Why debate science?

Question

I just answered for the 400th time the question, "Are people born that way or choose to be gay?"

I also see a lot of debate about other scientific issues here in other sections.

Isn't that a bit like debating gravity? "Do you believe a dropped object falls to the earth?"

I don't think sexual orientation's origins are quite that clear yet. But, I think they will be someday...either way it isn't a matter of faith it is a matter of science.

Answer 1

Yes, I agree.
I don't think science and faith really mix, as people with fixed religious ideas see no need to question anything, or seek further knowledge, which are the purposes of science. And it seems that the religious people are the ones with the biggest problems accepting homosexuality as a fact of life, so explaining or 'proving' anything to them scientifically is a waste of time.

I also don't feel any need to justify my sexuality in scientific terms, even if it is ever 'proved' one way or another. I know I've always been gay, and I didn't choose it, and I'm not that interested in what 'caused' it - it's just a natural part of me. What other people choose to believe is their problem, not mine; I only get annoyed if they keep harrassing me about it.

(Sorry, I'm waffling on, and I don't even know if I answered the question. I've just eaten an entire layer from a box of Cadbury's Flake Moments, and I'm on a bit of a chocolate high.) Hope I made some sense, anyway. :-)

Answer 2

Because the laws of science when first handed down to people are usually met with skepticism and even rage. Copernicus had to go through hell when he said that the sun and not the earth is the center of the solar system. And Galileo had to go to jail for his discoveries.. And guess who made their lives a living hell? Yep, the the good old christian church.

Even in the time where we put more faith in numbers than our emotions, we can't deny the fact that our initial reaction to a new idea is skepticism. So I believe that since the scientific proof for homosexuality is in its infancy, the new fact will be met with an angry mob that are casting stones. Someday, things will be different, but the acceptance of these new facts usually take some time. Hopefully not hundreds of years as it was before.

Answer 3

Gosh, all the scientists I know debate science all the time. Drives me nuts! But there are a lot of gay people who deny their desires because of their faith. Whether the feelings exist or not and for what causes is a scientific matter, but whether the feelings are right or wrong is a faith issue. What puzzles me is why religious people who see homosexuality as a sin believe no one is born that way because it's sinful, but they have no problem believing people are born predisposed to lie or steal.

Answer 4

science is about experiments and about debating the meaning of those experiments. If science doesn't allow debate it isn't science it is dogma (though anybody participating in the debate should have data as a basis not just opinion).
I haven't really followed it, but I don't think that it is clear what the proximate reasons for sexual orientation is. It is a complex issue after all.

Answer 5

Because science is on the verge of being in stark contrast to an assumed moral position.

They think that God doesn't want people to be gay, and that being gay is wrong. For this to work, being gay has to be a choice.

Evidence that being gay isn't a choice violates the aforemntioned principle. Either God doesn't care about gays (and the religious texts have been modified), or God is a sadistic individual (I'm going to wire you to sin, then cackle evily as you fight to resist), or God doesn't exist as they were taught he exists.

This is why there is resistance to idea that being gay doesn't include a choice. The waters are muddled, according to Kinsey, by the overwhelming amount of the population that is actually Bi and thus has a choice in partner's gender.

Answer 6

I think everyone can have gay traits,same as a lot of people have alcoholism after 1 drink. A friend of mine adopted a boy at the age of 1 year old. He gave this kid an excellent home good schools,but the kid was always wild and troublesome and was going back and forth to jail or juvenile detition. Finally he ended up in prison for murder as a young man.They adopted a girl a year after they had adopted the boy and had no problems with her.He was curious what the problem was and with his abundant resources began doing a background search and discovered the boy's ancestors had a long line of crimnals in the family and the girl did not.My answer is i think we all have the genes to do that which is not normal but its up to us and our teaching to resist these. God said we should be fruitful and multiply.Its our choice to do or not do what God has ask us to do and our sincere and honest interputation of what God want us to do,and not the interptation of someone else.As a result we have to study to be able to do this and i dont think many people do that so we end up with imaginations and condone what makes us feel good or what fits our lifestyle and i'm as guilty as anyone else,ilike to drink and flirt with the women and i know its wrong. But sin is sin and if not repented of will send us to hell forever..The truth will set us free but first it will make "ME" miserable,does it you too??

Answer 7

I do not deny the facts behind science, concerning sexual orientation, however, I do believe environment is a factor that should not be overlooked. I would be curious to know the science behind bi-sexuality. Science and sexual orientation are strange bedfellows indeed!

Answer 8

People naturally hate, but they feel the need to be able to justify their hate. In this day and age, bigotry against unchangable-by-birth things like sex and race are looked down upon. They think that if homosexuality cannot be proven to be biological, then they don't need to feel bad being homophobic.

What they should realize is if they need to be able to justify their hate, they shouldn't be hating in the first place. They shouldn't be hating at all.

Answer 9

I have some thoughts on it,,,,,the topic,,,, I think science is having trouble because they are not looking deep enough.... try this.... a young girl is sexually abused, she grows up represses the horrible memory. but fantasizes about herself being raped, which scares her. Then she marries, sex issues with her mate of course,,,,they repress that also..... then a male child is born and it is loved very much by the mother, the child returns this love and bears the secret pain onto itself..... then this boy finds that being dominated by another male is his greatest turn on....and his sexual attraction to women is weak given that his mother/example was non-sexual..In his fantasy he feels as though he was a woman......being forced to have pleasure.... it is intense. Could we inherit our parents emotional scars? and express them for our parents? some type of evolutionary issue resolution