"My Genes Made Me do It!"

![“ArtIm:](“http://assets.americanvision.org/mediafiles/artim-20090826-my-genes-made-me-do-it.jpg" ““ArtIm:”)

The response to my article “Reba McEntire says “Don’t Judge Homosexuals” was encouraging. Not all agreed. That’s OK. American Vision is about exposing errors in reasoning in addition to putting forth a coherent biblical worldview. One poster wrote the following:

I’m so sick of the anti-homosexual rants among professed religious people. There is overwhelming evidence that homosexuality is not a choice. If it isn’t a choice, it cannot properly be thought of as sin. Many studies have shown the homosexual brain is physically different from heterosexual brains. Additionally, studies have shown that the occurrence of homosexuality is statistically unchanged among different cultures.

If homosexuality is based on genetics, so the reasoning goes, then homosexual behavior is as normal as heterosexual behavior (and any other type of sexual behavior). But it’s not. How do we know this reasonably and scientifically? By the nature and fruit of the behavior. What homosexuals do is contrary to what we know about biology and reproductive results; it’s biologically illogical. It takes a male and a female to reproduce. Homosexual couples cannot reproduce. A lesbian must be artificially inseminated or the couple must adopt. Male homosexuals must adopt or use a surrogate. All that the geneticists have shown, if they’ve shown anything, is that they’ve discovered genetic abnormalities that do not accord with the norm of heterosexuality.

So what’s new? Adam and Eve’s fall was both spiritual and physical. The ultimate genetic abnormality is death. Paul writes, “The creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it. . . . For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth until now” (Rom. 8:20-22). Physical maladies of all types are the result of that first sin (not necessarily because we sin, although there’s some of that), the _un_natural consequences of the fall. We should expect, therefore, to find our bodies, even our genetic structure, damaged by sin.

Abnormalities, genetic or self-inflicted, are treated as deviations from the norm that need to be fixed. But this assumes a norm. We spend billions of dollars on fixing genetic problems. Gene therapy is the holy grail of DNA research. Just because some condition has a genetic determiner does not mean that it should be left in its abnormal condition. The genetic factor moves to the important question of whether those who practice homosexuality can change their behavior. Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres made nearly constant headlines as Hollywood’s most famous lesbian couple until Heche left DeGeneres, got married, and had a baby the normal way. There are others.

Some will claim that the desires are still there, so they are still homosexuals. All of us have sinful desires. Alcoholics still desire alcohol. Former smokers who have quit often desire a cigarette. People who have lost weight crave the foods they love. There are thieves who “steal no longer” (Eph. 4:28). Adulterers mend broken marriages. The issue of whether people engaged in homosexual behavior can leave the lifestyle is an old one. Paul addressed the topic, along with other sinful behaviors, when he wrote and “such were some of you” (1 Cor. 6:11; see verses 9–10).

For years I have been collecting articles on genetic explanations for various diseases, abnormalities, and behaviors. In each case, the genetic cause is viewed as undesirable. Extraordinary measures are recommended to fix the flaws. When scientists say they had discovered a “fat gene,” “the finding was hailed by other researchers as pointing to a day when drugs might correct imbalances that cause some people to be hounded by food cravings and extra pounds while others remain lean.”[1] If the cause of fatness is genetic, as homosexuals claim is true of their “orientation,” then why the elation over the fat-gene discovery? If you’re fat, it’s not your fault. Anyone who proposes that a fat person should get thin, considering homosexual logic, is “fatophobic.” Here are some other examples of gene-related conditions:

• “A genetic double-whammy rarely found in whites dramatically increases the risk of congestive heart failures in blacks.”
• “Scientists say they have found a gene that predicts whether prostate cancer will develop into its most lethal form.”
• “Researchers at McGill University in Montreal have discovered the gene that causes a devastating neurological disorder that is found almost exclusively among families along Quebec’s North Shore.”
• “A research team at two Mideast universities has developed a new way to genetically alter cells in living mice; offering new possibilities in the war against cancer and other diseases**.”[2]**
• “Some of us, it seems, were just born to be bad. Scientists say they are on the verge of pinning down genetic and biochemical abnormalities that predispose their bearers to violence. An article in the journal Science . . . carried the headline EVIDENCE FOUND FOR POSSIBLE ‘AGGRESSION’ GENE.”[3]
• “Apparently healthy men with normal weight and cholesterol levels are at three times higher risk of a heart attack if they have a common variation of a particular gene, researchers say.”[4]
• “Salk Institute scientists say they have uncovered a gene that triggers certain forms of Leukemia, a discovery that may lead to the development of a screening test within the next few months.”[5]
• “Researchers have found a brain chemical that boosts the craving for fat—and a way to block it without affecting the appetite for healthier foods.”[6]
• “Why do gamblers often bet more after a losing hand? Or investors throw good money after bad? The answer may lie in the science of the brain.”[7]
• “Is racism simply human nature or something learned from society? Neither, says a team of psychologists who, despite criticism, argue that racism represents an accidental side effect of evolution.”[8]
• A recent article published in The Sciences, a New York Academy of Science magazine, stated that “rape is a ‘natural, biological’ phenomenon, springing from men’s evolutionary urge to reproduce.”[9]

I have many more examples in my files that suggest that when a genetic marker is found for a behavior or condition, it’s considered a scientific breakthrough that can result in fixing undesirable behavior. The only exception to a gene-related cause is homosexuality. If a gene is found for rape, adultery, promiscuity, bigamy, polygamy, self-mutilation, murder, theft, dementia, diabetes, bestiality, child abuse, and nose picking, scientists will petition the government for funds to find a fix.

Biological determinism rules the day. Of course, this is to be expected since every major university doing research has bought into the myth of Darwinism. How else can these bought-and-paid-for research scientists explain behavior? There are no conceptions of reality outside of biology. Sin? The fall of mankind? Self-government? Self-determination? What are these? All behavior has to be biological in origin given the underlying assumptions of evolution. If that’s the case, then no behavior can be judged, even anti-homosexual beliefs. As Arthr Leff argued, “Everything is up for grabs.”[10]

Endnotes:

[1] Jeff Nesmith, “Dieters’ dream: Gene to control fat found,” Atlanta Constitution (December 1, 1994), C1.**
[2]** These four examples were taken from the “Science News” section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (October 10, 2002), A9.**
[3]** Dennis Overbye, “Born to Raise Hell?,” Time (February 21, 1994), 76.[4] Amanda Huted, “Gene variant could mean higher risk of heart attack,” Atlanta Journal/Constitution (October 15, 1992), C3.**
[5]** “Gene discovery could lead to leukemia screening test,” Atlanta Journal/Constitution (October 3, 1992), E8.**
[6]** Tim Friend, “Brain chemical may feed craving for fat,” USA Today (October 29, 1992), 1A.[7] Faye Flam, “Study: Reckless gambler, blame your brain,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (March 22, 2002), A18. [8] Dan Vergano, “Racism may have evolutionary link,” USA Today (December 11, 2001), 11.**
[9]** Dan Vergano, “‘Natural, biological’ theory of rape creates instant storm,” USA Today (January 28, 2000), 8D.[10] Arthur Allen Leff, “Unspeakable Ethics, Unnatural Law,” Duke Law Journal (1979), 1249.