Regarding Homosexuality

Here's a couple letters to Austine Cline in athesim.about.com regarding homosexuality.

Incoming Mail: "In my humble opnion, I don't have to look to religion to feel that homosexuality is not a desired behavior or lifestyle. Science has show that through millions of years of evolution, life on this planet has one goal, reproduction. Therefore I would have to assume that humans are no different, and that our genetic programing, to work "right" would promote behaviors to ensure reproduction. ... We have many in our population that have genetics expressed which hinder their development compared to the rest of the population - it is normal to have these individuals, but not what most people would consider a desireable condition."

Austine's Reply: "Desirable? Desirable for whom? Evolution doesn't desire anything. Life doesn't desire anything. Nature doesn't desire anything. The concept of "desire" assumes some person who is experiencing the desire - does he mean that it is a trait that isn't desirable for him? Well, then, he can just avoid "being" homosexual, right?

Based upon his arguments, a couple who chooses to remain childless because they abhor overpopulation are not engaging in an desired behavior or lifestyle. People who use contraception are engaging in an undesired behavior. So are those who have themselves sterilized.

But that would be an absurd position, wouldn't it? Clearly, then, behaviors which inhibit reproduction are not automatically wrong."

Another letter, but a different approach.

Incoming Mail: "As a citizen of our country or more broadly the human race, homosexuals should have the same human rights as our most "elite" and our most unfortunate do,(except for the ones that murder, rape, or otherwise strip innocents of their rights, but that's another discussion!). But that doesn't change the fact that the behavior itself doesn't follow the biological norms scientists have observed in most all species alive or extinct and thus can not, IMHO, be considered positive. I know many people like to think that humans are so different and special compared to other species when the comparisons don't support their particular views but like the comparisons when they do. In species specific physiological comparisons yes there are differences, -duh! but in broad comparisons life is life and life's purpose is to reproduce."

Austine's Reply: "Actually, homosexual encounters are just as frequent if not more frequent between female bonobo chimpanzees as compared to heterosexual encounters. As a matter of fact, there are lots of things which humans do which do not "follow the biological norms scientists have observed in most all species." Does that mean the building computers and using the internet is wrong? No. What is or is not desired cannot be decided by looking to what is popular or just common - especially in other species.

Your life's purpose is what ever you make it to be - no one, not a god and not evolution - has thrust any "purpose" on you. "