Christl Ruth Vonholdt
Encyclopedia
Christl Ruth Vonholdt is a German
physician for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Director of the German Institute for Youth and Society (Deutsches Institut für Jugend und Gesellschaft), Christian author
and is member of the Reichenberg Fellowship
.
for a study on varicose veins
(Rezidivhäufigkeit und Komplikationen nach operativer Therapie der primären Varikosis (Krampfadern) ). She is specialist (Facharzt) for child and youth medicine
On 18. Oktober 2004 she was invited to an official hearing of the German Parliament by the CDU/CSU
-parliamentary faction. She was questioned on the bill calling for the revision of German civil partnership law
2009 she has been lecturer at the International congress on psychiatry and counseling in Marburg
, Germany.
She states that, from a theological perspecive, it is only the unity of man and woman which is able to represent a complete human being and marriage is an icon of God, a reflection of God's image. Sexuality is the creative energy which enables us reach out beyond ourselves to the opposite sex. Homosexual intercourse has been called sin by Jews and Christians because it fails to be an icon of God. She believes the argument, that homosexuality is natural and therefore, not to be considered sin, has its roots in Gnosticism
.
In regards to the religious viewpoint, Vonholdt has expressed her belief that God has created everyone with sexuality. It is the duty of man to then be oriented in the correct manner, which is toward the opposite sex.
homosexuals. She describes it, in the Catholic journal Communio
, as the "development of a mature heterosexual potential".
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
physician for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Director of the German Institute for Youth and Society (Deutsches Institut für Jugend und Gesellschaft), Christian author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and is member of the Reichenberg Fellowship
Reichenberg Fellowship
The Reichenberg Fellowship is a German non-denominational ecumenical community. In German it is called the Offensive Junger Christen e.V.. It belongs to the EKD and is situated in Reichelsheim in the Odenwald.- History :...
.
Life
Vonholdt studied medicine and received a doctorate at the Hannover Medical SchoolHannover Medical School
The Hannover Medical School , founded in 1965, is a university medical centre in Germany, part of a regional medical network.-International:...
for a study on varicose veins
Varicose veins
Varicose veins are veins that have become enlarged and tortuous. The term commonly refers to the veins on the leg, although varicose veins can occur elsewhere. Veins have leaflet valves to prevent blood from flowing backwards . Leg muscles pump the veins to return blood to the heart, against the...
(Rezidivhäufigkeit und Komplikationen nach operativer Therapie der primären Varikosis (Krampfadern) ). She is specialist (Facharzt) for child and youth medicine
On 18. Oktober 2004 she was invited to an official hearing of the German Parliament by the CDU/CSU
CDU/CSU
CDU/CSU, unofficially also referred to as the Union parties or the Union, is the name of the Bundestag parliamentary faction comprising the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Christian Social Union of Bavaria , considered to be sister parties...
-parliamentary faction. She was questioned on the bill calling for the revision of German civil partnership law
2009 she has been lecturer at the International congress on psychiatry and counseling in Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
, Germany.
Views on Homosexuality
Vonholdt's views on homosexuality are controversial. They are based upon both theologigcal and psychological arguments.Theology
From a biblical standpoint, she, together with most Christians worldwide, holds homosexual practise (praktizierte Homosexualität) to be sinful.She states that, from a theological perspecive, it is only the unity of man and woman which is able to represent a complete human being and marriage is an icon of God, a reflection of God's image. Sexuality is the creative energy which enables us reach out beyond ourselves to the opposite sex. Homosexual intercourse has been called sin by Jews and Christians because it fails to be an icon of God. She believes the argument, that homosexuality is natural and therefore, not to be considered sin, has its roots in Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
.
In regards to the religious viewpoint, Vonholdt has expressed her belief that God has created everyone with sexuality. It is the duty of man to then be oriented in the correct manner, which is toward the opposite sex.
Psychology
From a psychological standpoint, she regards homosexuality to be a symptom for a deeper underlying dysfunction. She assumes that homosexuality can be caused by deep emotional suffering in early childhood. Based on this assumption she recommends therapy for egodystonicEgosyntonic and egodystonic
Egosyntonic is a psychological term referring to behaviors, values, feelings that are in harmony with or acceptable to the needs and goals of the ego, or consistent with one's ideal self-image....
homosexuals. She describes it, in the Catholic journal Communio
Communio
Communio is a federation of theological journals, founded in 1972 by Joseph Ratzinger, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac, Walter Kasper, Marc Ouellet, Louis Bouyer and others. Communio, now published in fifteen editions , has become one of the most important journals of Catholic thought...
, as the "development of a mature heterosexual potential".
Books
- Christl Ruth Vonholdt: Rezidivhäufigkeit und Komplikationen nach operativer Therapie der primären Varikosis. Dissertation an der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover, Hannover 1981
- Christl Ruth Vonholdt (Ed.): Striving for Gender Identity: Homosexuals and Christian Counseling. A workbook for the Church. Reichelsheim 1996, Reichenberg Fellowship
- Christl Ruth Vonholdt, Gerhard BesierGerhard BesierGerhard Besier is a German Lutheran theologian, historian and politician best known for his work on church-state relations in the Third Reich and in the German Democratic Republic.-Work:...
und Hermann Klenk: Christliche Hoffnung, Weltoffenheit, Gemeinsames Leben. Gelbe Mammuts auf dem Berg. Festschrift für Horst-Klaus Hofmann, Brunnen-Verlag, Gießen 1998, ISBN 3-7655-6326-9 - Christl Ruth Vonholdt, Andreas Laun, Norbert GeisNorbert GeisNorbert Geis is a German politician. He is a member of the CSU.Geis studied Philosophy, Theology and Law at the Universities of Freiburg and Würzburg...
et at. (Hrsg.): Homo-Ehe. Nein zum Ja-Wort aus christlicher Sicht. Zisterzienserkonvent Langwaden, 2001, ISBN 3-934551-34-3 - Christl Ruth Vonholdt [Hrsg.]: Verwundete Weiblichkeit : homosexuell empfindende Frauen verstehen Brunnen-Verlag, 2005, ISBN 3-7655-1348-2
Articles
- Christl Ruth Vonholdt: The Deconstruction Of Marriage and Family
- Christl Ruth Vonholdt: Eine Frage des Menschenbildes – Warum Homosexualität Sünde ist. In: Zeitzeichen 6 (2005), p. 33-34 (German)