PrintMay 31, 2009
God, Gays and Mayberry
The same-sex marriage battle now being fought can best be described by a twist on a Homer Simpson toast: Here's to power, the cause of -- and solution to -- all life's problems!
The same-sex marriage push is not about sex, culture or, especially, loving relationships. It is about power, pure and simple, another front in the war of our elites on Judeo-Christian traditions. The goal for President Obama and the Saul Alinsky left, as James Lewis notes, is to "overturn whatever exists today in the raw pursuit of (its) own power."
Our Knowledge Elites -- those that shape our culture through media, education, and government -- seek ultimate authority over our thoughts and behavior. However, first they must rid us of the singularly American and Judeo-Christian notion of "inherent and inalienable rights" accorded to individuals by...uh, God (I know: cringe-inducing to Obama Democrats who view liberalism as religion). They replace "God says" with government says, Obama says, politicians say, educators say, and other such higher powers.
They view themselves as competing with God, who established marriage as a committed relationship between a man and a woman. As laughable as that statement is to our elites, it is truth in a world where some of our most respected scientists have concluded that we seem to be "hard-wired for God." Judeo-Christian traditions rest on a foundation of right and wrong, accompanied by many shades of gray addressed with the aid of generalized scriptural principles. Rascal Flatts, the country group with a strong Christian foundation, summed up the real issue in plaintive lyrics reflecting on the direction in which our elites are pushing us, "I miss Mayberry... where everything is black and white."
Both God and Rascal Flatts agree: there is truth. And, in the marriage debate, this is truth: by any standard, heterosexual relationships tend to work better than the alternatives. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, God is not simply a transcendental homophobe who gets his kicks from zapping the satellite feed for cable's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Rather, he's the guy who -- having designed this place -- helps us live a life that works. Homosexuality -- like other behaviors, attitudes or values contrary to his guide to living, the Bible -- generally does not work.
Blame God or Charles Darwin (if you believe the latter got us to this point), but that is the conclusion of decades of scientific and medical research. Life expectancy for "gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men," concluded Canadian medical researchers. Lifestyle makes a difference, as homosexual men, are more involved in "rape, incest...sexual sadism and masochism" and are prone to "dehumanized sexual activity, sexual dysfunctions; (and) depressive disorders and panic attacks." They are significantly less healthy, both mentally and physically, than heterosexuals and more likely to experience personality disorders. A study reported in the American Journal of Public health found more than two-thirds of homosexual men reported use of illicit drugs with "serious health and social consequences". The National Household Survey of Drug Abuse sums it up:
"... alcoholism and drug abuse continue to affect lesbians, gay men, and transgendered persons at two to three times the rate of the general population."
Gay is not happy, to paraphrase the t-shirt banned by a suburban Chicago public school district during its celebration of homosexuality. A University of Minnesota medical school study showed that 28% of bisexual/homosexual males reported suicide attempts compared to 4% of heterosexual males, concluding there is "a strong association between suicide risk and bisexuality or homosexuality in males."
Our Knowledge Elites frequently cite Europe, which has been mainstreaming homosexuality for more than half a century, as an example of enlightened sexual relationships. But culture, the sum of collective action, has consequences: between 10% and 20% of children in Europe are sexually assaulted, with those rates at least doubling, sometimes tripling in nations such as Netherlands and Belgium, where homosexuality is actively celebrated. By comparison, in the more traditional United States, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that child abuse hovers between 1% and 2% of American children. The World Health Organization has found that gays incur greater risk of sexually transmitted diseases, suicide, and violent behavior. And in comparison to conventional marriages, same-sex partnerships experience more domestic violence.
This level of dysfunction often plays out in public. American Thinker's Kyle-Anne Shiver compares the behavior of gay activists in the public arena to "Bull Conner on a rampage with his fire hoses." But the fire hoses are not only manned by gays. The mainstream left delights in hosing down traditionalists. If it were about compassion, traditional marriage advocates would not be consistently ridiculed in the mainstream media. And if it were about truth, then Obama senior advisor David Axelrod would not have recently joked that one of the names considered for the president's new dog was "Miss California," referring to beauty contestant Carrie Prejean, who suffered withering attacks (judge: you're a "dumb b----") after expressing polite support for traditional marriage. He ridiculed her despite having the same position as the president, putting the evangelical Christian "in a context that's meant to be belittling."
It is about power...and the rhetorical fire hose is the chief weapon. Same-sex marriage advocates use the issue as a platform to expand political control, all the while demonizing those who disagree. Tradition-minded Christians, for example, have been consistently and venomously portrayed in the media as bigots and fanatics intent on enslaving multicultural America (culture commentator and columnist Michael Medved saw this coming almost two decades ago in his groundbreaking Hollywood vs. America). The Washington Post has portrayed the poisonously anti-homosexual (and renegade serially denounced by evangelical denominations) Westboro Baptist Church as representative of fundamentalist Christianity.
Meanwhile, ignored is the actual position of the overwhelming majority of traditional Christians. Their views are best summed up by R.C. Sproul, the prolific Christian author and heavyweight theologian: It is clear that God calls Christians
"to be gracious people....We need to let people know that, whether we approve or disapprove of their lifestyle, we are for them as people. ...You can do more for people by loving them."
And love was what Dr. Jerry Falwell, a favorite target of ridicule by elites, was about on this issue. Best-selling author and columnist Ann Coulter, who knew him, decried his demonization by the left and, especially, the gay community. Talk to him, she said, and you will find a man who "exuded Christian love for all men, hating sin while loving sinners."
In Mayberry, results count and compassion dominates. Its Judeo-Christian culture is described by columnist and radio talk host Dennis Prager as "the finest value system in the world (if) you care about goodness, justice and compassion prevailing in an often evil, unjust and cruel world." Compassion has compelled many Christian, Mormon and Jewish organizations to offer counseling services to assist individual gays in addressing relational issues. And what about the members of the gay community who have found love, fulfillment and commitment within a homosexual relationship? The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry counsels "wisdom, grace, and love." In other words, God bless -- and may you continue to enjoy a peace and commitment that defies the odds.
However, those who believe science and God's word go hand-in-hand on this issue find themselves under attack in President Obama's nation. Obeying the law is not enough; you must think the way we do for, David Limbaugh notes, "there is just one acceptable viewpoint" even when the evidence suggests otherwise, as it does with homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
The gay issue is a microcosm of a larger set of issues. It is not about solving problems, or individual peace and fulfillment. It is about control...achieved by destroying Mayberry.
Stuart H. Schwartz, Ph.D., is a former newspaper and retail executive. He is on the faculty at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Stuart H. Schwartz, Ph.D., is a former newspaper and retail executive. He is on the faculty at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
