(Please forgive me if this is poorly phrased; I'm both sick and exhausted, a combination which never lends itself to lucidity.)
Okay, I know I said I wouldn't be responding anymore, but it seems some people really want to hear more. I'm not going to address the points about overpopulation, energy usage, or AIDS; I absolutely laothe discussions that get down to facts and figures. On top of that, both are topics which I find to be even more controversial in many ways than homosexuality is. My feelings on the way all three are handled are very strong, and I don't think the discussion would remain civil for much longer, were we to continue debating them. I have much more to say, but I'd rather not say it. I think there's a mutual understanding that I believe most (if not all) of you are wrong, and you probably feel the same way about me; let's just leave it at that. This thread started as a question about morality, and I'd rather have it steered back that way.
That said, I'll address the on-topic points that have been made. Also, please keep in mind that I'm using "homosexuality" with the blanket meaning it has adopted; I do not mean to limit my statement exclusively to either sexuality or emotions, unless otherwise noted.
Robert_Boyd - I agree entirely on the genetics/singing analogy. People are born with an inclination towards a certain sexuality, be it bi-, hetero-, or homo-. This can be denied or ignored, and thus not developed or further discovered. For example, had I not bothered considering my sexuality more closely, I may very well never have taken notice of the fact that I'm gay, or how this affects me. Similarly, because I did make that examination, I've developed to the point where I can make very confident statements about my orientation and how it affects me. But keep in mind, just as an innately talented singer cannot reasonably turn a good voice into a bad one, a gay man cannot simply erase the homosexual leanings he has. At best, a singer can allow his/her voice to fall into disrepair; in the same way, a gay man can at most ignore his sexuality to the point where it is neither practiced nor explored.
I disagree, though, with the insinuation that love can be forced. This is something that, again, is unable to be proved by science, due to the highly subjective nature of emotions, but it's my belief that love cannot be forced. Encouraged, perhaps, but it's not something that can be made to exist. I admit I'm relatively inexperienced in this area, having been in love only once before and that for a very brief period of time, but I don't think the extreme emotional connection I established with the boy I loved was forced, nor could it ever have been. It existed from the beginning, but was just undiscovered for a while. Performing acts of love can help reveal this connection. The story you reference is most likely a similar situation, in my opinion; the man did not love his wife because the connection he had with her had lain dormant for so long that he lost track of it. It existed from the beginning, but was somehow obscured. Far be it from me to second guess somebody's personal experience, but that's my interpretation. I don't think it's possible to fall in love with just anybody. That's not to say I endorse the "soul mate" theory, but I believe there are intrinsicly stronger connections between some people than between others.
And you've actually touched on one of the main things that perplexes me about this whole issue. Homosexual urges are there for a reason - yes, it's true that we can opt to act on them or opt not to, but they are present either way. If you believe homosexuality is not a choice, then I can't quite make sense of this - the God you've placed such faith in sees fit to instill homosexual urges in somebody, but these urges are less fit to act upon the heterosexual urges. Would anybody care to explain?
Sigyn - I shudder to think what kind of response this will provoke, but I'm a bit hazy on the history regarding one more issue I'd like to ask about. What, exactly, happened to so sharply reverse the pro-polygamy views your church once had?
Precious-jules - The story you've told about your brother could be another example of how experiences during developmental phases of life can heavily affect sexuality. If your brother admits that he never had any natural homosexual urges, it's probably true. The fact that he needed to perform homosexual acts to satisfy an addiction could very easily muddle the already complicated issue of sexuality. This is another situation where it's important to distinguish between sexuality and love, though - I'm willing to bet your brother has never nor would ever fall in love with another man.
The Jade Knight - Both of your posts will be addressed in another post in this thread. My mind isn't working clearly enough right now to give them the thought they deserve. Check back some time tomorrow.
SaintEhlers - I think the dicussion did stray very much from its original subject. I asked about Mormonism, and we wound up debating AIDS and overpopulation. The two are not the same.
Hauf - This is a big debate I've had many times before. We can have it somewhere else if you want (another thread or personal messages), but to sum up my views on it...
Peace and joy come from mastering the flesh. This is true, but I mean it in an entirely different sense. I believe sexuality exists within people not only for reproductive purposes. Sex is a pleasurable, joyous, and in many ways peaceful act which is practiced for more purpose than just to conceive a child. This strays dangerously close to justifying promiscuity (which I am not doing), but mastery of all aspects of humanity is what leads to ultimate peace, joy, and happiness. It involves celebrating both the fact that we have pleasurable physical urges and abilities, and also the fact that we have the capacity to control them (to a certain degree) if we so desire.
Ookla - I am still reading. You can thank Hauf for dragging me back.
Dawncawley - I'm glad this is pleasing to you. I hate uncivil discussions as much as all of you do; I appreciate the lack of conversion attempts and blatant "you're wrong" statements very profoundly. You're all making me dislike Mormonism much less than I did before I came here.
Also, Hauf, thanks very much for the book recommendation. That looks very interesting, and I'll try to find a copy at Barnes & Noble when I next stop by.
There we go. My head is spinning like a dreidel. I hope at least some of this made sense; I'll edit tomorrow if necessary.