The homosexual agenda continues to make strides on a daily basis. Since we published our last article on the subject a few weeks ago, the following things have occurred: 1) There was a graduation from a Dallas area school for homosexuals; 2) The Dallas Morning News also reported on the area’s first “gay prom”; 3) A school board in Grapevine refused to remove from the library a book checked out by a third grader, which promotes homosexuality; 4) a protest against The Practice received a scathing response; 5) Bill Clinton proclaimed June as Gay Pride month on June 11th; and 6) over 100 television stations across the country broadcast a propaganda piece for homosexuals entitled It’s Elementary. What will they do in July and August to top all these events: Gay Fireworks and Back-to-Gay-School Sales for homosexuals only?
The sixth event mentioned created the most controversy; in fact, KERA-TV (Channel 13) here in Dallas chose not to air the film, but it was shown in 23 of the top 30 markets, according to The Dallas Morning News of June 10th (37A). Furthermore, it will be used in some school districts to train teachers. It’s already been adopted in Newton, Massachusetts, which is hardly surprising for a state which keeps electing Barney Frank. It was made in San Francisco (who could have imagined?). “The message of the video is that homophobia gets ingrained early and hurts people, and that schools are one place to teach tolerance” (37A). What this sentence means is that parents can expect their children to be taught acceptance of homosexuality in many of the public schools. It also makes one wonder how homophobia is defined–as someone who believes the Bible?
When KERA refused to broadcast It’s Elementary, they cited sufficient reasons for that decision. They charged that the film was “not balanced” and “potentially inflammatory” (37A). The station spokesman added that “some parents’ morals might be offended” and that “the program takes the stance that people who disagree with its message are in the wrong.”
An editorial in the June 17th Cincinnati Enquirer made this observation:
Although advertising says the video will be “educational and promote respect and tolerance,” it teaches acceptance and tolerance of only one viewpoint: Homosexuality is healthy and normal and anyone who believes otherwise is stupid, bigoted and responsible for hate crimes. It’s peddled to state and local school boards as an “award-winning educational documentary.” No question, it is slick and manipulative.
The following excerpts tell something about the contents of the film from Jon Miskowski of Wisconsin Public Television, who replied via e-mail to someone protesting It’s Elementary. They were in the process of reviewing the program for possible broadcast. The video:
considers how teachers in six schools–including one in Madison–are using discussions about homosexuality to explore stereotypes, civil rights and different kinds of families. It looks at ways that children, not just the small minority who will grow up to be gay or lesbian, are affected by prejudice and name-calling…. It is not easy to resolve questions about how elementary schools should approach discussions of homosexuality and their place in the curriculum….
Wait just a moment! Schools have banned reading the Bible and prayer, and now they want to teach their own version of morality–or should we say more appropriately immorality. One teacher in the video argues that students must be taught that life-styles are equal. “There isn’t a right way, there isn’t a wrong way; there isn’t a good way, there isn’t a bad way.” Of course, fourth-graders will probably not think to answer this nonsense by saying, “So what you are saying is that there are no moral values. In that case, it is not wrong or immoral to reject homosexuality, either.”
But there’s more. Following the discussion, the students are herded into the auditorium for a mandatory “Gay and Lesbian Pride” program. Teachers praise the fourth graders for being more tolerant than their parents. Christians must ask themselves, “Is this the kind of irreligious propaganda I want my children taught?” There is a greater need for private schools than ever–a place where students are actually taught mathematics, science, history, and English instead of “socially correct” attitudes, and where students are passed on their own merits instead of receiving social promotions and not being able to read when they graduate!
It’s Elementary claims to get rid of stereotypes, but does it tell the truth about the diseases that homosexuals transmit and receive? Does it mention how many partners the average homosexual has during his brief lifetime? Or does it simply whitewash these matters in order to gain acceptance for the sin?
According to some, the film’s producers included some stereotypes. They portray all Christians as dangerous bigots. How will that affect the students of religious families who remain in the public school system? It is a shame and a disgrace that our government uses the tax dollars from Christian families to promote perversion in schools where those same children attend! No wonder the idea of school vouchers is gaining in popularity!
The director and co-producer had the temerity to take to task the television station for not airing their propaganda piece. She took issue with the statement that the video is “not balanced” (The Dallas Morning News, 6-20-99, 3A). Once again, she used the fallacy of comparing homosexual prejudice with racial prejudice, as if the Bible ever called it a sin to be black, yellow, red, or white. One’s race is determined by birth. One’s sexual preference is learned. One cannot change the former; many have changed the latter. Thus, these two are not comparable. Perhaps the producer is blinded by prejudice against the Scriptures, or she could see that point.
No Christian would argue in favor of anti-gay crimes; no one is advocating harming others, but there must be a better way of teaching respect than by disregarding the Scriptures.
Recently Jim Neugent from Mena, Arkansas, wrote to ABC to protest the way homosexuality was handled on a recent episode of The Practice. The mother of one of the lawyers on the show decided she was a homosexual and wanted her son to go to court to help her get a marriage license to marry her “partner.” The only one opposed to the idea was the office “dufus,” who was made to look “out of touch.” Romans 1 was cited in protest of the show’s favorable stance on homosexuality. The reply from the ABC on-line Webmaster was blistering:
How about getting your nose out of the Bible (which is ONLY a book of stories compiled by MANY different writers hundreds of years ago) and read the Declaration of Independence (what our nation is built on) where it says “All Men are Created Equal”–and try treating them that way for a change!? Or better yet, try thinking for yourself and stop using an archaic book of stories as your crutch for your existence.
There was an apology issued later on, and the person who wrote those words was disciplined in some manner, but the hostility and rage is honest. It may only be a matter of time before assaults on the Bible become fashionable and believers suffer persecution of a physical nature (besides already being socially incorrect).
These charges demand a step-by-step refutation. How about getting your nose out of the Bible…. This is the greatest compliment we have been paid since the worldly woman on Donahue accused us of being “blinded by the Bible.” Since wisdom, understanding, truth, salvation, and eternal life are found in the Scriptures (John 6:66), why would we want to cease our association with something so healthy? No one has died from AIDS by studying the Word of God!
Is the Bible ONLY a book of stories? Although the Bible contains many historical narratives, especially in the Old Testament, it also contains moral and ethical teachings, which the “stories” illustrate. Accounts of human interaction in the Bible are not there to entertain, as Homer did with The Iliad and The Odyssey. They are presented to reveal how God views things and how He deals with mankind.
…compiled by MANY different writers hundreds of years ago…. Writers write; editors compile. Which does the hostile critic wish to charge the Scriptures with? The fact that there are about 40 different writers who wrote over a period of 1600 years is one of the Bible’s strengths. No one has ever been able to duplicate its unity. Muhammed is the only writer of the Qur’an, and he contradicts himself. Who wants to take charge of a committee of 40 people today (who enjoy the advantage of being contemporaries) and produce a document the size of the Scriptures, touching every possible moral issue known to man, and produce a work with doctrine that is completely harmonious? Incidently, whereas certain contradictions have been alleged (erroneously) regarding various Bible teachings, homosexuality has not been one of them. It is completely, thoroughly, and unanimously condemned throughout. If homosexuals could find even one verse that was favorable to their cause, they would shout it from the rooftops.
…read the Declaration of Independence (what our nation is built on) where it says “All Men are Created Equal”…. Guess what? That line from the Declaration of Independence includes some words which the Bible critic omitted. The complete sentence is:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
Endowed by whom? Our nation is built upon the Biblical concept of God. Our founding fathers, unlike the ABC spokesman, believed in that “book of stories.” They also made other references to God, as seen in the two concluding sentences.
We therefore, the Representatives of the United Stated of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies, are and of Right ought to be free and independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliance, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor.
So, in this short document our founding fathers appealed to the Creator, the Judge of the world, and Divine Providence. Perhaps the ABC on-line Webmaster would like to reconsider his appeal to the Declaration of Independence.
Furthermore, nothing in these words authorizes perversion. Being created equal does not guarantee the freedom to be a thief, an adulterer, a homosexual, or a child molester. Nor does this document guarantee that any of those individuals are worthy of respect. They are guaranteed legal rights, so long as they do not transgress the laws of this society. Even then, they have the legal right to defend themselves.
Or better yet, try thinking for yourself and stop using an archaic book as your crutch for your existence…. Christians do think for themselves. We do not just blindly accept the Bible any more than we would any other book. But we know through various means that the Bible is what it claims to be–the inspired Word of God. If the critic is implying that the only people who think for themselves are those who agree with him, he certainly does not suffer from poor self-esteem!
The Bible is not a crutch; it is a viable explanation for the origin of all things. We have never seen a better explanation, nor did this man offer one. His demeaning, irreverent, and critical attitude toward the Scriptures is precisely what we can expect from those who do not believe in God. Their credo is, “Might makes right.” And if the day comes in which this thinking prevails, they will not hesitate to persecute those who are not as “enlightened” as they are.
Many denominations have had trouble in recent years over “ordination” of homosexuals and homosexual marriages. The latest problem was reported in The Dallas Morning News last Saturday (June 26, 1999).
With the governor on one side and a prominent congressman on the other, a leading United Methodist church in the Atlanta suburbs split this week in the latest case of what has become a crisis in the church on the issue of same-sex unions.
A breakaway group, led by the former pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Marietta, had its first official service Sunday. Attending and signing up to join the breakaway congregation, named Wesleyan Fellowship, were U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, an influential Republican, and his wife, Jeri.
Gov. Roy Barnes, a Democrat, chose to stay at First United Methodist, which has about 5,000 members (4G). [Note: This is the group favoring such unions.]
Several churches of Christ have caught up to denominations in doctrinal infidelity; how long can it be before they join them in moral looseness as well? When will we read a news story about a split in some large, liberal “church of Christ” over same-sex unions?
How shameful that groups of so-called “Christians,” who should be the last bastion of morality, are often times the ones leading the charge for the public to accept the latest immorality. One thing is certain: We are probably in for more and more news stories and movies sympathetic to homosexuals and encouraging acceptance of same-sex marriages. When that day of approval arrives, it will only be a short step to silencing any opposition. Appeals to the Scriptures will be classified as “hate speech” or as “hate crimes,” and religious freedom will become a thing of the past.
Since completing the article in this week”s bulletin, I have had occasion to read the following headlines.
6-17-99: “Baptists Again Aim At Gays”
6-24-99: “Report that Lincoln Was Gay Stirs Anger in Illinois Town”
6-25-99: “U.S. Honors Gay Site an Historic Place”
6-26-99: “Presbyterians Uphold Stance Against Ordaining Gays, Lesbians”
6-30-99: “G-CISD Board Delays Decision in Book Dispute”
The first four appeared in The Dallas Morning News; the last one is from the Denton Record-Chronicle. The most grotesque one is the Lincoln article. Some “scholars” hope to prove that Lincoln, as well as Washington and Custer, was a homosexual. The last of the five mentioned above deals with a children’s book, Tiger Flowers, which is on the shelves of an area elementary school. The boy loses an uncle and his “friend” to AIDS. Homosexuality is implicit and obviously approved.
The fact is that homosexuals, and those who support their agenda have no shame. Hopefully, there will be a backlash against this constant “in-your-face” barrage of degradation!