is being a gay a mental illness or sin or  somekind of sickness?
141630
No, depends who you ask, and no.\n\nMental illness: As has already been answered, the APA ruled that homosexuality was not a mental illness in 1973. I have linked to the APA site for their current take on homosexuality.\n\nSickness: There is growing scientific evidence showing that sexual orientation is determined in the womb, probably due to a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Sexual orientation is more akin to handedness: sure a left-handed person can be trained to write with their right hand, but that doesn't make them a right-handed person. I have provided a link to some of the current research.\n\nAdditionally, biologists have reported homosexual activity in the animal kingdom, including pair bonding of males. Such things are unlikely to occur if homosexuality was a human choice or the result of an overbearing mother as is often theorized.\n\nSin: Depends who you ask. Sin is subjective and varies from religion to religion. Ask a Hindu if its a sin to eat a cow and they'll say yes. Ask a Catholic and they'll say no. Ask a Jew if its a sin to eat pork and they'll say yes. Ask a Christian and they'll say no.\n\nYet the odd thing about Jews and Christians is that much of their faiths are based on the same book: the Old Testament. The same chapter that denounces pork as a sin also denounces homosexuality. Yet Christians think pork is OK and homosexuality a sin. In fact, homosexuality is about the only item denounced in that chapter that Christians still believe. It may also interest you to note that the word "homosexual" didn't exist until the 1850's, so any Biblical translation that includes that word could be a mistranslation.\n\nSo it really becomes a question of belief. If you believe homosexuality is a sin, then it is. If you don't, then it isn't. The whole concept of sin is foreign to anyone who doesn't believe in God. Native Americans considered homosexuals as special beings who embodied both the masculine and the feminine, and often looked to them as shamans.\n\nYou'll just have to make up your own mind.
946503
Man, you are an ex convict, and you are gay, and you are highly perverted Sick, I would say. You life will be difficult (if I may forsee)
797025
Welcom to the wonderful world!\n\nDont worry u are normal and fine - we are all intrigured by homosexuality but few of us admit to it....
1119073
Well, yes... Um... I am gay so...\n\nI don't believe I was born anything, hell, I don't believe any of us are born straight or gay. When you are first born you aren't attracted to men or women, something happens along the way that may cause attraction to either sex. It is not a person's choice to be gay or straight, something during your life may have caused you to go either way.\n\nI myself had sexual encounters with both men and women, from an early age. So, in that I discovered that being attracted to a guy wasn't all bad. I mean, there was nothing wrong with it because a man is a person. Just as much as a woman, a man could physically and emotionally effect me in such a way that attracted me to them. As time moved on, girls started to bore me... For some reason or other. I've never had a boyfriend or anything but I've had many girlfriends, in which I never felt that drive to have sex with them. So... my... relationships didn't last.\n\nSo... well... I believe it is neither.\n\nYou aren't born gay and it isn't a choice. Something just happens along the way, not something bad really... Some people are just more open to different ideas, these people who are open risk becoming gay or considered "odd" ... They can't help but move against the norm, for they are not normal. And there is nothing wrong with that in the least.
502069
Yes it is gay sex, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are a homosexual for life. If you're worried, just masturbate (Except for the $100,000 thing. You can use a little of the money for therapy.)
382680
It is totally possible to hold Christian beliefs and be gay. It's just not possible to believe that God accept's your lifestyle. The Bible makes it clear that same sexes coming together is an abomination. either give up the penis or Prepare to swim in the lake of fire dude.
228473
I believe that we all go to Heaven sooner or later. i don't believe that being gay is a sin in and of itself. Being gay is NOT an abomination. It's who a person is. (example) I'm attracted to dark haired men. Blonds just don't do it for me. Gay people are attracted to what they're attracted to.. what's the difference? No one ever says anything about my sexual likes and dislikes. And God loves everyone. no matter where you are.
129389
i think your real problem is the conflict between your sexuality and your religion. i personally think there is nothing wrong with being gay. it would be the best for you to accept yourself the way you are, but that would mean you'd have to alter your religious beliefs to understand that your sexuality does not change your faith.
79268
To the one who thinks he's the Bible and God expert. Being gay IS NOT a sin. Doing "gross" things with people of the same sex IS a sin. People are born being gay, so they can't do anything about it. Nobody can force you to like someone.
100773
Being gay isn't a sin. Acting on it is. I am a heteralsexual and I can't just say, God made me a sexual being, so I can have sex any time and with anybody I want." Sexual sin is sexual sin, no matter who it's performed with. Why do you think God gave guidelines for living? was it to "spoil all our fun"? When you discipline your children, is it because you want to be mean to them, or because you know better than they do what is good for them?\nWe have done things our own way for awhile now and what has it gotten us? AIDS, STD's, teen pregnancies, abortion, sky high crime rates, kids killing kids... I could go on and on, but that is enough to get you thinking.\nOne more thought. As humans, we have more intelligance and reasoning power than our pets. If we saw our pet doing something potentially harmful, would we stop him or, so he won't think we are mean, allow that behavior? And if we stop him, will he understand why? No, but we know. When God says no, we won't always understand why, but we can be sure that He knows and it's for our own good.
126930
sorry mean people are mean to you. happy for you that you are in love that is wonderful. \ni don't know why some people think homosexuality is wrong, stumps me entirely. i suppose they need to hate other people to feel better about themselves. too bad they don't know that love is supreme.
129626
Absolutely not!  If God didn't want people to be gay he wouldn't have made them that way.  No where in the bible does it say that homosexuality is wrong.  And even if they did, the bible was written by people.  It's just been interpreted that why by a bunch of homophoblic individuals (i.e. closet gays) who can't bear to see other people actually be happy.  God made you gay, and trying to change that has got to be worse than sleeping with men!  I mean, if you try to change you you are isn't that basically saying that God screwed up?  Don't try to change who you are.  If there is a heaven, you'll get in.\n\nIt's not unnatural or unhealthy to be gay.  People have been engaging in sexual relations with others of the same gender for all of recorded history.  Many primates engage in homosexual relations.  There's even a species of fruit-fly that does it.  At some point someone decided it was wrong, but it's not.  It's perfectly natural.  Do whatever feels right and don't worry about what other people think, or what other people tell you God will think.\n\nEdit: I was just reading mckenziecalhoun's post, and it made me think.  This isn't entirely relevent (or really at all relevent), but when I think about it, it seems to me that people who think they're going to Hell generally actually won't.  I'm basing that on the idea that if you repent for your sins you won't go to Hell.  My understand of repent is that you have to sincerely feel bad.  If you believe you're going to Hell, you believe you did something bad.  It's one thing if you lightheartedly reason it out and determine you're going to Hell, but if you actually believe it, I think that constitutes remorse.
1022020
being gay is not a choose.  If it were a choose I would be straight, when I was growing up I prayed everyday for God to make me straight but now I;ve learned to be happy with myself and who I am.
695923
You say that you "know i'm not gay because i know its very wrong". Who says it is wrong? Someone else who is telling you who your are? The only thing that is wrong is for you to pretend that you are someone that you are not. It could be that you only want to experiment, and that doesn't make you gay. Being gay is a definition of who you are attracted to. If you only have sexual thoughts about people that are the same sex as you, that means you are gay. If you only have sexual thoughts about people that are the opposite sex as you, that means you are straight. If you have sexual thoughts about both, then you are bi. Instead of listening to other people who tell you what is wrong or right, listen to yourself and decide for yourself who you are attracted to. It doesn't matter who you are attracted to, the only thing that matters is that who you are attracted to makes you happy.
714682
In short, it is partly a mental health issue-but in no way a negative issue as people would first jump into conclustion. \n\nLet me explain. There are several theories as to why a person is 'born' gay. The most prominent I have read is a work by Simon Le Vay. He determined - through autopsy - that gay men and straight men have one single difference: the size of their hypothalamus (a gland in the middle of your brain and well known to be the source of sexual stimulation in human beings). With gay men it is small and fluffy were as in straight men, it is solid and large. He repeated this experiment with lesbian and straight women and found the reverse. Straight women had small/fluffy gland were as lesbian has large/denser gland. \nSo hypothalamus size wise: \nGay men = Straight women\nLesbian women = Straight men\n\nFollowing years of studies, he determined that this gland is developed before birth. When he examined pregnant mothers during period of pregnancy he found that this gland gets developed during the 6th month of pregnancy. If the mother body thinks she has a daughter, she would give Oestrogen (female hormone). If she thinks she has male son, she would give Testosterone (male hormone). For some un-explained reason, the mother would do this switch of hormones. Depending on how long this hormone is given, the child may come up as Bisexual, straight acting gay guy, camp gay guy, or in extreme cases transsexual (a person who believes he is in the wrong body!).\n\nAnd if you are wandering how a bisexual man/woman hypothalamus would look, well it is medium size/denisty, they got mix of hormones and thus they would like both!\n\nIn the animal kingdom, we assume something similar happens. Homosexual animals have been proved to exist in Lions, Zebras, Bulls, Dolphins, Dogs, and many other animal species. I saw a documentary on National Geo graphic called 'Wild Sex', focusing on this and other unexpected trends in the animal kingdom. For instance, gay or lesbian swans are known to mate for life! In another documentary that I also happen to see was shown on TV 4 about two years ago called 'Gay animals', discussed an experiment on a gay bull in Texas. They isolated the bull during the mating season, so as to make the animal desperate for sex. Then they released him to only 10 cows. As much starved and agitated for sex, the bull would only bully the cows but would never mate with them. Two weeks passed and nothing changed. Then they released another bull, and as expected the gay bull would only try to mount the straight bull! Gay animals have been around for many years, but traditionally were only explained as just confused animals! Very much what some people still think gay and lesbians people have mental problem and are confused...trust me, the totally gay ones are not!
268906
Well I am sorry it makes you sick.  Not everything or every one is the way we all would like.  Some what disappointing I know.  As for WHY would someone like to be gay? I will tell you something.  I am happy with my lifestyle now. I am happy with the woman I am with.  But there was a period where I wasn't so sure.  Why you wonder.  Because my mother disowned me because of it.  My father bought books to see if they had the answers, maybe he did something wrong.  Or my personal favorite what my high school finding out and my teacher telling me I shouldn't eat with the other kids because it bothers them. \nDoes this sound like something we CHOSE?  Does this sound like something we ASKED for?  \nWe are stronger for the things we go through, doesnt mean we ask for the turmoil along the way.
948515
Why do people refer to homosexuality as "wrong" and a "problem"? - apparently God tells them to