Growing up in a small, conservative and religious community, I was brought up to believe that homosexuality was one of the most immoral act that a human being could ever be involved in. Being an era in which campaigns for gay rights were gaining global traction, I can specifically remember instances when my father would sit my siblings and me down and advise us why homosexuality was entirely evil. Every interaction with adults and elders in our small community rebuked the immoral nature of homosexuality. Influential figures around me, such as Ms. Hilda Cork, who was my head teacher at elementary school and Mr. Luke Doe; the local church minister, emphasized the moral and Biblical stand on sexuality respectively. They always rebuked homosexuality with the harshest terms possible. From home, school, church to the society in general, matters of sexuality regarded as sacred and the young ones.
Let experts write your Homosexuality essay from scratch!
The general views on sexuality that I was induced to, were based on conservative moral and religious beliefs. This is not a surprise having been raised in a staunch Christian family and having gone to a school established on strong social foundations. My father, for instance, always insisted on sexual morality from a Biblical stance. He would always say that homosexual desires were not what God intended when he created man and woman and put them in the Garden of Eden. To him only a male and female union would represent God’s image in the universe. He made references to the Biblical book of Genesis, where it is written that God destroyed the entire city of Sodom and Gomora due to practices of homosexuality. According to my father’s teachings, gay and lesbian relationships were a taboo whose continued practice greatly undermined God’s authority on mankind. He always had the view that homosexuals will spend their eternal life after death in hell. These beliefs passed to me by my conservative dad made me grow up with a skewed perception about homosexuality and a firm belief that it was an evil practice.
Rev. Luke Doe, our local parish minister always argued against homosexuality from a perspective of family values. He believed that sex was the most powerful tool given to man by God to procreate and form families that reflect the glory of God. Rev. Luke held the view that, any sexual relationship between humans that is not based on Biblical teachings of family values was evil and deserved rebuke. Every time the reverend spoke to children, I included, he alluded to agents of the devil at work to promote homosexuality. This was in reference to the civil rights group who were fighting for equal rights for gay communities. He advised us to resist such liberal persuasion, which were gaining momentum, especially in the developed nations. Homosexuality does not give rise to offspring; therefore, it is an unnatural act that is a creation of man against the will of God. Anything contrary to the natural order as instituted by God is an abomination within the religious circles and should not be practiced by believers. Rev. Luke was an influential figure in my early life; therefore his religious stances impacted a lot about my young mindset. I grew up believing that family values and sexuality would only be correct if they met the standards preached by Rev. Luke. From those teaching, I grew up loathing homosexuality and everyone associated with it. Never mind that Christian teaching required us to love all unconditionally.
The point of convergence of the two arguments above was the universal acceptance that God hated homosexuals. Although it is contradicting the general religious teachings that God loves all, the imagination of being denied God’s love was a conviction big enough to illustrate the magnitude of how evil homosexuality is considered even in divinity. If God who loves and forgives all would not want any association with the gay community who else would? Absolutely, it’s not me. The religious stands on homosexuality were supposed to create a simple moral conviction on the right or proper sexual orientation, but they ended up creating an aspect of fear, especially for children because they had not developed a judgmental intuition which could have questioned the logic behind the arguments. So my peers and I were induced to a conservative belief out of fear of being alienated from God rather than an honest conviction.
Although my father and the church leader argued against homosexuality from a religious perspective, my elementary school head teacher Ms. Hilda Cork rebuked homosexuality from an entirely different angle. Our school was established on firm moral foundations, and the head teacher strived to maintain those standards, especially on matters sexuality. Ms. Cork’s view on the practice of same-sex intimacy was guided by the natural expectation of sexuality and the act of sex. She would always argue that, any human act that perverts or misuse the natural body faculties is immoral. According to her, every organ in a human body has its natural function, and any act that contradicts the natural functionality of the organs is wrong. Her emphasis on the school fraternity was to shun sexuality that is against the expected natural order. Although her opposition to sexuality was never anchored on any religious beliefs, she insisted on doing what is sexually acceptable. She described homosexuality as an anti-social behavior that would result in a human being disintegrated from the conservative society and be condemned to lonely oblivion. Although Ms. Cork’s intention was always to convince the students against homosexuality politely, her insistence on homosexuals becoming societal outcasts created fear among our younger selves. At our age, nobody wanted to be separated from family and friends. If homosexuality is bad enough to make you an outcast, then my peers and I found it to be a hazardous act.
However, the general societal argument against homosexuality was not entirely religious based. Local conversations would question different aspects of same-sex intimacy. These ranged from the neutrality of sexuality to the right choices on sexual orientation. Of course, society values were a significant influence in shaping my mindset and views on an emerging phenomenon like homosexuality. When the general view in a conservative community is against an act, the children who are brought up in that society develop a similar mindset. From a tender age, I was induced to a setup that is conservative on sexuality. It is not debatable on what sex ought to be or how it ought to happen. The society believed the order is natural and should be maintained as such.
Furthermore, the moral teachings that I encountered at the young age insisted on always doing what was regarded as “good.” Although “doing good” is subjective and not entirely definable, the act of homosexuality fails against the test of what is humanly good. For a human to be considered as doing good, reason must be engaged to guide free actions. Any human action that does not lead to a proper end would be considered evil. For instance, the beliefs in my society regarded homosexuality as an act which is incompatible with a human’s natural order of behavior, therefore, it is evil to adopt such a practice. Homosexuality has no fitting end to it and should not be practiced by humans of an upright conscience.
To illustrate the belief above of good and evil from my society’s perspective, we would consider the natural formation of a human body, its organs, and what functions they are expected to play. For instance, the ears are for hearing; eyes are used to seeing, nostrils are for breathing. Similarly, there are body organs that are designated as natural sexual organs. How we engage different body faculties in a variety of actions to form a standard of what is good and what is bad. When humans engage in sexual activities, they should specifically use the naturally designated organs for that function. Any action to the contrary, as practiced by homosexuals is entirely bad. That is the argument that formed the basis of the moral standards in our conservative family and society. Being induced to that kind of moral beliefs as long as I can remember developed in me a negative notion about same-sex intimate relationships.
A conservative society with a religious inclination ties sexuality and sexual interactions to a specific purpose. Being raised in such a community, I grew up with the unchallenged knowledge that sex was purposefully meant for procreation and was only meant for couples of opposite genders joined together in holy matrimony. It is through that scope that I viewed what it meant to be of the right sexuality. Homosexuality does not meet the test of acceptable sexual behavior; therefore it ought to be classified as immoral. There is no procreation out of same-sex intimacy, the aspect of gay marriages is not regarded as holy matrimony, and it’s a union without moral or societal purpose. Any sexual orientation that challenges the procreation purpose of sex was regarded as lacking moral standard, and its practice was considered entirely evil in society. Children like myself were advised continuously to grow up avoiding such evil practices.
The academic teachings about sex that I was exposed to at a young age portray sex as a purely reproductive activity that should only involve adults of opposite genders. In fact, in elementary science, sexual organs were specifically referred to as “reproductive organs,” meaning their primary function would be a reproduction. This argument of sex being a procreation tool was always supported by natural facts that equally dismissed homosexuality as a completely unnatural act. For instance, the unique behaviors exhibited by the designated sexual organs in a human body during intimacy points to a procreation purpose. Secretion of lubrication and reproductive fluids is a supporting fact that sexual intimacy is meant for procreation. Therefore, any sexual relationship established by gay and lesbians was blankly regarded to be against that natural order of reproduction.
In conclusion, it is important to note that my view of sexuality has significantly evolved. Although my childhood experiences still play a role in some of my current beliefs, they do not entirely dictate my stand or views of morality and ethics today. Although in this speech, I do not reveal my current perception of homosexuality, the fact is that there exists a significant difference in my opinion then and now. Of course, research, experiences, and interactions help in developing a mindset from conservative to a more liberal mind.
Free essay samples and research paper examples available online are plagiarized. They cannot be used as your own paper, even a part of it. You can order a high-quality custom essay on your topic from expert writers: 
EffectivePapers.com is a professional essay writing service committed to writing non-plagiarized custom essays, research papers, dissertations, and other assignments of top quality. All academic papers are written from scratch by highly qualified essay writers. Just proceed with your order, and we will find the best academic writer for you!