bind, and de-bind, and bind

I watched Brokeback Mountain last night. I know, I shouldn't have even given it a thought. What a heretical thing to do. And I'm not being sarcastic. I would recommend you follow your gut on not bothering to rent or borrow it, and be assured that it's exactly what the movie trailer makes it out to be.

I was fascinated, disturbed, and sad. The need (of both main characters) for love, emotional support, and physical affection/gratification were being met with one another--to look at it very objectively. It seems that after food, shelter, and safety, these are basic human needs. So why shouldn't we get it from wherever feels comfortable? Surely a woman understands a woman better than a man ever could, and vice versa. Still speaking objectively, the only advantages the man-woman relationships have over homosexual ones seem to be procreation and gender role modeling and parental balance for the children.

As I watched the movie, I was drawn in by the cunning writers and actors' ability to evoke intense emotions arising from the desires of the characters for one another and all the heartbreaking odds they have stacking up against them. But when the movie was over, I couldn't help but feel that something was gone from the story. The rollercoaster of feelings combined with the steamy "forbidden" trysts on top of peculiar cinematography would undoubtedly result in absolute love or hatred for the movie. I simply felt that something wasn't right.

And then it dawned on me.

These are straight cowboys, lonely and emotionally dependent on one another having been through a lot together, working in the rugged conditions. One of them was drunk when they decided to fulfill their sexual needs. It created an imagined tie that they felt they had to continue to go back to, reinforced by their dear friendship. From that, I'm convinced that it's no longer a matter of "you can't help who you love". You can. Why would we have to be told through so many mediums to reach out and love people? We love those who love us, and sometimes not even that. The Bible is full of such statements, but in case someone may not follow God, I give the example of what we are constantly taught growing up.
Love. Love other people.
For the longest time it puzzled me as to how to respond to someone who argued that they were born gay just like they were born white or black or in-between. I still don't have an answer. I can't prove they weren't, as much as they can't prove that they were. Perception is reality, and if someone is overwhelmed with tendencies of any nature, it only makes sense to assume that it's in your blood. I will say, though, that as much as sexual orientation is *assumed* to be in the genes, it is known fact that greater still is the predisposed urge to procreate.

What I was sympathetic about in the movie, though, was the incredible injustice done by the group of homophobes who murdered one of the main characters. Our nation is immeasurably guilty of perpetuating sentiments like this. I'd like to humbly point out that the Nazis felt this way. No, we're not exterminating them by the hundreds, and will never arrive at that point due to our increasingly progressive government, but the effect is the same. He who hates his brother is a murderer. A direct quote from Christ.

As for any assumptions that I believe in a "live and let live" mentality, it's simply not true. I believe John 8.