The ultimate truth regarding how human beings are made is found in Ecclesiastes 7:29 which states, "This I have found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes." God has never made anyone any "certain way" other than properly oriented from the moment of conception with an understanding of God's morality written on the heart. Therefore, what one becomes in their life is from their own experiences and choices.

So what about those who cry out that "God made me this way." It is a lie! Ecclesiastes 7:29 clearly indicates that the "this way" is the result of choices each person has made... schemes they have pursued... experiences of their lives, both welcomed and unwelcomed.

Proper Sexual Orientation
God's design for sexuality is clearly given in Genesis 2:24 and also by Jesus Himself in Mark 10:8. A proper orientation is a Man and a Woman joined together as one flesh, which is the Image of God Himself. Sexuality is an expression of devotion shared within that joined flesh, and it is the means of replicating itself through the conception and bearing of children.

Varying Degrees of Dis-Orientation
The equality of sin in terms of its "wages" is beyond dispute (Romans 6:23) so regardless of the degree of one's dis-orientation, the same "wage" comes to all of us. But the degree of depravity is directly related to the degree of variation from God's intent. Depravity actually most accurately is defined as the degree of variation from God's intent.

An approximate order of downward spiral of sexual depravity, by degree, is provided here:

• Lusting & Coveting
• Promiscuity & Adultery (including Prostitution)
• Rape & Forced Bondage
• Bi-Sexuality & Homo-Sexuality
• Bestiality
• Perversion of Gender Identity

The simplest form of dis-orientation is lusting for (coveting) something other than what God intended. Jesus Himself stated that practically everyone is guilty for it is from within the heart the desire to violate God's Law begins. And Jesus said that when one has lusted in the heart, they have already committed sin (Matthew 5:28).

Promiscuity and adultery (including prostitution) are perversions of God's intent for a man and woman to become one flesh.

Rape (and forced bondage) pervert the kindness and intimate, loving connection intended in proper sexuality.

Bi-sexuality and Homo-sexuality take the perversion further to be a perversion of the proper nature of sexuality in the flesh.

Bestiality takes it even further to pervert the species-specific design of the creation itself.

Gender identity is the ultimate manifestation of total depravity which not only questions proper sexuality but even questions the legitimacy of the human being as created by God.

The Vitriolic Rant of Depravity
Depravity always brings with it a rant against any who recognize the Divine Perspective. It takes the form of "intolerance" and "you are judging me" and "God made me this way". Of course, as with any distortion of truth, this rant is also the opposite of truth.

In Genesis 19 we have the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We also have an insight into depravity and distortion taking the form of vitriolic rant, and such distortion has continued for thousands of years into the present day.

In the account, two angels of the Lord go to the city of Sodom. Lot recognizes they are angels of the Lord and he brings them into his home and the men of the city come to the house and insist the visitors be turned over to them so as to be raped. Lot states, in Genesis 19:6, "Don't do this evil, my brothers."

What is the evil that Lot has identified? Most people believe it is only their homo-sexuality, but look at the text. The evil Lot is identifying is RAPE of men by men. Lot offers what he considers to be a less egregious evil, rape of his daughters by men. He recognizes that RAPE is evil and he believes it seems in that moment to be inevitable. He further recognizes a deeper depravity of homo-sexual rape, so he attempts to appease their rape perversion while avoiding their further depravity, but that is not enough for them. They not only want to RAPE, they want to RAPE men, not women!

What does "... received in themselves the due penalty for their error" mean? This statement "exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones" is a critical key to understanding the "in themselves" statement. Why? The human body is designed in a brilliant manner, but just like any machine can be misused from its original design and purpose, so the human body can also be. Male/Female natural sexual interaction involves the male's presence inside the female's vagina. The vagina is designed as a very sturdy thing, with thick walls, capable of rough usage without tearing or exposing blood vessels. This is NOT TRUE of the anus and rectal walls. The rectal wall is very thin and was not designed to take the significant stress of the presence of a male sexual organ. When subjected to that stress, even momentarily, the rectal wall will develop microfractures in the mucous membranes, exposing the blood vessels to dangerous bacteria and viruses. The vagina will expel bacteria and viruses without exposing the circulatory system. The rectum will expose the circulatory system. This is why detailed scientific studies consistently document, very thoroughly, the extremely high rates of transmission of many diseases when anal sex (technically assigned a historical name: Sodomy) is practiced. Anal sex between a man and woman or between men results in significantly higher sexual disease transmission rates, while vaginal sex results in significantly lower sexual disease transmission rates. These scientific facts are totally ignored by those wishing to promote Sodomy, and anyone pointing out the statistical truth is typically castigated as a homophobe. Why is that? See the "Vitriolic Rant" noted above this column. Scientific data for your own examination: Anal is Higher Risk | PDF here Incidence of anorectal STIs | PDF here Pro-anal site admits truth | PDF here Of course, the available data is extensive and I have studied the results of many different clinical data aggregations for over 30 years. In some cases, actual counts of tens of thousands of clinical participants detailing by sexual practice the observed transmission rates. You can study and study and study until you are exhausted with all the political crap inserted into these studies. The whole point of this column is to say that again, as always, the Judeo-Christian scriptures are correct, and those practicing varying degrees of sexually depraved aberrations are at higher risk of receiving "in themselves the due penalty for their error".

And their depravity is clearly understood by their own words:

"Get out of our way," they replied. "This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. Genesis 19:9

You see, the screams of sexually dis-oriented depravity ("you are judging me") have their origins in Sodom and Gomorrah, so they are not new nor are they unique to our time. Depravity hates God's Law and revolts against it, choosing instead deeper and deeper decent into evil, for the further one gets from God's Design, the closer one gets to the Enemy of God, the Father of Lies.

Paul speaks of this depravity so clearly in Romans 1. Look at the progression of depravity as described by the Apostle Paul:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:18-32

It begins with refusal to acknowledge God and His Purpose for the universe. The natural consequence is to move in the downward spiral direction of depravity (ultimately resulting in total destruction), and the further away one gets from God's intent, the more depraved and vitriolic one becomes and the closer one gets to the acrimony of the Enemy of God, the Father of Lies, who rages against God and His creation. That direction is toward total destruction and when there is more and more insistence on satisfying sinful desires, there is more and more sexual dis-orientation.

It follows the same degradation noted above in "The Varying Degrees of Dis-Orientation". First, there is sexual impurity for degrading the body. Then there is the abandonment of the natural relations for unnatural ones, first toward homo-sexuality, and then worse "so that they do what ought not to be done".

Paul even explains how this depravity unleashes "in themselves the due penalty for their error" -- disease. You see, in God's Design, there is no disease, for if properly followed, there is no means by which sexually transmitted diseases can be introduced. All sexual disease in human history has been introduced by means of improper sexual relations, most often originating from bestiality, spreading up through homo-sexuality, then spreading further back up the spiral to the heterosexual world through the lesser degrees of depravity.

Conclusion
Recognizing the natural laws of the universe as created by God is simply a matter of intellectual honesty and integrity. Recognizing our own sin is a matter of honesty and integrity with one's self.

I acknowledge that I have sinned for ALL HAVE SINNED and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23), so none of us have an excuse. All of our sin, including all forms of sexual sin, are equated in terms of the "wages" for such sin (Romans 6:23). The distinction of degrees of depravity is simply a matter of the degree of hostility toward God and His Law. The further away one ventures from God's design brings increasing depravity, hostility, and destruction.

Am I passing judgment on anyone for their life choices by refusing to accept the invalid premise that they were "made this way"?

No.

Standing against evil, in any form, does not mean "hating". This is just more of the vitriol emanating from the one who is hostile to God.

The truth is that I would hope all would come to repentance and find salvation through a changed life of faith in Christ.

This is not "judgment". This is simply loving God and His Law (Romans 7:22). So don't judge! Simply state the Law of God without shame!