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SAME SEX
MARRIAGE
DEBATE
What
does the Bible say?
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
THE
SAME SEX MARRIAGE DEBATE
"Who
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the
creature more than the Creator, who is bless for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
woman did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And
likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in
their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is
unseemly, and receiving in themselves the recompence of there error which
was meet." (Romans 1:24-27)
"Thou
shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination."
(Leviticus 18:22)
1
Corinthians 6:9-10 - "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves
with mankind, nor thieves, no covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
The
Bible says, "The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment."
(Job 20:5) Could that apply to the standing ovation afforded new
consecrated Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, who in an historic and
diverse move became the first openly homosexual bishop in that U.S. demolition?
It
is clear from medical
statements on the homosexual lifestyle, that much of the sexual
activity in the homosexual community revolves around men's or boy's
rectums.
Benchmark
Ruling, In the 1995 Rosenburg decision, A Canadian Federal Court ruled
that the age of consent for sodomy must be reduced to 14 years from 18
years of age, since anal sex is "a basic form of expression for gay
men."
 Dr.
Daniel Cappon, psychiatrist at the University of Toronto, who treated
hundreds of homosexuals over the years, stated: "Homosexuality by
definition , is not healthy or wholesome.. At worst, the homosexual
person will die younger and suffer emotional, mental and physical
illnesses more often than the normal person. The natural history of
the homosexual person seems to be one of frigidity, impotence, broken
personal relationships, psychosomatic disorders, alcoholism, paranoia and
suicide."
HARRY
JAFFA, professor Emeritus of Claremont McKenna College writes:
"From ancient and Biblical times, anal sexual intercourse has been
regarded by the greatest Legislators and Moralists as a vicious sexual
perversion. It is condemned equally by the Old and New
Testaments... Thomas Jefferson, in a crimal code written during the
American Revolution, made it a FELONY to the same class as RAPE."
JOHN
WESLEY - founder of the Methodist Church - stated that the judgment
of God upon those who practice the sin of homosexuality, as found in
Romans Chapter 1:24-28, was that God lifted His Spirit from them and
allowed an evil spirit to bring darkness and perversion into their minds,
so that they no longer knew right from wrong! John Wesley's
Commentary on Romans, Chapter 1 states: "Receiving the just
recompense of their error, their idolatry, being punished with unnatural
lust; which was as horrible a dishonor to the body, as their idolatry was
to God."
MARTIN
LUTHER - leader of the Protestant Reformation - declared that some
Roman Catholic priests committed fornication with woman worshippers.
Referring to homosexuality, Luther stated: "Some of the priests are
committing a sin among themselves that is too horrible to mention by
name."
Pundits
who are 'homosexual crusades' (i.e. - one who hatefully labels anyone
disagreeing with this viewpoint - homophobic; one who is obsessed with
elevating sodomy to a place of normalcy and above), often write about
"the love that dare not speak its name." Is that not a
misnomer? Should it not rather be called "lust"?
I am sure that the great 16th century prophet Martin Luther would agree.
THE
UNTHINKABLE HAPPENED
St.
Paul detailed the tragic and hopeless condition of people who had known
God but forsaken Him, in his 'Epistle to the Romans.' The Sovereign
Lord had revealed Himself to them through His creation. Even though
they had fellowshipped with Him, they became unthankful and repressed the
knowledge of God (like our high schools and universities), because of
their sinful lifestyles.
They
"held (repressed) the truth in unrighteousness", therefore God
sent them a strong delusion that they would believe a lie. Since
they had knowingly turned "the truth of God into a lie", He
allowed an evil spirit to cloud their minds, rendering them unable to
differentiate between right and wrong.
Their
precipitous fall from wisdom to a depraved mind, becoming reprobates and
finally sexual perverts (homosexual acts) as terribly sad.
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affection: for even their
women did change into that which is against nature. And likewise also the
men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one
toward another; men with men working that which in unseemly (shameful)
and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet
their (due).
"And
even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them
over to a reprobate (debased) mind, to do those things which are not
convenient (fitting)." (Romans 1:26-28)
THE
DOWNWARD SPIRAL
1.
They knew God and had been endowed with wisdom through their God-given
gift of reason and faith.
The
Creator had revealed to them His great power through His creation.
Only a very foolish person would reject God after witnessing His power in
the earth, universe and cosmos which He created for His glory and our
use! They were endowed with normalcy and a mental capacity to know
right from wrong! (verse 19,20)
David
stated: "The fool hath said in his heart there is no God."
(Psalms 14:1) David was making the point that a fool (idiot,
imbecile) doesn't know any better because an idiot has no reasoning
ability. He is not responsible for his ridiculous statements about
God.
2.
They held down the truth in unrighteousness. They repressed the
truth because of advantage, compromise, fear or cover-up
They
knew the truth, but didn't embrace, practice or preach it. They
repressed it, similar to preachers who know that they should warn their
congregations about the eternal consequences of sinning and their need to
receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, but repress these truths for
fear of losing their position.
Similarly,
politicians voted against defending the sacred rite of marriage between
one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others, even though they
knew they were doing wrong.
3.
They stopped thanking God, became proud and vain in their imaginations
and their foolish heart was darkened
Professing
themselves to be wise, they became FOOLS. In essence, they became their
own God! They fell from being wise to becoming fools when their
“foolish heart became darkened”. And they began worshipping
themselves and created beings like birds, animals and creeping things
like snakes and vermin.
4.
Then, God gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own
hearts, to DISHONOR their own bodies between themselves.
They
changed the truth of God into a lie, worshipping the creature instead of
the Creator.
Because
of this, God allowed evil spirits of perversion to possess them, and they
began to burn with sexual lust after members of their own sex -
homosexual lust - men with men and women with women - being filled with
vile and unnatural passions.
Since
they did not want God in their lives, He removed His protection from
them. He let them go their own way and do their own thing and
consequently, evil spirits filled the void by giving them a reprobate
mind. They brought the judgment of God upon themselves.
These
individuals digressed from being wise to repressing the truth. Being
proud and unthankful, they became fools with a darkened mind, believing
that they themselves were God. They expedited their rapid descent by
worshipping birds, animals and creeping things.
Being
beyond redemption, God gave them up to pervert their bodies between
themselves! Like the angels who “left their first estate” as angels,
and assumed human bodies to have sexual intercourse with women, the
people St. Paul refers to also “left their first estate” as men, and
had sexual intercourse with members of their own sex (homosexual sex).
Their women did likewise, bringing upon themselves God’s wrath and
condemnation.
THEIR
HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY HAD MADE THEM BECOME REPROBATES IN GOD’S EYES
It
is noteworthy, that God’s judgment upon the fallen angels who had sex
with human females was drastic. The Scriptures say that they are
presently imprisoned in a place called ‘Tartarus’,
awaiting final judgment at the hand of the Almighty! (Jude 6,
7)
The
perverts that St. Paul speaks about here were also judged and placed
outside of God’s protection and given a reprobate mind, not knowing
right from wrong! This is what John Wesley referred to! Some theologians
believe that homosexuals cannot be redeemed, citing the Scripture in
Romans, as well as the case of the fallen angels imprisoned in Tartarus.
On
the contrary, I believe that because of God’s grace, all homosexuals
could be saved, if they repented of their sins and cried out to Almighty
God for mercy, and renounced their wicked lifestyle.
He
delights in being merciful to all who call upon His Holy name in
sincerity and truth! Because GOD is love! The people referred to by St.
Paul did not seek God in repentance. They did not ask for forgiveness or
seek to change their evil ways.
Also,
in the case of the angels that “left their first estate”, they did
not have a free will as we do. They were created as angelic beings to do
God’s bidding! They did not have a sinful nature to deal with as we do!
Their terrible fall was unforgivable and they have suffered the
consequences and will do so forever.
Human
reprobates, however, like all other sinners can be saved by the mercy of
God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for us
all! Hallelujah! I have personally witnessed the conversion and
transformation of a number of homosexuals.
Like
all sinners, the miracle happens when the seeking soul calls out for
mercy, asking for God’s forgiveness and inviting Jesus Christ to come
into his heart.
Here
are three sins which God cannot forgive:
I.
The Unpardonable Sin – “Verily I say unto you. All sins shall be
forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they
shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath
never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Because they
said He had an unclean spirit.” (Mark
3: 28-30)
The
Pharisees accused Jesus of ‘casting out’ evil spirit from those
possessed, by the power of Beelzebub the prince of devils. Jesus stated
that by calling the blessed Holy Spirit a devil, they were blaspheming
Him.
This
is called ‘The Unpardonable Sin’ “For if ye forgive men their
trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you
forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses.” (Matthew 6: 14-15)
“So
likewise shall My Heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your
heart, forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” (Matthew
19: 35)
In
the LORD’S PRAYER, He points out the seriousness of refusing to
forgive someone who has wronged us. We have no other option, but to
forgive! And in this parable, Jesus paints a picture of the great debt
God has forgiven us in comparison to the insignificantly small debt
others owe us! If we who were guilty of such a great sin against God that
He had to send His Son to pay our penalty, should we not be willing to
forgive those who have wronged us?
If
we refuse to do so, He cannot forgive us.
The
Sin Unto Death – “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not
unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin
not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he should
pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin unto
death.”(1 John 5: 16-17)
For
years, I sought God through prayer and Bible study for enlightenment
regarding the “sin unto death”. I have come to the conclusion, that
it is the awful sin of deliberately and knowingly rejecting the divinity
of Jesus Christ, after having believed on Him and having known Him as
Lord and Saviour.
In
his Gospel and throughout his epistles, St. John majors on the fact that
Jesus was God in human flesh! God the Son was incarnated, begotten of the
Father, born of a virgin woman, died victoriously as our substitute on a
rugged cross and arose from the dead effectively destroying the power of
sin, death, hell and Satan,
having thereby met the demands of divine justice and purchased our full
salvation for time and eternity.
The
writer to the Hebrews - probably St. Paul - spells it out in no uncertain
terms: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened,
and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy
Ghost."
"And
have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If
they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing them
crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open
shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6)
It
has been written, that the hatred for Jesus Christ by the religious
authorities was so vehement after His resurrection and because of the
split in Judaism and the tremendous growth of the Church, that anyone
desiring to be reinstated in the synagogue had to renounce Jesus Christ
in a public ceremony by walking over the blood of a swine, as though it
were the blood of our Lord.
If
this were the case, you can readily see what the Bible refers to in these
two passages! "...seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God
afresh, and put Him to an open shame." (Hebrews 6:6)
"Of
how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who
hath trodden foot the Son of God, and bath counted the blood of the
covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done
despite to the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29)
THE
BIBLE IS THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD AND JESUS IS THE LIVING WORD
Jesus
is the living word of God. The Bible states: "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the father,
full of grace and truth." (John 1:1, 2, 14)
St.
John declares: "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have
heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists;
whereby ye know that it is the last time. They went out from us,
but they were not of us; for it they had been of us, they would no doubt
have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made
manifest that they were not of us."
"Who
is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth
the Son, hath not the Father, but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the
Father also." (1 John 2:18, 19, 22, 23)
"Hereby
know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: And this is that spirit of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now
already is it in the word."
"Hereby
know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us because He hath given to us of
His Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father hath
sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in Him, and He in
God." (1 John 4:2, 3, 13-15)
"Whoso
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Who is he that
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of
God?"
"He
that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that
believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God
hath given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He that
hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life."
"These
things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on
the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:1, 5, 10-13)
"And
we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
And we know that the Son of God is come, and that given us an
understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and that we are in Him
that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God
and eternal life." (1 John 5:19-20)
MY
EXPERIENCE WITH A HOMOSEXUAL DYING OF AIDS
More
than a dozen years ago, I was on a flight from Toronto to London,
England. Sitting next to me was a British man who was drinking
excessively. After some small talk, I said, "Sir, I'm sure it
can't be too healthy for you to consume so much liquor, especially since
we're airborne." He replied: "It doesn't really matter,
since I'm dying anyway. I have AIDS!"
I
informed him that I was a Minister of the Gospel and was heading to
Norway to preach the Word of God. And that the Sovereign Lord Who
had created him and given him life, cared for him and loved him. He
listened politely and then divulged that many years earlier he had
attended a Billy Graham crusade in England and "gone forward to
receive Jesus Christ as his Lord". In the morning he had felt
no different and therefore decided that although he believed in God, he
did not believe in the saving power of Jesus.
"You
didn't give the Lord much time, did you? And you didn't contact a
church or pastor for help and instruction, did you?" I
queried. Then the gentleman looked me straight in the eye and said:
"I'm homosexual, and you probably will say that I'm getting what I
deserve and that I'm a great sinner because I'm a homosexual."
I
replied: "No Sir, I would not say that! Rather, I would say,
"You are a homosexual, because you are a great sinner!"
Our
conversation continued for several hours, and ended up with him allowing
me to pray that God would show mercy upon him and save and heal him,
although he refused to invite Jesus Christ to come into his life.
ALL
SINNERS ARE PRECIOUS TO GOD, INCLUDING THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN DECEIVED
BY LYING PREACHERS
The
Bible says: "As it is written, THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT
ONE:
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans
3:23); "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
The
lying demons that have convinced preachers to water down the truth
concerning sin and its deadly results and to condone homosexuality in the
Church, are the same unclean spirits that will deceive people into
accepting the ANTICHRIST when he appears.
I
close with these words of warning: "For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work: only He (Holy Spirit) Who now restraineth will restrain,
until He be taken out of the way (at the rapture). And then shall that
Wicked (antichrist) be revealed, whom the Lord (Jesus) shall consume with
the Spirit of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His
coming.
"Even
him (antichrist), whose coming is after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and LYING wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love
of the truth, that they might be saved."
"And
for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth,
but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12)
I
urge you, my friend: DO NOT DELAY. Come to our Heavenly Father
through His Son JESUS CHRIST today, and you will receive eternal life !
(John 3:15-18)
Subject:
Definition
of Marriage vs. same-sex marriage
From:
Chatters, David, M.P
sent: March 01, 2005
Romans
1:24-27 -
(kjv) Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts
of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the
creature more than the Creator, who is bless for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their woman did change the natural use into that
which is against nature:
Many
thanks for taking the time to write to me on this critical issue.
The same-sex "marriage" issue has generated more phone
calls, letters and emails than any issue in my eleven plus years in
Parliament.
As
you may know, I am a strong advocate of the traditional understanding
of marriage and have been an open defender of this institution that is
so vital for society and families. In addition, on Oct 15, 2004,
I introduced Bill C-213, "An Act to protect the institution of
marriage". It has yet to come up for second reading and it
is not anticipated any time soon.
My
colleague, Rob Moore, MP also introduced a similar bill to protect the
definition of marriage. However, prior to coming up for second
reading in Nov 2004, the Private Members Business sub-Committee
of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs deemed the
bill non-votable. It is not known whether my bill, when and if
it comes up, will receive the same non-votable status.
Nevertheless,
despite obstacles, I believe that each of us has an obligation to do
what is within our legitimate power to defend and uphold the
traditional understanding of marriage - for ourselves, our children,
families and society in general.
Recently,
the Supreme Court refused to rule that the traditional definition of
marriage was discriminatory. In 1991, in another case, they
ruled that the institution of marriage was so fundamentally important
to society that it was worthy of special protection under the Charter.
This ruling makes the Liberal position purely political, with no
Charter basis.
As
a result of the Court ruling we intend to introduce amendments to the
Liberal Bill to provide protection to traditional marriage, provide an
alternative to recognize same-sex relationships and provide much
stronger protection for religious institutions under the Religion
Rights section of the Charter. I truly believe this is the wish
of most of my constituents and in fact of most Canadians. I will
be supporting our amendments to the Bill and if our amendments fail
to pass I will be opposing the Liberal Bill.
Again,
thank you for taking the time and effort to write.
Sincerely,
David Chatters, MP
Westlock - St. Paul
Chair, Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and
Ethics, Room 611, Justice Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Phone:
619-995-1415
chattd@parl.gc.ca
www.davidchatters.com
'Gay
Marriage and homosexuality'
Some medical comments by Rev. Mark Ranshaw
email - mramshaw@sasktel.net
- sent March 27, 2005
Some
helpful information on Same-sex Marriage
1.
BACKGROUND
Despite
the impression given by the media, the actual number of homosexuals is
quite small. Essentially all surveys show the number of
homosexuals to be only 1-3% of the population. The number of
homosexuals living in 'common law partnerships' is even less, on 0.5%
of all couples. This contrasts with 70% of all households with a
married couple. The pressure for introducing same-sex marriages
comes from a very small section of society.
According
to Statistics Canada, 1.3% of men and 0.7% of woman considered
themselves to be homosexual. (http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040615/d040615b.htm)
Recent
studies in many different countries show that the prevalence of
homosexuality is less than 3% of the population. In a U.S.
study, the prevalence of homosexuality was estimated to be 2.1% of men
and 1.5% of women. (Gilman SE. Am J Public Health, 2003;
57:207-9)
In
a recent British survey, 2.8% of men were classified as homosexuals
(Mercer CH et all. AIDS, 2004, 18; 1453-8). In a recent
Dutch study 2.8% of men and 1.4% women had had same sex partners. (Sandford
TG et all. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2001, 58:85-91)
In
a New Zealand study, 2.8% of young adults were classified as
homosexual (Sandfort TG et al. Arch Gen Psychaitry. 2001:58; In a New
Zealand study, 2.8% of young adults were classified as homosexual or
bisexual. (Fergusson DM et al. Arch General Psychiatry. 1999-56; 56:
876-80.
In
2001, there were just over 8.3 million families in Canada, of which
nearly 6 million (72%) were married couples and 1.1 million common-law
couples. The 2001 Census was the first to provide data on
same-sex partnerships. A total of 34,200 couples (or 0.5% of all
couples) identified themselves as same-sex common-law couples. (http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/021022/d021022a.htm)
2.
HEALTH RISKS OF THE HOMOSEXUAL LIFESTYLE
The
media portrays the homosexual lifestyle and relationships as happy,
healthy and stable. However, the homosexual lifestyle is
associated with a large number of very serious physical and emotional
health consequences. Many 'committed' homosexual relationships
only last a few years. This raises doubts as to whether children
raised in same-sex households are being raised in a protective
environment.
A.
There are very high rates of sexual promiscuity among the homosexual
population with short duration of even "committed relationships)
A
study of homosexual men shows that more than 75% of homosexual men
admitted to having sex with more than 100 different males in this
lifetime: approximately 15% claimed to have had 100-240 sex partners,
17% claimed 250-499, 15% claimed 500-999 and 28% claimed more than
1,000 sexual partners during their lifetime. (Bell AP, Weinberg MS.
Homosexualities. New York 1978)
Promiscuity
among lesbian women is less extreme, but is still higher than among
heterosexual women. Many 'lesbian' women also have sex with men.
Lesbian women were more than 4 times as likely to have had more than
50 lifetime male partners than heterosexual women. (Fethers K et
al. Sexually transmitted infections and risk behaviors in women
who have sex with women. Sexually Transmitted Infections 2000,
76: 345-9)
Far
higher rates of promiscuity are observed even within 'committed' gay
relationships than in heterosexual marriage: In Holland, male
homosexual relationships last, on average, 1.5 years, and gay men have
an average of eight partners a year outside of their supposedly
"committed" relationships. (Xindou M, et al.)
The
contribution of steady and casual partnerships to the incidence of HIV
infection among homosexual men in Amsterdam. AIDS. 2003; 17:
1029-38) Gay men have sex with someone other than their primary
partner in 66% of relationships within the first year, rising to 90%
of relationships after 5 years. (Harry J. Gay Couples. New York. 1984)
In
an online survey among nearly 8000 homosexuals, 71% of same-sex
relationships lasted less than 8 years. Only 9% of all same-sex
relationships lasted longer than 16 years. (2003-2004 Gay &
Lesbian Consume Online Census, http://www.glcensus.org)
The
high hates of promiscuity are not surprising. Gay authors admit
that 'gay liberation was founded...on a sexual brotherhood of
promiscuity.' *(Rotello G. Sexual Ecology. New York, 1998)
B.
Among homosexuals, highly risky sexual practices such as anal sex are
very common
The
majority of homosexual men (60%) engage in anal sex, frequently
without condoms and even, if they know that they are HIV positive.
(Mercer CH et al. Increasing prevalence of male homosexual
partnerships and practices in Britain 1990-2000. AIDS: 2004; 18:
1453-8)
As
a result, a large number of diseases are associated with anal
intercourse, many of which are rare or even unknown in the
heterosexual population such as: anal cancer, Chlamydia trachomatais,
Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia, Herpes simplex virus, HIV, Human
papilloma virus, Isospora belli, Microspondia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis,
Hepatitis B and C and others. (http://www.netdoctor.co.uk; http://www.gayhealthchannel.com
)
There
is a significant increase in the risk of contracting HIV when engaging
in anal sex. Young homosexual men aged 15-22, who ever had anal
sex had a fivefold increased risk of contracting HIV than those who
never engaged in anal sex. (Valleroy L, et al. HIV prevalence
and associated risks in young men who have sex with men. JAMA.
2000:284; 198-204)
The
term 'barebacking' refers to intentional unsafe anal sex. In a
study of HIV-positive gay men, the majority of participants (84%)
reported engaging in barebacking in the past 3 months, and 43% of the
men reported recent bareback sex with a partner who most likely is not
infecte with HIV, therefore putting another man at risk of contracting
HIV. (Halkitis PN. Intentional unsafe sex (barebacking) among
HIV-positive gay men who seek sexual partners on the Internet. AIDS
Care. 2003: 15: 367-78.)
While
many homosexuals are aware of HIV risk, a large number of unaware of
the increased risk of contracting non-HIV STDs, many of which have
serious complications or may not be curable. (K-Y lubricant and the
National Lesbian and Gay Health Association survey).
While
'always' condom use reduces the risk of contracting HIV by about 85%,
condoms, even when used 100% of the time, fail to give adequate levels
of protection against many non-HIV STDs such as Syphilis, Gonorrhea,
Chlamydia, Herpes, Genital Warts and others. The only safe sex
is, apart from abstinence, mutual monogamy with an uninfected partner.
(Sex, Condom, and STDs. What We Now Know. Medical Institute for Sexual
Health. 2002)
C.
Homosexuals have very high rates of sexually transmitted infections
such as HIV which pose a major burden to the health service.
Over
70% of all AIDS diagnoses in Canada in adults over the age of 15 up to
June 2004 were in homosexual men (13,019 out of 19,238). 60% of
all positive HIV tests are found in homosexual men. This
contrasts with just over 15% of all positive HIV tests which are due
to heterosexual contact. (Public Health Agency of Canada. HIV
and AIDS in Canada. Nov 2004)
The
recently observed dramatic increases in syphilis in many large cities
such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, but also in London and Manchester,
UK are in the majority observed in homosexual men. (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevent (CEC). Trends in primary and
secondary syphilis and HIV infections in men who have sex with men.
MMWR 2004; 53: 575-8 and Nicoll A. Are trends in HIV, gonorrhea,
and syphilis worsening in western Europe? BMJ 2002: 324: 1324-7)
D.
There are increased rates of mental ill health among the homosexual
population compared to the general population.
Many
studies show much higher rates of psychiatric illness, such as
depression, suicide attempts and drug abuse among homosexuals then
among the general population. The homosexual lifestyles is
associated with a shortened life expectancy of up to 20 years.
In
a New Zealand study, data were gathered on a range of psychiatric
disorders among gay, lesbian and bisexual young people. At the
age of 21, homosexuals/bisexuals were at fourfold increased risks of
major depression and conduct disorder, fivefold increased risk of
nicotine dependence, twofold increased risk of other substance misuse
or addiction and six times more likely to have attempted suicide.
(Fergusson DM et al. Is sexual orientation related to mental
health problems and suicidalilty in young people? Arch Gen.
Psychiatry. 1999, 56; 875-80).
In
a recent US study of the mental health of homosexuals, it was found
that gay/bisexual men had a more than 3 fold increased risk of major
depression and a five fold increased risk of panic disorder.
They were 3 times more likely to rate their mental health as only
'fair' to 'poor' and to experience high levels of distress.
Gay/bisexual women had a nearly four-fold increased risk of general
anxiety disorder and both groups were more than 3 times as likely than
the general population to require treatment in a mental health
setting. (Cochran S. et al. Prevalence of mental disorders,
psychological distress, and mental health services use among lesbian,
gay and bisexual adults in the United States. J. Consult Clin
Psychol. 2003; 71:53-61.)
It
is claimed, that the high rates of mental illness among homosexuals
are the result of 'homophobia'. However, even in the
Netherlands, which has been far more tolerant to same-sex
relationships and which has recently legalized same-sex marriages,
high levels of psychiatric illness, including major depression,
dipolar disorder ('manic depression'), agoraphobia, obsessive
compulsive disorder and drug addiction are found. (Sandford TG, et al.
Same-sex sexual behavior and psychiatric disorders: findings from the
Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS). Arch
Gen Psychiatry. 2001;58:85-91.)
Furthermore,
if 'homophobia' and prejudices were the cause of the high rates of
psychiatric disorders and suicide attempts among homosexuals, one
would similarly expect to find higher rates of suicide attempts and
suicide among ethnic minorities exposed to racism. However, this
is not usually the case.
In
a Vancouver study, life expectancy at age 20 years for gay and
bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men. If the same
pattern of mortality were to continue, it is estimated that nearly
half of gay and bisexual men currently aged 20 years will not reach
their 65th birthday. (Hogg RS et al. Modelling the impact of HIV
disease on mortality in gay and bisexual men. International Journal of
Epidemiology. 1997;26:657-61.)
3.
HOMOSEXUALITY AND PEDOPHILIA
Any
attempts to legalize gay marriage should be aware of the link between
homosexuality and pedophila. While the majority of homosexuals
are not involved in pedophilia, it is of grave concern that there is a
disproportionately greater number of homosexuals among pedophiles and
an overlap between the gay movement and the movement to make
pedophilia acceptable.
One
well known historic example on the link between homosexuality and
pedophilia is found in ancient Greece. Greek mythology is
saturated with stories of pedophilia and ancient Greek literature
praises pedophilia. The age group of boys that were used for
'sexual pleasure' was probably in the range of 12-17. Male
prostitution was very common with brothels in which boys and young men
were available. There is evidence for an extensive trade in
boys. (Churchill W. Homosexual Behaviour among Males. Hawthorn.
New York. 1967)
There
are links between pedophilia and homosexuality. The political
scientist Prof. Mirkin wrote in a paper that:: 'pedophile
organizations were originally a part of the gay/lesbian
coalition..." (Mirkin H. The pattern of sexual politics:
feminism, homosexuality and pedophilia. Journal of Homosexuality 1999;
37:1-24).
There
is an overlap between the 'gay movement' and the movement to make
pedophilia acceptable through organizations such as the North American
Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), as admitted by David Thorstad,
Co-founder of NAMBLA writing in the Journal of Homosexuality. (Thorstad
D. Man/boy love and the American gay movement. Journal of
Homosexuality. 1990;20:251-74).
The
number of homosexuals in essentially all surveys is less than 3%.
(Statistics Canada found only 1% of the population who described
themselves as homosexual.) However, the percentage of
homosexuals among pedophiles is 25%. (Blanchard R. et al.
Fraternal birth order and sexual orientation in pedophiles. Archives
of Sexual Behavior 2000; 29:463-78). Therefore, the prevalence
of pedophilia among homosexuals is about 10-25 times higher than one
would expect if the proportion of pedophiles were evenly distributed
within the (hetero-and homosexual) populations.
4.
'GAY MARRIAGE'
Gay
activists claim that there is no difference between children raised in
a homosexual as opposed to a heterosexual household. However,
essentially all studies that show there is no difference have been
criticized because of poor research quality. Despite the
shortcomings, the studies seem to suggest that children raised in
same-sex parent households may be more sexually promiscuous and more
likely to become homosexuals.
In
a review of all the studies that purport to find no difference between
children raised in families by same-sex parents and parents of
different sex, major methodological flaws have been noted. For
example, the studies have very small sample sizes, biased sample
selection, or lack of control groups. (P. Morgan, Children as
Trophies? Christian Institute. Newcastle upon Tyne, 2002)
Despite
the limitations of the studies of same-sex parenting some differences
are found. Children raised in same-sex parents are more likely
to become sexually promiscuous and are more likely to become
homosexuals themselves. (Riggs SC. Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption
by Same-Sex Parents. (letter) Pediatrics 2002, 109:1193-4.)
However,
the main concern remains the inherent instability of same-sex
marriages. In the above mentioned Dutch survey, the average
length of a 'committed' homosexual partnership was only 1.5 years.
In the mentioned survey of nearly 8000 gays, 71% of relationships did
not last 8 years. Furthermore, violence among homosexual
partnerships is 2 to 3 times as common as in heterosexual
relationships. Such an environment does not provide the
stability required for raising children. Former homosexual
Stephen Bennett, who is married to his wife and has 2 children states:
"Granting homosexuals the right to marry or adopt children is
deliberately creating dysfunctional families."
5.
Biological evidence regarding gender development
Despite
all the impression given by the media, homosexuality is neither an
entire innate condition, nor is it unchangeable. The so-called
'gay gene' has never been found. There are studies that show it
is possible to change sexual orientation from predominantly homosexual
to predominantly heterosexual orientation.
Evidence
from biology shows clearly that gays are not simply born that way.
Environmental influences play a significant role in the development of
gender identity and sexual behavior. (Bailey JM. Biological
perspectives on sexual orientation. In: Garnets LD and Kimmel DC.
Psychological perspectives on lesbian, gay, and bisexual experiences.
Columbia University Press, New York. 2003)
There
is no convincing evidence for a 'gay gene'. Indeed, if there
were a 'gay gene', those who carry it would probably be at a
disadvantage in the natural selection process of evolution. 'If
there was a 'gay gene' this gene would cause a significant problem:
homosexuality is associated with low fertility, indeed if a homosexual
has only sex with same-sex persons he will have no offspring. (Bailey
JM. Biological perspectives on sexual orientation. 2003)
One
way of finding out whether a condition is genetically determined is to
examine the behavior of identical twins (who have the same genetic
material) and comparing them with non-identical twins. It is
assumed, that twins grow up in the same environment.
There
have been several studies investigating whether the identical twin
brothers of homosexual men are also homosexuals. Concordance
(both identical twins being homosexual) was found in only 25-50% of
identical twin pairs. 'Genes' therefore cannot entirely explain
homosexual orientation and behaviour. (Pillard RC and Weinrich
JD. Evidence of familial nature of male homosexuality. Archives of
General Psychiatry. 1986: 42, 808-12. King M and McDonald E.
Homosexuals who are twins. A study of 46 probands. British Journal of
Psychiatry. 1992; 160:407-9)
Recently,
a study was published by Professor Spitzer, a prominent psychiatrist.
He is viewed as a historic champion of gay activism by playing a key
role in removing homosexuality from the psychiatric manual of mental
disorders in 1973. In his study, he examined whether a
predominantly homosexual orientation will, in some individuals,
respond to therapy. He examined 200 respondents of both genders
who reported changes from homosexual to heterosexual orientation
lasting 5 years or more.
He
writes: 'Although initially skeptical, in the course of the study, the
author become convinced of the possibility of change in some gay men
and lesbians." Although examples of "complete"
change in orientation were not common, the majority of participants
did report change from a predominantly or exclusively homosexual
orientation before therapy to a predominantly or exclusively
heterosexual orientation in the past year as a result of reparative
therapy.
These
results would seem to contradict the position statements of the major
mental health organizations in the United States, which claim there is
no scientific basis for believing psychotherapy effective in
addressing same-sex attraction. (Spitzer PL. Can some gay men
and lesbians change their sexual orientation? 200 participants
reporting a change from homosexual to heterosexual orientation. Arch
Sex Behav. 2003; 32:403-17; discussion 419-72 - further evidence see http://www.narth.com).
6.
BENEFITS OF TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE
There
are significant benefits from (heterosexual) marriage for individual
and society. Heterosexually married couples are, on average,
healthier, have fewer psychological problems and live longer than
cohabiting or single individuals. Government policy therefore
should be to support and strengthen heterosexual marriage.
In
reviews by Professor Oswald, Professor of Economics at Warwick
University, UK, it was found that marriage reduces mortality.
The excess mortality of men who are not married is similar to the
excess mortality by smoking. Marriage has a much more important
effect on longevity than income does. For men, the effect is
positive and substantial. It almost exactly offsets the large
(negative) consequences of smoking. For woman, the effect is
approximately half the size of the smoking effect.
Marriage
is associated with greater happiness, less depression, less alcohol
abuse and less smoking. Marriage gives a beneficial effect in
terms of reducing alcohol abuse especially for men and reducing
depression for both men and women.
Health
benefits of marriage appear to be limited to marriage.
Cohabitation does not confer the same degree of benefit than marriage.
Formal marriage itself seems to matter. In the few studies that
compare marriage and cohabitation, the results tend to show a
beneficial effect from being married. (Gardner J, Oswald A, Is it
Money or Marriage that Keeps People Alive? August 2002. Wilson CM and
Oswald AJ: How Does Marriage affect Physical and Psychological Health?
A Survey of the Longitudinal Evidence (Jan 2002; both papers available
on Prof. Oswald's website - see 'further reading')
7.
ADVERSE EFFECTS OF FAMILY BREAKDOWN
There
is a wealth of evidence linking family breakdown with many adverse
health outcomes for children and society as a whole. Government
policy therefore should be to strengthen the marriage-based family of
husband and wife. 'Gay marriages', with their inherent
instability, will contribute to the many adverse effects family
breakdown has on children and on society as a whole.
At
the root of many of the problems we see in children and young adults -
such as emotional and behavioral difficulties, poor school
performance, substance misuse, precocious teenage sexuality including
teenage pregnancy and juvenile delinquency - is the dramatic increase
in family breakup and 'relationship turnover' of parents, adversely
affecting their children. (For an overview see: Rebecca O'Neill.
Experiments in living. CIVITAS 2002)
As
a result of family breakdown, children have on average more ill
health, including higher mortality, emotional problems (including a
higher suicide rate).
Children
from broken families have poorer school performance including poorer
performance in maths, reading and writing.
Children
from broken families are more likely to live in poverty. As a
result of family breakdown, many single parent families live in
poverty.
Children
from broken families are also more likely to have problems with
substance misuse and poor sexual health including teenage pregnancy.
Furthermore,
children from broken homes are more likely to be engaging in criminal
activity, and are disproportionally over-represented in the prison
population.
In
a study of more than 170 US cities, a clear link between divorce rate
and crime was found. Low rates of divorce were associated with
reduced crime rates. *Sampson RJ, Crime in Cities: Tonry & Morris
eds., Crime and Justice, Chicago 1992)
FURTHER
READING
Health
risks of gay sex: http://www.corporateresourcecouncil.org/white_papers/Health_Risks.pdf
Effects
of family breakdown on children and society by CIVITAS, London, UK
http://www.civitas.org.uk/pdf/Experiments.pdf
Marriage
research (by Prof. Andrew Oswald) - htttp: www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/facult/oswald/
Therapy
of homosexual orientation: http://www.narth.com
(National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality.
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