Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry

The Bible: Relevant Issues for Clinicians 43corruptible humans, birds, animals, and creepingthings has resulted in God’s wrath as manifestedby decaying moral standards and vile passions.Paul then lists examples: same-sex sex para phusin(against or in excess of nature), sexual immorality,wickedness, covetousness, envy, murder,strife, deceit, evil mindedness, back-biting, hatingGod, violence, pride, boasting, inventing evilthings, disobedience to parents, and being undiscerning,untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,and unmerciful.Paul clearly disapproves of homosexual acts,but what does the phrase para phusin mean? In11:24, Paul says that God could para phusin grafta wild olive tree onto a cultivated olive tree. Godsurely could not act immorally, but he could actin a way that is “unexpected, unusual, or differentfrom what would occur in the natural orderof things.” (10) Even the conservative Interpreter’sBible notes that Paul’s purpose in this section “is topoint not at sins, but to judgment.” It is likely thatPaul is not condemning homosexuality itself butrather mainstream Gentile men and women whohad overstepped their normal sexual practices. Infact, St. John Chrysostom’s fourth-century homilyon Romans stated that Paul’s disapproval ofhomosexual practices pertained only to peoplewho fall in lust and not to those who fall in love.Although homosexual behavior was commonthroughout the ancient world, the designationof a person as a homosexual did not occur untilthe eleventh century AD when St. Peter Damiancoined the word sodomia , thus establishing anabstract essence. Persons who indulged in sodomiawere thereafter referred to as sodomites(homosexuals).Homosexuality was listed as a mental disorderin the early editions of the American PsychiatricAssociation’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manualuntil 1973. In that year, a vote was taken by theassociation’s members, and a majority decidedto remove homosexuality from the official list ofmental disorders. Despite this action, the overwhelmingmajority of Christian churches havemaintained their positions that homosexualbehavior is sinful and a threat to social morality.In contrast, the general public has become muchmore tolerant as demonstrated by broad acceptanceof homosexuality on popular televisionshows and movies. Although some Christianchurches have ordained homosexuals as priests,the issue remains troublesome and has causedmajor conflicts. While the Catholic Church hasbeen disgraced in recent years by revelationsabout widespread priestly pederasty, it has beenlong known that many priests have a homosexualorientation. A study of homosexual priests foundthat 4 percent were celibate while the others averaged227 partners each.(11) In another study, of62 percent of priests who responded, 32 percenthad exclusively male sexual partners.(12)Case ExampleAn agitated, anxious, and guilt-ridden18-year-old man sought psychiatric help.He and all his family were born-againChristians. The patient confessed a lifelongattraction to men. He knew that this waswrong and said that he prayed and cried toJesus for help but that his feelings did notchange. When he told his family membersthey became furious with anger and hismother even called him an abominationwho had given himself over to the devil. Thepsychiatrist reassured the patient that hisfeelings did not constitute a mental illnessand discussed various interpretations of thebiblical passages regarding homosexualitywith a particular focus on the fact that Jesusoverthrew the Levitical laws, including theone ordering the death of homosexuals.The psychiatrist also met with the patient’sparents who, after discussing the matter,were somewhat less angry. He told themthat their son’s homosexuality was inbornand not a deliberate choice, and that therewas no treatment that could change a person’ssexual orientation. The parents agreedto send their son to a distant college andto allow him to return home for holidaysas long as he did not mention his homosexuality.They said that they would try toshow him Christian love but that it wouldbe difficult.