Tuesday, October 28, 2008

An unGodly Definition of Marriage

Next to the presidential election, California Proposition 8 is the most important vote in America.

It will determine the definition of marriage for the largest state in America, and it will determine whether judges or society will decide on social-moral issues.

Christians, beware! These activists are not simply wanting to be left alone to do as they wish. They are seeking legal acknowledgment of their lifestyle that will in time lead to governmental repression of our faith. Our society is becoming ever more antagonistic to God and His people.

And this battle will soon be taking front and center in the public schools. What is called "sex education," whether for kindergartners or older children, is not education about biology but indoctrination in values that go against the traditional values that children learn in their families and in their communities.

Obviously, the earlier this indoctrination begins, the better its chances of overriding traditional values.

Now, those who are supporting a "No" vote on proposition 8 counter by assuring us that this is not the intention at all behind the legalizing of same-sex marriage in California. Somebody from the "No on 8" campaign should have told that to eighteen first graders who attended the wedding of their lesbian school teacher just recently. The story below tells the story.
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First Graders Taken To San Francisco City Hall For Gay Wedding

SAN FRANCISCO, October 11, 2008 - In the same week that the No on 8 campaign launched an ad that labeled as "lies" claims that same-sex marriage would be taught in schools to young children, a first grade class took a school-sponsored trip to a gay wedding. Eighteen first graders traveled to San Francisco City Hall Friday for the wedding of their teacher and her lesbian partner, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The school sponsored the trip for the students, ages 5and 6, taking them away from their studies for the same-sex wedding. According to the Yes on 8 campaign, the public school field trip demonstrates that the California Supreme Court's decision to legal same-sex marriage has real consequences.

"Taking children out of school for a same-sex wedding is not customary education. This is promoting same-sex marriage and indoctrinating young kids," said Yes on 8--ProtectMarriage.com Campaign Co-Manager Frank Schubert. "I doubt the school has ever taken kids on a field trip to a traditional wedding," Schubert said.
When asked by the Yes on 8 campaign, The San Francisco Chronicle reporter said she did not know if the school had ever sponsored a field trip for students to a traditional wedding. Telling the Chronicle that the field trip was "a teachable moment," the school's principal believes it is perfectly appropriate for first graders to attend a same-sex wedding. Officials in other school districts disagree.

"Prop. 8 protects our children from being taught in public schools that 'same-sex marriage' is the same as traditional marriage," said Santa Ana Unified School District board member Rosemarie "Rosie" Avila. "We should not accept a court decision that results in public schools teaching our kids that gay marriage is okay. That is an issue for parents to discuss with their children according to their own values and beliefs. It shouldn't be forced on us against our will," Avila added.

The lesbian teacher's wedding was officiated by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Newsom is featured in a Yes on 8 television ad, released last week, in which he arrogantly declares of same-sex marriage: "The door's wide open now. It's gonna happen, whether you like it or not."
The Yes on 8 campaign's ads explain that if the voters do not overturn the California Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling, teachers will be required to teach young children that there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.

"It's totally unreasonable that a first grade field trip would be to a same-sex wedding," said Chip White, Press Secretary for Yes on 8. "This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to understand it."

The field trip underscores the Yes on 8 campaign's message that unless Prop. 8 passes, children will be taught about same-sex marriage in public schools. "Not only can it happen, it has already happened," White said.
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English statesman, Edmond Burke never spoke truer words when he said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,who put darkness for light and light for darkness,who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)

May God help us hold to His righteousness,
Robert Prater

2 comments:

Hazumu Osaragi said...

Hi;

May I interject a real life situation. I’d like to hear your guidance on this.

My mother was given a drug to take to lessen the chance of miscarriage and promote healthy babies — that’s what the doctor told her. The drug is Diethylstilbestrol, or DES. In male fetuses, it feminizes the brains of one in five of us ‘DES sons’.

I finally came to terms with this, and realized my choice was transition or die. So, I’m now a male-to-female transsexual who’s had ‘the operation.’ I’ve changed all my legal paperwork and although I still have a male body with XY chromosomes, it has been retrofitted to approximate female anatomy, which is good because if I ever end up in an accident, there will be no ’surprise’ for the first responders.

I ‘pass’ very well, thank you. Only rarely do strangers figure out I was not born this way. Most people have to be told, by me, or, more often, by someone else who just has to ‘drop the bomb.’

All my paperwork has been changed. Legally, I'm female. But I have to find an OB/GYN who can check my prostate during my yearly pelvic exam (yearly mammograms don't need that level of disclosure.)

So my question to you is — knowing what you know now about me, and assuming for the moment you get absolute power to label me and make determinations on where I can and can't go —

-Do I marry a man? Or do I marry a woman?

-Which restroom and changing facility do you feel I, a male-to-female transsexual, should use when in public spaces?

-Am I immoral?

-Am I a paedophile?

-Am I tearing down western society in support of a deviant agenda?

-Am I selfish?

I eagerly await your responses;

Hazumu Osaragi

preacherprater said...

Hello Hazumu,

I'm glad you stopped by my site and visted and I thank you for leaving you very personal story and heart felt questions.

Let me address your situation in the following ways below.

Without knowing all your specific situations and background, I would generally say that yours and others like yourelf is a problem of psychological: the evidence supports this view overwhelmingly. The transsexual's body is healthy. Traditionally invasive surgery has only been used to preserve the integrity of a body endangered by disease or injury, not to mutilate a healthy body. A painful operation cannot solve the mental dysfunction.

Gender reassignment only changes the outside, not the inside. Gender reassignment surgery (GRS) as solution. Most transsexuals suffer from great psychological and emotional pain due to the conflict between their identity and their original gender role and anatomy. Although GRS meets many of their wishes and affords them a measure of increased comfort, it nevertheless does not deal with root psychological causes. The question to ask is whether a treatment tackles the illness or manages the symptom.

In fact it is not possible to change sex. Many counselors in this area state that it is helpful to distinguish between 'sex' and 'gender'. There are two distinct sexes: male and female. Gender, however, can be thought of differently: there is a range stretching from masculinity to femininity. Such a variation in characteristics from person to person is quite obvious.

People are born either male or female. It does not make sense to say 'I have the right to change sex'. It cannot be done. It would be like our government passing an Act to decree that all pregnancies in future will be by men not women.

I found some info from an article called, "Transsexualism - Mind over Matter" by D.Phil. University of Oxford, Professor of Anthropology. He says,

"There are claims that a person's sex is the product of a gradual process determined by society. The objective fact is that the XY or XX chromosomal/genetic pattern is set at conception. Nor is it reasonable to assume that other biological factors, e.g. brain structure, cause transsexualism. There is little evidence for this and the plea 'I was made this way' was abandoned by biologists long ago."

He continues, "Even if psychology were a factor in determining sex, why should it overrule all other factors?

There is evidence that some transsexuals attempt suicide, become involved in prostitution and that some transsexuals regret having their operation: even 'returning' to their biological sex. It has also been claimed that hormonal treatment can result in breast cancer."

He goes on to say that according to a report by the Evangelical Alliance Policy Commission (EAPC) in Britain , the body of evidence for transsexuals having psychological causes is greater and more long-standing compared to evidence for biological causes. "Published academic literature that indicates transsexual people as children have experienced much greater psychological harm than non-transsexuals remains largely undisputed."

Some examples of psychological factors are: parental rejection, absence of father during childhood, having emotionally-distant father, peer pressure, perfectionism, media images, self-rejection and poor self-esteem which may be reinforced by hostile reception from society.

He further states that in some cases, transsexual behavior ceased when a concurrent psychiatric condition was treated with medication (e.g. a 1997 case report: Four year remission of transsexualism after comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder improved with self-exposure therapy'). In other words, transsexual can and do change their gender identity and preference."
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Now, Biblically speaking, the reason that there are two, and only two, sexes is that God created mankind such that to be human means to be either human male or human female (Genesis 1:27). The human body is therefore a good gift of God and essential to the human person. But the transsexual sees their body as an accident, as denying their 'true self' which resides in their mind and emotions. This is opposed to the Bible, which teaches a positive view of the body: the supreme expression of this being that Jesus became flesh (John 1:14). It is an old heresy ('Manichaeanism') which detaches the person from the body.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 warns against 'sinning sexually against your own body'. Christians must honor God with their body.

The Old Testament uses the same word to condemn homosexual practice and intentional cross-dressing. Deuteronomy 22:5 states: "A woman must not wear man's clothing, nor a man wear woman's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this." (compare Leviticus 18:22).

Now, you never really addressed the subject of my blog post which was on Gay marriage. Of couse, from my view, I see transsexual marriage is gay marriage since legally two men, or two women, of the same sex would be married.

So, Hazumu, Bottom line, the Christian response to a transsexual, as with any other person, should be prayer, care and counsel as for any with psychological difficulties and where necessary repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)

Certainly, I don't want to appear to be strong on condemnation and weak on compassion. While resting on the conviction that God has revealed His intentions for human life in the Bible, we want to reach out to you and help you find God's love and true acceptance of you who you are.

I also belive that the doctrine of fall tells us about the effects of sin on creation as a whole. Adam and Eve's willful disobedience had resulted in the distortion in God's pattern for living, including biological abnormalities and psychological disorders. We recognize and acknowledge these aspects of our fallen condition and seek to bring our tarnished lives in line with God's will and purpose.

I believe that putting things right is central to how God is involved in His creation after the fall. Therefore the doctrine of redemption is important in that those who suffer the effects of sin may find hope, a hope that is based on the healing work of Jesus Christ and His offer of abundant life (John 10:10).

I admit, for Christians, transsexuality poses significant challenges, both moral and theological. In practice, it is difficult to maintain a balanced approach that maintains scriptural convictions with a compassionate response. Yet, it is important to stress that insensitive and ill-advised treatment of transsexuals can prove devastating and dangerous. There doesn't seem to general formula for dealing with transsexuals, for each person is an individual with a unique personality and history.

I respect you as an indivudal and respect your freedom of choice. However, I am against changing and altering the laws of our country to accomdate your lifestyle choices.

Society has long accepted, clear and distinct gender roles for men and women. You have made a choice to be a transsexual, but that doesn't mean society has to accept it as a cultural norm and certainly not as a "non moral" matter.

Therefore I remain steadfast in Biblical principles. I affirm God's love and concern for all humanity, and believe that God creates human beings as either male or female.

Authentic change from a person's birth sex is not possible and an ongoing transsexual lifestyle is incompatible with God's will as revealed in Scripture and in creation.

Yes I recognize that all of us are sinners, and that the only real hope for sinful people, whether heterosexual, homosexual or transsexual, is for wholeness that is found only in Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,
Robert Prater