Topic category: Other/General
Defend your values, while you still can
“No deception, no matter how skilled or sophisticated, can hide the devastation caused by the sexual revolution and its radical wing, the gay rights movement. Broken homes, child abuse, abortion and AIDS are the inevitable result of a false view of sexual morality.” –Michael S. Heath
Militant homosexuals are shutting down free speech. They’ve been targeting speakers, workshops, and conferences. Basically any event where a conservative view on homosexuality is presented by a speaker, or discussed/debated during a workshop is fair game. Gritty “gay” radicals are troubled that people will hear the conservative side of the argument that says, “gays can change.” In the last month several news sources reported that some “gays” and lesbians intent on muzzling free speech have started rioting. Once they’ve taken over, “queer activists” march around clapping, screaming, beating on pots and pans and chanting at the top of their lungs, “We’re here, we’re queer. Get used to it!” and “H--l no, we won’t go!”
Case in point: On April 29 a group of apoplectic lesbians burst into a room where Ryan Sorba was giving a speech. A pro-family action group in Massachusetts, Mass Resistance, described what ensued approximately 15 minutes into Sorba’s speech:
“Dozens of lesbian activists at Smith College climbed in through windows and stormed the podium in a riot scene shortly after Ryan Sorba began a speech on his upcoming book, The Born Gay Hoax. The melee forced an end to the speech before a packed hall in the library on the Northampton campus. Uniformed police officers and a plainclothes security guard were in the room but mostly just stood and watched. Rather than take action against the rioters, the officers and a university official walked to the podium and ordered Sorba to leave the room ‘for his own safety.’” [1] (View the chilling video here http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/08a/born_gay_hoax/smith_0329/index.html)
This past April homosexuals rioted in Germany to shut down a Christian youth festival. Christival is said to be “THE Christian event of the year.” Dw-world.de reported that as many as 16,000 Germans, ages 16 to 26, travel to the city of Bremen to attend the “belief party.” Youth can join in on “feel-good events” that include singing and prayer. Christival has drawn a fair amount of media coverage over the years, but in 2008 it received way more attention than it bargained for. The feel-good event turned into a nightmare! When leftists learned that seminars on homosexuality and abortion that were critical of both were planned, they went ballistic. On opening day 100 hooded protestors crashed the event, pitched Molotov cocktails into the crowd and attempted to storm the stage. Hundreds of others marched in protest. As well, Christival’s website was sabatoged by hackers.
Bomb throwers were also smoked because Christival had received money from the German government. According to Dw-world.de:
“While the seminars' stances were in line with the conservative line of the festival organizers, it did not, according to many protesters, fit in with modern German society.”
So in Germany if a group of people don’t share the alleged majority opinion on certain issues, in this case homosexuality and abortion, they may have Molotov cocktails tossed at them?
There’s more. Earlier this year:
“Christival came under fire for a planned seminar entitled ‘Understanding Homosexuality -- A Chance to Change’. According to jesus.de, [Christival chairman] Werner ‘used to believe he was homosexual,’ but was now ‘happily married to his wife.’” [2]
The long and short of it is that when “gays” put up a stink the seminar was cancelled. Werner said he made the decision to cancel because all the controversy had “made it impossible to hold a proper discussion.” It seems homosexual tyrants of tolerance will not tolerate those who want to change their orientation, as it is counterproductive to the cause, which is, in part, to redefine the historic teaching of the Church. Imagine a small minority or voices changing Scripture and tradition to “normalize” a sexual perversion. But that’s another article.
Back to the USA…
The Washington Times reported that in May the American Psychiatric Association (APA) held its annual conference. One of the workshops, “Homosexuality and Therapy: The Religious Dimension,” had to be cancelled after “gay” activists campaigned against two evangelicals who were to participate on the panel. When the activists realized the workshop would go forward even after numerous attempts to torpedo it, they put the screws to one of the panelists. According to the Times:
“But when its star panelist, the openly gay New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, dropped out last week, plans for the symposium collapsed amid an avalanche of criticism from gays.”
Why did the Bishop suddenly opt out of the conference? He says it was because his participation would lend credibility to “that so-called therapy." The “so-called therapy” he was referring to is “orientation reparative therapy” or “conversion therapy.” Now, my saying this might cause another riot, but here goes. Reversal to heterosexuality is possible for some homoexuals. In fact, there are a number of ex-gays/lesbians, thanks largely to conversion therapy. (Conversion therapy is out of the scope of this article but for anyone interested in learning more about it, visit the website of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality and read “Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy: Help or Hindrance? by William L. Dreikorn, D. Min., Ph.D. [3] )
The article continues:
"’It was a way to have a balanced discussion about religion and how it influences therapy,’ said David Scasta, a former APA president and a gay psychiatrist in charge of assembling the panel. ‘We wanted to talk rationally, calmly and respectfully to each other, but the external forces made it into a divisive debate it never intended to be.’"
A “gay” website made the claim that the event was "junk science on stage." They feared the panel would have legitimized "homophobic views." But by far their biggest fear was that the APA would reconsider its current position that homosexuality cannot be changed. (ABC News presented a “fair and balanced” report on what went on at the conference, Can Someone’s Sexual Preference be Changed? To watch the report click here, or go to Footnote 4)
PFOX, an organization that counsels the ex-gay community and educates the public on sexual orientation, explains why the public hears so little about ex-gays/lesbians:
“Many ex-gays are afraid to come out of the closet because of the harassment they will receive -- their names, phone numbers and personal information posted on gay websites; attacked at ex-gay exhibit booths; press releases issued against them, etc. The tactics of gay activists are to go after anyone who comes out publicly as ex-gay, force them back into the closet, and then claim that ex-gays don't exist because there aren't any out in public.” [5]
Hard to believe that some “gays” and lesbians want to deny personal choice and freedom to homosexuals who want to go straight. As PFOX pointed out, ex-gays are marginalized, intimidated and even threatened by militant “gays” and lesbians. Homosexuals who were once “in the closet” and “came out” openly flaunt their “gayness.” Now some of these same people, who celebrate their freedom, want to lock ex-gays “in the closet” and throw away the key! How intolerant of them! But they have a good reason for squashing ex-gay’s free speech. Fear. They don’t want the public to become aware that tens of thousands of men and women have overcome homosexuality.
Clearly, militant “gay” activists want to shut down public debate. They sneer at the idea that a person can change and have convinced society that no lasting change is possible, contrary to the facts. Doctors who hold this view are also marginalized. Here’s a real “inconvenient truth” to mull over:
“The so-called common wisdom that homosexuality is innate, unchangeable and not unhealthy,” says Dr. Edith M. Humphrey “is not shared by all specialists.” [6] The Left targets those who spell out the inherent dangers akin to practicing same-sex sex and uses totalitarian tactics against them. Say anything negative about homosexuality and you’re judged—I repeat, judged!—by liberals who accuse you of inciting hate. This despite the fact that “throughout the centuries homosexuality has been forbidden, and often (though not always) as a very grave sin.” [7]
Christianity presents the single greatest hurdle to the normalization of homosexuality. In order for “gays” to gain acceptance they must first discredit the Bible and demonize anyone who believes the Holy Scriptures are the infallible, inerrant Word of God. And woe to any orthodox scholar who has the backbone to speak out against revisionist “gay” theology -- which is a total sham, by the way. Revisionist “scholars” have one purpose: to advance fictional interpretations of Scripture for the purpose of normalizing aberrant behavior.
More from America…
The Dallas News reported that on May 3 during the United Methodist General Conference:
“About 300 people took the floor…protesting the denomination's persistence in saying the practice of homosexuality is ‘incompatible’ with Christian teaching.
“Legislative action at the Fort Worth Convention Center was stopped for 15 minutes to allow the demonstration, which included singing of the spiritual ‘Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)?’
“The action went peacefully. At the General Conference eight years ago in Cleveland, about 200 gay-rights supporters were arrested.” [8]
Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, expressed mixed emotions regarding the outcome of the conference. In a recent blog, United Methodists Maintain Standards [9], Mohler had this to say:
“Meeting for its General Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas, the Methodists voted 517 to 416 to keep the current policy and language in its Book of Discipline. The denomination voted down a proposal to replace the ‘incompatible with Christian teaching’ language with a statement that the church should ‘refrain from judgment regarding homosexual persons and practices as the Spirit leads us to new insight.’"
Admittedly, UMC’s decision to maintain its stance that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching” was won by a narrow margin, so is there any doubt that the issue will resurface at the next General Conference in 2012? Mohler remarked that those who are working to maintain biblical standards within other denominations and churches should be encouraged. “A narrow victory is still a victory,” he said.
Should Christians concern themselves with this contentious issue? Gary Bauer, president of American Values, thinks so. In his May 16 End of the Day Report, Bauer said flatly that he’s deeply worried that American’s free speech and religious liberty is at stake:
“First Amendment freedoms…are jeopardized if the militant homosexual rights movement and its liberal allies in Congress succeed in passing so-called ‘hate crimes’ legislation. They cloak their demands in the rhetoric of ‘tolerance’ and ‘civil rights,’ but their aim is forced acceptance and your job could be next. Speak up now and defend your values, while you still can!”
Is it is essential for the Church to present a clear message on the issue of sexual immorality? Yes! Problem is, many Christians are woefully ignorant of what the Bible teaches on the subject, so they’re ill equipped to argue their case. But this is only part of the problem. Excuse my bluntness, but one of the biggest problems in postmodern churches is that “Christians” are too timid to stand up for what they say they believe in. They seem more concerned about being labeled “unloving” than speaking the truth in love! So instead of exercising God’s power over evil, they succumb to the power of Satan. Why, pray tell, would a spirit-filled Christian fear facing off with a liar?
And by the way, the jury is not out on homosexuality, as some “Progressive Christians” would have us believe. The Almighty has sealed their fate. (1 Cor. 6:9-10) Now before you cloud up and storm all over me, I’m talking about practicing homosexuals, not those who abstain from sexual relations. According to Scripture (not Marsha West) anyone involved in homoerotic activity must repent of their sin and turn away from it. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” In other words, those who confess their sins and turn away from it are forgiven. Punishment for the unrepentant sinner is separation from God, both here on Earth and for all eternity.
My main point is that same-sex sex has always been a sin; therefore, as long as humans inhabit this planet it will remain a sin. God, Himself, wrote the rule Book -- and He did not mince words regarding homosexuality. A number of scriptural texts teach plainly that it is a perversion.
For the liberal Christian who thinks opposition to homosexuality is an “irrational fear” and denies that homosexuality is a sin, read it and weep:
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:21-32).
In these passages Paul describes homosexuality as a symptom of man’s rebellion against God. Note that He does not single out homoerotic behavior; he includes it with other symptoms of man’s rebellion, to include envy, murder…slanderers, arrogant, boastful, etc. These behaviors represent sins against a Holy God. All of these acts are a rejection of God's purposes for His creation. As Paul stated in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” Sinners deserve death. But instead of death we receive God’s mercy and grace. Because God loves us, He sent His precious Son to patch things up:
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant” (Colossians 1:19-23).
Marsha West
Berean Research (Owner, Editor)
[2] Christian Festival Faces Allegations of Discriminationdw-world.de website http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3307574,00.html
[3] “Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy: Help or Hindrance? By William L. Dreikorn, D. Min., Ph.D.
[4] Can Someone's Sexual Preference be Changed? – ABC 7 News website, Video On Demand http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0508/517023_video.html?ref=newsstory
[5] Ex-Gays Afraid to Come Out for Fear of Persecution: ABC News Report By Michael Baggot http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08050719.html
[6] "How Is Homosexuality Understood in Scripture, Tradition, and in Contemporary Theology?" Discussion Paper #3: Dialogue on Same-Sex Unions: Anglican Diocese of New Westminster (Canada) By Dr. Edith M. Humphrey http://www.augustinecollege.org/papers/EH_00_3.htm
[7] Ibid.
[8] Hundreds protest Methodist church's stance on homosexuality at Fort Worth conference, May 3, 2008 By Sam Hodges http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/050308dnmetmethodists.bb48a9d8.html
[9] United Methodists Maintain Standards by Albert Mohler http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_print.php?id=1142
Additional Reading:
Wounds inflicted by sexual revolution can be healed--By Michael S. Heath http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=181053
"Homosexuality Is Not Hardwired," Concludes Dr. Francis S. Collins, Head Of The Human Genome Project--By A. Dean Byrd, Ph.D, MBA, MPH http://www.narth.com/docs/nothardwired.html
Homosexuality and the Bible: Telling the Truth--By Albert Mohler, Jr. http://albertmohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2004-04-20
Ex-gay Websites:
Exodus International http://www.exodus-international.org/
Stephen Bennett Ministries http://www.igroops.com/igroops/sbm
The Parents Group http://www.igroops.com/igroops/theparentsgroup
Copyright by Marsha West, 2008. All rights reserved.
Biography - Marsha West
Marsha West is a religious and political-based writer. Until recently Marsha was owner and managing editor of the Email Brigade website and the EMB News Report for over 20 years. She is currently co-owner and editor of Berean Research and general editor of the Christian Research Network. Marsha’s articles have been published widely, both online and in print. Her articles appear on Berean Research, Christian Research Network, News With Views, RenewAmerica and Web Commentary. Visit her resource website: http://onsolidrockresources.com