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Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth
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Manufacturer: Baker Books
Author: Jeffrey Satinover
Publisher: Baker Books
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $21.60
You Save: $ 4.40 ( 17% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Baker Books
Author: Jeffrey Satinover
Publisher: Baker Books
Average Customer Rating:
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Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.766
EAN: 9780801056253
ISBN: 080105625X
Label: Baker Books
Manufacturer: Baker Books
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 282
Publication Date: 1996-02-01
Publisher: Baker Books
Product Release Date: 1996-01-01
Studio: Baker Books
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.766
EAN: 9780801056253
ISBN: 080105625X
Label: Baker Books
Manufacturer: Baker Books
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 282
Publication Date: 1996-02-01
Publisher: Baker Books
Product Release Date: 1996-01-01
Studio: Baker Books
Editorial Review of Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth
A Christian psychiatrist examines the latest research, refuting the alleged genetic basis for homosexuality and assessing the social power homosexuals have gained.
Customer Reviews of Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Simply Excellent
Review: I read this book -- twice. It is worth reading. You may not agree with it, you may not like it, but you will NOT leave it feeling you've read something penned by a lightweight: Satinover is a heavyweight through and through. That the majority (if not the totality) of the negative reviews here do not proffer a reasoned challenge to even one of Satinover's main points is quite telling. (Surely Satinover, like any of us, cannot be right about everything. But even if 50% of this book is tripe, which is impossible, the remainder would still represent a major challenge to the zeitgeist.)
Just make a deal with yourself. Tell yourself to keep an open mind; in other words, tell yourself to keep a scientific mind, one open to doubt and inquiry. Anyone who tells you that "science" has "settled" a matter does not know science: science is always challenging its own conclusions. Satinover not only knows this, he embodies it: his conclusions about the biogenesis of homosexuality are broad and fair. He does not land on some simple theory or fact; he gives broad attention to the many influences that form the human spirit, soul and mind. Seriously, any person who concludes that the issues of identity and sexuality are COMPLEX is a person worth listening to.
Moreover, he does not reach easy and populist conclusions. For instance, it is thoroughly pop, even faddish, to suggest that because a characteristic is genetic it is ipso facto irresistible or desirable. Satinover is not given to such lazy and easy conclusions; he even rejects the very premise that behavior is CAUSED by one's genes. His methodology is that of a scientist, not of a populist. And he is hardly a politician.
Lastly, his challenge to Christians to rethink their approach to homosexuality is sure to rile the hard-liners on the far right. In fact, this book offers challenges on nearly every page. You will learn something, I promise. Besides, it is worth reading this book just to get to Satinover's concluding chapter. Brilliant.
(Also, let me say that Satinover as scientist and philosopher is a true friend of humanity and freedom, for he denies the mechanistic view of the human brain, and hence strikes a blow at determinism. Satinover believes in free will: he refuses to accept -- and does so on scientific and philosophic grounds -- that we each MUST ACT according to our genetic makeup. He denies that we are prisoners of our genes, at least insofar as genes influence behavior. Anyone who believes in freedom will find this aspect of Satinover's work refreshing. And any shrewd reader will note that it is the propagandists who deny this essential freedom; who deny that we are truly free to be changed, to be healed, to be something other.)
Peace.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Not recommended.
Review: My summation:
A) promiscuous anal sex is bad for health
B) male homosexuality promotes promiscuous anal sex
We should stop A by stopping B.
The rest of book gives one-sided arguments for why homosexuality is a choice (and a bad one) and how turning to Christianity can solve this. As a Christian, this book gave me the same feeling I have seeing fellow Americans being rude in a foreign country or males being chauvinistic: what a terrible representative Dr. Satinover is for a part of my identity. The book's unbalanced nature felt like hate dressed up like salve and every chapter was a chore to read.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Moving compassion.
Review: Amazon's book description incorrectly labels Dr. Satinover as a "Christian" psychologist. I've met Dr. Jeff and know him to be a kosher Jew (among his illustrious ancestors is Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev, one of the founders of Judaism's Chasidic movement).
The author has brought the chief middah (characteristic) of our first father Abraham (also the father of Christianity, Islam and all the other major religions) to telling the truth about homosexualism. That middah is compassion.
Jewish readers should direct special attention to chapters 14 ("Homosexuality and Judaism") and 16 ("The Pagan Revolution"). The explanation of gnosticism and its chief modern proponent, psychiatrist Carl Jung, will be an eye-opener for even the most well-read and grizzled culture warriors.
A comforting Jewish teaching is "Yaakov Avinu lo meis" (our holy father Jacob never died, not in the spiritual sense). Dr. Jeff's concluding chapter 16 goes into the camp of pollution to show us that the immoral Canaanites never really died either.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Utter Drivel
Review: Like Satinover, I too am a graduate of Harvard and board certified MD. I found this little gem to be nothing more than Judeo-Christian misinformation. Par for the course. Look at the stratified and out-of-balance world that has developed from these very attitudes.
One reviewer recommends that we follow "4,000 years of Judeo-Christian moral standards that condemn homosexuality". Twaddle! What say we follow the billions of years of nature and physics from which we all sprang? The universe (call it God if you must) does not get things wrong. It is very cheeky to think one can overturn or outthink existence.
It is time for a paradigm change. Books like this feed an individual's ego/self which clings to ridiculous concepts like a child grips its blanket. The future will be a rude awakening for those that adhere too tightly. Creating nonsense like this book - which acts to do nothing more than separate - is antithetic to the great world avatars' message to unify. This is counter-intuitive to me, as some advocates of this book claim to follow Christ's teachings.
I will leave you all to it! It is such a shame to see people hungrily devolve when there are so many opportunities in this life to progress and enjoy unifying consciousness on a deeper level.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Dr. Satinover's book is extremely objective
Review: Homosexuality is a subject which I have read a great deal about, having some friends who are homosexual and others who are bisexual. I have had difficulty buying into the idea that, that is a "gay gene" and that is all there is to it. The person is born to be gay; they have had gay fantasies all of their lives; and they are simply behaving in accordance with the way that God made them. Given that some people have become successfully reoriented refutes this claim; and studies even done by homosexual groups refute this claim. For instance, a study of identical twins where one twin is homosexual; 50% of the other twins are homosexual. This is a much higher percentage than is found in families with a homosexual member; and a higher percentage than found in fraternal twins. Therefore, there must be a genetic component--that is undeniable. However, since only 50% of their twin siblings are homosexual, that means that genetics (and family environment) is not a determining factor.
On the other hand, there is the view that homosexual acts are simply a matter of free will and they just need to stop it. The study cited above indicates that there is more to this than a simple free will choice. Furthermore, some, like myself, are not at all tempted by homosexual activity; and that feels inate to me. So, my point in all of this is, it is simply not a simplistic issue with simplistic answers.
Dr. Satinover addresses homosexuality as the complex issue that it is, examines the studies, examines the pyschology, examines the case history records, and presents what appears to be a very accurate picture of who and what homosexuals are.
Now, if you are overly simplistic in nature, and you are the type who would carry a sign, "Homosexual, you are going to hell" or if you are the kind who says, "God made me this way, and that is that" then Satinover's book won't be for you. His reasoning, his examination of the studies, his positions are going to be too complex for you. If, on the other hand, you have an interest in this topic, no matter what your presuppositions are, you are going to find this book to be a fascinating read.
Now Satinover does deal with homosexuality and the Bible in some chapters. If this is not your cup of tea, then you can skip over these chapters and still not lose his train of thought or his reasoning. On the other hand, Satinover does touch on passages in the Bible which, in times past, have not been well-explained, and his approach is quite enlightening on certain passages of Scripture (e.g., Rom. 1:24).
I have done a lot of reading in this area and have several books which deal with homosexuality. I have visited several websites, both pro and con homosexual behavior, and have read their reasons for their positions. None of those logical excursions really resulted in me feeling as though I understood what was going on and what the issues are. Satinover's book is quite the opposite. Now I feel as though I have a much better understanding of my homosexual brethren.
One final point: Many "Christian" websites which deal with this issue leave you with a vague feeling of moral superiority over homosexuals (if you are not a homosexual) and the feeling that, if you are a homosexual, "It's too bad for you, but we will pray for you anyway." Satinover does not leave this sort of taste in your mouth at any point in his book, even when dealing with the Bible.
In an arena where there are high stakes and tremendous emotional issues involved, Dr. Satinover presents the most objective book that I have ever read on this subject.
Review Summary: Simply Excellent
Review: I read this book -- twice. It is worth reading. You may not agree with it, you may not like it, but you will NOT leave it feeling you've read something penned by a lightweight: Satinover is a heavyweight through and through. That the majority (if not the totality) of the negative reviews here do not proffer a reasoned challenge to even one of Satinover's main points is quite telling. (Surely Satinover, like any of us, cannot be right about everything. But even if 50% of this book is tripe, which is impossible, the remainder would still represent a major challenge to the zeitgeist.)
Just make a deal with yourself. Tell yourself to keep an open mind; in other words, tell yourself to keep a scientific mind, one open to doubt and inquiry. Anyone who tells you that "science" has "settled" a matter does not know science: science is always challenging its own conclusions. Satinover not only knows this, he embodies it: his conclusions about the biogenesis of homosexuality are broad and fair. He does not land on some simple theory or fact; he gives broad attention to the many influences that form the human spirit, soul and mind. Seriously, any person who concludes that the issues of identity and sexuality are COMPLEX is a person worth listening to.
Moreover, he does not reach easy and populist conclusions. For instance, it is thoroughly pop, even faddish, to suggest that because a characteristic is genetic it is ipso facto irresistible or desirable. Satinover is not given to such lazy and easy conclusions; he even rejects the very premise that behavior is CAUSED by one's genes. His methodology is that of a scientist, not of a populist. And he is hardly a politician.
Lastly, his challenge to Christians to rethink their approach to homosexuality is sure to rile the hard-liners on the far right. In fact, this book offers challenges on nearly every page. You will learn something, I promise. Besides, it is worth reading this book just to get to Satinover's concluding chapter. Brilliant.
(Also, let me say that Satinover as scientist and philosopher is a true friend of humanity and freedom, for he denies the mechanistic view of the human brain, and hence strikes a blow at determinism. Satinover believes in free will: he refuses to accept -- and does so on scientific and philosophic grounds -- that we each MUST ACT according to our genetic makeup. He denies that we are prisoners of our genes, at least insofar as genes influence behavior. Anyone who believes in freedom will find this aspect of Satinover's work refreshing. And any shrewd reader will note that it is the propagandists who deny this essential freedom; who deny that we are truly free to be changed, to be healed, to be something other.)
Peace.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Not recommended.
Review: My summation:
A) promiscuous anal sex is bad for health
B) male homosexuality promotes promiscuous anal sex
We should stop A by stopping B.
The rest of book gives one-sided arguments for why homosexuality is a choice (and a bad one) and how turning to Christianity can solve this. As a Christian, this book gave me the same feeling I have seeing fellow Americans being rude in a foreign country or males being chauvinistic: what a terrible representative Dr. Satinover is for a part of my identity. The book's unbalanced nature felt like hate dressed up like salve and every chapter was a chore to read.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Moving compassion.
Review: Amazon's book description incorrectly labels Dr. Satinover as a "Christian" psychologist. I've met Dr. Jeff and know him to be a kosher Jew (among his illustrious ancestors is Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev, one of the founders of Judaism's Chasidic movement).
The author has brought the chief middah (characteristic) of our first father Abraham (also the father of Christianity, Islam and all the other major religions) to telling the truth about homosexualism. That middah is compassion.
Jewish readers should direct special attention to chapters 14 ("Homosexuality and Judaism") and 16 ("The Pagan Revolution"). The explanation of gnosticism and its chief modern proponent, psychiatrist Carl Jung, will be an eye-opener for even the most well-read and grizzled culture warriors.
A comforting Jewish teaching is "Yaakov Avinu lo meis" (our holy father Jacob never died, not in the spiritual sense). Dr. Jeff's concluding chapter 16 goes into the camp of pollution to show us that the immoral Canaanites never really died either.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Utter Drivel
Review: Like Satinover, I too am a graduate of Harvard and board certified MD. I found this little gem to be nothing more than Judeo-Christian misinformation. Par for the course. Look at the stratified and out-of-balance world that has developed from these very attitudes.
One reviewer recommends that we follow "4,000 years of Judeo-Christian moral standards that condemn homosexuality". Twaddle! What say we follow the billions of years of nature and physics from which we all sprang? The universe (call it God if you must) does not get things wrong. It is very cheeky to think one can overturn or outthink existence.
It is time for a paradigm change. Books like this feed an individual's ego/self which clings to ridiculous concepts like a child grips its blanket. The future will be a rude awakening for those that adhere too tightly. Creating nonsense like this book - which acts to do nothing more than separate - is antithetic to the great world avatars' message to unify. This is counter-intuitive to me, as some advocates of this book claim to follow Christ's teachings.
I will leave you all to it! It is such a shame to see people hungrily devolve when there are so many opportunities in this life to progress and enjoy unifying consciousness on a deeper level.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Dr. Satinover's book is extremely objective
Review: Homosexuality is a subject which I have read a great deal about, having some friends who are homosexual and others who are bisexual. I have had difficulty buying into the idea that, that is a "gay gene" and that is all there is to it. The person is born to be gay; they have had gay fantasies all of their lives; and they are simply behaving in accordance with the way that God made them. Given that some people have become successfully reoriented refutes this claim; and studies even done by homosexual groups refute this claim. For instance, a study of identical twins where one twin is homosexual; 50% of the other twins are homosexual. This is a much higher percentage than is found in families with a homosexual member; and a higher percentage than found in fraternal twins. Therefore, there must be a genetic component--that is undeniable. However, since only 50% of their twin siblings are homosexual, that means that genetics (and family environment) is not a determining factor.
On the other hand, there is the view that homosexual acts are simply a matter of free will and they just need to stop it. The study cited above indicates that there is more to this than a simple free will choice. Furthermore, some, like myself, are not at all tempted by homosexual activity; and that feels inate to me. So, my point in all of this is, it is simply not a simplistic issue with simplistic answers.
Dr. Satinover addresses homosexuality as the complex issue that it is, examines the studies, examines the pyschology, examines the case history records, and presents what appears to be a very accurate picture of who and what homosexuals are.
Now, if you are overly simplistic in nature, and you are the type who would carry a sign, "Homosexual, you are going to hell" or if you are the kind who says, "God made me this way, and that is that" then Satinover's book won't be for you. His reasoning, his examination of the studies, his positions are going to be too complex for you. If, on the other hand, you have an interest in this topic, no matter what your presuppositions are, you are going to find this book to be a fascinating read.
Now Satinover does deal with homosexuality and the Bible in some chapters. If this is not your cup of tea, then you can skip over these chapters and still not lose his train of thought or his reasoning. On the other hand, Satinover does touch on passages in the Bible which, in times past, have not been well-explained, and his approach is quite enlightening on certain passages of Scripture (e.g., Rom. 1:24).
I have done a lot of reading in this area and have several books which deal with homosexuality. I have visited several websites, both pro and con homosexual behavior, and have read their reasons for their positions. None of those logical excursions really resulted in me feeling as though I understood what was going on and what the issues are. Satinover's book is quite the opposite. Now I feel as though I have a much better understanding of my homosexual brethren.
One final point: Many "Christian" websites which deal with this issue leave you with a vague feeling of moral superiority over homosexuals (if you are not a homosexual) and the feeling that, if you are a homosexual, "It's too bad for you, but we will pray for you anyway." Satinover does not leave this sort of taste in your mouth at any point in his book, even when dealing with the Bible.
In an arena where there are high stakes and tremendous emotional issues involved, Dr. Satinover presents the most objective book that I have ever read on this subject.