Homophobia or "Homosexual agenda?"

There are many who feel that there is not separation of church and state. They think that we should live in a Dominionist society. They think church should influence the state, because the state influences the church. What if the barriers between church and state go down like they want them to? When they lose power politically, their churches must bow down to the new order. Not a smart move on their part.


I read a lot of blogs withing the Green movement, and one asked for those reading to use an American Family Association website to send a message supporting gay marriage. The American Family Association is based in that forward looking, cutting edge state of Mississippi. I continue getting their newsletter, and no longer mind as it allows me an insight into Dominionist mentality. Here are clips of one e-mail:

March 23, 2006

Ford 'Proves' Commitment To Homosexual Agenda

Dear Kevin,

Ford Motor Company has proven its commitment to the homosexual agenda by sponsoring a TV program featuring a passionate kiss between two lesbians.

Last fall, in a meeting with AFA, Ford agreed to stop funding the homosexual agenda. However, after a group of angry homosexual leaders met with Ford, the company reneged on its agreement and announced that they would continue their commitment to support the effort to legalize homosexual marriage.

Ford even gave the homosexual groups a letter stating Ford's strong commitment to their cause.

On a recent episode of CBS's Without A Trace, Ford proved to the homosexual leaders the company's commitment to their agenda. The Ford-sponsored program included a scene of two lesbians passionately kissing each other.

To see what Ford sponsored, click here. (Warning! This scene is very offensive!)

AFA and 20 other pro-family organizations have called for a one-year boycott of Ford. AFA is asking individuals to sign the Boycott Ford pledge. Click here to see the extensive support Ford is giving to the homosexual cause and to sign the pledge found in the upper right hand corner.
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And what is the "homosexual agenda?" They want the right to exist. Yeah, pretty scary. The AFA wants to stuff them back in the closet. Sorry, but this is America. Land of the free, while the AFA is not brave enough to withstand that. And there is much more to it than just that.

The AFA forgets that there is a separation of church and state. Churches don't have to abide by equal opportunity employment. They also do not have to follow secular beliefs, like seeing African Americans as human beings. They can do their own thing. And no church has to accept homosexuals into its "flock." Nor are any required to marry homosexual couples in Massachussets.
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But let's assume they are right. Let's look at their side a bit more:

IVP: Homosexuality as a developmental disorder has been taken out of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Why do you still say that it is a developmental disorder?

Linda Nicolosi: Psychiatry says a disorder is characterized by distress and disability. We see a lot of subjective distress in homosexually-oriented people which cannot be attributed solely to social discrimination. We also believe there is evidence of a "disability" in the homosexually-oriented person's feeling of not being comfortable with members of their own sex, of feeling "different" and inadequate, and of course, in not being able to function according to their biologically mandated sexual design.

We should then rush out and buy these books and implement their teachings:

• Healing Homosexuality: Case Stories of Reparative Therapy by Joseph, Ph.D. Nicolosi
• A Natural History of Homosexuality by Francis Mark Mondimore
• A Strong Delusion by Joe Dallas
• Closing the Closet: Testimonies of Deliverance from Homosexuality by Talbert W., II Swan
• When Homosexuality Hits Home by Joe Dallas
• A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality ( this is my favorite)

These are all published by credibly Christian publishing corporations. For some odd reason, the medical community disagrees that homosexuality is wrong and not normal. They even state that there are serious repercussions for those who follow the guidelines in the above books. Let us take a look at what the medical professionals are saying:

AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION

· "The potential risks of 'reparative therapy' are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient. Many patients who have undergone "reparative therapy" relate that they were inaccurately told that homosexuals are lonely, unhappy individuals who never achieve acceptance or satisfaction. The possibility that the person might achieve happiness and satisfying interpersonal relationships as a gay man or lesbian is not presented, nor are alternative approaches to dealing with the effects of societal stigmatization discussed ... the APA opposes any psychiatric treatment, such as 'reparative' or 'conversion' therapy which is based on the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based on a prior assumption that the patient should change his/her sexual orientation.

· "There is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of 'reparative therapy' as a treatment to change one's sexual orientation. It is not described in the scientific literature, nor is it mentioned in the APA's latest comprehensive Task Force Report, Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders (1989).

· "Clinical experience suggests that any person who seeks conversion therapy may be doing so because of social bias that has resulted in internalized homophobia, and that gay men and lesbians who have accepted their sexual orientation positively are better adjusted than those who have not done so."

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

· "Even though homosexual orientation is not a mental illness and there is no scientific reason to attempt conversion of lesbians or gays to heterosexual orientation, some individuals may seek to change their sexual orientation or that of another individual (for example, parents seeking therapy for their child). Some therapists who undertake this kind of therapy report that they have changed their clients' sexual orientation (from homosexual to heterosexual) in treatment. Close scrutiny of their reports indicates several factors that cast doubt: Many of the claims come from organizations with an ideological perspective on sexual orientation, rather than from mental health researchers; the treatments and their outcomes are poorly documented; and the length of time that clients are followed up on after treatment is too short.

· "In 1990, the American Psychological Association stated that scientific evidence does not show that conversion therapy works and that it can do more harm than good. Changing one's sexual orientation is not simply a matter of changing one's sexual behavior. It would require altering one's emotional, romantic and sexual feelings and restructuring one's self-concept and social identity.

AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

· "Most of the emotional disturbance experienced by gay men and lesbians around their sexual identity is not based on physiological causes but rather is due more to a sense of alienation in an unaccepting environment. For this reason, aversion therapy (a behavioral or medical intervention which pairs unwanted behavior, in this case, homosexual behavior, with unpleasant sensations or aversive consequences) is no longer recommended for gay men and lesbians. Through psychotherapy, gay men and lesbians can become comfortable with their sexual orientation and understand the societal response to it."

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

· "The psychosocial problems of gay and lesbian adolescents are primarily the result of societal stigma, hostility, hatred and isolation. The gravity of these stresses is underscored by current data that document that gay youths account for up to 30 percent of all completed adolescent suicides. Approximately 30 percent of a surveyed group of gay and bisexual males have attempted suicide at least once. Adolescents struggling with issues of sexual preference should be reassured that they will gradually form their own identity and that there is no need for premature labeling of one's sexual orientation."

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One can make their own choice regarding homosexuals existing in our society or not. But I think it unwise to eradicate the barriers between church and state. It has negative consequences for all involved. It is better to keep things separate.