On Gay "Marriage"
In light of the activist action of California's Supreme Court last week, here are some things to keep in mind concerning the question of homosexuality and gay “marriage”:
According to a 2005 study by The Kinsey Institute, 90% of men aged 18-44 considered themselves to be heterosexual, 2.3% as homosexual, 1.8% as bisexual, and 3.9% as "something else." The numbers are almost identical for women. It's amazing how powerful a lobby the homosexual community has for being less than 7% of the population.
Joseph Nicolosi's research in the late-90's on reorientation therapy's effectiveness has not been refuted. In fact, Robert Spitzer, who argued in 1973 that homosexuality is not a clinical disorder, wrote in 2001: "Contrary to conventional wisdom, some highly motivated individuals, using a variety of change efforts, can make substantial change in multiple indicators of sexual orientation, and achieve good hetero-sexual functioning."
Homosexuality is not the worst of sins, but neither is it merely a "non-ideal, lesser of two evils" sin. Contrary to what more doctrinally-liberal churches teach, homosexual relationships are not God-given, nor is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 and 19 merely an example of God's wrath being poured out in response to the sin of inhospitality.
Apart from Scripture (which is quite clear in both Old AND New Testaments that homosexuality is not God's model for marriage), there are some very compelling secular arguments against the cultural endorsement of homosexual behavior. Robert A.J. Gagnon, Associate Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, has written as much as anybody on the topic and offers six helpful points here.
Considering where things stand, a defining federal Constitutional amendment may indeed be necessary if traditional marriage is to be legally preserved in the United States. As much as I hate the idea of trying to legislate morality, I honestly wonder if the nation understands (or could ultimately survive) what's at stake by not doing so.