Defining Homosexuality
Homosexuality is a persistent preoccupation with erotic encounters involving members of the same sex, which may or may not be acted out with another person. Put another way, it is making deliberate plans to entertain and cooperate in sexual fantasies or behaviors with someone of the same sex. Homosexuality is vastly different from questioning our sexual orientation because of the presence of occasional same-sex attractions. Having the attractions are obviously part of the struggle, but they are not something for which we are morally responsible. It’s when we begin planning to entertain the attractions in fantasy or behavior that we cross the line.
Secondary Problems
The following is a description of some additional disabling struggles that are regularly associated with homosexuality.
1. Alcohol and Drug Use.
Research shows a “significantly higher percentage of alcohol and drug use” among both males and females who participate in homosexual activities.2 While there are other implications, alcohol and drugs are often used to mask the emptiness found in homosexuality. They help provide the illusion that “this is the life.” In the beginning, the newly-found excitement is enough to leave the impression that homosexuality satisfies. But as is the case in any heterosexual sin, the excitement wears off. Alcohol and drugs are then used to cover the hollowness that nobody wants to admit. One Christian man said he used alcohol to “obscure the truth” regarding what was taking place around him. “I consumed gallons of it. It allowed me to continue my double life and prevented me from seeing the reality I had created for myself.”3 Another man put it this way, “Of course I use drugs. How else could I do what I do?”
2. Depression.
Many can’t escape the fact that homosexuality fails to satisfy their hungry souls. Feelings of hopelessness and despair settle in, blanketing the heart with a crippling emotional nausea, making it difficult to function normally. Studies show that approximately 35-40 percent of both the male and female homosexual population have had a history of major depression. While the percentage of heterosexual women who struggle with depression is similar, it is sharply different for men. Only 3 percent of heterosexual men typically struggle with depression.4
3. Suicidal Tendencies.
Homosexuality is also associated with elevated suicidal thoughts and attempts. Research reveals that roughly 40 percent of both male and female homosexuals have seriously contemplated or attempted suicide.5 A desire to end the empty despair often found in homosexuality partly explains the high rate of suicidal tendencies.
See Part 2: Common Myths about Homosexuality
See Part 3: How Do Homosexual Attractions Develop?
See Part 4: What Does Homosexuality Provide?
See Part 5: The Root Problem, Repentence and Growth
See Part 6: What is a Friend to Do? & References