The same-sex marriage battle now being fought can best be described by a twist on a Homer Simpson toast: Here's to power, the cause of -- and solution to -- all life's problems!
The same-sex marriage push is not about sex, culture or, especially, loving relationships. It is about power, pure and simple, another front in the war of our elites on Judeo-Christian traditions. The goal for President Obama and the Saul Alinsky left, as James Lewis notes, is to "overturn whatever exists today in the raw pursuit of (its) own power."
Hmm, let me see, so they're willing to make a commitment to another person based on power? Umm, yeah...NOT. As a gay man (yes, I am gay, homosexual, whatever title you want to put on it...I'm no longer a student or employed by LU, therefore I'm finally coming out of the closet as the phrase goes), first I find it appalling that there is an overwhelming belief that I cannot have a healthy, normal relationship with another dude. However, with that said, the quest for gay marriage isn't about power, its about being able to legally have a partnership recognized on the same grounds as my heterosexual counterparts. No one is trying to force anyone to marry someone else outside their will.
Our Knowledge Elites -- those that shape our culture through media, education, and government -- seek ultimate authority over our thoughts and behavior. However, first they must rid us of the singularly American and Judeo-Christian notion of "inherent and inalienable rights" accorded to individuals by...uh, God (I know: cringe-inducing to Obama Democrats who view liberalism as religion). They replace "God says" with government says, Obama says, politicians say, educators say, and other such higher powers.
Look at that phrase "inherent and inalienable rights," which, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, are the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursit of happiness." (originially was going to be pursuit of property). Now, I wish many people on my side who argue for gay marriage would argue for the right to life for the unborn, which I consider to be a far greater issue than gay marriage, but really, how is gay marriage infringing on any of those rights for YOU? If I were to go to Maine, Iowa, Connecticut or Massachusetts and marry a dude, would any of you die or somehow not be able to live anymore? Would your liberties somehow be limited? Would you be less happy?
They view themselves as competing with God, who established marriage as a committed relationship between a man and a woman. As laughable as that statement is to our elites, it is truth in a world where some of our most respected scientists have concluded that we seem to be "hard-wired for God." Judeo-Christian traditions rest on a foundation of right and wrong, accompanied by many shades of gray addressed with the aid of generalized scriptural principles. Rascal Flatts, the country group with a strong Christian foundation, summed up the real issue in plaintive lyrics reflecting on the direction in which our elites are pushing us, "I miss Mayberry... where everything is black and white."
Oh yes, I am competing with God, as if in a tennis match at Wimbledon. Here he is subscribing to a view that having a committed, homosexual relationship is biblically wrong. I disagree with that view, obviously. Yes, I believe in God, I believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven, that He physically existed here on earth, was crucified and the blood that He shed is the only acceptable sacrifice for mine (and everyone else's) sins. However, there are many people who disagree that homosexuality and Christianity are at odds, however that is another issue that can be addressed shortly.
Secondly, in this country, the government does not endorse religion, as it is written in the Constitution. If there is a reason, besides religous, that homosexual marriage should be forbidden, then feel free to argue it.
Both God and Rascal Flatts agree: there is truth. And, in the marriage debate, this is truth: by any standard, heterosexual relationships tend to work better than the alternatives. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, God is not simply a transcendental homophobe who gets his kicks from zapping the satellite feed for cable's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Rather, he's the guy who -- having designed this place -- helps us live a life that works. Homosexuality -- like other behaviors, attitudes or values contrary to his guide to living, the Bible -- generally does not work.
Again, to say that homosexuality is not a part of God's design is another debate. You can argue that its a choice all you want, but I would like to know when anyone on here deliberately chose to be attracted to the opposite sex? Attraction is not a light switch that you can turn on and off, unfortunately. Also, you can argue that its unnatural and quote Romans 1:26-28 to me all you want to about how its unnatural, but there are examples of homosexuality in nature:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15750604/
Also, notice the phrase "generally does not work." In GNED, generalization is a logical fallacy. Points off for that one.
Blame God or Charles Darwin (if you believe the latter got us to this point), but that is the conclusion of decades of scientific and medical research. Life expectancy for "gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men," concluded Canadian medical researchers. Lifestyle makes a difference, as homosexual men, are more involved in "rape, incest...sexual sadism and masochism" and are prone to "dehumanized sexual activity, sexual dysfunctions; (and) depressive disorders and panic attacks." They are significantly less healthy, both mentally and physically, than heterosexuals and more likely to experience personality disorders. A study reported in the American Journal of Public health found more than two-thirds of homosexual men reported use of illicit drugs with "serious health and social consequences". The National Household Survey of Drug Abuse sums it up:
"... alcoholism and drug abuse continue to affect lesbians, gay men, and transgendered persons at two to three times the rate of the general population."
Gay is not happy, to paraphrase the t-shirt banned by a suburban Chicago public school district during its celebration of homosexuality. A University of Minnesota medical school study showed that 28% of bisexual/homosexual males reported suicide attempts compared to 4% of heterosexual males, concluding there is "a strong association between suicide risk and bisexuality or homosexuality in males."
First, life expectancy ranges are going to vary no matter what group you're comparing. Secondly, I do not know any gay guys who have been involved in those things, and the source he is listing those statistics are nearly 20 years old. My prof in GNED told me that the stats he used 6 years ago were from that book, and he knew that they were "probably slightly exaggerated then and grossly exaggerated today," (e-mail with GNED prof I won't name, March 2004). Thirdly, being gay/homosexual doesn't make you more likely to use drugs. Americans as a whole use illegal drugs at more than two-to-three times rate as the Dutch, the difference being their country has more liberal drug policies:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/ ... 2322.shtml
Fourthly, there is a greater suicide risk in homosexuals, but that is probably due to the way society views and treats gays in general. For example, a student at LU who just graduated was kicked out of his parents house (and his parents are involved at LU) and is no longer welcome to even sit foot inside their home, despite wanting to change, "praying for a miracle" to be attracted to women. Its acceptable to use "gay" to describe something that one thinks is stupid or idiotic. I myself have had people stop speaking to me because, as the topic was brought up by them, I mentioned that I "struggled with homosexuality," which somehow was so much greater than their "struggles with pornography," or "trying not to sin anymore with the girlfriend," that it justified a Facebook note saying that "I want to have fellowship with you, but a moral wall breaks our fellowship." Or the one person, who I'm close to and found out I was gay and talked with me about it but "didn't change anything," one time said "Just the rumors of Roger Federer being gay make me think differently of him." My senior year, it was nearly fashionable for a guy to confess he "struggled with lust" or "struggled with pornography," and everyone would praise him for being "So brave as to admit it in front of everyone,” yet “struggle with same-sex attraction,” and suddenly people you were close to treat you as an outcast. Is it any wonder, with treatment like that, plus the fear of losing close friends, possibly being disowned by family, and the constant condemning from the pulpit, that gays feel conflicted inside and have a ton of inner turmoil that could lead to suicide? Prayers for Bobby would be a good movie to watch concerning that issue.
And I will also say that the vast majority of my close friends at LU have also apologized profusely for anything if they had said anything that had hurt me.
Our Knowledge Elites frequently cite Europe, which has been mainstreaming homosexuality for more than half a century, as an example of enlightened sexual relationships. But culture, the sum of collective action, has consequences: between 10% and 20% of children in Europe are sexually assaulted, with those rates at least doubling, sometimes tripling in nations such as Netherlands and Belgium, where homosexuality is actively celebrated. By comparison, in the more traditional United States, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that child abuse hovers between 1% and 2% of American children. The World Health Organization has found that gays incur greater risk of sexually transmitted diseases, suicide, and violent behavior. And in comparison to conventional marriages, same-sex partnerships experience more domestic violence.
Here, the 10-20% comes from mostly former Soviet nations, and the statistics start from 10 years ago at best. I will concede that there is a greater STD rate among homosexuals, and as for domestic violence, the quote from his source is "Domestic violence appears to be more frequently reported in same-sex partnerships than among the married," however my mom who works for social services has said that the vast majority of domestic violence in married relationships goes unreported, and there is evidence to back that up, but I'll have to find it and post it later.
This level of dysfunction often plays out in public. American Thinker's Kyle-Anne Shiver compares the behavior of gay activists in the public arena to "Bull Conner on a rampage with his fire hoses." But the fire hoses are not only manned by gays. The mainstream left delights in hosing down traditionalists. If it were about compassion, traditional marriage advocates would not be consistently ridiculed in the mainstream media. And if it were about truth, then Obama senior advisor David Axelrod would not have recently joked that one of the names considered for the president's new dog was "Miss California," referring to beauty contestant Carrie Prejean, who suffered withering attacks (judge: you're a "dumb b----") after expressing polite support for traditional marriage. He ridiculed her despite having the same position as the president, putting the evangelical Christian "in a context that's meant to be belittling."
I think if our professor spent time browsing some of the gay message boards, he would've seen that a large majority of homosexuals defended her right to say what she said, and that they regarded Perez Hilton as nothing more than a "drama queen." Also, it is interesting to note that the professor implies that Obama is for gay marriage in the opening of this article, but then states here that he and Miss California have the same position on gay marriage.
It is about power...and the rhetorical fire hose is the chief weapon. Same-sex marriage advocates use the issue as a platform to expand political control, all the while demonizing those who disagree. Tradition-minded Christians, for example, have been consistently and venomously portrayed in the media as bigots and fanatics intent on enslaving multicultural America (culture commentator and columnist Michael Medved saw this coming almost two decades ago in his groundbreaking Hollywood vs. America). The Washington Post has portrayed the poisonously anti-homosexual (and renegade serially denounced by evangelical denominations) Westboro Baptist Church as representative of fundamentalist Christianity.
Meanwhile, ignored is the actual position of the overwhelming majority of traditional Christians. Their views are best summed up by R.C. Sproul, the prolific Christian author and heavyweight theologian: It is clear that God calls Christians
"to be gracious people....We need to let people know that, whether we approve or disapprove of their lifestyle, we are for them as people. ...You can do more for people by loving them."
Here he is saying the vast majority of Christians are being ignored, just as he has been ignoring the vast majority of gay marriage opponents. I can promise you, that most of the other gay people I know think people should be allowed to say what they want, do what they want, believe what they want. However, in this article he seems to paint us as trying to demonize the church.
And love was what Dr. Jerry Falwell, a favorite target of ridicule by elites, was about on this issue. Best-selling author and columnist Ann Coulter, who knew him, decried his demonization by the left and, especially, the gay community. Talk to him, she said, and you will find a man who "exuded Christian love for all men, hating sin while loving sinners."
In Mayberry, results count and compassion dominates. Its Judeo-Christian culture is described by columnist and radio talk host Dennis Prager as "the finest value system in the world (if) you care about goodness, justice and compassion prevailing in an often evil, unjust and cruel world." Compassion has compelled many Christian, Mormon and Jewish organizations to offer counseling services to assist individual gays in addressing relational issues. And what about the members of the gay community who have found love, fulfillment and commitment within a homosexual relationship? The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry counsels "wisdom, grace, and love." In other words, God bless -- and may you continue to enjoy a peace and commitment that defies the odds.
Do I believe our founder hated anyone? No, I do not. However, there have been times when he should've put his foot in his mouth and shut up or thought about better ways to say some of the things he said (i.e. his 9-11 comments).
Secondly, note the ending on that...he is admitting that it is possible to have a normal, homosexual relationship. The majority of gay guys desire that. While the homosexual lifestyle is portrayed as one where we're all caught up into going to clubs, dressing in drag, and sex being as common as a handshake (and we do more damage to ourselves with the gay pride weekends, which are nothing more than flagrant exhibitionistic acts that help enforce that image), I promise you there are many of us out there who are not like that at all, yet that is what the church...and, mainstream media to an extent, seem to portray us as.
However, those who believe science and God's word go hand-in-hand on this issue find themselves under attack in President Obama's nation. Obeying the law is not enough; you must think the way we do for, David Limbaugh notes, "there is just one acceptable viewpoint" even when the evidence suggests otherwise, as it does with homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
The gay issue is a microcosm of a larger set of issues. It is not about solving problems, or individual peace and fulfillment. It is about control...achieved by destroying Mayberry.
Here, he is again implying that Obama is for gay marriage, despite specifcally saying that Obama is for keeping marriage heterosexual. Secondly, his evidence has been shown to be flawed. Finally, I'm not aware of any missiles we've fired that are headed towards Mayberry, NC