Going Both Ways

My friend... Mr. Curie has started an interesting discussion over on his blog about homosexuality and genetics.

I think it would be useful for science to investigate homosexuality, but I can see the results going both ways, which was the reason for my picking the title I did for this post... Would you people please get you're minds out of the gutter!

On one hand... If a genetic link is found amongst people who experience same sex attraction, it would be good evidence that, they're gay because that's the way God made them, assuming of course that you believe that humans are a creation of a supernatural being.

Such results could be used as a significant argument against those who would claim that it's merely a choice or the result of deviant behavior on the part of the individual.

On the other hand though... If a genetic link is found, those who think homosexuality is a disorder, or that those who are born that way have something wrong with them, I could see some bigot trying to fund research into a cure or something like that.

Some other potential side effects I can see...

If evidence is found, I doubt it will do much in the way of convincing hard-core bigots that there is a reason some people are gay. In much the same way as DNA evidence dismisses claims made by the Book of Mormon and archeological evidence supports the theory of evolution, I suspect many will simply ignore the evidence, in lieu of their faith that God still hates gay people and homosexuality is a sin.

If no evidence is found however then I suspect the religious zealots will be all over it, like stink on a dog. It will merely add fuel to their already burning fires that same sex attraction is simply a choice.

The whole relationship between Religion and Science is just not a very functional one.

I'm pretty sure there would be some other ramifications as well. Some good, some bad and both of those would be different depending on the audience.

At the end of the day though, I think researching and trying to gain further knowledge on an aspect of our existence which isn't very well understood, would have to be good overall.

Isn't the search further light and knowledge supposed to be something which both Religion and Science are about or supposed to be about?