Category: Homosexuality
Subject: Homosexuality
In The News: New Jersey – Same Sex Marriages
In a decision likely to stoke the contentious election-year debate over same-sex marriage, the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that state lawmakers must provide the rights and benefits of marriage to gay and lesbian couples.
The high court on Wednesday gave legislators six months to either change state marriage laws to include same-sex couples, or come up with another mechanism, such as civil unions, that would provide the same protections and benefits.
The court’s vote was 4-to-3. But the ruling was more strongly in favor of same-sex marriage than that split would indicate. The three dissenting justices argued the court should have extended full marriage rights to homosexuals, without kicking the issue back to legislators…
…Opponents of same-sex marriage contend the New Jersey decision could have a national impact because the state imposes no residency requirements for people seeking marriage. In essence, it could open the door for gay and lesbian couples from other states to marry in New Jersey and challenge laws against same-sex marriage in their own states.
The gay marriage debate intensified in 2004 when Massachusetts became the first and only state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. The state does not allow nonresidents to marry there, however.
Rose Arce, CNN
Analysis:
We have time and again shown that the scriptures reveal homosexuality to be a sin and an abomination before God (cf. Levitcus 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:26-28).
We have likewise pointed out that it is God, who established the marriage union, who defines its constituent parts. If God said that a “man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), then He defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Whatever men say does not change what marriage truly is.
What I may not have emphasized is how sad it is for individuals to define themselves and their lives by their sexual preferences. I can understand someone identifying themselves as a Christian, a parent, an American, or even by their ethnicity. What I can’t understand is defining oneself by their sexual activity. It is a strong indication of just how perverted and obsessed such individuals have become. When someone calls himself an alcoholic it is because alcohol has taken control, likewise a drug addict, glutton or adulterer. When an individual identifies himself as a homosexual, he is not describing a lifestyle, but a sexual act. Truly God has given “them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness…” (Rom. 1:28-29).
Pretending to be Righteous
In Luke 20, the historian records an attempt of the Pharisees to incite Jesus to say things which would get him in trouble with the Roman government. It may be that they felt Jesus would not answer them forthrightly if He knew who they were, so they sent men to Him who were to play the part of innocent, truth fearing men, to question Jesus with apparent sincerity. Luke put it this way, “So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor” (vs. 20).
In The News: ‘N Sync Singer Comes Out of Closet
Former ‘N Sync singer Lance Bass has announced he is gay and is in a very stable relationship with “Amazing Race” reality TV star Reichen Lehmkuhl.
The 27-year-old was afraid of coming out during his time with the boy band because he feared his sexuality would damage the group’s commercial prospects.
He tells People magazine, “I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys’ careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything.
“I didn’t know. Could that be the end of ‘N Sync? So I had that weight on me of like, ‘Wow, if I ever let anyone know, it’s bad.’ So I just never did.”
He adds, “The thing is, I’m not ashamed — that’s the one thing I want to say. I don’t think it’s wrong, I’m not devastated going through this. I’m more liberated and happy than I’ve been my whole life. I’m just happy.
“The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that (the rumors) really were starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it’s on my terms. I’m at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God so there’s really nothing else that I worry about.”
Bass is currently developing a TV sitcom with Fatone in which his character will be gay.
Joey Fatone was the first ‘N Sync member to find out Bass’ sexuality.
Fatone says, “He took years to really think about how he was going to tell everyone. I back him up 100 percent.”
SFGate.com
Analysis:
There is nothing out of the ordinary with the announcement that another entertainer is gay. In fact, in the present climate, it is rather doubtful that the announcement would have had a detrimental effect on the boy band’s popularity, despite Bass’ concerns.
What is worthy of note is Bass’ statement about being at peace with his family, friends, himself and God.
He is at peace with his family and friends because they are among those who “…knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (cf. Romans 1:32).
He is at peace with himself because he “because, although [he] knew God, [he] did not glorify Him as God, nor [was he] thankful, but became futile in [his] thoughts, and [his] foolish [heart was] darkened… 24 Therefore God also gave [him] up to uncleanness, in the lusts of [his heart], to dishonor [his body]…” (Roman 1:21,24).
But, he is not at peace with God. He has no right to speak for God. God says, “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them” (Leviticus 20:13). Homosexuality is an abomination. No man or woman who persists in that sin is at peace with the God of heaven.
Gay Marriage Ban Destined To Fail
WASHINGTON – President Bush and congressional Republicans are aiming the political spotlight this week on efforts to ban gay marriage, with events at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue – all for a constitutional amendment with scant chance of passage but wide appeal among social conservatives.
“Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all.”
Dutch Pedophiles to Launch Political Party
Dutch pedophiles are launching a political party to push for a cut in the legal age for sexual relations to 12 from 16 and the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals.
The Charity, Freedom and Diversity (NVD) party said on its Web site it would be officially registered Wednesday, proclaiming: “We are going to shake The Hague awake!”
The party said it wanted to cut the legal age for sexual relations to 12 and eventually scrap the limit altogether.
“A ban just makes children curious,” Ad van den Berg, one of the party’s founders, told the Algemeen Dagblad (AD) newspaper.
“We want to make pedophilia the subject of discussion,” he said, adding that the subject had been a taboo since the 1996 Marc Dutroux child abuse scandal in neighboring Belgium. “We have been hushed up. The only way is through parliament.”
The Netherlands already has liberal policies on soft drugs, prostitution, and gay marriage, but the NVD is unlikely to win much support, the AD quoted experts as saying.
“They make out as if they want more rights for children. But their position that children should be allowed sexual contact from age 12 is of course just in their own interest,” anti-pedophile campaigner Ireen van Engelen told the daily.
The party said private possession of child pornography should be allowed although it favors banning the trade of such materials. The broadcast of pornography should be allowed on daytime television, with only violent pornography limited to the late evening, according to the party.
Toddlers should be given sex education and youths aged 16 and up should be allowed to appear in pornographic films and prostitute themselves. Sex with animals should be allowed although abuse of animals should remain illegal, the NVD said.
The party also said everybody should be allowed to go naked in public.
The party’s program also includes ideas for other areas of public policy including legalizing all soft and hard drugs and free train travel for all.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters)
Analysis:
It is a bit difficult to be shocked anymore when presented with examples of ungodliness and immorality in our world. I must confess, however, to being especially appalled at the reading of the preceding article. Pedophilia (sexual activity with children) has long had adherents (from ancient Greece until our day. But it seems pedophiles are becoming more vocal in the pressing of their peculiar agenda to be accepted by society.
One reason why such perverts are emboldened in their agenda to legalize such abominations is that a secular society has no sound foundation upon which to exclude any immoral activity. If God is not the arbiter in the questions regarding good and evil, who is? If men determine what is immoral and what is not, perhaps men will one day determine that pedophilia is wholesome and harmless. Farfetched? Hardly, as we see this is exactly what has been done with regard to homosexuality, abortion and euthanasia.
In the days of Noah we are told, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). It seems that the world in our day is looking more and more like that ancient world. God destroyed that world by water. One wonders whether God’s longsuffering is nearing its end with us as well! “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).
Ballot to Ban Gay Marriage Debated
In a spirited debate that touched on topics ranging from slavery to the Progressive Era in American politics, supporters of same-sex marriage yesterday urged the state’s highest court to disqualify a controversial ballot question to ban gay matrimony starting in 2008.
A lawyer for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders argued before the Supreme Judicial Court that Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, in approving the ballot question, flouted a provision in the state constitution that blocks citizen-generated questions seeking the ”reversal of a judicial decision.” The SJC legalized gay marriage in Massachusetts in November 2003.
“Cruci-Fixin’s”
Muslims throughout the world are outraged at a set of cartoons published by a Danish newspaper (and later republished by a Norwegian paper), which depict the “prophet” Muhammad. As a general rule, the Muslim belief states that no images of Muhammad, or any other prophet, should be made. This is to help avoid idolatry. However, they were further outraged by the fact that Muhammad was demeaned in several of the cartoons; including one that showed Muhammad with a bomb for a turban. This outrage has ranged from silent discontent to the firebombing of Scandinavian embassies.
‘Brokeback Mountain’ Receives
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – “Brokeback Mountain” is moseying along the Academy Awards trail, its four Golden Globe wins – best drama among them – positioning the cowboy love story for Oscar glory.
Homosexual and transsexual themes dominated Monday’s Golden Globes with the key wins by “Brokeback Mountain,” plus acting honors for the film biography “Capote” and the gender-bending “Transamerica.”…
…The four Globes for “Brokeback Mountain,” the story of old ranch-hand buddies who conceal an ongoing homosexual affair from their families, included the directing award for Ang Lee.
The fact that “Brokeback Mountain” has found eager audiences across the country, including the conservative heartland, shows that Americans are willing to embrace stories of love in all forms, Lee said.
Texas Passes Proposition 2
Texans voted Tuesday to make same-sex marriages and civil unions unconstitutional.
The highly contested and controversial constitutional amendment defining a marriage in Texas as a union solely between one man and one woman passed by 76 percent, as of press time Tuesday.
Previously, gay marriages were outlawed in Texas, but the law granted judges discretion to allow civil unions.
“The passage of this amendment reaffirms the will of the mainstream Texans and protects the sanctity of marriage from activist judges who might seek to redefine it,” said state Sen. Todd Staples in a statement.
Staples, R-Palestine, sponsored the bill authored by state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa.
Chisum said he was thrilled but not surprised that the proposition passed.
“We’ve always been a conservative state that values family, and this just proves it in spades,” Chisum said. “You put the proper issue out there, and people will show up [to vote].”
Every state except for Massachusetts outlaws gay marriage. Texas became the 18th state to write a same-sex marriage ban into its constitution Tuesday.
By Marjon Rostami
The Daily Texan (Online)
Analysis:
It is gratifying that most Texans, at least, believe that marriage, by definition, is a “union solely between one man and one woman.” The amendment to the state constitution gives some protection, for now, to the institution of marriage in our state.
Arnold Vows Marriage Bill Veto
September 8, 2005 (AP)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced yesterday that he will veto a bill that would allow same-sex marriages in California.
Schwarzenegger said the legislation, given final approval Tuesday by lawmakers, would conflict with the intent of voters when they approved a ballot initiative five years ago. Proposition 22 prevents California from recognizing same-sex marriages from other states or countries.
“We cannot have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails that vote,” the governor’s press secretary, Margita Thompson, said in a statement. “Out of respect for the will of the people, the governor will veto.”…
…The Republican governor had indicated that he would veto the bill, saying the debate over same-sex marriage should be decided by voters or the courts…
…The announcement dampened a celebratory mood among the bill’s supporters, who only the night before cheered, hugged and kissed as the state Assembly narrowly sent the bill to the governor’s desk.
The vote made it the first legislative body in the country to approve same-sex marriage. The state already gives couples many of the rights and duties of marriage if they register as domestic partners.
Massachusetts’ highest court ruled in 2003 that the state constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry. The nation’s first state-sanctioned, same-sex weddings began taking place in May 2004.
Vermont began offering civil unions in 2000, after a ruling by the state’s Supreme Court. Earlier this year, Connecticut became the first state to approve civil unions without being forced by the courts.
Analysis:
The preceding article indicates a societal trend which violates God’s standards of what is right and moral, not to mention the divine definition of marriage. Rather than what is contended by the immoral today, Jesus, in commenting on marriage, quoted the Genesis account, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?” (Matthew 19:4-5).
Our society mirrors the ungodliness of the first century. The apostle Paul condemned the immoral. “Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).
It may be in the future that all states will recognize same sex marriages. If so, it will not change the fundamental fact that the Almighty God of Heaven most certainly does not and will not!
High Court Changes: O’Connor Retires
Patrick Guerriero, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, noted that the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court was appointed by Ronald Reagan. He praised O’Connor for her role in lifting state sodomy laws, “Which confirmed that the principle of individual liberty extended to gay and lesbian families.”
“Justice O’Connor’s retirement is a clarion call to every American that our rights are in grave dangers,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “The loss of [ her ] moderate voice is a serious threat to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, to women’s right and to protections for racial, ethnic and religious minorities.”
Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, called O’Connor’s retiring “a sad day for the Supreme Court and for America.” He urged the President “to honor the advice and consent role the Constitution gives the Senate” through a meaningful interaction with that body.
Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, expressed her shock and fear “about the direct impact Justice O’Connor’s retirement will have on each of our lives. Despite her very conservative philosophy, she has been a powerful swing vote on critical reproductive, women’s and LGBT issues.”
Some groups are even taking action in response to the resignation. The state and local chapters of the National Organization for Women ( NOW ) planned to stage rallies July 5 throughout Illinois to call for the nomination and confirmation of fair justices on the Supreme Court. Terry Cosgrove of Personal PAC, an Illinois pro-abortion group, added that concerned citizens should contact President Bush and urge him to select a nominee who will protect abortion rights and Roe v. Wade. Cosgrove also suggested contacting U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama and ask them to support only a nominee who believes Roe should stand.
by Bob Roehr 2005-07-06
Analysis:
The news that Sandra Day O’Connor will step down from the U.S. Supreme Court has panicked social liberals who now have to contend with two new, potentially conservative appointments before President Bush’s second term as President expires. The above article appeared in the Windy City Times, which bills itself as “The Voice of Chicago’s Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Trans Community Since 1985.”
It is doubtful that any individual picked by the President will please the ungodly. However, it would be a shame if Bush bowed to pressure, and appointed someone who would not protect the family, and the morals upon which this country was founded and has thrived for over two centuries.
We should pray to God for Bush, as our country’s leader, as per 2 Timothy 2:1-2, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
Clergy Debate New Approach to Morality
Straight people aren’t the only ones in God’s congregation in Rev. Carlyle Stewart’s view.
“People who are homosexual are worthy of God’s love and they are open to God’s gifts and graces,” said Stewart, the senior pastor of Hope United Methodist Church in Southfield.
Stewart and Rabbi Tamara Kolton of the Birmingham Temple in Farmington Hills spoke about faith and morality at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Royal Oak on May 24. [Both towns in Michigan, SC]
The talk, presented by the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, was intended to spark a conversation in the community at large about morality in the face of conservative religious figures’ political ascendance.
Before the gathering, Rabbi Kolton said gays and lesbians are more than welcome at her congregation.
“We are excited to have their participation and voice,” she said. “The Birmingham Temple was founded on the principal of human dignity.”
Many of the members of the Temple don’t believe in God, said Kolton, who describes herself as an agnostic.
“We’re not theists,” she said. “Judaism is more than a religion that worships God. We’re a civilization.”
Kolton spoke about her vision for a new day, when human dignity is truly appreciated, and a new clergy and a new religion – based on putting the planet first – comes to light.
“I want a new clergy where power flows from the people to the top,” she said. “Clergy should be experts in empathy.”
Sharon Gittlemman
Between the Lines News (6/2/05)
Analysis:
The report above is yet another indication that we are living in a Post-modern age. It is a time where individuals deny the idea of a absolute standard or reality, and is characterized by the belief that men have the right to create God in their own image. Or, in the case of “Rabbi Kolton”, to practice religion without even acknowledging God’s existence at all!
But, man does not have the right to determine for himself the purpose of religion, or to set his own standards with regard to morality. It matter’s not what we believe, what matters is God’s Will!
Rather than a religion that puts “the planet first”, note what Jesus said should be our priority. “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21).
Harmful Effects of Homosexuality
Homosexual Promiscuity. Studies indicate that the average male homosexual has hundreds of sex partners in his lifetime, a lifestyle that–is difficult for even “committed” homosexuals to break free of and which is not conducive to a healthy and wholesome atmosphere for the raising of children.
A. P. Bell and M. S. Weinberg, in their classic study of male and female homosexuality, found that 43 percent of white male homosexuals had sex with five hundred or more partners, with 28 percent having 1,000 or more sex partners.(A. P. Bell and M. S. Weinberg, Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978), pp. 308, 309; See also A. P. Bell, M. S. Weinberg, and S. K. Hammersmith, Sexual Preference (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1981).
In their study of the sexual profiles of 2,583 older homosexuals published in Journal of Sex Research, Paul Van de Ven et al. found that “the modal range for number of sexual partners ever [of homosexuals] was 101-500.” In addition, 10.2 percent to 15.7 percent had between 501 and 1000 partners. A further 10.2 percent to 15.7 percent reported having had more than 1000 lifetime sexual partners.(Paul Van de Ven et al., “A Comparative Demographic and Sexual Profile of Older Homosexually Active Men,” Journal of Sex Research 34 (1997): 354.)
Timothy J. Dailey, Ph.D.
via Family Research Council
Analysis:
As a part of the current efforts to legalize Gay and Lesbian marriages, homosexual advocates have sought to portray such relationships as “normal.” The reason for this is obvious. If such relationships are characterized as similar to heterosexual marriages, the obvious concerns that most Americans have regarding the welfare of children and the moral fiber of our society will be assuaged.
Gay Marriage Now Legal in Massachusetts
History was made yesterday as Massachusetts becomes the first state in the nation to allow gays to legally wed.
It was a busy day for Pittsfield City Clerk Jody Phillips, who said half a dozen couples had arrived at her office by noon, five female and one male couple.
Another 5 couples arrived at the City Clerk’s office later in the day to get their marriage licenses.
None of the couples asked for a waiver to bypass the three-day waiting period so they could get married immediately.
By Larry Kratka, WUPE Radio News – May, 18 2004
This report was compiled by WUHN/WUPE Radio, Pittsfield
Analysis:
In what is being called a “landmark decision”, the liberal Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that marriage laws in the state could not discriminate against same sex couples.
