Yes, but what about ...

Splash, Amazing post! You truly do have a deep knowledge of Scripture that I admit far surpasses my own. One thing is bothering me still, however, and this message is intended for everyone, not just you. I understand the issues you bring up about sexual relationships between boys and men. I am very much opposed to boylovers acting upon their sexual impulses because the object of their attraction is a child who is not as mature or developed as the boylover is. Whether acknowledged or not, there is a mentor/protegé or teacher/student relationship there along with the friend/friend relationship. The boy places his trust in the boylover and as such is more susceptible to suggestion and to going against what he knows is right in order to please. One of my friends was physically and sexually abused by his foster father when he was a boy, and he said the curious thing was that he was sad that the family eventually decided not to adopt him. A child's perspective does not always keep his best interests at the forefront. I agree that it is an important role of the boylover mentor to foster virtue and godliness in the boy he is involved with and to look out for his best interests at all times, no matter what temptations may arise. However, a boylover relationship always involves a child and an adult. I believe Derek's post also mentioned homosexual relationships. Now this, in my mind, is a very different matter. Many of the arguments that can be applied to a boylover argument do not apply here. I am aware of the Bible verses that you quoted, but that somehow does not entirely convince me. In your post, you say: "Sexual intercourse is intended to express oneness (a union) between husband and wife, in which each gives himself or herself voluntarily and wholly to the other. Sex for any other purpose is manipulating another person to meet our prideful and/or selfish goals." I agree with that statement. Marriage is an expression of the voluntary requirement you mention. However, as far as I know, marriage does not exist for homosexual relationships. There is no accepted structure that affirms the willingness of two homosexual people to give and share themselves totally and completely with each other like there is for heterosexual couples. As I can attest myself, and I suspect many here on this board can also, people seem to have different sexual and emotional attractions. I, for example, am emotionally and sexually attracted to my fiancée, but I am also emotionally (and sometimes sexually) attracted to boys of all ages, but especially boys between the ages of 9 and 12. I know many men who are attracted, both emotionally and sexually, only to women. And I know some men who are not attracted to women (or children, for that matter) at all but instead have an emotional and sexual attraction for other men. It's been a long struggle, but I really can no longer believe that these attractions are purely psychologically caused or arise due to exposure to a certain type of environment. I don't seem to share many of the experiences that have been posted on this board lately. I had strong male role models throughout nearly all of my childhood. Many of these role models were strong Christians, and one was even (I suspect) a boylover, although he never acted out with me sexually. I've not been wanting for friends, even though I was never the most popular boy in school. I had a strong Christian upbringing and what I would consider a more or less happy childhood. I am of the opinion that these attractions are part of us on a deeper level. I believe that God intended for them to be there. For what purpose is still a mystery to me. However, I have a hard time believing that a homosexual man (or woman) who has genuine feelings for another is not meant to participate and share fully in his or her love for the other person as any heterosexual person can. It somehow doesn't seem right that people would be ingrained with attractions that are not meant to be fulfilled. When the attractions are toward a child, there are many practical and moral reasons not to act on them since the two partners in the relationship are not equals. However, when two adults truly love each other, I am forced to believe that they are meant to express that love in a way more intimate than words, even if they are of the same gender. Even in the case of a boylove relationship, I don't think the attraction of the boylover is bad or sinful. While I am not yet sure of the reason for its presence, I believe that God put it there for some reason. Perhaps boylovers are the way they are because there is a need for genuine love and concern for boys in our society. With the frequency of single-parent families (lacking male role models), perhaps boylovers are meant to serve as these role models and help in the healthy development of these boys. Maybe the emotional/sexual attraction is there to draw them to serve God in that area. Yes, it provides a temptation, but we are continually tempted by many things as we live our Christian lives. Perhaps the good achieved outweighs the potential danger. This message was not meant to start a debate or incite a riot either, but I felt that Splash's reponse to Derek seemed to skip over the topic of homosexual relationships, and I felt it needed a response. Plus, this is a topic that I have been struggling with lately. With the ever-increasing numbers of publically visible and acknowledged homosexuals in society, I have found myself forced to re-examine what I believe about homosexuality. And despite the Biblical exhortations against it (few and obscure though they may be), I am having trouble seeing how an exclusive loving relationship between two people can be wrong. ChoirBoy