Reality Check: Homosexuality is Not a Curable Disease

I come from a southern christian family (I leave christianity uncapitalized here out of disrespect), I have seen the ups and downs of the kind of relationship that comes out of this religious fervor; the animosity the disinheritance and excommunication that comes with having an alternate sexuality, yet I never thought I'd have to confront the idiotic and contemptuous conclusion it seems many are coming to in our society.

I was recently asked to join a Facebook.com group Friends of Bryce. Originally I thought maybe I knew this person from somewhere, met him at a convention, or some other event. Low did I realize that it was actually a prevention group, but not a prevention group as one might think; it was a group to prevent him from going to Homosexuality Rehabilitation, which was forced upon him by his parents.

Upon reading further the group was put together by a group of Christians who understand the Bible for what it is and not what many christians seem to think it to be.
(You can read more here at http://savebryce.ergonomicalministries.org). But besides the point that this poor kid has been sent to a rehab center to treat something that is not a disease that cannot just be cured, this is about an affront to the development of social equality and the rights of people who are of the GBLST community. Groups like Exodus International and Repent America push for the "recovery of homosexuals" who have "sexual problems". They wish to deal with "All forms of sexual brokenness". And what do these groups report to be their final results, only a handful of positive results, all of which have the same style and wording and the same poor position that it was the "love of god" that made these people change.

Homosexuality is not a drug, it is not a disease, it is not a condition or addiction, it is the way a person is. Everyone straight or gay, transgender or bi, deals with relationship issues. Being single, having communication problems with their partners and so on. These are not things that can be cured by becoming christian and "seeing the light of god".

In Exodus' FAQ area they talk about how to support people who struggle with homosexuality as though its cancer. Providing statements such as; "...secrecy helped perpetuate the sense of shame that many who struggle with this sin feel." Apparently homosexuality "is one of the biggest challenges facing the church today." "They also recognize the need to do more to help in prevention, to educate the church, and to help a deceived culture see and hear truth that most have never encountered."
How can a society so inebriated by a religion like christianity ever hope to rise above this type of discrimination towards homosexuals when it appears that the church is very motivated to "prevent" and stop the spread of homosexuality? How can we affectively demonstrate the non-sense of treating homosexuality as a disease that can be cured if "churches must address homosexuality if they are to reach homosexuals and share that Christ can change the homosexual!" Worse yet, how can we stop this idea that there is a "gay agenda"?

Yet this goes further still, this is no longer a matter of homosexuality being a person's state, but rather a sin they have committed; and a condemning one at that. As a sin it is seen as "that perhaps no subject poses a greater threat to the place of Scripture in our world today" as homosexuality, "If the world (and too often, even the church) can be convinced that we can ignore what the Bible teaches about homosexuality, then every other teaching of Scripture can be rationalized." Yet they state this as though the Bible is absolute and not meant to be interpreted. However the failure of these sites and their beliefs is that they do not acknowledge both the laws of this country, and the fact that the laws of this country are what give them the freedom to have the beliefs they have now. Statements about marriage having to be between one man and one woman, and how sex outside of marriage are both wrong, only goes to show their hypocrisy and selective discrimination towards homosexuals.

As a final note let me recap a few points and add a few: Homosexuality is not a disease, it cannot nor should it be attempted to be treated as such. For our society to rise above this idiocy of religious belief we need to make sure that our rights are maintained and must follow the laws of this country. As such, here is the truth about homosexual rights and what most christians do not want you to know.

1)The first amendment establishes separation between church and state. Any and all laws that prohibit the marriage of gay couples (lesbian, gay, transgender etc) and selectively discriminate against same sex marriage are based on only one religion's belief, which is christianity. These laws are illegal as they do not maintain the separation of church and state. Any law that establishes what marriage is (between one man and one woman) is illegal. More over, state and federal laws must respect all religions in the same light and there are several that do not believe in marriage at all or that marriage is distinctly meant to be between a man and woman.
"Amendment I; Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

2)As a community and people it is our duty to establish laws that respect our constitution, and to civilly disobey if not out rightly ignore laws that are in direct opposition to our constitutional rights.
"Amendment IX; The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. (For those of you who just read this amendment, this quite literally means it is illegal to prevent the marriage of a gay couple when this same right is afforded to heterosexual couples.)