A choice that cannot be made?

I talked to a friend today - she adopted a daughter at birth who had been exposed to many different chemicals in the womb, with a lot of consequences.

One of these consequences is her ability to "say no" to a boy. That inhibition just is not there. She's able to be taught, but she will never have that internal "voice" telling her that she shouldn't do this thing. Will she be held accountable for sexual sin - if her mother's prenatal actions deprived her of the conscience that God wanted her to have?

I believe that the sexual road that she is headed toward (she is not even in middle school), is sin.

In Calvinist terms - she can be "called" to a celibate (or faithful) lifestyle - and regardless of that call, she will not be able to believe in her heart that is the right thing. (yes, I know that my friend is not God, nor can she "elect" the child to obedience - I'm just relating my experience to an understanding of how one can be called and still not understand or believe. I know that anybody that stumbles onto this blog who believes in free will will tell me how the example is wrong.)

But there is another context that this girl could lead me to a different possible understanding.

Homosexuality. Yes, I believe firmly that homosexual intercourse is a sin. However, if there is something that happens before birth (some sort of chemical injury) that causes homosexuality, then the person injured would have no more choice in their same-sex attraction than the girl I know has in her lack of sexual conscience.

If this could be proven (or at least if there were strong indication), I would have to separate the act of being gay from the act of having homosexual intercourse.

Is it possible that homosexuals have the "call" to be "normal", without the ability to choose?

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3 thoughts on “A choice that cannot be made?

  1. "She's able to be taught, but she will never have that internal "voice" telling her that she shouldn't do this thing. Will she be held accountable for sexual sin - if her mother's prenatal actions deprived her of the conscience that God wanted her to have?"

    In what sense do you believe God wanted her to have a moral conscience? If you believe that things are determined, then how can believe that her mother's actions could have thwarted God's desire?

    Maybe I just don't understand the compatibilist view correctly. Can you suggest a good article on this topic that accurately reflects your views?

  2. Oh, yes. I forgot about that one. I finished, "Why I am Not a Calvinist" already. I haven't started on the other one yet.

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