A. Byrd being an idiot. That matters.

+++

good tune
http://djpretzel.web.aplus.net/songs/Final_Fantasy_9_Safety_In_Numbers_OC_ReMix.mp3

10 comments:

B.G. Christensen said...

I don't know about anything else, but I know I love the title of this post. And I also know that Dean Byrd is an idiot.

Dave said...

The motion has been seconded. All in favor of Dean Byrd being an idiot...aye!

But I'm sorry, Phillip Ferrara is an idiot too, unless that quote is taken out of context. I get so sick of this "born with it" point; no one on either side seems to be able to make heads or tails of simple deductive reasoning. The God of Church dogma does not deny us salvation, He denies us sex. Let's just establish that once and for all.

The "born with it" debate, as regards homosexuality, is rubbish. What's more important to establish is that I didn't choose to be homosexual, nor can I make a simple choice to not be, and I think the same is true for most.

Dave said...

And the title is splendid.

Daniel (Old Account) said...

Given the option of aborting gay babies, I wonder . . .

Which does the Church hate more, abortion or homosexuality? Which would it sacrifice? Would it shed the anti abortion policy to rid the world of gay people? Hmmm.

playasinmar said...

Probably whichever is cheaper.

Forester said...

You are right. In the end, it doesn't really matter if we are born gay or not. The "why" and "how" are intriguing, but not necessary.

MoHoHawaii said...

I know Dean Byrd is an idiot. He lived in the boundaries of my stake when he was a young person. He is some years older than I am, but I remember hearing him speak in church many times. In the small Southern town where he grew up he was considered a success story because he attended college.

Here is the Dean Byrd I remember: pedantic, ill-informed, cruel (I still remember a fat-person joke he told in a Sacrament meeting talk)... more or less a buffoon. Even my mother, who generally had a clear eye on these matters, thought he was insufferable. He might have been in his mid-twenties at this point in time.

Years passed, and you can imagine my utter horror to see this fantastically mediocre mind build a career out of trafficking prejudice.

The Russians have a joke. Q: What's worse than an idiot? A: An idiot with initiative.

Chris said...

The God of Church dogma does not deny us salvation, He denies us sex.

A splendid oversimplification.

The god of LDS church dogma denies homosexuals intimacy, which is far more important than sex.

draco said...

Yes, I think your genes make you look very gay. But I still love you. :)

Samantha said...

Thanks for the tip--but I actually just want Adam to play for awhile. He'll figure it out eventually. :)