Regarding the article in last Friday's paper entitled 'Professor gives scientific evidence of homosexuality.' I find it disturbing that this kind of presentation can be given at BYU. Not only is it a direct attack on gospel principles, its also bad science.
The evidence offered seems hardly conclusive: Left-handedness? Masculanized finger lengths? Having older brothers? Is this the most conclusive evidence there is that homosexuality is biological? It's obvious from the range of data that many scenarios must have been sampled. If these results are true, where is the obvious evidence? How about a link tracking homosexual tendencies through posterity? There's a study that is more conclusive, and would be easy to gather data on. My hunch is that many of the studies that come out in contrary to this politically correct rainbow agenda are being ignored.
Still, for the sake of argument, let's say this evidence is real. Bradshaw's conclusion is that the church should reconsider its position about homosexuality. Baloney. Should people who are biologically more susceptible to gaining weight, give up? We all have appetites we have to learn to control, including (especially) inappropriate sexual compulsions.
The only evidence Professor Bradshaw demonstrated is that if someone looks hard enough he can find a study to correlate any conclusion.
The church has taken the right position: help people who are struggling. The first step being to help them see that they CAN change. This professor is only exacerbating the problem by making people think there is nothing they can do to change. I think professors should be careful to jump so readily off the rock of the gospel and rely solely on the arm of flesh. To paraphrase: They that get a little knowledge, think themselves wise...
Andrew Skousen
Orem