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By Marsha West

July 14, 2006

NewsWithViews.com

�Slowly but surely, the Church is waking up to the danger same-sex �marriage� poses to society as it begins to grasp the correlation between the preservation of traditional marriage and religious liberty. As I have reported before, legal experts have issued stark warnings about the future of religious freedom should homosexual �marriage� become the law of the land. Catholic Charities of Massachusetts, for example, has been forced to suspend adoption services because it believes children deserve mothers and fathers. But now that men can legally �marry� other men in Massachusetts, such quaint views are frowned upon as �bigotry� and �discrimination.� ~ Gary Bauer

Even with all the hullabaloo about same-sex �marriage� in the news, some proponents of the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) are either unable or unwilling to articulate their reasons for desiring a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage. Why the silence? This is one of the most important issues of our time. Why aren't those who want to preserve traditional marriage shouting from the rooftops to get America�s attention? The stakes are too high to allow the Left to win this battle. People of faith, what are you doing to put a stop to this insanity? What?

Jesus stated unequivocally, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters� (Matthew 12:30). Come out from among the scatterers, people of God! Let�s gather together and resist the God-haters. Lest we forget, we�re in a battle for the heart and soul of America!

According to the latest polls 59% of Americans oppose same-sex �marriage.� But many citizens are fearful of speaking their minds because they might be accused of being bigoted or intolerant. Liberals are skilled at using intimidation tactics against their opponents. For them, the ends justify the means.

When liberals try to intimidate you, never be afraid to state your case. You have that right! So suck it up. Stand firm. Look them square in the all-knowing eye in the center of their forehead, and drench them with truth. (Warning: A good drenching of truth could cause liberals to melt into a steaming puddle of sludge like the Wicked Witch of the West did when Dorothy tossed a bucket of water in her face.) Truth is potent against the enemy.

Recently I had an opportunity to talk with an opponent of the FMA. Sandy�s a Christian, albeit a liberal one. When the subject of the FMA came up, she told me she sees nothing wrong with same-sex marriages. After I explained the profound affect it will have on families, and society in general, she shrugged and said, �I don�t believe that.�

I pressed Sandy to explain how same-sex marriage would benefit society. Her response was that she works with a �gay� man who has been in a committed relationship for over 20 years. �He�s a wonderful, loving, person who wouldn�t hurt a fly.� Then she tossed the lethal grenade, �Besides, they can�t help that they�re gay. They were born that way.�

Ahhh, the �gay gene� rationalization.

I asked her why she believed they were born that way. According to her, scientific studies have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that some people are born gay. Thus, homosexuality is as normal as heterosexuality. I pointed out that data could be manipulated to reflect the bias of those conducting the studies, which is what happened in the �gay gene� study. I also mentioned that I know a number of people who are former gays and that some of them are married, have children, and are no longer attracted to the same sex. To that she huffed, �My friend says there is no such thing as a former gay, so your friends must not have been gay, they just thought they were.�

Even though the discussion got pretty heated at times, we both managed to keep our cool. My goal was not to change her mind; only to pass on information she may not have heard before. The conversation ended with Sandy having the last word: �As long as they�re not hurting anyone they should be able to do whatever they want to.� Then she changed the subject.

Not hurting anyone? Dr. Tim Dailey, Senior Fellow for Cultural Studies at the Family Research Council, has documented certain studies that describe the many health and societal risks associated with the homosexual lifestyle. In his recent book, Dark Obsession, Dr. Dailey notes,

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)?which can lead to anal cancer -- infects over er 90 percent of HIV-positive gay men, and 65 percent of HIV-negative gay men.

Gay men are at increased risk for contracting hepatitis -- a potentially fatal liiver disease that increases the risk of liver cancer.

Homosexuals acquire syphilis at a rate ten times that of heterosexuals.

Men who have sex with men comprise the single largest exposure category of people with AIDS. Homosexual men with HIV have a 37-fold increase in anal cancer, a 4-fold increase in Hodgkins disease, a 2.7-fold increase in cancer of the testicles, and a 2.5-fold increase in lip cancer.

Thirty-six percent of homosexuals engaging in unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex failed to disclose that they were HIV positive to casual sex partners.

The incidence of anal cancer in homosexuals is 35 times greater than that of the general population.

Lesbians have more male sex partners then their heterosexual counterparts, putting lesbians at greater risk for contracting STDs.

Lesbians are three times more likely to abuse alcohol.

Homosexual and lesbian relationships are far more violent than traditional married households.

Seventy-five percent of lesbians have pursued psychological counseling of some kind -- many for treatment of long-term depression.

Life expectancy for gay and bi-sexual men is eight to twenty years less than average.

There is a significantly higher rate of suicide for homosexual men than heterosexual men.

Dr. Dailey concludes with,

These behavioral, physical, and societal ramifications paint a dismal picture of a lifestyle that is portrayed to the public as equivalent to the traditional nuclear family. Unfortunately, if the Federal Marriage Amendment does not become the law of the land, homosexual unions will soon hold a place alongside true marriage between a man and woman -- the God-blessed family unit that has been the backbone of civilized society since the dawn of creation. This will have happened in large part because of a debate that never took place? a debate that would have revealled the facts about the homosexual behavior before we so recklessly enshrined it into law.

Points to Ponder

Conservative columnist Dennis Prager gave a talk on same-sex marriage and suggested the following guidelines,

"Studies show� is the mantra of those who don't think. Avoid the oft-used phrase, and beware that data can be manipulated to reflect the bias of those conducting the studies.

It is better to have a loving mother and a loving father than to have two loving mothers or two loving fathers. Never let that argument go.

Avoid using the term "gay marriage." Use the phrase "same-sex marriage" instead. Under current law, gays already have the civil right to marry, just like anyone else. The issue at hand is whether a person can marry another of the same sex.

If you dislike or hate gays, do not join the battle for traditional marriage. Anti-gay attitudes and behavior only provide ammunition for the media to portray conservatives as "bigots."

Homosexual acts are a sin, but that is irrelevant when making the argument to people who don't care about the Bible as their source of ethics.

If it is argued that love should be the criterion for marriage, then raise such questions as "If two brothers love each other, why shouldn't they be allowed to marry?" or "If two men and a woman all love each other, why shouldn't they be allowed to marry?" or "If a father and son love each other, why shouldn't they be allowed to marry?" Same-sex marriage will lose this argument in the public square because "Love is not the criterion for marriage. Man and woman is the criterion."

Someone may argue, "If you're so concerned about protecting marriage, why don't you push for the passage of laws against divorce?" What does heterosexual divorce have to do with same-sex marriage? Yes, marriages fail, and divorce is tragic. Cars also crash and injure and kill people. This doesn't mean we should stop driving, though.

Whatever you do, stay on topic until your opponent understands the point you�re trying to make. When someone doesn�t have a good defense, they quickly change the subject. Don�t let anyone lead you down a rabbit trail! And don�t be afraid to ask, �Do you understand my answer?� When they say yes, then move on.

� 2006 Marsha West - All Rights Reserved

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Marsha West is the Founder and Editor of the E-Mail Brigade News Report, an online news report for conservative people of faith. Marsha is a freelance writer specializing in Christian worldview. She is a regular contributor to NewsWithViews.com, Alainsnewsletter.com, CapitolHillCoffeeHouse.com, plus her commentaries appear in MichNews.com and bibleteacher.org.

Marsha is also designer and webmaster of a Christian apologetics website, On Solid Rock Resources. She is currently writing a series of children's books for homeschoolers. Marsha and her husband reside in historic Jacksonville Oregon.

E-mail:�EMbrigade@aol.com

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Catholic Charities of Massachusetts, for example, has been forced to suspend adoption services because it believes children deserve mothers and fathers. But now that men can legally �marry� other men in Massachusetts, such quaint views are frowned upon as �bigotry� and �discrimination.�