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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(June 2009) |
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The news articles and features presented below are simply an indication of how topical, controversial, and all-encompassing the issues surrounding marriage are throughout our society—and the world—today. Some of the views and opinions expressed, and their respective web sites, do NOT reflect the views or opinions of The Real Proposal™ magazine. Many are highlighted largely to reiterate that the alarming statistical trends on the chaotic state of "Marriage" and "Family"—outlined in "A Mere Glimpse"—will continue unabated without a fundamental grasp and purposeful dissemination of TRUTH on the issues.
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- Sanford Confession: But Wait! There’s More! Wall Street Journal Blogs- Washington Wire, By Mary Lu Carnevale, June 30, 2009
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who made an emotional, rambling confession about his extramarital affair at a press conference last week, told the Associated Press today that he saw his Argentine mistress a few more times than he had previously disclosed. One trip to New York earlier this year was chaperoned by a “trusted spiritual adviser,” Sanford said, and was supposed to be a meeting to call the whole thing off. AP reported that all three went to church and dinner. Sanford told the AP about five meetings with his mistress, Maria Belen Chapur, during the past year, including two stays in New York before the break up session. He recalled how the two met at an open-air dance in Uruguay and for coffee in New York during the 2004 Republican National Convention. The GOP governor, who is reimbursing the state for money spent on a side trip to Argentina while on a business trip to Brazil, said no state money was spent on the other visits. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: AP: SC gov 'crossed lines' with women The State- AP, By Tamara Lush and Evan Berland- Associated Press Writers, June 30, 2009
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday that he "crossed lines" with a handful of women other than his mistress - but never had sex with them. The governor said he "never crossed the ultimate line" with anyone but Maria Belen Chapur, the Argentine at the center of a scandal that has derailed his once-promising political career. "This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story," Sanford said. "A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day." During an emotional interview at his Statehouse office with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanford said Chapur is his soul mate but he's trying to fall back in love with his wife. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE & COMMENTS: Exclusive: Read e-mails between Sanford, woman: Sanford-Maria e-mails shed light on governor's affair The State, June 25, 2009
E-mails, obtained by The State newspaper in December, between Gov. Mark Sanford and Maria, a woman in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the time, efforts to authenticate the e-mails were unsuccessful. However, Sanford’s office Wednesday did not dispute their authenticity. The State has removed the woman’s full name and other personal details, including her street address, e-mail address and children’s names. . . . . . Comments.... Inca44 wrote on 06/30/2009 04:33:02 PM: Does anyone else feel at least somewhat uncomfortable reading these love notes on the internet? I couldn't even finish, not because I am so aghast at the content or offended by the affair, but because I find it wildly inappropriate--and a more than a little sadistic--for these messages to be exploited in this fashion. I cannot fathom why anyone would ever consider running for a political office in this country's overzealous "gotcha" climate where every sordid detail of every transgression is publicized in such excruciating detail. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Sanford's Mistress Identified as Professional, Passionate and Beautiful Brunette:
Details are emerging about South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's mistress, whom he visited in Argentina last week after his wife told him to leave FOXNews.com, June 25, 2009
The athletic brunette at the center of a media firestorm following South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's confession of an affair is a 43-year old Buenos Aires resident who lives in an upscale apartment building, FOXNews.com has confirmed. Her name is Maria Belen Chapur, and local media in Argentina have identified her as Sanford's mistress. . . . In personal e-mails published Thursday by South Carolina's The State newspaper, the mistress reveals little about her professional life. But the intimate tone of the apparent exchanges between her and Sanford suggests the affair was far more just a south-of-the-equator fling. Like star-crossed lovers, the two wrote of their "impossible love," and while the mistress's English was at times imperfect, the two expressed deep feelings for each other using language that was more poetic than lurid. The e-mails were steamy, as one might expect of any forbidden love. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Gov. Sanford’s Wife Issues a Statement Wall Street Journal Blog- Washington Wire, June 24, 2009
South Carolina’s first lady, Jenny Sanford, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, three hours after her husband, Gov. Mark Sanford, held a press conference during which he admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina. While she left the door open for reconciliation, Mrs. Sanford made it clear things weren’t going so well even before the governor’s secret trip to Buenos Aires. “When I found out about my husband’s infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago.” Here’s the full statement:. . .
 RELATED ARTICLE: Eliot Spitzer Sex Scandal: A Public And A Private Betrayal Editorial- The Real Proposal magazine, March 11, 2009
Personal conduct — in public, or otherwise — is the true hallmark of one’s character, and it cannot be overlooked in persons presenting themselves for public office. The truth of the matter is that public policy typically intersects with questions of morality. Therefore, it cannot be unreasonable for us to look with serious scrutiny on the character of our political representatives — potential, or standing — to see whether they are capable of maintaining the utmost integrity, or are conducting themselves in a manner worthy of emulation while serving our best interests. . . . . Inasmuch as we could continue to rant and pontificate on the political ramifications and fallout that this travesty has created, the sad reality is that this kind of outrage has become something of a cliché in our cultural landscape. . .
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- He Knew Lisa Marie Presley MySpace Blog, June 26, 2009
Years ago Michael and I were having a deep conversation about life in general. I can't recall the exact subject matter but he may have been questioning me about the circumstances of my Fathers Death. At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, "I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did." I promptly tried to deter him from the idea, at which point he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded almost matter of fact as if to let me know, he knew what he knew and that was kind of that. . . . .All of my indifference and detachment that I worked so hard to achieve over the years has just gone into the bowels of hell and right now I am gutted. I am going to say now what I have never said before because I want the truth out there for once. Our relationship was not "a sham" as is being reported in the press. It was an unusual relationship yes, where two unusual people who did not live or know a "Normal life" found a connection, perhaps with some suspect timing on his part. Nonetheless, I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much. I wanted to "save him" I wanted to save him from the inevitable which is what has just happened. His family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but didn't know how and this was 14 years ago. We all worried that this would be the outcome then. At that time, In trying to save him, I almost lost myself. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Lisa Marie Presley said he was a passionate lover. So what WAS the truth about Jackson's sexuality? The Daily Mail- UK, By J Randy Taraborrelli and Adam Dawe, June 29, 2009
They met as children and for 40 years, he was Michael Jackson's confidant. Now, in this deeply personal series, J. Randy Taraborrelli writes exclusively of the Michael Jackson he knew. Yesterday, he told the story of his friend's fall as he witnessed it first hand. Here, he examines Jackson's sexuality, investigating his questionable relationships with children - and providing a fascinating glimpse into a very passionate marriage with Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie ... From their very first date, at a dinner party staged by a mutual friend, Michael and Lisa hit it off. Raised at her father's impregnable home, Graceland, she had much in common with the world's most famous pop star, cloistered away in Neverland. Both had been sheltered from the real world, missed out on their childhoods and were mistrustful of outsiders. They believed they were soul mates. Michael was openly flirtatious, and Lisa was impressed by his private candour and normality. As they talked, she began to feel she was seeing the real Michael, the man behind the mask. His sexuality, admittedly, still seemed ambiguous, but he was soon kissing her fairly passionately. She was certainly attracted to him. Lisa liked strange guys, with an edge. And who had more of an edge than Michael?. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: The Jacksons Go To Court Over Michael's Estate People magazine, By Brian Orloff, June 29, 2009
Michael Jackson's parents, Katherine and Joe Jackson, have filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to probate their son's estate, PEOPLE has confirmed. According to legal papers, the Jacksons state that their son "died intestate," meaning without a will. Katherine Jackson, who has already filed for custody of her grandchildren Prince, 12, Paris, 11 and Prince Michael II, 7, is seeking to take possession of her son's assets for "for the exclusive use of [his] three children." The papers also state that, according to California law, Jackson's children are the sole beneficiaries of his estate. In her original custody filing, Jackson claims that her grandchildren have "no relationship with their biological mother" and have been in her care since Michael's death. A hearing on the custody matter is scheduled for July 6. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Revealed: Intimate pictures from Michael Jackson's family album seen for first time The Daily Mail- UK, By Liz Thomas, June 29, 2009
RELATED ARTICLE: Debbie Rowe: I'm the Legal Parent of Two of Michael Jackson's Kids People magazine, By Lorenzo Benet, June 26, 2009
With Michael Jackson's death, what will become of his three children? Debbie Rowe, the mother of Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11, is their legal parent and can gain custody of them if she chooses, according to Rowe's former attorney, Iris Finsilver. Prince Michael, Paris and Jackson's third child, Blanket, 7, whose mother has not been identified, have been in the care of Jackson's mother Katherine since the entertainer died Thursday after a cardiac arrest. "The kids are very upset, but they are fine," Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo, tells PEOPLE. During the custody fight between Rowe and Jackson in 2005, Rowe sought to give up her parental rights, and lauded Michael as a good father. Retired Judge Stephen Lachs, who presided over the hearing, at first agreed to terminate them, but then Lachs changed his mind and returned the rights to her. "She lost them, and then she got them back," Finsilver says. Finsilver said she spoke to Rowe on Thursday but she cannot say what Rowe plans to do. "She was inconsolable.". . .
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Michael Jackson's last moments: Call 911... he's not breathing The Sun-UK, June 26, 2009
An Emergency Room source at UCLA hospital said Jackson aides told medics he had collapsed after an injection of potent Demerol — similar to morphine. A Jacko source said: “Shortly after taking the Demerol he started to experience slow shallow breathing.
“His breathing gradually got slower and slower until it stopped. . .
Michael Jackson is dead Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2009
[Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.]
[Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Jackson is in a coma and family have are arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times. Jackson was rushed to a hospital this afternoon by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics. Capt. Steve Ruda said paramedics responded to a call at Jackson's home around 12:26 p.m. He was not breathing when they arrived. The parademics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told The Times.
[Updated at 2:12 p.m.: Paramedics were called to a home on the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard. Jackson rented the Bel Air home for $100,000 a month. It was described as a French chateau estate built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater. The home is about 2 1/2 miles, about a six-minute drive, from UCLA Medical Center. An earlier version of this post incorrectly described the time to travel between the home and hospital as two minutes.] The news comes as Jackson, 50, was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Did painkiller addiction and pressure of making a comeback kill Michael Jackson? The Daily Mail- UK, By Alison Boshoff, June 26, 2009
His death may have stunned the world of music, but those who knew Michael Jackson say the warning signs of his fading health were clear. They claim his long-term addiction to painkillers is the obvious underlying health issue which – combined with the considerable pressure of attempting a showbusiness comeback - may just have claimed his life. Only last month, the Daily Mail reported that Jackson was struggling to make even a handful of the rehearsals for the comeback tour which was due to start in July at the O2 in London. He had been to just two out of more than 45 rehearsals. At the time, due to the sensitivities involved, I said that Jackson had some problems with painkiller use. In fact, according to my Jackson family source, he was 'just not able to pick himself up out of the painkiller stupor' that he was in. The source, who asked not to be named, said: 'He has pain in his back and that is the reason for the drugs, but it is obvious that the painkillers have taken over his life.' He added: 'His family is telling him to ditch the medications and get on with the tour.'. .
RELATED ARTICLE: Michael Jackson's Death: The Talent and the Tragedy Time magazine, By Josh Tyrangiel, June. 25, 2009
The tragedy of Michael Jackson's death at age 50, reportedly from cardiac arrest, pales in comparison to the tragedy of his life. To understand all that Jackson had and lost requires wiping away three decades of plastic surgeries that deformed him, erratic behavior that made his name synonymous with the warping powers of fame, and a 2005 trial for sexually abusing a child that, even though he was spared of any finding of wrongdoing, made him a pariah to all but the most brainwashed of fans. But if you can forgive or forget all that, underneath was one of the most talented entertainers of the 20th century. Quincy Jones who produced Jackson's quintessential solo albums was devastated by the news of his passing. "I’ve lost my little brother today," Jones said in a statement, "part of my soul has gone with him." Said Jones: "Divinity brought our souls together... and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the 80’s. To this day, the music we created together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all....". . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Michael Jackson visits doctors for third time in a week as fan backlash begins over concert cancellations The Daily Mail-UK, By Donna Mcconnell, May 22, 2009
Michael Jackson has spent a third day in conference with doctors at a medical facility in Los Angeles it has emerged. Jackson, was seen as he left the Bedford Medical building yesterday where he has been seen on two previous occasions this week alone. The 50-year-old's visit gave rise to fears fans may suffer more concert cancellations. And a backlash has begun as fans expressed their disappointment over the cancellations of the singer's opening four shows of his 50-date O2 residency. The singer is facing continued questions over his fitness for the sell-out dates in London after rumours claimed he is suffering from skin cancer. . .
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- Farrah Fawcett Dies of Cancer at 62 People magazine, By Stephen M. Silverman and Champ Clark, June 25, 2009
Farrah Fawcett, who skyrocketed to fame as one of a trio of impossibly glamorous private eyes on TV's Charlie's Angels, has died after a long battle with cancer. She was 62. Fawcett died at 9:28 a.m. PST on Thursday at St. John's Heath (sic) Center in Santa Monica, Calif. She was with longtime partner Ryan O'Neal, friend Alana Stewart, friend and hairdresser Mela Murphy and her doctor Lawrence Piro. She had recently returned to St. John's for treatment of complications from anal cancer, first diagnosed three years ago. "She's gone. She now belongs to the ages," O'Neal tells PEOPLE, also confirming that she received the last rites of the Catholic Church. "She's now with her mother and sister and her God. I loved her with all my heart. I will miss her so very, very much. She was in and out of consciousness. I talked to her all through the night. I told her how very much I loved her. She's in a better place now." Added O'Neal: "She was with her team when she passed ... Her eyes were open, but she didn't say anything. But you could see in her eyes that she recognized us." Though O'Neal recently said that he and Fawcett had planned to wed, they did not tie the knot. "There just wasn't time, and Farrah wasn't in any condition to do it," says O'Neal. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Redmond O'Neal to Attend Farrah's Funeral People magazine, By Eunice Oh, June 29, 2009
Farrah Fawcett's son Redmond O'Neal, currently serving a jail sentence for violating his probation on drug charges, will attend his mother's memorial service on Tuesday, his attorney tells PEOPLE. "That's an absolute yes," says William Slattery about plans for the 24-year-old son of Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal to go to the funeral. O'Neal will be allowed to leave the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, Calif., where he is enrolled in an inmate treatment program, for the invitation-only ceremony, which will be held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels at 4 p.m. PST in downtown Los Angeles. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Doctor Describes Farrah's Final Fight People magazine, By Champ Clark and Xiomara Martinez-White, June 26, 2009
Farrah Fawcett bravely fought her cancer to the very end, according to her physician. Dr. Lawrence Piro says the Charlie's Angels star, after contracting an infection, had been hospitalized for three weeks before her June 25 death from anal cancer. While she was in treatment, it was discovered that the cancer had spread to her lungs. "We did what she wanted to do, which was to fight until it was over," Piro says. "It wasn't until the last days when the organ function was not retrievable that we knew, and she knew, that comfort measures were the main things to be done. The resolve in her remained until a few hours before she made her transition.". . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Farrah Fawcett: The Golden Girl Who Didn't Fade Time magazine, By Richard Corliss , June 25, 2009
Boy, did the 1970s ever need Farrah Fawcett. Watergate and the Nixon resignation, soaring crime rates and gas prices — bad news everywhere — had the nation in need of a tonic, or a diversion, which is almost as therapeutic. Who could have guessed it would come in the trim form of a Texas blonde with a no-quit smile? That would be Farrah Fawcett, or Farrah Fawcett-Majors, as she called herself in her prime. (Not that there was ever a Farrah Fawcett Minor.). . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Hollywood Pays Tribute to Farrah Fawcett People magazine, By Mike Fleeman, June 25, 2009
The angels are in mourning. "Farrah had courage, she had strength, and she had faith. And now she has peace as she rests with the real angels," said Jaclyn Smith after the death of her friend and Charlie's Angels costar Farrah Fawcett. Cheryl Ladd, who replaced Fawcett on the wildly popular '70s show, says: "I'm terribly sad about Farrah's passing. She was incredibly brave, and God will be welcoming her with open arms." "I will miss Farrah every day," says Kate Jackson. "She was a selfless person who loved her family and friends with all her heart, and what a big heart it was. Farrah showed immense courage and grace throughout her illness and was an inspiration to those around her. When I think of Farrah I will remember her kindness, her cutting dry wit and, of course, her beautiful smile." Added Jackson, "Today when you think of Farrah remember her smiling, because that is exactly how she wanted to be remembered." Fond Remembrances: From pinup, to TV star, to entertainment icon, to hero: Fawcett is being fondly remembered by both Hollywood and the style community. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: "In sickness and in health..." It's for more than just the flu Editorial- The Real Proposal magazine, By Donna Kassin, June 24, 2009
On May 19, 2009, my husband died. He was 57. As foreign and inconceivable as these words still appear to my present consciousness, I have awakened each morning since to this stark reality with the deepest and near palpable sense of loss imaginable. I not only loved my husband. I was also still very much in love with him when he died, which is what, perhaps, has tipped the scales towards my ultimate acknowledgement that this profound experience of losing a spouse is nothing akin to a divorce. After the failure of my first marriage, I had come to the unfortunate conclusion that divorce was like a death, except the person from whom you were now divorced was still very much alive. Now, I realize the falsity of that conclusion as I am humbly and indelibly struck by the finality of “till death do us part.”. . .
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- Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal to Marry
Exclusive Interview: O'Neal Tells Barbara Walters the Couple Will 'Absolutely' Get Married ABC News- 20/20, By Alan B. Goldberg and Katie N. Thomson, June 22, 2009
In an exclusive interview with Barbara Walters for "20/20," Farrah Fawcett's longtime love Ryan O'Neal said the couple has plans to marry. "I've asked her to marry me, again, and she's agreed," O'Neal, 68, told Walters. O'Neal described Fawcett's deteriorating condition, saying the 62-year-old iconic actress is "fighting for her life." "We will, as soon as she can, say yes. ... Maybe we can just nod her head," he said, with a laugh. Fawcett and O'Neal began dating in 1980 and lived together with son Redmond. The two never officially tied the knot, but not for O'Neal's lack of trying. "I used to ask her to marry me all the time," he said. "But ... it just got to be a joke, you know. We just joked about it." But O'Neal told Walters that he was confident the two will finally get married. "I promise you, we will. ... Absolutely.". . . .Fawcett and O'Neal: A Love Story: Walters interviewed Fawcett in 1984 when she was pregnant with Redmond, her son with Ryan O'Neal. On why she never accepted O'Neal's many marriage proposals, Fawcett said then that he was "too bossy." In 1997, after 17 years together, Fawcett and O'Neal parted ways. Four years later, after O'Neal was diagnosed with leukemia, Fawcett returned to his side to offer what help she could. When Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, the couple moved in together. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: "In sickness and in health..." It's for more than just the flu Editorial- The Real Proposal magazine, By Donna Kassin, June 24, 2009
It really makes one wonder, doesn’t it, why, now, after a tumultuous but long-term 29-year cohabiting relationship, Farrah is finally saying yes to Ryan’s marriage proposal? Is it just because she knows she is dying and won’t have long to put up with his “bossy” ways? Is it because she has finally seen that commitment has been the watershed issue of their relationship? Or, is there something more fundamental to these marriage vows, when taken with our eyes wide open, which recognizes that marriage is not just about a “piece of paper”? It is a deeper, spiritual acknowledgment that you are willing to walk the walk and not just talk the talk in a relationship, and that you are in it for the long haul, “forsaking all others, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, in sickness and in health till death do you part”. Somehow, “let’s live together, baby” doesn’t quite have the same feel ultimately. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Farrah Fawcett Is Back in the Hospital People magazine, June 22, 2009
RELATED VIDEO: Ryan O'Neal to Wed Farrah Fawcett ABC News 20/20, June 22, 2009
Editor's Note: Barbara Walters' complete interview with Ryan O'Neal, as well as Farrah Fawcett's doctor and others who are closest to her, will air on ABC's "20/20," Friday at 10 p.m. ET.
RELATED ARTICLE: Lawsuit, Health Woes Hang Over 'Farrah's Story' ABC News, By Luchina Fisher, May 15, 2009
RELATED RESOURCE: Detailed Guide: Anal Cancer: What Are the Risk Factors for Anal Cancer? American Cancer Society
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RELATED ARTICLE: Farrah Fawcett almost married Ryan O'Neal while undergoing cancer treatment in Germany New York Daily News, By Tracy Connor, June 5, 2009
Farrah Fawcett and longtime love Ryan O'Neal nearly got hitched while she was undergoing cancer treatment in Germany, a family friend said Thursday. "They thought about getting married in Germany," pal Joan Dangerfield told "Extra." "They had me check into all the laws to see if that was possible. But we just didn't get it together in time." As rumors fly that the Hollywood lovebirds may still tie the knot, Fawcett's hairstylist said she wouldn't be surprised. "He is the love of her life and she is the love of his life," Mela Murphy told the TV show. Fawcett, 62, is gravely ill with incurable anal cancer - but friends say the "Charlie's Angel" star hasn't given up. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Ryan O'Neal, in heartwrenching interview, says he sometimes wishes for Farah Fawcett to not wake up New York Daily News, By Nancy Dillon, May 14, 2009
Cancer-stricken Farrah Fawcett is suffering so much her longtime love, Ryan O'Neal, sometimes wishes she would go to sleep peacefully and not wake up. "I feel like crying, I'll tell you that, when I look at her sometimes," he said in a heart-wrenching interview that aired Thursday on NBC's "Today" show. "I kind of wish that she would go to sleep, just go to sleep. It's not my right, but I just don't see how she could be happy.". . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The Marrying Animal The Catholic Thing, By Ralph McInerny, June 02, 2009
. . . Aristotle's remark that man is by nature a social animal is not often paired with another of his: man is even more naturally a marrying animal. The union of man and woman with the aim of reproduction creates the most fundamental society of all, the family. Any further society presupposes the family and is parasitic on it. The mark of any society is concern for the common good, and where better than in the family do I learn that I have goods that are not simply mine but ours?. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Family: "The Bedrock of Society" Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, July 31, 2008
It used to be called “shacking up.” Now it’s just another lifestyle choice. Or so it appears from federal data released on July 28. It shows a big jump in the number of unmarried opposite-sex couples living together -- from less than 1 million 30 years ago to 6.4 million in 2007, or almost 10 percent of all opposite-sex U.S. couples. Does it matter? Not to the 47 percent of people in a USA Today/Gallup poll who said that cohabitation made “no difference” to the children of cohabiting couples. At a time when same-sex “marriage” has become a wedge issue in California and other states, this trend is troubling, to say the least. Cohabiting couples may dismiss marriage as old-fashioned -- a “piece of paper” that pacifies parents but has no practical value. In fact, a growing body of social science research shows that the intact family -- defined by countless generations and myriad cultures to mean a man and a woman who marry, conceive and raise their children together -- best ensures the welfare of society in general and children in particular. It says a lot about the decline of our culture today that such an observation even needs to be made. . .
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- For better or for worse: Catholic priest kicked out of Church for having his hand down a woman's bikini, marries her The Daily Mail- UK, By Mail Foreign Service, June 17, 2009
The Catholic priest who was kicked out of the Church after he was photographed in a tabloid romping on a beach with a bikini-clad woman has now made the relationship official. The Reverend Alberto Cutie has married Ruhama Canellis after a two-year relationship, according to court records in Miami. The couple were not married in a church, but by a judge. It was the latest in the public spectacle that started when photos of Rev Cutie embracing his girlfriend surfaced last month. Amid the uproar, Rev Cutie - also known as 'Father Oprah' for his sound relationship advice - was removed from his South Beach parish. Protesters marched to support the popular priest, who has appeared on radio and TV broadcasts beamed through the Americas and Spain. But he quickly departed from Catholicism to become an Episcopal priest. The Episcopal church is the U.S. branch of the Anglican communion. Last month he preached his first Episcopal sermon to an American congregation - and took Ruhama along with him. He preached a sermon on forgiveness - and was openly affectionate with Ruhama, who he was pictured cuddling with as he spoke to parishioners. Rev Cutie, 40, still must meet other requirements before becoming a full-fledged priest in the Episcopalian religion. Last month, in an interview with CBS, he said, 'I believe that I've fallen in love and I believe that I've struggled with that, between my love for God, and my love for the church and my love for service.' Rev Cutie met Ruhama, 35, in church. The priest said they were friends for years before becoming romantically involved. Rev Cutie has not commented. An e-mail to Ruhama prompted an automatic reply that said the account was not being checked but to 'keep us in your prayers'. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Fallen Catholic Priest Alberto Cutie Now Married. Scandal continues as Catholic priest marries in a civil ceremony in Coral Gables, Florida Catholic Online, By Randy Sly, June 18, 2009
Alberto Cutie (pronounced koo-tee-ay), the Catholic priest who admitted to having an affair, is now married. On Tuesday, Cutie, 40, wed his Ruhama B. Canellis, 35, in a civil ceremony Tuesday in Coral Gables, Florida. Cutie made headlines in early May when he admitted to having an affair that lasted two years. Cutie was then an active Roman Catholic Priest who had gained fame, an international following and the nickname “Father Oprah” for advice he gave on Spanish-language television and radio. After acknowledging the affair, the priest was removed from his duties at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Miami Beach, Florida, as well as on the Radio Paz and Radio Peace networks. Toward the end of May he announced that he was leaving the Roman Catholic Church and joining the Episcopal Church. On May 28, Cutie was received into the Episcopal Church at Trinity Cathedral in Miami. He is now seeking to re-enter ordained ministry as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida. At a press conference regarding his decision, Cutie had said, “I want to assure you that this journey did not begin a few weeks ago. I have searched my soul and sought after God's guidance for a long time. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Media priest's conversion strains ecumenical ties The Christian Century, June 30, 2009
In the nearly 500 years since the Church of England split with the Roman Catholic Church, a fair number of converts have crossed from one church to the other. Still, the path can be rocky, as Alberto Cutié—the most recent high-profile convert—discovered on May 28 when he left Catholicism to join the Episcopal Church. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Fr. Alberto Cutie Renounces his Catholic Faith and becomes an Episcopalian Catholic Online, By Deacon Keith Fournier, May 28, 200
"This is truly a setback for ecumenical relations and cooperation between us," said the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Miami, who was visibly disappointed. Archbishop John Favalora indicated that he had no communication from the Episcopal Bishop, Leo Frade of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, who had earlier in the day received Alberto Cutié, and Ruhama Buni Canellis, the woman pictured in the photographs which catapulted this sad affair into the headlines, into the Episcopal Church. This action by Cutie seems to have totally surprised his former Archbishop who said he had not spoken to Cutie since May 5th and was never informed by the dissident priest that he intended to marry. It also constitutes the formal renunciation of Cutie’s communion with the Catholic Church. So the sad story of a formerly Catholic priest who broke his vows of celibacy and, after being caught by a photographer in a compromising position with his girlfriend made National and International news, has come to a schismatic and scandalous end. Cutie has formally left the Catholic Church, announced that he plans to marry the woman whom he had dated for two years, and has been accepted as a candidate for ordination into the Episcopal Church, all without his former Bishop ever even having been consulted. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: 10 Ways to Lift Yourself Up When a Spiritual Leader Lets You Down Beliefnet.com- NY, By Valerie Reiss, November 9, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Signs of a Restorable Spirit: What are the tangible evidences of repentance? Christianity Today, Posted by Marshall Shelley, November 8, 2006
In the wake of serious moral failure, church leaders are quickly asked about “restoration.” What does a person have to do to be deemed worthy of reinstatement as a church leader?. . .
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- Jada Pinkett Smith Keeps the Passion Burning With Will and Work Redbook.com, By Margot Dougherty
Jada Pinkett Smith knows that keeping the passion burning bright is essential to a strong marriage. But she also firmly believes that feeding your own flame is just as important. . . . In addition to her metal credentials, 37-year-old Jada is an alum of the late '80s/early '90s Bill Cosby series A Different World. Since then she has focused on film roles — the steely Niobe in two Matrix installments, the voice of the sassy hippo in both Madagascars, a tightly wound prosecutor in Collateral, and a gay author in last year's The Women. But now she's back in front of the TV cameras in TNT's new dramedy, HawthoRNe, about a hospital nursing staff led by her character, Christina Hawthorne. Wife to Will Smith, mother to their children, Jaden, 11, and Willow, 8, and stepmom to Trey, Will's 16-year-old son from his first marriage, Jada is also an actively engaged writer-producer-actress and, through the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, a philanthropist. Suffice it to say she's busy. Not too busy, though, to give us a peek into her world. We gave her a camera, and here she shares the personal snapshots she took over several days, as well as her thoughts on playing the ultimate nurturer and shattering the concept of the ultimate wife. Welcome to life through Jada's eyes. . . . . .
Redbook: Was he like that when you first met?
Jada: No, I think that's something we've learned to be together. There's a certain amount of safety you have to create for someone to feel like they can be open to you in that way. That's something we forget in marriages and relationships — they have to be places of safety, because they're where you are most vulnerable. If you're not allowed to be safe, I don't know if you can reach the depths of connection that support commitment. You can be committed to somebody because of ego: I said I was going to be with this joker for the rest of my life, so I'm just going to do it. Or you can be committed because you have a deeply rooted connection.
Redbook: How do you keep that connection?
Jada: Talk. Or the other day, because I've been working a lot, I said to Will, "Be ready at 2:30." He said, "Where are we going?" I said, "Don't worry about it." I try to make Sunday a day to reconnect — with friends, family, husband. So I put together a picnic basket and drove us to this hiking trail that I'd taken him to when we first met. No Secret Service, nothing. I got the idea because that morning he'd been reading a book on architecture, and he told me that it said the only replenishment for the soul is nature. Now, I've always known that's true for me, but for a dude to say "nature," I'm like, "Wow!" I said to myself, I'm going to take him on that hike. So we went up and had a really nice afternoon. We were there for about an hour, just sitting on a bench overlooking the canyons. I'm getting teary just thinking about it. We were both replenished and so happy and connected in that one hour. It doesn't take a lot of time. Once again, it's just being aware and present enough to know what that other person wants. What does he want today? . . . . . .
Redbook: After 11 years of marriage, any tips for keeping a relationship hot?
Jada: Nice outfits and high heels! And talking. And making time. You've got to make time. Our men want to feel important. We want to feel important. So it's about establishing an environment in which that can happen. It can be hard because we get caught in the grind of life. . .
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RELATED PHOTO ESSAY: 20 Ways to Spice Up Your Next Date Night Redbook.com
Alone time with your guy can be hard to come by, so why not make those precious hours you two share extra exciting? Use these fiery reader tips to spice up your next date night. From a cocktail party for two to the electric kiss, tantalizing tips for making the most of your together time. And when you're ready to take it to the next level, peruse more steamy tips. . .
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- Obama´s Marriage Defense Shouldn´t Surprise or Anger Anyone American Chronicle, By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, June 16, 2009
"I will tell you that I don´t believe in gay marriage."
"I believe in civil unions but it should not be called marriage."
Then Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said that during a campaign stop in Nelsonville, Ohio a day before the Super II Tuesday primary in March 2008. The great puzzle then is why so many are so hot at President Obama for backing the Defense of Marriage Act. He has not backed a step away from his Ohio campaign stump words. His unshakeable personal, political and legal belief is that the only marriage that can be called marriage is between a man and a woman. This has absolutely nothing to do with his solid, and at times outspoken, tout of anti-discrimination, civility, and just plain human respect for gay rights. He has backed that in speeches and legislation 18 times before he grabbed the White House. This still doesn´t change his firm belief that marriage is marriage only when it´s between a man and a woman. Gay groups, the mayors of Los Angeles and San Francisco, and some congresspersons, can scream at him to withdraw the Justice Department´s brief filed seeking the dismissal of the legal challenge to the DOMA in a federal court in California. They can bash him as a flip flop and a betrayer of his campaign promises on gay rights. This still ignores the bitter truth that candidate Obama and now president Obama has been the paragon of consistency, even honesty, in opposing same sex marriage. This has nothing to do with politics, but his personal belief layered over with a tinge of religious interpretation, since he´s cited conflicted passages from the Bible, to square his support of gay rights with his opposition to legalizing same sex marriage. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Same-sex Benefits Sidestep the Law New American, By Steven J. DuBord, June 18, 2009 (Update)
If all these benefits constitute a stab in the back, one wonders what a pat on the back from Obama would have looked like. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins saw these moves for what they really are: “President Obama's planned Executive Order uses taxpayer money to placate an angry portion of his base at the expense of the rule of law.” Perkins’ statement at the Family Research Council website rightfully questions “whether the President has the authority to ignore DOMA and bypass the legislative process.” Clearly, even the highest officer of the executive branch of government does not have any legislative power, and the president needs to carry out the law of the land, not step around it in order to grant special privileges to a group of people he hopes will pay him back with financial support. Ironically, Obama’s Department of Justice had only last week filed a brief to dismiss a federal lawsuit against the Defense of Marriage Act. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Conservative Christians Warn Against Obama's Pro-Homosexual Agenda The Christian Post, By Lillian Kwon, June 17 2009
President Obama left both sides of the same-sex marriage debate unhappy after he signed a memorandum on Wednesday to extend some benefits to gay and lesbian partners of federal employees. With growing criticism from frustrated gay rights advocates, Obama made what he called a first step to ending discrimination against same-sex couples. He also reaffirmed his opposition to the federal Defense of Marriage Act and vowed to work with Congress to repeal it. Conservative groups see Obama's move as an attempt to appease faithful voters and potential donors. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: A matter of pride? OneNewsNow.com, By R. Albert Mohler, Jr. - Guest Columnist, June 17, 2009
President Obama recently signed a proclamation designating the month of June as "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2009.". . . . . In signing this proclamation, President Obama put the issue right before us all. During the 1980s the "gay rights" movement began using the "pride" language in an effort to defy negative moral judgments about homosexuality. Calls for "gay liberation" became calls for "gay pride." The new theme brought political, strategic and psychological advantages. The assertion of homosexual pride is the ultimate rejection of normative heterosexuality. Those citizens who believe that morality is mere social construction can go along with this. Those who believe that homosexuality is morally positive will champion the call for "gay pride." Most Americans will probably give passing attention to the president's call. But Christians committed to the authority of the Bible as the Word of God cannot find pride in sin. To do so is not only to confuse sin, but to undermine the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Morally serious persons must take the president's proclamation as a morally serious act. As such, it demands a response. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The Contradictions of our President The Conversant Life, By Sean McDowell, June 15, 2009
While my first passion (and formal training) is in theology and philosophy, I do love following politics. For balance, I regularly read the HuffingtonPost.com (liberal) Townhall.com (conservative) and watch CNN and Fox News to try and get multiple sides of every issue. For the past couple weeks, I’ve decided to pay even closer attention to the words of President Obama. In doing so, I’m amazed at how many times he directly contradicts himself. Yet what’s more amazing is that the mainstream media doesn’t pick up on these. Consider a few...
RELATED ARTICLE: Obama angers gays with marriage law defense San Francisco Chronicle, By Bob Egelko, June 13, 2009
President Obama, who said as a candidate that he would seek repeal of a law denying federal recognition of same-sex marriage, has angered gay rights groups with court arguments portraying the law as a nondiscriminatory measure that "preserves scarce government resources." The Justice Department's filing with a federal court in Santa Ana was the administration's first statement on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that denies federal marriage benefits to same-sex couples. Those benefits include joint tax filing, Social Security survivors' payments and spousal immigration status. The law also allows states to withhold recognition of same-sex marriages performed in another state or country. Obama called the law "abhorrent" during the presidential campaign and said he would work to overturn it. He has not presented any such legislation to Congress since taking office, however. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Obama's Irreconcilable Marriage Vows Townhall.com, By Janet M. LaRue, May 30 2008
“Marriage, it doesn’t mean anything.” That’s what Barack Obama told wife Michelle while they were dating, according to her recent interview in The New Yorker. But he’s telling voters that marriage is “something sanctified between a man and a woman,” and that he opposes same-sex “marriage.” Sanctified or meaningless, which is it? On the one hand, Obama says marriage should be between a man and a woman. . . . On the other hand, Obama wants to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which protects one man-one woman marriage. . . In his Presidential campaign Obama has reaffirmed his vow to abandon DOMA, and is making it an election issue against Hillary Clinton. According to World Net Daily, “Obama has issued an open letter to the ‘LGBT community’ assuring them he believes in ‘full equality’ for homosexuals and stating that, unlike Sen. Hillary Clinton, he advocates the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.” . . . . . Obama wants to repeal both sections of DOMA. He doesn’t want federal law to limit marriage to a man and a woman, and he doesn’t want federal law to protect the right of the states to decide for themselves. Is this the position of a man who believes marriage is “sanctified?” Lest there be yet another “out of context” accusation from Obamaland, here’s Michelle’s full statement to The New Yorker about their marriage “debate”: Barack had a more bohemian attitude toward romance. “We would have this running debate throughout our relationship about whether marriage was necessary,” Obama told me. “It was sort of a bone of contention, because I was, like, ‘Look, buddy, I’m not one of these who’ll just hang out forever.’ . . .
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- Rowan Pelling's sex advice column: 'I'm happy to have sex on a first date. Is that why none of my relationships ever last?' The Daily Mail-UK, By Rowan Pelling, June 15, 2009
The former Erotic Review magazine editor answers your sex questions...
QUESTION: I've never seen the problem with having sex on a first date. Surely in these post-feminist days women can follow their own honest desires. But my best friend says that's why I can't make a relationship last. Do you think there's any real benefit in playing by 'the rules' and holding off?
ROWAN SAYS: Let's get one thing straight here: of course I don't think the fact someone has had sex on a first date axiomatically means they are a romantic disaster zone. We are not living in the 19th century and the feminist movement and improved contraception has won Western women welcome sexual latitude. But it doesn't matter what I think - you're not trying to date me or, come to that, Germaine Greer. What we're trying to do here is penetrate the psyche of your average male of the species. And, at the risk of sounding like some kind of rabid evolutionary psychologist, I believe most men are hardwired for the chase. Nice through it is to come across a stationary gazelle who obligingly offers herself up to the hunter, men tend to be more thrilled by the exertion of bringing down a fleet-footed prey. When lust is too easily sated, it seems to me there's a greater chance it won't make the complex metamorphosis into love. Talk to any psychologist and they will tell you that desire is often triggered and inflamed by subtle forms of frustration. It's true of life generally that people tend to place a higher value on what they find rare or hard to obtain. Women are hardly immune from this tendency. How many times have I heard female friends voicing suspicions about men who proclaim love too readily? . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: My year without sex! Hephzibah Anderson took a dramatic - and liberating - decision. So did it help her to find real love? The Daily Mail- UK, By Hephzibah Anderson, June 25, 2009
The handsome boyfriend who told her: 'I'm not in love with you.' The ex she spotted ring shopping with a blonde. Hephzibah grew tired of dating disasters and our sex-obsessed society and decided to stay off sex for a whole year with dramatic results. . . . These past few months, the word chastity has been making me blush. It's as if I've hit on the last conceivable taboo in our anything-goes age of pole-dancing hen nights and call-girl confessionals. Bizarrely, when it's assumed that you will sleep with someone, not sleeping with them can become a more personal choice. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Understanding the Hookup Culture Townhall.com, By Allison Kasic, October 20, 2008
The hookup culture is a complete inversion of the traditional dating script: “College men used to ask women to go on dates with the hope that something sexual, such as necking or petting, might happen at the end of the date. In the hooking-up era, this sexual norm is reversed. College students, following the hookup script, become sexual first and then maybe go on a date someday.”. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Casual sex left me feeling worthless: How a one-night stand left one woman emotionally destroyed. New research says women bitterly regret one-night stands. But the emotional damage can go deeper than you think... The Daily Mail- Uk, By Helen Weathers, July 3, 2008
When seen in the cold light of the morning after the night before, what had seemed like a rather thrilling idea at the time suddenly felt anything but for 28-year-old PR executive Aisling. At the party where they'd met, the prospect of a no-strings, one-night stand with a handsome young man had felt sexy, slightly dangerous, liberating and a salve to the ego following the end of a four-year relationship. After all, in this day and age, if men can do it, why can't women? Only when Aisling woke up, she didn't feel liberated. As her conquest departed with barely a backward glance, she felt used and cheated, even though she'd been under no illusion that it might lead to anything more. She worried about what the man really thought of her as a person, what friends would say if they found out, why her one-night stand had been so eager to depart without asking for a phone number. She felt rotten. In short, she regretted every second of it. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Get Chaste: The Dawn and the Eden of a countercultural revolution National Review Online, By Kathryn Jean Lopez, December 5, 2006
Dawn Eden, an editor at the New York Daily News and blogger with an eclectic background, is author of a new book published by Thomas Nelson called The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On. Eden’s tried it both ways, and in the book describes the life-changing experience that came with her decision to stop having lots of sex in the city. . .
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- Two Fathers Too Few New York Times, By Jane Alison, June 10, 2009
I grew up with either two fathers or none, depending on how you look at it, and Father's Day has always been troubling: a day to feel split or let pass in silence. Both fathers were diplomats -- one Australian, one American -- so my relations to fathers became more dizzying, growing to include the nations they stood for. When I was a child, my parents met another couple and traded partners: They each divorced and soon remarried. My father then took his new wife and daughters on his Australian diplomatic path, and my stepfather took my mother, sister and me on his American path. Letters and gifts flew over the oceans between fathers and daughters, yet we didn't see or speak to the others for seven years. My sister and I gradually took our stepfather's name and American citizenship and accent, while on the other side of the world, our stepsisters took our father's name and all that was Australia and had once been ours. They called our father Daddy, as did we in letters but rarely out loud; their own father they called Father, while we called him by his name. When my sister and I saw our father again, we'd returned to Washington and he now represented Australia at the United Nations in New York. I was 11 and hadn't seen my birthplace since I was four, and my father's foreign accent when at last we heard his voice, the boomerangs on the walls of his study, and the flag itself with the Southern Cross: all of this figured both Australia and him. By this time, my mother's marriage to my stepfather had dissolved, so we had no father in the house. . . . . But what was mostly abstracted was the longing affixed to these men, because they had not just been part of home but had meant it, had lent us their names and countries and then moved on, leaving tokens of their presence and absence. As a young woman I could not settle down but kept moving, wondering where I should be. A decade ago I married and moved with my husband to Germany -- like going to a post with a new father again. There I had time to think and to write, and when books began to be published, I decided to use neither father's last name nor my husband's, but a name that was purely mine. . . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Fathering in America: What’s a Dad Supposed to Do? Psych Central, By Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D., June 25, 2008
Americans seem more confused than ever about the role of fathers in children’s lives. On the one hand, more and more fathers are absent for all or significant periods of time. According to the 2006 Census, 23 percent of children under 18 do not live with their biological father and the number is climbing. On the other hand, search “fatherhood” on the web and you’ll find dozens of websites dedicated to teaching, encouraging, and supporting men in becoming more nurturing and involved fathers. Meanwhile, many TV sitcoms and animated shows continue to portray dads as dolts or, at best, well-meaning but misguided large children whose wives have to mother them as well as their offspring. If an alien in another universe happens to tune in to The Simpsons, Everyone Loves Raymond, Family Guy, etc., he (it?) will come away with a rather skewed idea of how men function in American families. . . . . We may be reconsidering how family should be defined. We may be confused about gender roles. We may be struggling with knowing how to parent well in a complicated time. But in the midst of all this confusion, there is a growing consensus that what kids need, at least, is clear. Kids need their fathers as well as their mothers. . . . What’s a Father To Do? Embrace your responsibility. . . . Be there. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Father's Day thoughts for the fatherless World Net Daily, By Greg Laurie, June 14, 2008
-- Father's Day has always been a hard day for me. That's because I never really had a father growing up. You see, I was illegitimate – the result of a one-night fling that my mom had with a sailor in Long Beach. I didn't find that out until my late 40s. My mom had quickly gone from marriage to marriage – seven of them, to be exact – so I never had a dad. As a result, there were big blank spots in my life – like trying to figure out a football game on TV, or how to tie your tie or defend yourself in a fight. There was just a void. (I recently finished a book about my life that I've entitled, "Lost Boy.") But every time Father's Day rolls around, I'm reminded that I have no dad. . . . . The truth is, a fatherless child can be headed for a lot of trouble. I don't think I'm overstating the matter when I say that most of our social ills today can be traced to the breakdown of the family – and specifically the absence of fathers. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Marriage: Even Liberals Know It's Bad Townhall.com, By Frank Turek, Monday, May 26, 2008
Why not legalize same-sex marriage? Who could it possibly hurt? Children and the rest of society. That’s the conclusion of David Blankenhorn, who is anything but an anti-gay “bigot.” He is a life-long, pro-gay, liberal democrat who disagrees with the Bible’s prohibitions against homosexual behavior. Despite this, Blankenhorn makes a powerful case against Same-Sex marriage in his book, The Future of Marriage. . . . The law is a great teacher, and if same-sex marriage advocates have their way, children will be expelled from the lesson on marriage. This leads Blankenhorn to assert, “One can believe in same-sex marriage. One can believe that every child deserves a mother and a father. One cannot believe both.” . .
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- Exclusive: Miss California Carrie Prejean Loses Her Crown FOX News, June 10, 2009
Less than a month after being told by Donald Trump that she can keep her Miss California crown, Carrie Prejean was fired on Wednesday, Foxnews.com has learned exclusively. K2 Productions, the independent producers of the Miss California USA pageant, under license from Miss Universe, cited continued breach of contract issues as the reason for Prejean's firing. The decision was revealed in documents first obtained by FOXNews.com. "This was a business decision, based solely on contract violations," Keith Lewis, executive director of K2 Productions, said in the documents. "After our press conference in New York we had hoped we would be able to forge a better working relationship. However, since that time it has become abundantly clear that Carrie has no desire to fulfill her obligations under our contract and work together.” Prejean came under fire for her answer to a question about gay marriage two months ago in the Trump-owned Miss USA pageant, in which she was the runner-up. After the pageant, Prejean was continuously attacked as she defended her belief that gays and lesbians should not be given the right to marry in California. She became embroiled in more controversy when racy pictures of her were published that some construed as violations of her Miss California contract. . .
RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEOS: Carrie Prejean Stripped Of Miss California Title, Says Decision Came As A Surprise Access Hollywood, June 10, 2009
Billy Bush broke the news to Prejean on Wednesday afternoon when he called her for Access Hollywood and “The Billy Bush Show.” “We’ve just found out from Keith Lewis, your executive director there, that it’s official, they have put out a statement and you have been fired,” Bush said. “Well, that’s the first that I know about that, Billy,” Prejean said. “Really?” he continued. “Yeah. I was just talking to my lawyer and I just got a phone call from you and I’ve gotten some text messages saying ‘Hey, is this really true?’ and I said, ‘True about what?’ and they said, ‘That you’ve been fired.’ And I started to laugh because everyone’s been cooperating and everyone’s been getting along so well,” she said. “This is the first that I’ve heard of it. This is funny to me. I have no idea what’s going on.”. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Donald Trump Finally Says 'You're Fired!' to Miss Cali: No More Second Chances for Carrie Prejean as She Loses Crown ABC News, By Luchina Fisher and Sheila Marikar, June 10, 2009
Below, a timeline of Carrie Prejean controversy. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Carrie Prejean: They Asked Me to do Playboy TMZ.com, June 10, 2009
Prejean says, "What's behind this I think is a political debate. They don't agree with the stance that I took [on Prop 8]. Shanna [Moakler] is trying to bash me. They don't like me. From day one they wanted me out and they got what they wanted." Prejean also told us she couldn't believe Donald Trump would say she treated people in the pageant "like s**t." For the record, Trump did tell Harvey Levin that on the phone earlier today. Prejean said if Trump really feels that way she's sorry, adding: "I've shown respect for every party involved, even when they haven't shown it back." Prejean went on: "I was very respectful of people even when they slandered me and humiliated me. I have not once stooped down to their level.". . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Hateful Faithful on the Left Help Ax Miss California FOX News Blog, By Dan Gainor, June 11, 2009
Liberals finally got their scalp and what a lovely one it is. The Donald “fired” his lovely apprentice for what he claimed were contract issues. Out went Miss California USA Carrie Prejean. In comes the celebration from the hateful faithful on the left. Perez Hilton, the gossip blogger who pretends to be human, was eager to rejoice over Prejean’s unemployment. . . . . Hilton was easily the worst. The openly gay scandal-sheet blogger had started the controversy by asking the initial question. He then responded by attacking her and calling her a “bitch,” but really wanted to go lower. “She lost, not because she doesn’t believe in gay marriage, Miss California lost because she’s a dumb bitch, OK?” He followed with a bogus apology: “I was thinking the c-word and I didn’t say it.” This is the same Hilton who runs a Web site where he scrawls dirty pictures on top of photos, shows images of penises where microphones should be or has drawings of semen dripping from the mouths of celebrities. Instead of that kind of bile causing the media to ignore him, major news outlets embraced it. He went on “Larry King Live” where the host was actually nice to him. He appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC and more. Every outlet gave credence to Hilton’s comments attacking a young woman who merely dared to oppose gay marriage. We hear a lot about tolerance on the left but in reality they hate tolerance. What they really want is devotion –- to their beliefs, to their celebrities and to their causes. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The Destruction of Miss California Townhall.com, By Bill O'Reilly, May 09, 2009
Checked on your freedom of speech lately? If not, consider the plight of 21-year-old Carrie Prejean, a student at San Diego Christian College who was selected first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant last month. . . . . . Most polls show that the majority of Americans agree with Prejean, including the president of the United States. Yet since she made that statement as Miss California, the woman has been persecuted in the media. . . . . .Gay marriage has been defined by some of its supporters as a civil rights issue. Isn't freedom of speech a civil rights issue? Therefore, let's call this Miss California deal exactly what it is -- a gross violation of the spirit of America. If a 21-year-old pageant contestant can be persecuted for uttering an opinion based upon a sincere belief, then all of us are at risk, as well. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Refuse to Be Bullied Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr., April 27, 2009
To add insult to injury Keith Lewis, co-director of the Miss California USA and who runs the Miss California competition, attempted to moralize about the “right to marry.” I found it ironic that a man who runs a competition that parades women around in scanty clothing could attempt to speak out about gender prejudice and stereotypes. Both Perez and Lewis believe that their opinions would not be challenged. They were wrong. In fact, they overplayed their hands this time. Their remarks were just like the intimidation I faced as a child from bullies in the schoolyard. In my experience, the only way to make bullies be quiet is to stand up to them. Just one brave person on the playground can stand down the school bully and break free from their tyranny. In our adult world, however, we need the strength of numbers. When one person stands alone, he can feel overwhelmed. In contrast, when thousands of people stand up for what they believe, they become a force to be reckoned with. Gay marriage is not an inevitability in our nation. It can still be halted and turned around. The institution of marriage can be protected, but we need the collective voice. Let me remind you that marriage is worth fighting for. Those of us in the biblical marriage movement are not fighting because we dislike gays. We are fighting for marriage because we realize that whoever’s values shape this law will shape the practices of the next few generations. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Intolerable intolerance The Gleaner- Jamaica, By Andre Wright, April 23, 2009
The modern world's lust for political correctness has so relativised every concept that nearly every commentator tiptoes daintily for fear of stepping on anyone's corns. Nothing is absolute - except for relativism, of course. Yet, with all the talk there seems only to be tolerance for the tolerable. The ability to offend - even intellectually - is blunted by the desire not to hurt anyone's feelings. This burgeoning culture of wimpishness has trespassed on the fundamentals of freedom of expression, where every person who defends marriage as a union between a man and a woman is caricatured by the gay lobby and their sympathisers as an oafish neanderthal, a dim-witted dweeb whose opinions must be disregarded, swept aside as anti-intellectual excreta. As a former colleague of mine often said, "let's call a spade a shovel". . . . . . Promulgators of gay rights have, wittingly or unwittingly, become the very bigots they have decried, launching every weapon in their arsenal - whether through economic arm-twisting or abject scorn. Instead of trying to eyeball proponents of heterosexual marriage, they have taken the easy route - labelling all opponents brainless, antediluvian Bible-thumpers. Maybe some are. But the knee-jerk willingness to broadbrush must be checked. Those detractors, just as the homosexual lobby, have a right (without being overwhelmingly offensive) to reject the gathering storm of opinion. What is abhorrent is the clamorous crescendo for newspeak - a language, as in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which all have a unidimensional viewpoint: Conservatism be damned! Long live liberalism! . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Political bullying works Jewish World Review, By Cal Thomas, April 5, 2001
Gay rights groups are experienced intimidators. Add to that the effective infiltration of the media, academia, religion and psychiatry by gay rights activists and their sympathizers and you see how this issue has been turned around in a single generation. . .
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- Republicans take control in N.Y. Senate, possibly dooming 'gay marriage' bill for year Baptist Press, By Michael Foust, June 9, 2009
A bill that would legalize "gay marriage" in New York may be doomed after the state Senate flipped from Democratic to Republican control Monday. Two breakaway Democrats joined all 30 of the chamber's Republicans to give the GOP a 32-30 edge in a chaotic afternoon scene that saw the Democrats -- who had gained control last November -- turn off the room's lights in an attempt to halt the process. The surprise takeover means that a "gay marriage" bill that already had passed the Democratic Assembly and is supported by Democratic Gov. David A. Paterson is up in the air, even though the takeover apparently had nothing to do with the issue. (Frustration with leadership and the handling of the budget were cited as two key reasons.) In fact, one of the dissident Democrats, Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., is a co-sponsor of the bill, while the other Democrat, Sen. Hiram Monserrate, remains undecided. Both say they will remain Democrats and that the coalition will be bipartisan but that they will caucus with Republicans. The previous majority leader, Malcolm A. Smith, supports the bill, while the new majority leader, Republican Dean G. Skelos, opposes it. Under the agreement Espada becomes Senate president, a title Smith held. Legalization of "gay marriage" in New York -- the nation's media center and the third most populous state -- is seen as critical in homosexual activists' goal of spreading "gay marriage" nationwide. Smith had said the bill wouldn't come to the floor until the votes were there to pass it, and the state's leading homosexual activist organizations were putting intense pressure on senators who either were uncommitted or considered soft in their opposition. . .
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RELATED VIDEO: Change of Power in NY Senate
New York Democrats are still reeling from Monday's Republican takeover of state senate leadership.
RELATED ARTICLE: GOP stages a coup in New York Senate AP, By Michael Gormley, June 10, 2009
Pandemonium erupted on the floor, the lights went out and the live television feed went black as the coup unfolded. The Republicans seized control of the New York Senate this week in a takeover that played out like comic opera, with the Democrats locking the chamber's 15-foot brass gates and hiding the keys, and the GOP rebels vowing to convene in a park outside the state Capitol if necessary. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage Bill Tests Leader’s: ‘I Don’t Care What the Politicians Think,’ Flake Thundered Black Chronicle, June 05, 2009
It was just three days after Gov. David A. Paterson introduced a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry, and Rev. Floyd H. Flake had some thoughts for any lawmaker who wanted to change New York’s definition of marriage. “I don’t care what the politicians think,” Mr. Flake, a former Democratic congressman and one of the city’s most influential religious leaders, thundered the other week during Sunday services at the Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal Cathedral in Queens. “Ain’t nothing perfect about laying down and signing a license with somebody who got the same body parts you got.”. . . .Mr. Flake is the pastor of a predominantly Black congregation in a community with a socially conservative tilt--hardly an unlikely spokesman for those opposed to same-sex marriage. But Mr. Flake is also a mentor to the Senate majority leader, Malcolm A. Smith, who is among a handful of political leaders in Albany who will be responsible for the fate of same-sex marriage in New York. . . . . Mr. Smith’s close relationship with Rev. Flake and the Allen AME church encapsulates the pressure the senator is experiencing from two distinct worlds--the political and the spiritual--as he strives to persuade his colleagues that they should vote to legalize same-sex marriage. “He is both a servant of God and a servant of the state,” Mr. Flake said in a telephone interview. “It’s clearly a dichotomy one does not like to be in, but it’s clearly before him now.” Mr. Smith, who went to work for Mr. Flake in 1986 as a Congressional aide, said the minister’s views on the subject have not weakened his own resolve to see same-sex marriage legalized. Though they speak nearly every day, the two men said they have not broached the topic recently. “He knows what my position is,” State Sen. Smith said. “I know what his position is. “He looks at it as a religious matter, and I look at it as a legal matter.”. . .
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- Parenting Issues: 'Sexting’ phone craze teens could face child porn charges Wales Online, By Catherine Mary Evans, June 07, 2009
What some youngsters are doing is obscene. It’s also illegal. Welsh teenagers could face child pornography charges as a result of a disturbing new craze called “sexting”, we can reveal. The worrying trend, which involves teenagers sending nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves by mobile phone, is enough to send a chill up the spine of any parent who worries that their child may fall prey to predatory paedophiles on the internet. But probably the last thing on the minds of these concerned mums and dads is the risk that their children could also end up being arrested as suspected sex offenders themselves. The sordid craze – which has already seen a number of teenagers arrested in the US, where it originated – has inspired children barely in their teens to send pictures of themselves in their underwear – or less – to friends. But even without the risk of the lewd images being forwarded to others, being in possession of a single file is enough to be hit with child pornography charges. A worrying trend for pictures of scantily clad young girls to be posted on social networking sites like Bebo has already caused alarm for parents. But with virtually every teenager in Wales now in possession of a camera phone, experts say sexting is virtually certain to hit these shores. . . . Sexting has already sent shock waves through America, after a recent study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that one in five teens had sent or posted images of themselves in various stages of undress. Some teens have been arrested on child pornography charges, and others have lost scholarships and jobs, or even committed suicide, after being identified in suggestive photos that have appeared on the internet. . . . . .Simon Jones, of the NSPCC, added that what teenagers perceive to be “just a bit of fun” can have lasting implications. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: ‘Sexting’ a part of culture? NW Herald, By Sarah Sutschek, June 08, 2009
Dr. Susan Lipkins, a New York-based psychologist, performed a study on sexting with 323 participants between the ages of 13 and 72. In the teenage group, 63.6 percent of females and 72.7 percent of males sexted. The seriousness of sexting is more debatable. The only law on the books that prosecutors can use against texting is child pornography, a felony that would require registration as a sex offender, Bianchi said. . . . . . . .Lipkins also looked at the reasons why people sext, which included a new type of “mating call” or another way to gossip. But there also is malicious sexting, where pictures are sent to seek revenge or hurt someone, she said. “With the intent of harming that person, that’s really sexual harassment, and I think it should be viewed like that,” Lipkins said. But overall, sexting has become a part of culture, she said. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Stop Texting and Read This -- The Thumb You Save May Be Your Own AlbertMohler.com, May 29, 2009
Statistics can be used to inform or to mislead, and sometimes they can shock. See if this statistic isn't shocking: In the fourth quarter of 2008 American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month. That, dear friends, is nothing to LOL about. . . . Authorities now blame excessive texting for sleep deprivation, distraction in school, poor grades, and even repetitive stress injuries. These teens are texting while they should be sleeping, and they are sleeping with the cell phone set to vibrate so that they can respond to texts from friends without waking parents. The world of text messaging is still largely the domain of the young. While adults increasingly use texting for communication, it is teenager and college students who are the Olympian users of the technology. In the time it takes a parent to type "Did you do your homework?" on their phone's awkward keypad, their adolescent offspring can text a few friends and keep in touch with several peers. The new digital dialect of texting is largely an adolescent development. Now, college professors complain that incoming freshmen try to use the lingo of texting on school assignments. . .
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- Sex-Crazed Cosmo Highlights Virgins Culture And Media Institute, By Colleen Raezler, June 5, 2009
It seems like abstaining from sex is now the only thing that shocks in our sexualized culture. Cosmopolitan magazine, best known for its "75 Ways to Drive Your Man Wild"-type articles, turned its spotlight on virgins in its July issue. Editors splashed "Virgins in Cosmo! (We Thought This Day Would Never Come)" across the cover to advertise Molly Triffin's article about why some women in their early 20s choose to remain virgins. Not surprisingly, none of the seven women featured in Triffin's article, "Why They're Still Virgins" cited religious reasons for abstaining from sex. Nor did they express interest in staying virgins until marriage. All of the women cited not meeting the right guy as at least one reason for waiting. Yet the majority of the woman (sic) also appeared to feel it necessary to prove they're not totally puritanical when it comes to sex. . . . .Only one woman addressed the idea that sex is more than a recreational sport. “The idea of sex is phenomenal, but I’m not into meaningless hookups,” Taylor E. told Triffin. “The thought of doing it with just anyone disgusts me. Sex is an intimate thing; I don’t understand how people can let so many people get that close to them.”. . . . . It's articles like Triffin's, that make it appear virgins over the age of 18 are the rarest commodity on the planet, that help create this "gray zone" and "awkwardness" around virginity. Cosmo offers all kinds of advice on how women can get what they need/want from their man, sexually speaking and encourage woman to embrace their "fun fearless side." This same edition contains an article titled, "100 Naughty Sex Questions" and discusses all sorts of techniques women can use to enhance their bedroom skills. Why not encourage and embrace women who choose to live their lives in a truly "fearless" way? After all, virgins do not have to fear unexpected pregnancies, nasty surprises in the form of STDs or the heartbreak that often results from meaningless hookups. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEO: Bride-to-Be Saves First Kiss for Wedding Good News Now, June 2, 2009
When one Washington bride-to-be ties the knot this summer it will will be her first day sharing her life and her kiss. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Stop, In the Name Of Love Townhall.com, By Kathryn Lopez, June 05, 2009
Brooke Shields would tell them to just get on with it, already. In an issue of Health magazine, the "Blue Lagoon" actress and mother of two daughters named her biggest health-related regret: "I think I would have had sex a lot earlier! ... I think I would have lost my virginity earlier than I did at 22." At the young age of 20, Miss Moscoe gets what Shields, at age 44, doesn't. Moscoe tells Cosmo: "My roommates always tell guys I'm dating about my virgin status, and tease me. I think it's because they are insecure and want the guys to get scared off or because they're jealous that I'm stronger than they've been." And when Moscoe weakens and starts looking longingly at Mr. Okay -- or Mr. Right Now -- she ought to talk to some Newark public-school students. The nonprofit Best Friends Foundation sponsored an essay contest asking participants in its abstinence-education program to explain the program's significance in their lives. Hannah, a sixth-grader at Louise A. Spencer Elementary School, explained that the program taught her that she has "the right to say no to sex and drugs ... to respect myself and the ones around me ... to have trust, faith and self-esteem." In other words, Hannah's self-worth isn't determined by her scores in the "Love Game," as the Lady Gaga song crudely terms what is far, far from real love. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Unprotected Townhall.com, By Mona Charen, January 5, 2007
Meet the liberated college woman. You may pity her. "Unprotected" is a hard slap at the sexual free-for-all that prevails on American campuses and throughout American life. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Chastity as God intends Breakpoint.org, By Kate Harris, July 6, 2005
In the 1990’s three separate surveys of single Christians showed only one-third of unmarried Christians are virgins. Likewise, of the students and young adults who signed abstinence pledges as part of religious sex-ed programs, 61 percent of students broke their pledge and of the 39 percent who kept it, 55 percent admitted to having oral sex, which they didn’t consider to be sex. . .
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- It's Cold Cash, Not Cold Feet, Motivating Runaway Brides in China
Surplus of Bachelors Spurs New Scam; Mr. Zhou, Briefly Betrothed, Now Pines Wall Street Journal, By Mei Fong, June 5, 2009
With no eligible women in his village, Zhou Pin, 27 years old, thought he was lucky to find a pretty bride whom he met and married within a week, following the custom in rural China. Ten days later, Cai Niucuo vanished, leaving behind her clothes and identity papers. She did not, however, leave behind her bride price: 38,000 yuan, or about $5,500, which Mr. Zhou and his family had scrimped and borrowed to put together. When Mr. Zhou reported his missing spouse to authorities, he found his situation wasn't unique. In the first two months of this year, Hanzhong town saw a record number of scams designed to extract high bride prices in a region with an oversupply of bachelors. The fleeing Mrs. Zhou was one of 11 runaway brides -- hardly the isolated case or two that the town had seen in years past. The local phenomenon has fueled broader speculation among officials that the fast-footed wives may be part of a larger criminal ring. . . . . .Thanks to its 30-year-old population-planning policy and customary preference for boys, China has one of the largest male-to-female ratios in the world. Using data from the 2005 China census -- the most recent -- a study published in last month's British Journal of Medicine estimates there was a surplus of 32 million males under the age of 20 at the time the census was taken. That's roughly the size of Canada's population. Now some of these men have reached marriageable age, resulting in intense competition for spouses, especially in rural areas. It also appears to have caused a sharp spike in bride prices and betrothal gifts. The higher prices are even found in big cities such as Tianjin. A study by Columbia University economist Shang-Jin Wei found that some areas in China with a high proportion of males have an above-average savings rate, even after accounting for factors such as education levels, income and life-expectancy rates. Areas with more men than women, the study notes, also have low spending rates -- suggesting that many rural Chinese may be saving up for bride prices. . .
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RELATED VIDEO: Indecent Proposals from China's Runaway Brides Wall Street Journal, Mei Fong reports from China, June 04, 2009
China's cultural preference for boys has resulted in a dearth of marriageable brides. Some Chinese young women are scamming rural bridegrooms by accepting proposals and betrothal payments, then absconding with the dowry.
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RELATED ARTICLE: Alfresco marriage market: In China, parents are clinging to low-tech matchmaking methods San Francisco Chronicle, By Olivia Wu, August 20, 2006
"Male, 26, 1980, Associate's Degree, 1.7 meters, realtor-manager, 2 homes (3-bedroom and 2-bedroom), 5,500 RMB.
"Wanted: Female, 1.6-meters, Associate's Degree, steady workplace in Pudong, kind-hearted, diligent at livelihood, 3,000 RMB."
The above is not an item in the personals classifieds, an online service, or some dating bulletin board. Instead, the message is handwritten in a faded felt-tip pen on a 9-by-11 white sheet of paper, protected by clear plastic and cradled in the lap of a middle-aged man. It is an early Sunday morning at People's Park in Shanghai and a man (he refuses to give his name) is prepared for a long day of perching on the wall alongside a flower bed. He says he's the father of the 26-year-old described on his homemade poster. He's one of some 50 brokers who congregate at the centrally located park for an informal marriage mart that materializes every fair-weather weekend. Clipped to shopping bags, taped to purses, laid on a low bush, pinned to a tree trunk, or just sitting in a lap, the signs are the springboard for the sign carriers to screen and negotiate potential partners for their subjects. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Seeking marriage on the streets, romantic or what? China Daily, October 14, 2005
Seeking a life-long partner, a young man in Northeast China has come up with a somewhat novel idea - standing by the side of the street holding an advertisement for himself. . .
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- New York bishops urge state Senate to reject same-sex marriage bill Catholic Transcript, By Catholic News Service, June 04, 2009
New York state's Catholic bishops called the state Legislature's effort to legalize same-sex marriage "ill-advised" and said it "would radically change the timeless institution of marriage." "As pastors of citizens from every corner of our great state, we stand unified in our strong opposition to such a drastic measure," the bishops said in a statement released June 3 by the New York State Catholic Conference in Albany. The conference is the bishops' public policy arm. The state Assembly passed the measure allowing same-sex marriage in May. As of June 4, with just two weeks left in the legislative session, the state Senate had not acted on the bill. Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith was quoted in the news media as saying he wanted to be sure he had the 32 votes needed for its passage before bringing it to the floor. Gov. David Paterson said he would sign it into law if the measure reaches his desk. That would make New York the seventh state to legalize gay marriage. . . . . . The bishops said their opposition to same-sex marriage is "based not only on Catholic teaching regarding human sexuality and the sacrament of marriage" but also "on reason, sound public policy, and plain common sense." Their stand is in no way "a condemnation of homosexual people," they said. . . . . . Reiterating points made in their 2008 statement opposing same-sex marriage, the bishops said that "the state has a compelling legal interest in promoting marriage between men and women in order to create stable families and provide for the safety, health and well-being of children." "The state has no such compelling legal interest in recognizing a relationship between two people of the same sex," they said. "If there are injustices against those in relationships other than marriage, those injustices can certainly be reformed and corrected in a way other than by drastically redefining marriage," the bishops said. Repeating another point from the earlier statement, they also said their stand on traditional marriage "must not be misconstrued to be in any way a condemnation of homosexual people or an attack on their human dignity.". . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Till Death Do Them Part: The Deadly Consequences Of Homosexual Unions Catholic Citizens.org, By Dr. Brian Kopp, December 5, 2003
According to Dr. Kopp, "The best scientific evidence suggests that putting society's stamp of approval on homosexual partnerships would harm society in general and homosexuals in particular, the very individuals some contend would be helped. A large body of scientific evidence suggests that homosexual marriage is a defective counterfeit of traditional marriage and that it poses a clear and present danger to the health of the community. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: The Health Risks of Gay Sex Catholic Education Resource Center, By John R. Diggs, Jr., M.D.
As a physician, it is my duty to assess behaviors for their impact on health and wellbeing. When something is beneficial, such as exercise, good nutrition, or adequate sleep, it is my duty to recommend it. Likewise, when something is harmful, such as smoking, overeating, alcohol or drug abuse, and homosexual sex, it is my duty to discourage it. . .
RELATED ARTICLES & INFO: HIV/AIDS and Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
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RELATED ARTICLE: Does homophobia cause AIDS? VirtueOnline, By Ed Vitagliano, June 04, 2009
The statistics were stunning. According to the 2008 epidemiology report issued in March by the HIV/AIDS office of Washington, DC, at least three percent of the residents of that city have HIV or AIDS. The numbers represented a 22 percent increase over the previous year’s number of cases. “Our rates are higher than West Africa,” Shannon L. Hader, director of the District’s HIV/AIDS Administration, told The Washington Post. “They’re on a par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya.” The three percent mark also triples the percentage (one percent) that health officials consider representative of a “generalized and severe” epidemic, the Post said. . . .This argument is not without merit when applied to countries that take a hard line against homosexuals -- some of which imprison them or even threaten them with execution. But in the U.S., the case is harder to make -- and almost borders on absurdity. Homosexuality is celebrated in Hollywood and the news media, on university campuses, in many public schools, and in much of the corporate world. For example, what could possibly be homophobic about Massachusetts? As a state it has been busily normalizing homosexuality since the early 1990s -- especially in the public school system. And yet homosexuals in Massachusetts are still driving the AIDS crisis in that state. The reality, however, is that the troubles of the homosexual community are wrapped in a bitter irony. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The Deceit of Gay "Marriage" Boundless.org, By David Orland
To justify giving privileges or exemptions or subsidies to some particular group in society, the benefit of doing so for society at large must first be shown. With heterosexual marriage, the case is clear enough. Heterosexual marriage is a matter of genuine social interest because the family is essential to society's reproduction. The crux of my argument, in other words, was that married couples receive the benefits they do, not because the state is interested in promoting romantic love, or because the Bible says so or because of the influence of special interest groups but rather because the next generation is something that is and should be of interest to all of us. And, by definition, this is not a case that can be made for homosexual unions. To that degree, the attempt to turn the question of domestic partnership into a debate about fairness falls flat. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The Deceit of Gay "Marriage" -Round Two Boundless.org, By David Orland
On reflection, it’s amazing that supporters of gay marriage have gotten this far. Set aside the hype with which the issue is usually presented and one is left with a surprisingly feeble argument for an imaginary right. The standard argument for gay marriage goes something like this: Heterosexual marriage is legal (true). In most states, homosexual marriage is not (also true). Therefore, gay marriage advocates conclude, the civil rights of gay Americans are being violated (false!). Where to start? In the first place, homosexuals are not denied the right to marry — they are denied a right to marry other homosexuals, which is something else altogether. Next, the argument trades on the idea — superficially appealing but practically empty — that discrimination is by definition a bad and evil thing. Denying legal status to gay marriage does indeed involve discrimination — but it is discrimination of a perfectly legitimate kind. Finally and most crucially, the argument assumes what it is meant to prove: the rights of gays are being violated only if you already agree that one of their rights is to get married to a person of the same sex as themselves. But that, of course, is precisely what is at issue. It’s as if proponents of gay marriage believe that saying you have a right, loud enough and often enough, gives you one. While this tactic may succeed in silencing some of their opponents, it falls miserably short of making the sort of case that needs to be made if a specifically “gay right” to marriage is to be recognized. If gays hope to show that they have a right to marry one another, they will have to prove that they meet the same conditions that give heterosexual couples this right. There’s no way around it: any discussion of gay marriage must begin with a discussion of marriage in general. So why is heterosexual marriage recognized as a right?. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: “Who Are You to Judge Others?” - In Defense of Making Moral Judgments By Paul Copan, Ph.D., Areopagus Journal 1/3 (July 2001): 30-35.
It’s been said that the most frequently quoted Bible verse is no longer John 3:16 but Matthew 7:1: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” We cannot glibly quote this, though, without understanding what Jesus meant. When Jesus condemned judging, he wasn’t at all implying we should never make judgments about anyone. After all, a few verses later, Jesus himself calls certain people “pigs” and “dogs” (Matt. 7:6) and “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (7:15)! Any act of church discipline (1 Cor. 5:5) and rebuking false prophets (1 John 4:1) requires judgment. What Jesus condemns is a critical and judgmental spirit, an unholy sense of moral superiority. Jesus commanded us to examine ourselves first for the problems we so easily see in others. Only then can we help remove the speck in another’s eye—which, incidentally, assumes that a problem exists and must be confronted. But let’s take a closer look at this charge that Christians are judgmental when we speak out on moral issues. . .
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- Parenting Issues: Homosexual Activist/ Anti-Christian Bigot Appointed
Kevin Jennings is now Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools. Catholic Online.org, By Peter J. Smith- LifeSiteNews.com, June 04, 2009
Although President Barack Obama has advocated speaking "fair minded words" in debating differences on major ethical issues, his recent nominee to the Department of Education's Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools is a homosexual activist with a history of using foul and abusive language against those who have opposed his omosexualist agenda. Kevin Jennings, the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), was recently appointed to the Obama Administration as Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools, which is under the Department of Education led by Education Secretary Arne Duncan. During Jennings's tenure as the Executive director of GLSEN, the organization sponsored a Tufts University conference called "TeachOut" in March 2000. The conference was co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education; but the event has been described by pro-family organizations familiar with the conference as "fistgate" for its extremely graphic and detailed workshops to teenagers about the mechanics and variations of homosexual intercourse. The Massachusetts watchdog group, MassResistance, includes on its website a number of graphic quotations from homosexual presenters, who instigated equally graphic conversations on homosexual sex with youth there. MassResistance says they will be releasing a tape of the event to the public later this week. (WARNING: extremely graphic content discussed here). Around the same time, Jennings was quoted in Marble Collegiate Church as saying members of the "religious right" were "hard core bigots" who comprised about 20 percent of the electorate. "We have to quit being afraid of the religious right. We also have to quit - I'm trying to find a way to say this. I'm trying not to say, 'F**k 'em!' which is what I want to say, because I don't care what they think!" Jennings told his audience, which pealed with laughter. "Drop dead!" According to Americans for Truth (AFTAH), Jennings and GLSEN never repudiated the actions of homosexual activists at the "Teach Out" conference, but instead attacked Scott Whiteman, the Massachusetts parent who video-recorded the proceedings, for violating students' privacy. "Anti-religious bigots should not be setting policy for schools - and promoting dangerous sex and gender identities to youth is the antithesis of 'safety,'" stated Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth. . .
TAKE ACTION: call Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at 202-401-3000 (e-mail: arne.duncan@.ed.gov) and urge him to withdraw his appointment to anti-religious bigot Kevin Jennings as Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe & Drug-Free Schools. Call President Obama at 202-456-1414.
Call today:
U.S. Congress: 202-224-3121
White House: 202-456-1414
Education Secretary Arne Duncan: 202-410-1576
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RELATED ARTICLE (PDF): The Non-Factsheet NARTH.com, By Dale O'Leary, Dean Byrd, Ph.D., Richard Fitzgibbons, M.D.
The APA and the other 12 organizations that comprise the Just the Facts Coalition recently published a new edition of Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation and Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators, and School Personnel. The Coalition has mailed copies of the factsheet to all 16,000 public school superintendents in the United States. It is important that parents understand the threat this document poses and are able to respond to the so-call “facts.” The factsheet claims to present accurate scientific information, which will help schools protect at-risk students, and prevent violations of the separation of Church and state. The factsheet fails to accomplish any of these objectives.
1) It is not a factsheet, but a political statement.
2) It puts youth at risk – particularly adolescent males experiencing SSA.
3) It violates separation of church and state.
What are the facts?. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: CA school forces LGBT curriculum on students OneNewsNow, By Pete Chagnon, June 29, 2009
The chief counsel with the Pacific Justice Institute is fighting for the rights of parents to opt out of a controversial curriculum. San Francisco Bay-area Alameda Unified School District has approved a "lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender" (LGBT) curriculum for use with kindergarten through fifth-grade students. The curriculum is intended to deal with issues such as bullying and harassment. Kevin Snider with the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) says the board passed the curriculum despite the objection of 73 percent of the speakers from the community who attended the board meeting. "The fundamental problem with the curriculum is it gives a monopoly to one segment of the population -- namely gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender persons -- on the issue of harassment," he contends. "And our position is that all students deserve safe schools, and that sexual orientation is only one of six protected classes. The other classes include race, gender, religion, disability, etc.; and so we have opposed this." Alameda Unified School District is not allowing parents to opt their children out of the curriculum. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: What same-sex "marriage" has done to Massachusetts: It's far worse than most people realize MassResistance.org, By Brian Camenker, October 20, 2008
Anyone who thinks that same-sex “marriage” is a benign eccentricity which won’t affect the average person should consider what it has done in Massachusetts. It’s become a hammer to force the acceptance and normalization of homosexuality on everyone. And this train is moving fast. What has happened so far is only the beginning. . .
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- Disney hosts 'Gay Days' this weekend OneNewsNow, By Allie Martin, June 03, 2009
A pro-family group is sounding a warning about an upcoming event this weekend at Walt Disney World. This weekend, the 19th annual "Gay Days" will be held at Disney World in Orlando. Although officials at the Walt Disney Company say they do not sponsor the event, it has become one of the most popular observances for homosexuals nationwide. That fact has prompted David Caton of the Florida Family Association to encourage Christians to avoid Disney World this weekend -- and also to take action. "We would encourage people to send an e-mail to customer service at the Disney Company and encourage them to require this event to be held at night, like all other specialty events, when it would not be impacting tens of thousands of children," he adds. Caton points out that Disney requires other special events, such as "Grad Night" and "Night of Joy" -- a contemporary Christian music festival -- to be held after normal operating hours.
RELATED ARTICLE: Obama declares June 'LGBT Pride Month' OneNewsNow, By Jody Brown and Allie Martin, June 02, 2009
In a presidential proclamation on the White House website, Barack Obama has lauded what he calls "the determination and dedication" of the LGBT movement by proclaiming June as "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month." "The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress," Obama states in the official proclamation, "but there is more to be done. . . . . Pro-family activist says Peter LaBarbera it is sad, but not surprising, that President Obama has chosen to issue a proclamation celebrating homosexuality. The president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) says Obama is pandering to homosexual political activists. "Homosexuality is nothing to be proud of -- bottom line," says LaBarbera. "The fact is people have left the lifestyle, people have overcome homosexuality [with God's help] -- I think that's something to be proud of...." LaBarbera warns of the repercussions of the president's pursuit of expanded rights for those who are confused about their sexual orientation. . . .
RELATED PROCLAMATION: LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2009 WhiteHouse.gov
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RELATED ARTICLE: Obama more than tolerant of homosexual lifestyle OneNewsNow, By Allie Martin, June 5, 2009
A leader in the Southern Baptist Convention says President Barack Obama's recent proclamation designating a homosexual "pride" month goes beyond mere tolerance.. . . . Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, says the proclamation advocates more than mere tolerance. "The United States federal government, now by executive order, signed by the President of the United States, is declaring national pride in these lifestyles," he contends. "This is not mere toleration; it's not calling for legalization, an end to criminal sanctions. It's not calling even for something like civil unions...it's calling for pride." Scripture, Mohler points out, does not allow Christians to be proud of sin. .
RELATED ARTICLE: Record 259 corporations honored for 'gay' support: Foundation lauds businesses toeing line of social campaign World Net Daily, By Bob Unruh, September 13, 2008
The newly released Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, which ranks hundreds of businesses on their "treatment" of employees who have chosen homosexual, lesbian, bisexual and transgender lifestyles, awards a record 259 corporations perfect scores, including newcomers Campbell's Soup and Target. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: America's pro-homosexual giants: 2009: 259 U.S. businesses recognized for benefiting 'lesbian, gays, bisexual, transgender' employees World Net Daily, By Bob Unruh, September 13, 2008
Below is the list, in alphabetical order, of companies scoring a perfect 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign's 2009 Corporate Equality Index, with policies beneficial toward homosexuals: . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Queer Inc.: How Corporate America fell in love with gays and lesbians. It's a movement. CNN Money (Fortune magazine), By Marc Gunther- Fortune senior writer, November 30 2006
. . . Last June the gay rights movement quietly achieved a milestone: For the first time, more than half of Fortune 500 companies - 263, to be precise - offered health benefits for domestic partners, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Ten years ago only 28 did. Along with health benefits for their families, many workers also get bereavement leave when their same-sex partner dies, adoption assistance or paid leave if they have children and relocation assistance for their partners if they are transferred. Put another way, gay marriage - an idea that has been banned by all but one of 27 states that have voted on it - has become a fact of life inside many big companies. . .
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- Cheney's judgment 'clouded' on same-gender unions OneNewsNow, By Jim Brown, June 03, 2009
A conservative Christian political activist accuses former Vice President Dick Cheney of advocating "sexual anarchy." The former VP suggested to reporters at the National Press Club in Washington Monday that he supports same-sex "marriage." "As many of you know, one of my daughters [Mary] is gay," Cheney said, "and it's something that we've lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish." According to Cheney, "freedom means freedom for everyone" -- and the issue of marriage, he says, should be handled by individual states. Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with Liberty Counsel, says Cheney's love for his lesbian daughter has "clouded his judgment." "If freedom to marry means, as he said, that people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, well then, he's virtually endorsing polyamory and polygamy, and incestuous marriage, and bestiality," Barber claims. "[There are] no holds barred here." The Liberty Counsel attorney notes that Cheney is even further to the left on the marriage issue than President Obama. Although Obama supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and advocates for "civil unions," he opposes same-sex marriage. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Cheney Comes Out for Gay Marriage, State-by-State Washington Post, By Dan Eggen, June 01, 2009
Cheney
has long departed from conservative orthodoxy on the issue of gay
marriage, saying during the 2000 presidential campaign that the matter
should be left to the states. He also prompted an uproar during the
2004 race when he appeared to distance himself from a proposed
constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, which was strongly
supported by his boss, George W. Bush. But his endorsement of
state-sanctioned marriage for gays and lesbians appears to put him to
the left of President Obama, who has said he supports civil unions
rather than marriage for same-sex couples. . . Cheney's youngest
daughter, Mary, and her longtime partner, Heather Poe, have a son,
Samuel, who was born to Mary Cheney in 2007. . .
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RELATED VIDEO: Dick Cheney on Same-Sex Marriage C-Span- YouTube, June 01, 2009
RELATED ARTICLE: Same sex in the city WA Today, June 03, 2009
Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon is lobbying New York lawmakers to legalise same-sex marriage and says she hopes to marry her partner. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE (PDF): Female Homosexual Development NARTH.com
It is often claimed that sexual orientation is an innate and normal variation of sexuality and therefore immutable or unchangeable aspect of a person's core self or identity. But there is no conclusive evidence that female homosexuality is innate or solely genetic or biologically based. Most respected scientists agree that homosexuality is due to a combination of social, psychological, and biological factors. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage Will Increase Prevalence of Homosexuality: Research Provides Significant Evidence NARTH.com, By Trayce Hansen, Ph.D.
An accumulation of research from around the world finds that societies which endorse homosexual behavior increase the prevalence of homosexuality in those societies. The legalization of same-sex marriage--which is being considered by voters in several U.S. states--is the ultimate in societal endorsement and will result in more individuals living a homosexual lifestyle. Extensive research from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and the United States reveals that homosexuality is primarily environmentally induced. Specifically, social and/or family factors, as well as permissive environments which affirm homosexuality, play major environmental roles in the development of homosexual behavior. A closer look at the research:. . .
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- New Hampshire Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage New York Times, By Abby Goodnough, June 03, 2009
The New Hampshire legislature approved revisions to a same-sex marriage bill on Wednesday, and Gov. John Lynch promptly signed the legislation, making the state the sixth to let gay couples wed. The bill had been through several permutations to satisfy Mr. Lynch and certain legislators that it would not force religious organizations that oppose same-sex marriage to participate in ceremonies celebrating it. Some groups had feared they could be sued for refusing to allow same-sex weddings on their property. Mr. Lynch, who previously supported civil unions but not marriage for same-sex couples, said in a statement that he had heard “compelling arguments that a separate system is not an equal system.” “Today,” he said, “we are standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear that they will receive the same rights, responsibilities — and respect — under New Hampshire law.” The law will take effect on Jan. 1. As originally cast, the legislation exempted members of the clergy from having to perform same-sex weddings. Then Mr. Lynch, a centrist Democrat, said he would veto the bill unless the legislature added language also exempting religious groups and their employees from having to participate in such ceremonies. Mr. Lynch also ordered that the bill protect members of religious groups from having to provide same-sex couples with religious counseling, housing designated for married people and other services relating to “the promotion of marriage.” But the House rejected that language last month by a two-vote margin, and legislative leaders appointed a committee to negotiate a compromise. The committee last week recommended changes further emphasizing the rights of religious groups not to participate. They include a preamble to the bill that states, “Each religious organization, association, or society has exclusive control over its own religious doctrine, policy, teachings and beliefs regarding who may marry within their faith.” Republicans have called the committee’s work tainted because the Senate president, Sylvia B. Larsen, a Democrat, replaced one of its Republican members when that legislator would not sign off on last week’s compromise. Under legislative rules, the committee’s decision needed to be unanimous. As more states have legalized same-sex marriage, opponents have increasingly lobbied for “conscience protections,” language that exempts religious organizations from having to participate. But many of the bill’s opponents believe the language adopted by New Hampshire and several other states does not go far enough because it protects only religious groups and their employees. New Hampshire’s bill does not exempt photographers or florists, for example, from having to provide services. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: TIMELINE: Same-sex marriage around the world. From criminal prosecutions to legal unions CBC.com, June 03, 2009
Before the Criminal Law Amendment Act was passed in 1969, homosexuality was a criminal offence in Canada, as it remains to this day in many other countries. Four decades later, this country and six others — Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, South Africa and Sweden — grant marriage rights to same-sex couples on an equal footing with heterosexuals. Many other countries, as well as most American states, have laws restricting access to same-sex marriage. Here are some key dates in the story:. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Gay bishop rejoices in NH's gay marriage vote Associated Press, By David Tirrell Wysocki, June 04, 2009
It was tough enough to get New Hampshire's lawmakers and governor to approve gay marriage, but Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson says there's an even tougher job ahead: getting churches to fully embrace gay marriage and gay people. "What we have to work against is countless centuries of tradition which has judged homosexual people to be an abomination before God," said Robinson, the Episcopal church's only openly gay bishop. Robinson sat in the front row of the gallery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, hands clasped at times, praying for lawmakers to push a little green button that indicates a "yes" vote. In the end, there were 198 green lights to legalize gay marriage, and 176 red ones. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Reasons to Oppose Gay Marriage Short Report.com
This whole debate has been recast as gays demanding their civil rights. I find this wrong-headed and I couldn't disagree more with their thinking on two levels. First, our "rights" are given to us by God and only "secured" by our government. As is stated in the Declaration of Independence. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men. . . . . Our rights do not come from government -- they come from God. Government should look to God to define those basic human rights that He has granted to us. It is important to recognize that God would never grant us a "right" to do what is wrong! When a government grants rights not given to us by God, it inevitably will infringe on the rights of others. . .
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- Same-Sex Marriage Bill Divides District Clergy News 8, June 02, 2009
- After easily passing a District council vote, a bill recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions is now in the hands of Congress. As residents await the final word from Congress, the contentious debate continues. The bill has the nation's capital bitterly divided, particularly the city's clergy. After the 12-to-1 vote on the bill last month, ministers who oppose gay marriage packed the council corridor to protest the issue. "Not on our watch. Marriage must be between a man and a woman," one clergy member argued there. Now that same group is pushing for a referendum, arguing the council failed to listen to the voters and the fate of the bill should be decided by a majority vote. On Tuesday morning, pastors in support of marriage equality shared their own views. Faith leaders representing congregations in every ward of the city held a press conference on Tuesday morning to announce the formation of a coalition group, D.C. Clergy United for Marriage Equality. "It's something that unites us, and something that we're proud to say our faith calls us to do," said Rev. Robert Hardies, one of the same-sex marriage supporters who attended. "The view that the D.C. clergy united have is that we are united in believing that Jesus and our God brings forth love, and would support marriage equality," explained Rev. Christine Wiley, another clergy member who spoke. In addition to expressing their support for marriage equality, members of the clergy called for a civil and respectful debate in the months ahead. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Gays Fear New Coalitions Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr., May 17, 2009
What happens in DC will affect the nation. In traditional wars that are fought in armed conflict, there is always an attempt to seize the capital of the nation. The capital is a nerve center and defeating it always renders numerous aspects of the nation’s potential resistance impossible. In addition, the loss of the capital disheartens everyone except the most experienced warriors. Taking a nation’s capital in physical war in most cases means the defeat of the nation. . . . So how do we defeat this attack on our nation’s capital?. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEO: No Vote on Gay Marriage in D.C. Board of Elections Rejects Gay Marriage Referendum MyFox DC, June 15, 2009 (Update)
- The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics on Monday rejected an effort to hold a referendum on whether Washington should recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The D.C. Council voted last month to recognize marriages performed outside Washington. The board said a referendum would authorize discrimination based on sexual orientation, which is prohibited under D.C.'s Human Rights Act. . .
RELATED POLL RESULTS: Majority of Americans Continue to Oppose Gay Marriage Gallup.com, By Jeffrey M. Jones, May 27, 2009
Americans' views on same-sex marriage have essentially stayed the same in the past year, with a majority of 57% opposed to granting such marriages legal status and 40% in favor of doing so. Though support for legal same-sex marriage is significantly higher now than when Gallup first asked about it in 1996, in recent years support has appeared to stall, peaking at 46% in 2007. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Oxymoronic 'homosexual Christians' focus of Barna report OneNewsNow, By Jim Brown, June 29, 2009
A conservative activist is questioning some of the conclusions Christian researcher George Barna reached in his "Spiritual Profile of Homosexual Adults." The new Barna survey of homosexual adults finds that 27 percent qualify as born-again Christians and 43 percent have an "orthodox, biblical perception of God." According to Barna, "People who portray gay adults as godless, hedonistic, Christian bashers are not working with the facts. A substantial majority of gays cite their faith as a central facet of their life, consider themselves to be Christian, and claim to have some type of meaningful personal commitment to Jesus Christ active in their life today." Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, believes Barna speaks "too cavalierly" about "homosexual Christians." "My test is [to] substitute another sexual sin and see if it makes sense. Would we be talking about a survey of porn-using Christians or incestuous Christians? That sounds stark, but that's, I believe, the appropriate biblical analogy," he contends. Barna, LaBarbera says, is naïve if he thinks the homosexual activist movement is not made up of "hedonistic Christian bashers." "I think there are Christians who struggle with the sin of homosexuality -- but proud homosexual Christians? That's an oxymoron to me in the same way as I would say proud adulterous Christians," he adds. "And so, I think we have to be very careful because I see the tactic of the Emergent Church and the Christian left is to start talking more and more about 'gay Christians,' and what they end up doing is demonizing the so-called 'Religious Right' and saying that the Religious Right is all wrong in the way it has talked about homosexuality.". . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Unequal marriages Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr., May 11, 2009
I was taken aback by the boldness of the council and their declaration. . . . . Nowhere in the discussion of the council members on Tuesday was any mention made of the fact that same-sex marriage changes the definition of family, parenting, and education in our city in one fell swoop. Future concepts of family, marriage, and sex will be communicated differently because of such legislation. Neither was it mentioned that books like the Prince and the Prince, Heather has Two Mommies, or similar works will eventually be required reading for 8 year olds in the District. Imagine what sex education classes will have include in order prepare teenagers for “responsible entry” into the adult world. Nothing was said about the devaluation of marriage that has happened in every nation where same-sex unions have received comparable status to heterosexual marriage. According to the work of Harvard trained Dr. Stanley Kurtz and others, rapid destabilization of the entire institution of marriage has been an unintended consequence of recognizing same-sex marriages. Instead this type of meaningful conversation, Councilman Catania resorted to name calling when he declared that Marion Barry was a “bigot.”. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Responding to Pro-Gay Theology NARTH.com, By Joe Dallas*
This three-part series will address the pro-gay theology by dividing its arguments--or tenets--into three categories: social justice arguments, general religious arguments, and scriptural arguments. A brief description of these arguments will be provided, followed by a response/rebuttal to each. . . . Major denominations ordaining homosexuals, priests and clergy presiding over same-sex weddings, sanctuaries invaded by boisterous gay activists, debates over homosexuality ripping congregations apart-who would have guessed we would ever reach such a point in church history?. . . . .When God is reputed to sanction what He has already clearly forbidden, then a religious travesty is being played out, and boldly. Confronting it is necessary because it (the pro-gay theology) asks us to confirm professing Christians in their sin, when we are Biblically commanded to do just the opposite. . .
* Editor's Note: The author of this article, Joe Dallas, is a former gay rights activist and staff member of the largely gay Metropolitan Community Church. He is the Founder of Genesis Counseling and has worked with hundreds of men and women struggling with homosexuality and related problems. He has authored several books on homosexuality, among them: * A Strong Delusion: Confronting the "Gay Christian" Movement * Desires in Conflict * Unforgiven Sins * The Game Plan: The Men's 30-Day Strategy for Attaining Sexual Integrity * When Homosexuality Hits Home: What to Do When a Loved One Says They're Gay
RELATED ARTICLE: Judaism's Sexual Revolution: Why Judaism (and then Christianity) Rejected Homosexuality Orthodoxy Today, By Dennis Prager
When Judaism demanded that all sexual activity be channeled into marriage, it changed the world. The Torah's prohibition of non-marital sex quite simply made the creation of Western civilization possible. Societies that did not place boundaries around sexuality were stymied in their development. The subsequent dominance of the Western world can largely be attributed to the sexual revolution initiated by Judaism and later carried forward by Christianity. . . . .The revolutionary nature of Judaism's prohibiting all forms of non-marital sex was nowhere more radical, more challenging to the prevailing assumptions of mankind, than with regard to homosexuality. Indeed, Judaism may be said to have invented the notion of homosexuality, for in the ancient world sexuality was not divided between heterosexuality and homosexuality. That division was the Bible's doing. Before the Bible, the world divided sexuality between penetrator (active partner) and penetrated (passive partner). . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Dale Martin's "arsenokoites and malakos" tried and found wanting Currents in Theology and Mission, By Gary R. Jepsen, October 2006
In the multifaceted debate regarding homosexuality and the church, an issue that has surfaced is the proper interpretation of 1 Cor 6:9-10, where Paul writes that neither "homosexuals nor sodomites" (NKJV) shall inherit the kingdom of God. At first glance, the meaning of "homosexuals and sodomites" seems rather clear. But "Not so!" say those who advocate the normalization of homosexuality. Thus, this passage has become a hot issue with scholars aligning themselves along two basic lines of thought. Some say that the original words in Greek have been translated in an unnecessarily harsh way that condemns all homosexual behavior when in fact, they contend, Paul was merely condemning homosexual rape and other forms of sexual exploitation. Others reject this revisionist interpretation and hold that the traditional translation of the text (for example, as rendered above in the NKJV) is fair and accurate. This would be a traditionalist approach. So, who's right?. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Gay Rights: A Summary of the Debate FaithFacts.com
There are several basic aspects to the cultural debate surrounding homosexual behavior. Here is a brief summary from a Christian perspective. Fairness:. . . While it is very important to strive for fairness for everyone, it is equally important to consider an important concept: While all people are created equal, not all ideas or behaviors are equal. There is, in fact, a hierarchy of ideas. This is intuitively obvious, as well as biblically obvious. And it is the place at which we must begin. It is the key statement that must be made in this debate. In the area of human sexuality, for example, adultery is not morally equivalent to fidelity. Prostitution is not morally equivalent to sex with love. Fornication is not morally equivalent to the virtue of chastity. . . .The Bible. . . The Theology. . . Sanctity of Marriage. . . Born That Way. . . Ravages of the Lifestyle. . . A Loving Lifestyle?. . . A Way Out?. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Hope for Homosexuals Good News magazine, Interview with Dr. Joseph Nicolosi conducted by Melvin Rhodes
Dr. Joseph Nicolosi is a clinical psychologist. He is the president of NARTH, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, a 1,000-member organization. Dr. Nicolosi has successfully treated thousands of patients to help men transition from homosexuality to heterosexuality. He is author of several books, including A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality and Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality: A New Clinical Approach . He has spoken at hundreds of conferences worldwide and has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs around the world as the preeminent authority on reparative therapy. He also heads the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic in Encino, California. . . . .
GN: In the last few years, AIDS has become primarily a heterosexual problem internationally. In the United States it still affects gays disproportionately. Why is that?
JN: AIDS affects gays disproportionately because of the behavior that they engage in, behaviors that will spread AIDS. Anal intercourse is the way of spreading AIDS. And there is a great deal of sexual promiscuity and a lot of reckless self-deceiving, self-destructive impulses in gay men and they are killing each other. Paradoxically, all this talk about homophobia and hatred toward gays—when you think about it, who is really killing gays? Other gays! A very sad irony is that they are killing each other through a behavior that should be associated with love. Paradoxical, isn't it?. . . |
RELATED ARTICLE: The Gay Activists Are Headed For The Churches Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr., June 2, 2008
So why did they come to our church along with TD Jakes’ Potter’s House, Eddie Long’s New Birth Community Church, and Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church? And why are they going to Willow Creek Community Church and Saddleback Community Church? The answer is simple. Their goal is to force us to accept their lifestyle by slowly desensitizing us to their aberrant theology and practices. This change in tactics is an attempt to play the pity card. . .
RELATED BLOG: Historical Christianity Can Not be Reconciled with Gay Christian(*a) Theology Scripture Refiner's Fire- Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth in Love, January 26, 2008
(*a) The terms "Gay Christian" and "Gay Christianity" are used in this report to describe same-sex practicing unrepentant gays that call themselves Christians and refuse to acknowledge that gay sex is sin. . . . We believe God can forgive any sin including gay-sex, and we believe gays should be accepted in the church body like any other sinners. However, we do not accept their brazen attempt to legitimize immoral conduct that the Bible never commanded us to accept. It is not required for a sinner to repent first before they attend church, and they are welcome to attend, but it is required that they must abstain from injuring the church body by trying to legitimize immorality. In our opinion the gay Christian Movement is a Trojan horse to launch the gay-political agenda into the church. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: WHAT GOD HATH NOT JOINED: Why marriage was designed for male and female. Christianity Today.com, By Edith M. Humphrey, Originally published September 1, 2004
Our radically confused society is debating the meaning of marriage with increasing intensity. That question leads to a host of other issues—especially the boundaries of sexual behavior and the nature of procreation. No one is untouched by this debate. Confusion in society spreads easily to the church. To help bring a biblical perspective to these discussions, Christianity Today offers this special section, the first of a series. Here we focus on the meaning of marriage in light of the national debate about gay marriage. In future issues, we'll go down other paths. As we address these issues over the long term, we hope to communicate two things: First, a definite "no" to calls to lower the moral bar (whether they come from within the church or from secular critics). And second, a decided "yes" to respect and extend compassion to the people who advocate views and practices we oppose. The issues are too important to fall short in either direction. —Editors
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- The Marrying Animal The Catholic Thing, By Ralph McInerny, June 02, 2009
. . . Aristotle's remark that man is by nature a social animal is not often paired with another of his: man is even more naturally a marrying animal. The union of man and woman with the aim of reproduction creates the most fundamental society of all, the family. Any further society presupposes the family and is parasitic on it. The mark of any society is concern for the common good, and where better than in the family do I learn that I have goods that are not simply mine but ours? Parents and children, each with their private goods, must give precedence to the shared or common good of the family if it, and they, are to flourish. To say that marrying and founding a family is natural to the human person, does not mean that it just comes about. The natural impulse must be humanized, consciously directed and ever preserved from the dangers that menace it. The greatest enemy of the family has arisen from the Enlightenment nonsense that freedom characterizes us, that we have no links or aims that are not freely chosen, that the natural instincts have no claim on the practical direction of our lives. For centuries there has been an assault on the fundamental unit of society with the result that political society is in chaos. It has become controversial to say that the family consists of a husband and wife and their children. The divorce of sexual activity from its manifest aim has created a chaos that is all around us. Replacement rates, in the touching phrase, are no longer met by western societies. Irregular unions, contraception, and abortion represent a vast suicidal movement toward extinction. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Family: "The Bedrock of Society" Townhall.com, By Rebecca Hagelin, July 31, 2008
It used to be called “shacking up.” Now it’s just another lifestyle choice. Or so it appears from federal data released on July 28. It shows a big jump in the number of unmarried opposite-sex couples living together -- from less than 1 million 30 years ago to 6.4 million in 2007, or almost 10 percent of all opposite-sex U.S. couples. Does it matter? Not to the 47 percent of people in a USA Today/Gallup poll who said that cohabitation made “no difference” to the children of cohabiting couples. At a time when same-sex “marriage” has become a wedge issue in California and other states, this trend is troubling, to say the least. Cohabiting couples may dismiss marriage as old-fashioned -- a “piece of paper” that pacifies parents but has no practical value. In fact, a growing body of social science research shows that the intact family -- defined by countless generations and myriad cultures to mean a man and a woman who marry, conceive and raise their children together -- best ensures the welfare of society in general and children in particular. It says a lot about the decline of our culture today that such an observation even needs to be made. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Meet. Marry. Move On. The Boston Globe, By Alison Lobron, July 15, 2007
When you're looking for a soul mate, why let a spouse slow you down? There's a new emphasis in marriages on emotional togetherness, a standard some relationships just cannot meet. Good thing nobody bats an eye anymore when young, childless couples divorce. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Should We Live Together? What Young Adults Need to Know About Cohabitation Before Marriage (Second Edition) National Marriage Project, By David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead
Executive Summary:
Cohabitation is replacing marriage as the first living together experience for young men and women. When blushing brides walk down the aisle at the beginning of the new millennium, well over half have already lived together with a boyfriend. For today's young adults, the first generation to come of age during the divorce revolution, living together seems like a good way to achieve some of the benefits of marriage and avoid the risk of divorce. Couples who live together can share expenses and learn more about each other. They can find out if their partner has what it takes to be married. If things don't work out, breaking up is easy to do. Cohabiting couples do not have to seek legal or religious permission to dissolve their union. Not surprisingly, young adults favor cohabitation. According to surveys, most young people say it is a good idea to live with a person before marrying. But a careful review of the available social science evidence suggests that living together is not a good way to prepare for marriage or to avoid divorce. What's more, it shows that the rise in cohabitation is not a positive family trend. Cohabiting unions tend to weaken the institution of marriage and pose special risks for women and children. Specifically, the research indicates that: . . .
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- President Obama and Michelle's picture perfect marriage wasn't always so, says new book 'Renegade' New York Daily News, By Michael Saul and David Saltonstall, June 02, 2009
Barack and Michelle Obama may look like the picture of wedded bliss, especially when they jet off to New York for a date night, but it wasn't always so for the First Couple. In the new book "Renegade" about Obama's barrier-breaking run for the presidency, author Richard Wolffe recounts a stretch in 2000 when the Obama's marriage was a lot frostier than it appears today. "There was little conversation and even less romance," Wolffe, who covered Obama's campaign for Newsweek magazine, wrote of that period. "She was angry at his selfishness and careerism; he thought she was cold and ungrateful." At the time, Obama was a young state senator who had decided to run a Democratic primary against incumbent Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Chicago) - a contest Obama lost by a dismal 2-1 margin. Michelle was a new mom with two-year-old Malia at home and Sasha, born in June 2001, not far off. "She hated the failed race for Congress in 2000, and their marriage was strained by the time their youngest daughter, Sasha, was born," Wolffe wrote. "Politics seemed like a waste of time to Michelle." Years later, when then-U.S. Senator Obama began mapping out a run for the White House, Michelle was much more open to the idea of a life in politics. In the end, after deciding that her growing children would be fine and her husband could actually win, Michelle gave her blessing and Obama launched his White House bid. "We're going to be fine," Wolffe quoted Michelle as saying. "We just have to make sure the girls are fine. We're strong enough to take anything on and be OK at the end." Not that the presidency is easy on a marriage. In a two-part special with NBC's Brian Williams that began airing last night, Obama said the normal "rhythms" of life - running errands, walking the dog, doing "things that'll make my wife happy" - are thrown off by the presidency. . . .
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RELATED PHOTO ESSAY: Barack and Michelle Obama: It must be love NY Daily News
RELATED ARTICLE: RNC slams Obama for romantic date with Michelle in New York Christian Science Monitor, By Jimmy Orr, May 30, 2009
Sure, it’s one of the worst songs ever written. But perhaps President Obama and First Lady Michelle are closet Air Supply fans and are simply “Keeping the Love Alive” by enjoying a date-night in New York City tonight. As we told you earlier, the Obamas are spending a presumably romantic evening together with dinner and a Broadway show this evening in the Big Apple. If the RNC are fans of Air Supply as well, perhaps they believe the Obamas are “Lost in Love” because flying off to New York while the economy is tanking is just not right they say. . .
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RELATED BLOG & COMMENTS: The Obama Example: Making ‘Date Nights’ a Priority Wall Street Journal, By Katherine Meyer, June 01, 2009
With all the recent news coverage of the First Couple’s “date night,” I tried to remember the last time my husband and I had our own night out on the town: The most recent “date” I could think of was a birthday dinner at a nearby restaurant–over a year ago. It’s not that my husband and I don’t take time to show our appreciation of each other, but it’s usually via small gestures like cards, thoughtful gifts or just enjoying a quiet evening together at home after the kids have gone to bed. (There was one weekend getaway just before the birth of our daughter a year and a half ago, when my parents graciously babysat our then-toddler son for two days, but that was more of a one-time indulgence, rather than something we’re able to repeat on a regular basis.) So even though our relationship doesn’t seem to suffer for the lack of fancy restaurants, the Obamas’ example made me wonder whether we shouldn’t treat ourselves more often to a night out. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The First Lady who found she couldn't have it all - a new biography on Michelle Obama reveals her cruel awakening The Daily Mail- UK, By Liza Mundy, November 27, 2008
She's the boss; gotta check with the boss, is Barack Obama's standard comment, reinforcing his wife's image as the coolly impressive power behind the new U.S. President-elect. Indeed, some say Michelle Obama is even smarter than her husband. Well organised and a formidable list-maker, she can be forceful and at times intimidating. Former colleagues describe her as a better boss than an employee. Barack and Michelle's united ambition has taken them to the pinnacle of power. But as she oversees the packing for the move to Washington, Michelle surely cannot help but reflect that had her husband been prepared to do as she had once demanded, his career in politics would have been over before it had even begun. Less than ten years ago, Michelle was decidedly hostile about her husband's political ambitions. . . . . . .She was also unfazed by another inevitable aspect of her husband's rising profile - female competition. 'I never worry about things I can't affect, and with fidelity... that is between Barack and me, and if somebody can come between us, we didn't have much to begin with.' Valerie Jarrett, one of Michelle's oldest friends, puts it a little more vividly. 'He knows that if he messes up, she'll leave him. She'll kill him first - and then she'll leave him. And I think there is a subtle element of fear on his part, which is good.'. .
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- The Gosselins and the consequences of reality TV USA Today, By Olivia Barker, June 01, 2009
These days, Jon & Kate Plus 8 adds up to one big pop culture controversy — entwined with at least 10 varying story lines, depending on whom you ask: Kate Gosselin is a selfless and sympathetic mother struggling to raise eight children ages 8 and under. Kate Gosselin is self-centered, shrewish diva who is driving her husband away. Jon Gosselin is a devoted dad helplessly under the French-manicured thumb of his controlling wife. Jon Gosselin is a rarely-do-well who would rather salvage his white sports car than his now-crumbling marriage. The couple signed on to the show in 2007 to create a charming record of their family's very unusual life. Or the couple signed on for a lifetime of hair plugs and highlights. The children, sextuplets and twins, are having a blast hamming it up for the cameras — and banking college tuition in the process. Or the children are miserable under the microscope and are being exploited for their parents' benefit. Some contend the Gosselins are justified in slamming the increased scrutiny (the celebrity magazine covers, the stalking paparazzi). Others say they're hypocrites for inviting the nation into their house and then turning squeamish. And then, most cynically of all, there's the thinking that they're faking the drama for the sake of ratings — and relevancy. . . . . . When America gawks at the Gosselins, they're gawking at a real family that has begun to unravel, and psychologists and social scientists fear the consequences. In 1973, when PBS aired what's generally considered the first reality show, An American Family, about the Louds of Santa Barbara, Calif., "the whole country watched them fell apart," says William Doherty, a professor in the college of education and human development at the University of Minnesota. "We forgot that cultural lesson — this kind of putting a family under a microscope often destroys what we're looking at." His advice? "Do what they can to try to save their marriage" by getting the third parties — viewers, producers, celebrity journalists — out of the picture. If they can. Though she wouldn't discuss the Gosselins' contractual relationship with TLC, or their salary (reported to be five digits per episode), TLC president and general manager Eileen O'Neill says the family is "committed" to the series. But as they continue with the show, their marriage is at risk, Doherty says. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Television: A Marriage Crumbles in Media Glare New York Times, By Ginia Bellafante, June 23, 2009(Update)
On Monday night, Jon and Kate Gosselin, the Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor of the parentally fixated new millennium, announced to a not unsuspecting world that they would be ending the 10-year marriage that resulted in a pair of twins, a set of sextuplets, “Jon & Kate Plus 8” and six consecutive covers of Us Weekly. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Does Reality TV Ruin Marriages? People magazine, By Steve Helling, June 02, 2009
Jon and Kate Gosselin aren't the first reality stars to face marital problems. Although audiences love the unscripted TV couples, the constant scrutiny can put the brakes on "happily ever after." Here are a few couples whose marriages couldn't survive another season. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Real-life marriage takes an honest effort: Many couples have to face the same mistrust as TV stars Detroit Free Press, By Erin Chan Ding, May 31, 2009
Their kids are super cute. Jon and Kate Gosselin can probably agree on that. But the two stars of "Jon & Kate Plus 8," the hit TLC show about the couple and their twins and sextuplets, looked miserable and tortured on the season premiere last week. As viewers settle in for the show's fifth season, it's clear that the show has become as much about holding a marriage together -- infidelity rumors abound -- as it is about raising eight children. Three local marriage experts talk about how a couple can deal with gossip, anger and affairs while keeping their kids as unthreatened as possible. Weighing in are Celeste Sue Benskey, a counselor, psychotherapist and founder of Innervision Christian Counseling in Plymouth; Lori Hollander, a couples and sex therapist and founder of the Center for Real Intimacy in Ann Arbor; and John Becker, a marriage and family therapist who runs a practice in Plymouth. QUESTION: Jon and Kate Gosselin have been hounded by rumors of infidelity. What's your advice to couples caught up in rumors from family and friends? . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Price of Fame: Life in Spotlight May Hurt 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' Kids, Experts Say: Pennsylvania Department of Labor Investigates Whether Reality Show Exploits Kids ABC News, By J.C. Monahan, May 31, 2009
From potty training to birthday parties, the cameras roll on even the most unattractive moments, including fights, family secrets and allegations of infidelity on the reality show "Jon & Kate Plus 8." Every step and misstep of John and Kate Gosselin and their brood of 8-year-old twins and 5-year-old sextuplets are fodder for mesmerized TV audiences, who accounted for the nearly 10 million who tuned in to see the Season 5 premiere May 25. The Gosselins reportedly earn an estimated $50,000 per episode, and some experts are questioning whether the price of fame is putting their children at risk. "The happiness of your children always comes first," said psychologist Jeffrey Gardere. "So what's the point of making all of that money if your family ends up being unhappy? If you end up getting divorced that money means nothing." Spotlight on the welfare of the Gosselin kids comes on the heels of allegations that the reality show is breaking child labor laws. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor announced it launched an investigation Friday into whether or not the show is complying with child labor laws, since cameras roll on the children all-day. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: TCW Talks to Kate Gosselin Christianity Today – Today's Christian Woman, January – February 2009 Issue
The mom of twins and sextuplets and star of the TLC hit reality show Jon & Kate Plus Eight talks candidly about nagging her husband, trusting her God, and living her crazy life in front of the camera. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Should Jon & Kate Plus 8 Be Taken Off the Air? Associated Content, Posted by Tmmy G, January 2, 2008
Kate and Jon Gosselin are the proud parents of a set of 6 year old twins and 3 year old sextuplets and are featured on the TLC/Discovery Health show Jon & Kate Plus 8. This show is supposed to focus on the difficulties and pleasures of raising eight children yet lately the producers have been focussing more on Kate's aggressiveness towards her husband than the kids themselves. They are cashing in on the circus that is Kate's OCD and tendencies towards verbal abuse towards her husband and many viewers find this unacceptable. While I respect Kate for managing eight children and the commotion that comes along with it, my respect instantly vanishes when I see her howling at her husband and embarrassing him time and time again. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: THE GOSPEL TRUTH: How did I miss what Jesus had to say about me and my marriage? Christianity Today, By Gary D. Chapman, Fall 2008
Someone once told me that marriage is like flies on a window pane. The flies on the inside are trying to get out and those on the outside are trying to get in. I can identify with that picture.
RELATED ARTICLE: Old Fashioned Marriage: Men at the Head Joseph C. Phillips.com, March 9, 2008
The argument truly came as a surprise. I was speaking before an audience at Kansas State University and confessed that I am what is known as old school. I believe that men should be the head of the household and that God should be at the head of the house. I explained that I wasn't referring to a division of power - of men being the boss of the house. I have been married far too long to talk crazy. . . |
RELATED RESOURCE: The Crazy Cycle: The Foundational Principle of Love and Respect By Emerson E. Eggerichs, Ph.D
OVERVIEW: The powerful truth about Love and Respect is that the conflicts couples experience are not the root problem. Successful couples know that harmony and happiness in marriage are not primarily achieved by solving daily problems. Though these problems are real, they are not the root issue. Find out what the root issue is. This is part of the secret!
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