The banning of an episode of popular local television series 3R for "promoting homosexuality" by the Censorship Board brings to fore the issue of homosexuality.

According to Gay Malaysian, the vast majority of mental health professionals the world over views homosexuality as healthy sexual expression, while research suggests that homosexuality is found in a good 10 per cent of the population, with orientation decided very early in the life cycle, possibly even before birth.

Reader Nadzrin, however, debunks the suggestion that homosexuality is genetically inherited but rather an act of free will. However, the writer also believes that those who have this predisposition are victims, not sinners.

As a God-fearing man who happens to be heterosexual - though I am not sure whether this is due to a genetically inherited condition or an exercise of free will - I ask myself how I should view a homosexual or lesbian (gay) in the Malaysian context.

If the true position were as stated by Gay Malaysian, I would say that homosexuals should not be marginalised. Indeed they should have full legal and social rights, because theirs is a genetically inherited congenital condition. Surely it is not the intent of the Almighty that we punish persons of a condition created by Him.

If it were the position as articulated by Nadzrin, then it would be apparent that people should be allowed, indeed encouraged, to exercise their free will to be either heterosexual or gay without social persecution or hindrance.

This is necessary because without this environment conducive to the exercise of free will, the Almighty would be deprived of the necessary benchmark and criterion to determine, who, in exercise of free will, would freely choose to be a normal heterosexual or a gay sinner for appropriate allocation of a place in Heaven or Hell, as the case may be appropriate for them.

To ban local television series 3R and subject people predisposed to be gay to social ostracism, is to remove that requisite environment conducive to the exercise of free will that is in turn necessary for God's work of judging people (and how they will choose between good and sin). In short, this would thwart, preempt and obstruct His determination and judgment.

It follows that to punish homosexuals by criminal prosecution for sodomy will constitute a naked usurpation by humans of the Almighty's prerogative and right to punish them for the wrong choice of sin in the afterlife.

It is therefore a point of curiosity to me on how certain people can argue for a ban of the movie Bruce Almighty based only on a script of a frustrated television newscaster playing God for one week. It is blasphemous as these same people who call for the ban of Bruce also plays God all the time by adjudging, censoring and punishing their fellow human beings for perceived sins.

It is therefore my conclusion that whether one takes Gay Malaysian's or Nadzrin's stand on homosexuality, we, as right thinking members of society - not desiring to usurp the Almighty's function as Bruce does - should abstain from exerting pressure on those among us whose sexual preference is perceived as deviant from the majority norm, much less persecute them.

The true line drawn to punish anyone by criminal prosecution in an open democratic society is not immorality - which is a subjective question open to debate - but harm to persons and property as may be established empirically.

Let us not be hypocritical and selective in our actions.

If we were genuine in our desire to stem homosexuality, why are we engaging in petty acts of banning television series 3R and not allocating sufficient resources to improve our overcrowded prisons conditions - in which sometimes up to six inmates share one small miserable cell?

Our prisons are bastions and universities of homosexuality. We do not, however, allocate resources to these areas (to improve prison cell to prisoners ratio) even if we pretend to want to discourage homosexuality.

To moral crusaders and religious zealots alike I would only have this to say, that the Almighty, represented by whatever religion, in His infinite compassion and wisdom would only wish us to be true to ourselves and not hypocritical to others. With that as a principle of morality, we should adopt a 'live and let live' attitude to all and not do unto any one what we do not like when done to ourselves.