1.31.2005

The Word of Dob: Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family is continuing his intolerance campaign (you know, the SpongeBob thing). His website includes a whiny article about how his views on the use of SpongeBob SquarePants in a video that promotes diversity and unity are distorted. To set the record straight, here's what Dobson and the purportedly Christian Focus on the Family believe:
While words like "diversity" and "unity" sound harmless — even noble — enough, the reality is they are often used by gay activists as cover for teaching children that homosexuality is the moral and biological equivalent to heterosexuality. And there is ample evidence that the We Are Family Foundation shares — and promotes — that view.

"Unfortunately," Dobson explained, "the We Are Family foundation has very strong homosexual advocacy roots and biases."

For example, a tolerance pledge, which the foundation says it is "pleased to provide" on its Web site, reads in part: "I pledge to have respect for people whose abilities, beliefs, culture, race, sexual identity or other characteristics are different from my own."
Apparently, we're no longer directed to love the sinner and hate the sin, we're supposed to be outright intolerant. Dobson provides a way to gripe to journalists who've wronged him deeply--an online letter-writing tool that can just as easily register your praise for said journalists as register complaints. Give 'er a go.

Keith Olberman of MSNBC, one of the targeted journos, writes on the spam attack:
A correspondent, unhappy that I did not simply agree with her fire-and-brimstone forecast for me, wrote “I showed respect even though I disagreed with you and yet you have the audacity to call me intelligent.”

Well, you have me there, Ma’am. My mistake.
Read more at Metafilter.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why is the Bible's clear message that homosexuality is sin in any way oppositional to loving the sinner?

Anonymous said...

Though your tone suggests that civil discussion may be impossible, I do appreciate your admonition to read the Bible and search there to answer our questions. I'm assuming that we're letting the Bible say what it means and mean what it says. In Genesis 1:27-28 we read, "And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it ..." The creation of the male and the female was God's design and purpose. First God made the man, Adam (Gen. 2:7), and then the Lord fashioned the woman, Eve, from the rib of the man in order to provide for him "a helper suitable" (Gen. 2:18). Only together could the husband and wife fulfill the very first command that God gave to people, to "be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28). The sexual function required for this procreation was expressly given only to the man and the woman within the sacred confines of marriage: "And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. And the man said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Gen. 2:22-24; see also Jesus' reiteration of this in Matthew 19:3-6).

Later in Genesis God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because the outcry of their exceedingly grave sin had reached heaven (Gen. 18:16-19:29). From the name "Sodom" comes the term "sodomy" which refers to homosexual activity. It is clear from this passage that such activity was rampant there, representative of their wickedness which brought about God's judgment (Ezekiel 16:49-50; Jude 7).

Leviticus 18:22 says, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." Following this verse is one which forbids bestiality, the last of a litany of primarily sexual sins, including incest, adultery and human sacrifice, which God was warning His people to avoid. By these things the nations had become defiled and were now being punished by God through Israel (Lev. 18:24-27). The morality expressed here reflects the unchanging character and nature of the holy God, not merely a civil law applicable only to the nation of Israel at that time (Lev. 18:2,4,5,6,21,30).

Homosexuality was an act punishable by death in Old Testament Israel: "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them" (Lev. 20:13).

Romans 1 speaks of the corruption resulting from suppressing the truth of God in unrighteousness: "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error..." (Rom. 1:24-27).

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 assures that homosexuals who continue in their sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. However, this passage holds out the hope of the good news of Jesus Christ - the forgiveness of sins and the change of life that He indeed brings to all who receive Him, to the homosexual as to all other sinners in need of the saving grace of God: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effiminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God."

Whether it's homosexuality or fornication (sexual activity of heterosexuals expressed outside of marriage), immorality is rebellion against the will of God, which is sin. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you." (Titus 2:11-15)

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this.

Paul Schmelzer said...

Hey commenters (esp. the one who's comment I just erased), let's keep it clean. Thanks.