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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(September 2008) |
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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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- 33 Pastors Flout Tax Law With Political Sermons Washington Post, By Peter Slevin, September 29, 2008
-- Defying a federal law that prohibits U.S. clergy from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit, an evangelical Christian minister told his congregation Sunday that voting for Sen. Barack Obama would be evidence of "severe moral schizophrenia." The Rev. Ron Johnson Jr. told worshipers that the Democratic presidential nominee's positions on abortion and gay partnerships exist "in direct opposition to God's truth as He has revealed it in the Scriptures." Johnson showed slides contrasting the candidates' views but stopped short of endorsing Obama's Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain. Johnson and 32 other pastors across the country set out Sunday to break the rules, hoping to generate a legal battle that will prompt federal courts to throw out a 54-year-old ban on political endorsements by tax-exempt houses of worship. The ministers contend they have a constitutional right to advise their worshipers how to vote. As Johnson put it during a break between sermons, "The point that the IRS says you can't do it, I'm saying you're wrong." The campaign, organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a socially conservative legal consortium based in Arizona, has gotten the attention of the Internal Revenue Service. The agency, alerted by opponents, pledged to "monitor the situation and take action as appropriate.". . .
RELATED ARTICLE & COMMENTS: Pastors Preach Politics, Risk Tax-Exempt Status FOX News.com, September 29, 2008
Pastors in 22 states participate in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" -- a protest of the 54-year-old Supreme Court ruling that spelled out the separation of church and state -- by telling parishioners what they expect from their presidential candidates. . . . . "Pastors have a right to speak about Biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment. No one should be able to use the government to intimidate pastors into giving up their constitutional rights," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Should Christians Argue Politics? Townhall.com, By Frank Pastore, September 30, 2008
For the past several months I’ve heard two recurring themes from critics of my show: “You’re too political and unloving, Christians shouldn’t argue about politics,” and “You’re not fair and balanced, you’re close-minded and too biased against liberals.” Perhaps many Christians believe these things because they don’t understand politics is really an exercise of theology applied—one way we love our neighbors as ourselves. Our political and social policies should grow out of our theology, not vice versa.
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 ARTICLE: California's Epic Battle for Marriage and Religious LIberty Townhall.com, By Maggie Gallagher , May 21, 2008
They say we are tired of culture wars. Tell that to the California Supreme Court, which didn't sound tired at all when it lobbed a big, fat hand grenade into the marriage debate. Ideas have consequences. And the California court endorsed two big, brand-new, very bad ideas. The first idea is that the internationally recognized human right to marry includes same-sex marriage. . . . So the second big idea endorsed by the California court is even less promising: Sexual orientation should be treated just like race under the California equal protection amendment, subject to "strict scrutiny." This is another historic first for a U.S. court. This is a ruling which, if left undisturbed, means that Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Muslims who see marriage as the union of husband and wife, and view sexual activity as best confined to marriage so defined, are in the exact position as racists under California law.
RELATED ARTICLE: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Townhall.com, By Harry R. Jackson, Jr. May 19, 2008
I first learned that my church was scheduled for a visit by SoulForce last December. The PR campaign about the event was announced long before this group asked for an opportunity to have a discussion on this topic of gay inclusion in the Church. This tactic seems to be a continuation of a four-year strategy. . . . The mission statement of this organization was surprising to me. It reads as follows: “The mission of Soulforce is to cut off homophobia at its source --- religious bigotry. . . . . Since when is preaching gospel morality for all people a form of oppression?
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- Google urges voters: Trash traditional marriage
'We should not eliminate anyone's fundamental rights to marry the person they love' WorldNetDaily, By Bob Unruh, September 29, 2008
Google, the Internet search behemoth, is urging Californians to trash traditional marriage with a new website statement that campaigns against a constitutional amendment proposal that would define – again – marriage in California as being between one man and one woman. Voters in 2000 approved, with support from 61.4 percent of the people, that definition. But it was summarily thrown out in May by the state Supreme Court in an opinion written by Judge Ron George who said, "an individual's sexual orientation … like a person's race or gender … does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights." More than a million Californians signed a petition to put the same definition into the state constitution, a move that would take it further than the state law approved in 2000 and beyond the reach of activist judges. That has been approved for the 2008 election ballot. Google, however, says the judges were right to disregard the will of California voters on the issue and create "marriage" for same-sex duos. . . . . . . "Google should focus on technology instead of warring against marriage and family values held by the majority of people worldwide," said Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of the Liberty University School of Law. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Marriage Opponents Expand Efforts: Polls touted by the mainstream media claim the three amendments could be in jeopardy. CitizenLink.org, By Jennifer Mesko, September 30, 2008
With the election just 34 days away, those opposed to traditional marriage are pulling out all the stops in the three states that will vote on the definition of marriage. In Florida, homosexual activists have turned a "gay pride" event into an anti-Amendment 2 rally. Come Out With Pride 2008, set for Oct. 12 in Orlando, also will feature an Obama campaign booth. And in California, Google and Levi Strauss & Co. have joined the Hollywood elite in opposing Proposal 8. Earlier this year, Pacific Gas & Electric gave $250,000 to defeat the amendment. Some polls touted by the mainstream media claim the three amendments could be in jeopardy. But a recent Field Poll revealed that past polls have underestimated support for marriage amendments by as much as 21 percentage points.
RELATED BLOG: Our position on California's No on 8 campaign GoogleBlog- The Official Google Blog, Posted by Sergey Brinn, CoFounder & President, September 26, 2008
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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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- Legendary Actor Paul Newman Dies PopEater, By John Christoffersen- AP, September 27, 2008
- Paul Newman, the Oscar-winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" — followed by a second act as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83. Newman died Friday at his farmhouse near Westport following a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends. In May, Newman dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men" at Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse, citing unspecified health issues. The following month, a friend disclosed that he was being treated for cancer and Martha Stewart, also a friend, posted photos on her Web site of Newman looking gaunt at a charity luncheon. But true to his fiercely private nature, Newman remained cagey about his condition, reacting to reports that he had lung cancer with a statement saying only that he was "doing nicely.". . . . . Newman sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer." Newman also directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie.". . . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Dad Paul Newman Was a 'Rare Symbol of Selfless Humility' People magazine, September 27, 2008
His characters onscreen were monumental, but it's at home where Paul Newman’s death may leave the biggest void. "Paul Newman played many unforgettable roles. But the ones for which he was proudest never had top billing on the marquee," his daughters said in a statement following their father's death. Calling Newman a "devoted husband,” “loving father," "adoring grandfather” and a “dedicated philanthropist," the women paid tribute to the head of their family. The statement continued, "Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special. Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity." Newman leaves behind five adult children: Stephanie and Susan with his first wife, Jacqueline Witte, and Clea, Nell, and Lissy with his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward. . . . "Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune," they said. "In his own words: 'It's been a privilege to be here.’
RELATED PHOTO ESSAY: Remembering Paul Newman: The man behind the famous baby blues leaves behind a legacy of film, family and philanthropy People magazine, September 27, 2008
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- It's Not a Debate, It's Marriage Counseling Hartford Courant, By Roger Catlin on September 26, 2008
I've heard what you said. Now can you say it to each other? Can you turn and look at him? Can you respond directly to him? How do you feel about what he just said? The strange new debate techniques introduced by Jim Lehrer at the first of the Presidential debates Friday wasn't getting much traction from the two candidates. After months of stump speeches and the traditions of past debates -- where candidates talk blankly in stentorian terms to an audience but are less used to exchanging with their opponents -- John McCain and Barack Obama were slow to warm to the style of the debate. (Like many a participant in marriage counseling, McCain also threatned not to show up, before showing up after all). (So which one is the feminine side of the pair? Well McCain twice said he wasn't Miss Congeniality. Is he Miss Something Else?). . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: How to Grade the Presidential Debates: From body language to bluster, learn what to watch for when the candidates face off. WebMD Health News, By Sherry Rauh, September 25, 2008
What is special about presidential debates, says executive coach Carol Kinsey Goman, PhD, is that they offer a chance to glimpse the candidates unscripted. In scripted speeches, "body language cues as well as rhetoric are honed by coaches," says Goman, who is the author of The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work. In debates, "people are much more vulnerable and their body cues are much more available." Ideally, debates "should be all about the content of the message," Roberts says. "However, research shows about 70% of our message comes from what we do nonverbally -- posture, the use of space, how we use our voice, how we gesture and use our bodies."
RELATED BROADCAST: Leadership Crisis in America LightSource.com, By Adrian Rogers, June 22, 2008
From the Series: Whatever happened to the American Dream?
RELATED ARTICLE: How to Pick a President: Why Virtue Trumps Policy Christianity Today, By Daniel Taylor & Mark McCloskey, June 6, 2008
Taking a country to war is not automatically wrong. But grave decisions of war and peace, life and death, prosperity and privation—on the domestic and international fronts—are made by Presidents during their time in office. At election time, we the people decide who our decision makers will be. And we too often decide poorly, because we ask the wrong questions. . . . . There's value in hearing a candidate's plans and proposals, but it's of secondary or even lesser importance. Few if any of those plans and proposals will survive the political process intact. Voting for Obama's health plan or Hillary's economic scheme or McCain's immigration policy is virtual-reality voting, positing an intriguing alternate world, but having little to do with this one. . .
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- Lifestyles of the 2008 Presidential Candidates
How Our Potential Leaders Live in Real Life WalletPop.com, September 26, 2008
As the presidential and vice-presidential candidates tour the country trying to inform Americans about their political beliefs and policy agendas, we take a look at how these public figures lead their private lives. Click through our gallery as we round up information from the Associated Press 'personal sides' series, Web sites, like Votesmart.org, and writers, like freelance author Jonathan Berr, to take a peek at the White House hopefuls' homes, cars, families, churches, hobbies and more. First Up: Their Homes
* Barack Obama, Democrat: Obama has a large, stately brick home on Chicago's South Side with an estimated value of $1.9 million. The Chicago Tribune describes it as a "96-year-old Georgian revival home that has four fireplaces, glass-door bookcases fashioned from Honduran mahogany, and a 1,000-bottle wine cellar.". . .
* Joseph Biden, Democrat:
Long-standing allegations have dogged Delaware Senator Joe Biden regarding whether or not he unduly profited from the sale of his previous home in 1996. Today the vice-presidential candidate lives in Greenville, Del. Pictured to the left are both his main home and the smaller carriage house where his mother lives. . .
* John McCain, Republican: According to Architectural Digest, Senator John McCain and his wife, Cindy, live with their family in a southwestern-style residence in Phoenix. "My husband's favorite part about the house is probably the casual style of it," remarks Cindy McCain. "The feel is very comfortable, and he enjoys that, because he’s not a formal person." McCain has taken heat for not knowing how many houses he owns. . . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Biden's Financial History Disqualifies Him For High Office Townhall.com, By Michael Medved, September 24, 2008
If a candidate for high office does a spectacularly poor job in managing his own family's finances, why on earth should we trust him in a national leadership position at a time of acute economic crisis? Senator Joe Biden's recently disclosed tax returns display a consistent pattern of poor judgment and shabby values that ought to disqualify him for the vice presidency or any other post of significant responsibility. . . . As the Washington Post sympathetically observed: “Biden has spent virtually his whole life in public service and does not have much else aside from a small array of mutual funds and cash accounts.” In June of 2008, he even listed significant liabilities including a loan up to $50,000 against his life insurance policy and line of credit indebtedness of more than $100,000 to the Wilmington Savings Fund Society. . . . . What, exactly, did the Senator do with the literally millions of dollars he earned in recent years? . . .
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- Why ‘I did’: One man’s case for marriage
Author and newlywed Finesse Mitchell reflects on his life as a spouse MSNBC.com, September 25, 2008
Ninety-five percent of Americans are married by age 55 — yet half of all marriages end in divorce. A divorce rate that high begs the question: Why get married at all? Well, experts say that one of the most fundamental drives that humans have is the drive to be attached to somebody. Other benefits include family stability, having an emotional outlet and partnership. Take it from Finesse Mitchell — a comedian and newly married man who is also the author of Your Girlfriends Only Know So Much: A Brother's Take on Dating & Mating for Sistas and a relationships columnist for Essence magazine. Here, Mitchell gives a personal peek into his recent transition from single to married life.
Q: You got married just two weeks ago. So far, what advantages have you noticed as a married man? Disadvantages?
A: I do feel that people have been extremely nice to me since the wedding. Everyone has been calling me to check on me to make sure I was either still alive or to reinforce that I did a great thing with my life. .
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RELATED ARTICLE & PHOTOS: Comedian Finesse Mitchell Ties the Knot Essence.com, By Kenya N. Byrd, September 25, 2008
RELATED ARTICLE: When Marriage Means More to Your Family Than to You AlterNet, By Wendy Atterberry , The Frisky, September 26, 2008.
There are plenty of reasons to marry, but it's not something that always makes couples happier. Why can't my family understand that?. . . . I used to think it was generational -- this obsession with couples tying the knot and "making it legal," but lately, even my 25-year-old sister is asking when we plan to marry, if we'll get engaged or just secretly elope instead. "Why do you ask?" I said to her yesterday on the phone when she brought it up again. "I just want you to be happy," she answered. "I am happy," I replied and resisted the urge to ask her why she thinks marriage, of all things, could make me any happier. Kick-ass boots for fall, a trip to the South of France, calorie-free fudge brownies -- these things would all make me happier. But marriage? Meh.
RELATED ARTICLE: Till death do us part: why marriage remains popular: Paul Vallely ponders the surprising resilience of institutionalised monogamy The Independent- UK, By Paul Vallely, September 16, 2008
How very modern we are. There is a temptation to think that with fewer people getting married, more divorces, more cohabitation and now civil partnerships for gays we have, in recent decades, overturned a traditional view of marriage that goes back thousands of years. But history tells another tale.
RELATED ARTICLE: Why it's rubbish being single: There’s a myth that being single is great The Times Online- UK, By Stefanie Marsh, August 2, 2008
If only there was some service that would reliably predict when any period of non-voluntary solitude would end, it would cut out the anxiety and allow single people to enjoy the good things about their lives: increased lucidity, productivity, creativity and self-awareness. More time. Not being welded together in some smug symbiotic ticking relationship time-bomb. Having your own personality. Less risk of divorce. But drinking cocktails whenever you like with three single and neurotic friends for company is for most people a definition of hell.
RELATED ARTICLE: Six things to ask yourself before you say ‘I do’: Sure you know your partner? Here’s some help to avoid unwanted surprises MSNBC.com, By Carley Roney- TheKnot.com, May 14, 2008
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- How can I convince my heartbroken wife I still love her and will never cheat on her again? The Daily Mail- UK, By Clare Campbell, September 25, 2008
Recently in the Mail, Stephanie, a 37-year-old former financial adviser and mother of two, revealed her heartbreaking discovery that her husband of ten years was having an affair with a female colleague. Readers responded in their thousands to her agonised question: 'Should I stay or should I go?' Now, in a desperate attempt to hold his marriage together, her husband Ian, a 40-year-old hedge fund manager - who shares the family's large five-bedroom home in South-West London, attempts to explain his behaviour. . . . . After ten months, my affair really is over for good, but I don't expect my wife, Stephanie, to believe me. Neither do I blame her for continuing to be suspicious that I'm still in contact with my former lover. But I told Stephanie I wouldn't see or contact Kate again - the woman I was having an affair with - and I've kept to my word. My wife and family are what matter now. Reading even a few of the thousands of messages and letters my wife received from Mail readers about my betrayal has been a painful and shaming experience. One piece of advice in particular leapt out at me: 'Once the trust is gone, it's too late to save your marriage.' I can only hope this isn't true. There isn't a single moment I haven't been haunted by guilt since that first night, back in March, when I saw my mobile phone - which had text messages from Kate on it - in my wife's hand, and realised that she'd found out I had deceived her. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Your verdict on husband's plea for forgiveness after having an affair The Daily Mail- UK, September 25, 2008
Recently in the Mail, Stephanie, 37, a mother-of-two, revealed how she was haunted by her husband's affair and asked: 'Should I stay or should I go?' On Wednesday, we published her husband Ian's plea for forgiveness. Here are some of your emailed responses ...
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RELATED ARTICLE: Should I stay or should I go? A cheated wife's plight had you responding in your thousands... The Daily Mail- UK, By Daily Mail Reporter, August 21, 2008
Yesterday, the Mail told the story of Stephanie, 37, who has discovered her husband of ten years is having an affair with a colleague. She is now torn between wanting to provide a stable home for her two young sons and a suspicion that her husband has restarted his affair. It provoked an astonishing reaction on our website with more than 4,000 people voting in our online poll - with almost 3,400 urging Stephanie to leave her husband and around 700 telling her to stay. Many of you also shared your own heartfelt stories. Here, we present a choice selection...
RELATED ARTICLE & COMMENTS: Should I stay or should I go? One woman's dilemma after discovering her husband's affair The Daily Mail- UK, By Clare Campbell, August 20, 2008
What do you do when you discover your husband of ten years is having an affair? Throw him out and call a divorce lawyer? Try to forgive him for the sake of your children's future? Like countless others, that's the agonising choice 37-year-old Stephanie is facing after she discovered her wealthy husband is having an affair with a female colleague. She's been married to her husband, Ian, a 40-year-old hedge fund manager, for a decade and they have two sons, Jake, seven, and Isaac, four, and live in a large, fivebedroom house in South-West London. They also have a country cottage in Devon. Here, Stephanie describes how she discovered her husband's infidelity, and how she has spent months wrestling with the question: should she stay or should she go?
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- Parenting Issues: School Board Changes Yearbook Policy After Lesbian Photos Published FOX News, September 25, 2008
CLOVIS, N.M. — The Clovis board of education will have final say on content in student publications under a new policy adopted about four months after the high school yearbook published pictures of lesbian couples. The board voted 3-2 to pass the new publications code Tuesday. The code also gives school principals authority to review students' work before publication. Clovis Municipal School District Superintendent Rhonda Seidenwurm said the school district's previous publications code did not allow principals to review student publications. She said the need for such a review surfaced after community groups criticized last year's edition of the high school yearbook, the Plainsman, for photographs of lesbian couples in a segment about relationships. Under the code, students can appeal a decision regarding content. The board of education will have the final say in the appeals process. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Area high school in controversy over gay couples KVII- The Texas Panhandle 24/7, May 27, 2008
Clovis High School is in the middle of a controversy surrounding the publication of photos and interviews with gay couples in the yearbook. . . . The student yearbook editor says they wanted to show diversity. The article also features heterosexual couples.The teen says that to not put gay couples in the yearbook would be discrimination. The yearbook supervisor says the content didn't violate any policies. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: "Gay" Sex Kills Townhall.com, By Matt Barber, Monday, April 21, 2008
By recently admitting that “HIV is a gay disease,” Matt Foreman, outgoing Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, acknowledged what the medical community has known for decades: the homosexual lifestyle is extremely high-risk and often leads to disease and even death. . . .On April 25, 2008, the pro-homosexual indoctrination of your children comes to a boil. Homosexual activists and like-minded liberal educators will be pushing the so-called “Day of Silence” on kids in thousands of schools across the country. . . . To be sure, bullying and harassment should not be tolerated against anyone, anywhere for any reason, and those who engage in such activities should be firmly disciplined. However, DOS has very little to do with “bullying” and has everything to do with propaganda. . .
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?. . . .
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Playboy Prince Albert to finally settle down and marry... and then produce a 'legitimate' heir to the throne By Daily Mail Reporter, September 24, 2008
Prince Albert of Monaco is set to marry his girlfriend in the hope she will finally provide the playboy ruler with an heir to the throne. The 50-year-old prince has been dating South African swimming champion Charlene Wittstock, 31, for two years. He has children from two previous relationships - but under Monaco's constitution neither can take the throne because they are 'love-children'. Only 'direct and legitimate' descendants born within marriage are allowed to rule the tiny Mediterranean tax-haven. The couple are expected to announce their engagement 'within days' and marry in 2009, sources revealed to glossy French magazine Gala. . . . . 'Albert has never settled down in the past, but knows that the time is now right to produce the next ruler of Monaco.' Albert has dated some of the world's most famous and beautiful women, including Angie Everhart, Brooke Shields, and supermodel Claudia Schiffer. He has also battled persisent rumours he is gay. . . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: When Royal Lust Was Reason to Brag Los Angeles Times- CA, By Eleanor Herman, May 12, 2005
There was no comment from the palace last week when the French magazine Paris Match broke the story that Prince Albert of Monaco had fathered a son, now 21 months old, with an African woman named Nicole Coste. . . Nor is this the only paternity claim looming over the 47-year-old bachelor prince. A week after Albert became ruler of Monaco on April 6, an American woman announced that he is the father of her 13-year-old daughter, but she has refused to allow a paternity test. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Royal News Prince Albert Of Monaco Angry At Tell All Revelations FemailFirst- UK, May 9, 2005
Monaco's Prince Albert reportedly feels betrayed by his former mistress after she revealed he was the father of her child, last week. The 47-year-old monarch, who acceded the throne following his father's death last month, was said to be furious after former air hostess Nicole Coste went public about their relationship - even though she had agreed not to publicise their affair until he had observed a three-month period of official mourning.
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- Clay Aiken: I'm a Gay Dad People magazine, By David Caplan, September 24, 2008
Following the Aug. 8 birth of his son Parker, singer Clay Aiken is following through on a promise he made to himself as a new dad: to publicly acknowledge that he's gay. "It was the first decision I made as a father," Aiken, 29, tells the upcoming issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. "I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that." . . . . The born-again Christian singer also reveals how he told his mother Faye he's gay four years ago. . . . As for his own child, Aiken tells PEOPLE that Parker – who was conceived via in vitro fertilization with his best friend, music producer Jaymes Foster – will be raised in an environment that is "accepting and allowing him to be happy." Says Aiken: "I have no idea if he'll be gay or straight. It's not something I'll have anything to do with, or that he'll have anything to do with. It's already probably up inside the code there ... No matter what the situation you're in, if you're raised in a loving environment, that's the most important thing.". . .
RELATED ARTICLE & VIDEO: Clay Aiken Discusses Family, Raising a Child and the Future Aiken: 'We'll Kind of Play It by Ear' ABC NEWS- Good Morning America, By Lee Ferran, September 26, 2008
RELATED ARTICLE: Jaymes Foster: Clay's a 'Natural' Dad People magazine, By David Caplan, September 25, 2008
Clay Aiken's best friend – and the mother of their 7-week-old son Parker – music producer Jaymes Foster, 50, chatted with PEOPLE during the magazine's photo shoot at Aiken's home in North Carolina, where Foster is currently staying. While Aiken tended to Parker, who was conceived via in vitro fertilization, Foster dished about her pregnancy, being an older mom, and who's better at changing diapers. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Half of Women "Would Have a Baby with a Friend" The Telegraph-UK, By Kate Devlin, September 15, 2008
More than half of all women would consider having a baby with a friend if they were single after a certain age, a new survey shows. . . .The report, commissioned by Vitabiotics, the vitamin supplement firm, was based on a survey of 3,103 men and women. The survey comes a week after it was warned that twenty-something women were testing their fertility by not using contraception.
 RELATED ARTICLE: The "Gay Gene" Controlling The Media The Real Proposal magazine, April 1, 2008
RELATED ARTICLE: "Homosexuality Is Not Hardwired," Concludes Dr. Francis S. Collins, Head Of The Human Genome Project NARTH, By A. Dean Byrd, Ph.D, MBA, MPH, April 4, 2007
RELATED ARTICLE: How Might Homosexuality Develop? Putting the Pieces Together NARTH.com, By Jeffrey Satinover, M.D.
It may be difficult to grasp how genes, environment, and other influences interrelate to one another, how a certain factor may "influence" an outcome but not cause it, and how faith enters in. The scenario below is condensed and hypothetical, but is drawn from the lives of actual people, illustrating how many different factors influence behavior. Note that the following is just one of the many developmental pathways that can lead to homosexuality, but a common one. In reality, every person's "road" to sexual expression is individual, however many common lengths it may share with those of others. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Liberals Reveal 'Hidden Politics': The hidden politics of mental health associations are revealed in what some call "the most important book of the decade." Family.org, By Aaron Atwood
In "Destructive Trends in Mental Health: The well-intentioned path to harm" William T. O'Donohue and Christine E. Caselles explain that there is more to this removal than meets the eye. "Psychiatry, which had previously defined homosexuality as a disease and diagnosed homosexuals as mentally ill," they write, "was considered a formidable but politically and strategically important obstacle in the struggles of homosexuals for social and political status.". . . . O'Donohue and Caselles put it plainly when they write, "(T)hese changes were produced by political rather than scientific factors . . . the revision represented the APA's surrender to political and social pressure, not new data or scientific theories regarding human sexuality."
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RELATED BOOK REVIEW: Homosexuality and the Truth First Things- The Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life, By Elizabeth Moberly, March 1997
. . . This pattern of pressuring institutions and researchers to produce results favorable to homosexuals and then claiming the results as objective evidence occurs again and again in pro-gay literature, and is perhaps one of the most curious features of scholarship in our times. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: 'Homosexuality Cannot Be Changed': Is homosexuality really fixed and immutable as some argue? Family.org, By Joe Dallas
Social justice argument #1: 'Homosexuality is inborn':
Social justice arguments are effective because they sound so good. They demand an end to homophobia and insensitivity; who wants to say they are against such goals? But just as the question “When did you stop beating your wife, Mr. Jones?” assumes (without proof) that Mr. Jones has been beating his wife, so the pro-gay social justice arguments assume (without proof) that gays are victims, and that the conservative church is largely responsible for their victimhood. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Collateral Damage? Children With a Gay Parent Speak Out Family.org, By Amy Tracey
In addition to feeling a sense of loss, especially if a parent has left the home, children may experience shame, humiliation, fear, instability, and confusion. This may manifest in any number of ways, including behavioral problems at home and school, nightmares, even alcohol and drug use.
RELATED RESOURCE: National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH)
We respect the right of all individuals to choose their own destiny. NARTH is a professional, scientific organization that offers hope to those who struggle with unwanted homosexuality.
RELATED RESOURCE: Exodus International—The largest information and referral ministry in the world addressing homosexual issues
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- AUDIO: Lindsay Lohan FINALLY Confirms Relationship With Samantha Ronson Defamer.com, By Kyle Buchanan, September 23 2008
After months of open canoodling with celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson, Lindsay Lohan has stopped playing coy about whether the two of them are in a relationship, finally confirming the news on (of all places) last night's episode of the radio show Loveline. And she wasn't even prompted by the harsh interrogation techniques of Dr. Drew, either! No, Lohan — who had the phone passed to her after Ronson called in to discuss her hospitalized friend DJ AM — was caught flat-footed after an innocent question by Dr. Drew's cohost, Stryker. Asked, "You and Samantha have been going out for how long now?" Lohan giggled and demurred, but Stryker pressed on. "Like two years?" he asked. "One year? Five months? Two months?" Finally, Lohan allowed, "A very long time.". . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Pop Tarts: Lindsay Lohan's Dad Wants Samantha Ronson Out of Her Life FOX News, By Hollie McKay, September 24, 2008
— Lindsay Lohan's newly confirmed girlfriend is to blame for her personal and professional problems, her father Michael Lohan says. Michael, in an e-mail to Pop Tarts, wrote that he has reason to believe that recent blog posts condemning him on his daughter's Web site were actually written by celeb DJ Samanth Ronson, even though they were said to have been written by Lindsay. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: The Hetero-flexible Gene Townhall.com, By Jennifer Roback Morse, February 20, 2006
There is actually plenty of data that supports the position that sexual orientation is not a fixed trait. I know, I know, I can hear the howls already. Everybody knows that homosexuality is genetically determined. Actually, everybody who knows anything about the subject knows exactly the opposite. . .
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. . .
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- America's sweetheart: Meg's Back! In Style magazine, September 23, 2008
Meg Ryan, 46, has always had mixed feelings about the label "America's Sweetheart"—a term dreamed up by Nora Ephron around the time of When Harry Met Sally, which Ephron wrote. In fact, the actress spent the better part of the 1990s as a beloved comic heroine, yet playing the role of America's Sweetheart left Ryan a bit bemused. "…I understood it was a compliment about being lovable…but it also felt like ideas were being projected onto me that had nothing to do with me. The girl next door to what? I never felt like a very conventional person.". . . . Ryan’s freedom from conventional values revealed itself when she began an affair in 2000 with Russell Crowe, her co-star in Proof of Life, as her nine-year marriage to Dennis Quaid was falling apart. Suddenly, much of the enormous public affection for her turned to anger, and everything was affected: her image, her career, her sense of self. "It was a great story," she says. "But what wasn't in the story was the reality of my marriage..." And what was the reality? After a pause, Ryan says quietly, "Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful...". . . . She knew she could have filled in the details of Quaid's cheating, which would have made it clear that she was not the one who wandered over the many years of their relationship. And she now wonders about her choice to say nothing at all: "I think I made a mistake in not talking more specifically.". . .
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RELATED SLIDESHOW: Watch Meg Ryan go from girl next door to leading lady
RELATED ARTICLE: Meg Ryan says Crowe no home wrecker Herald Sun — Austrailia, By Nick Papps, March 3, 2006
Hollywood actor Meg Ryan has opened up about her affair with Russell Crowe, declaring the Australian actor is no home wrecker and even took a bullet for her. As Crowe prepares for the birth of his second child with wife Danielle Spencer, Ryan has given fresh details of her six-month affair with Crowe while married to actor Dennis Quaid. Ryan yesterday defended her relationship with Crowe, claiming her 10-year marriage to Quaid was already over when she had her affair with the Oscar-winning star of Gladiator."
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- What couples argue about - then and now
We quarry the 70-year archives of counsellor Relate to reveal what our grandparents argued about - and what we row over now The Times Online- UK, By John Naish, September 20, 2008
Bad sex, jealousy, interfering in-laws, suicidal husbands, loose wives, spouses hiding in boxrooms and ladies who are unfortunate enough to come from Reading... it was all in a day's work for marriage counsellors in the earliest days of Relate, the nation's largest provider of relationship counselling and sex therapy, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this month. When you delve through its archive of case notes from the 1940s, then read Relate's latest survey of couples' complaints - as revealed exclusively to Body&Soul - it becomes clear that over seven decades of bust-ups and bickering, much of our bad behaviour in relationships has changed - but human nature doesn't seem to have advanced one jot. . . . . In the best music hall tradition, husbands tended to blame the wife's mum for their troubles. A third of couples in a 1948 study on “marital disharmony”, published in the National Marriage Guidance Bulletin, felt stressed by in-law tensions. As this exasperated counsellor records: “They have the mother-in-law living with them and he complains that she is the cause of all the trouble. I don't think that the mother-in-law is by any means the whole of the problem. The sexual relationship seems to be far from satisfactory. In fact, he eventually admitted that full intercourse had never taken place. I am anxious to see the wife, but so far she has not replied to any of my letters.” Bad sex again. It was rife: the 1948 study found that two-thirds of couples seen were “affected by sexual maladjustment” and a quarter “showed gross ignorance of sex - nearly 300 of the wives were sexually unsatisfied”. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Save marriage with 'friendly' aid Washington Times, By Cheryl Wetzstein, September 14, 2008
For decades, we've heard the advice. "Marriage in trouble? Go see a counselor." But did you know that more than a few mental health professionals think marriage counseling may be hazardous to your marital health? "The counseling profession is trying to help you through the divorce, not help you repair the marriage," says James D. Wright, a sociologist at the University of Central Florida. In that sense, he says, "marriage counseling is more like divorce counseling."
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- A Purpose-Driven Movie: Fireproof Townhall.com, By John Hanlon , September 19, 2008
“Marriages aren’t fireproof.” So states Caleb Holt, the lead character of the new motion picture Fireproof, the third in a series of films created by the Sherwood Baptist Church community in Albany, Georgia. This film, like its predecessors, contains powerful themes about faith, religion and morality—issues that are slowly becoming more prevalent in today’s films. Fireproof, a low-budget -- but high quality film -- about a marriage on the brink of divorce, is the latest film to attempt to prove that movies can be entertaining, and at the same time, instill values. . . . . . The general consensus seems to be that message media can -- and does -- succeed if the stories that hold up these messages are engaging and entertaining. A broader audience also must be open to the story itself. First and foremost, the story of the movie or show has to be good enough to get people into their seats at the multiplex or in their living rooms. Then the message will be able to reach that desired larger audience. Fireproof contains a great story in it that has a purpose (not the other way around) and hopefully, because of that, this film will be able to reach a larger audience than the one that normally fills in the pews every Sunday morning during church.
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RELATED SITE: Welcome To FireproofTheMovie.com - In Theaters September 26, 2008
RELATED ARTICLE: Kirk Cameron: I Only Kiss My Wife ... Even on Screen FOX News, September 24, 2008
When it comes to smooching, Kirk Cameron only has lips for his wife. The former star of the TV sitcom "Growing Pains" refused to kiss the actress who played his wife in his new movie "Fireproof," he told the "Today" show on Monday. “I have a commitment not to kiss any other woman,” he told the morning show. So his real wife, actress Chelsea Noble, was the body double for the onscreen kiss. "So when I’m kissing my wife, we’re actually husband and wife honoring marriage behind the scenes,” Cameron told "Today."
RELATED ARTICLE: Fireproof: Q&A with Kirk Cameron Hollywood.com, By Emily Christianson, September 23, 2008
HW: Is fireproof a metaphor in this movie?
KC: It is. In the movie the word fireproof is used a couple of times from one firefighter to another specifically talking about marriage. What he says is, “Look when something is fireproof it doesn’t mean that fire is never going to come to it, it is that when fire comes you are going to be able to withstand the heat.”. . .So in a nutshell this is a love story about a firefighter and his wife and a marriage that is going up in flames…[My character is] about to get a divorce when his dad steps in and says, I want you to put it off for 40 days, “I am going to send you something.” So he sends him something in the mail, this hand written book called The Love Dare and it is a 40 day challenge to see if he really understands what love is in its purest sense and then challenges him to see if he can demonstrate it for 40 days even in the face of her constant rejection…It is a real book that is coming out in book stores on Sept. 26 the opening weekend of the film…I’m actually going through it in real life at home. It is a great book, I’m on like day 10. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Kirk Cameron talks about faith, marriage and his new movie ‘Fireproof’ Boston Herald.com - The Edge, By Sue Nowicki / McClatchy Newspapers, September 23, 2008
Kirk Cameron, who rose to fame as Mike Seaver in ABC’s "Growing Pains" from 1985-92, switched from atheism to Christianity in 1990, married his onscreen girlfriend, Chelsea Noble, in 1991, and is dad to six children - four of them adopted. Despite his Hollywood background, he had to audition for the role of Caleb Holt in "Fireproof," which opens Friday in theaters nationwide. The movie is the latest from Sherwood Pictures, a nonprofit ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. It previously put out the popular "Facing the Giants" and the lesser-known "Flywheel."
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- Protecting marriage to protect children
Marriage as a human institution is constantly evolving. But in all societies, marriage shapes the rights and obligations of parenthood. Los Angeles Times, By David Blankenhorn , September 19, 2008
I'm a liberal Democrat. And I do not favor same-sex marriage. Do those positions sound contradictory? To me, they fit together. Many seem to believe that marriage is simply a private love relationship between two people. They accept this view, in part, because Americans have increasingly emphasized and come to value the intimate, emotional side of marriage, and in part because almost all opinion leaders today, from journalists to judges, strongly embrace this position. That's certainly the idea that underpinned the California Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage. But I spent a year studying the history and anthropology of marriage, and I've come to a different conclusion. . . . . . . The liberal philosopher Isaiah Berlin famously argued that, in many cases, the real conflict we face is not good versus bad but good versus good. Reducing homophobia is good. Protecting the birthright of the child is good. How should we reason together as a society when these two good things conflict? Here is my reasoning. I reject homophobia and believe in the equal dignity of gay and lesbian love. Because I also believe with all my heart in the right of the child to the mother and father who made her, I believe that we as a society should seek to maintain and to strengthen the only human institution -- marriage -- that is specifically intended to safeguard that right and make it real for our children. Legalized same-sex marriage almost certainly benefits those same-sex couples who choose to marry, as well as the children being raised in those homes. But changing the meaning of marriage to accommodate homosexual orientation further and perhaps definitively undermines for all of us the very thing -- the gift, the birthright -- that is marriage's most distinctive contribution to human society. That's a change that, in the final analysis, I cannot support.
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RELATED ARTICLE: Dads DO matter: Why children brought up by BOTH parents are happier and more successful The Daily Mail- UK, By Jenny Hope, February 13, 2008
Children behave better, learn more and are better adjusted if their father is involved in their lives, a major study shows. Researchers found that a good relationship between youngsters and fathers had a positive effect that could last for two decades. In low-income homes, regular contact was also seen to lead to less juvenile crime.
RELATED ARTICLE: Adult children speak out about same-sex parents TownHall.com, By Maggie Gallagher, July 7, 2007
It was the TV pictures that first got to Bronagh Cassidy. Same-sex couples marrying in San Francisco: "They were so proud of themselves. And then they had these little children with them." Cassidy, a 27-year-old married mother of two, sighs. "Something inside of me wants to be able to help those kids, because I know they are going to have problems." Sound ignorant, maybe even bigoted? This week, as the Senate is expected to begin debate on a constitutional amendment to protect marriage, many voices will try to convince you that people like Cassidy are, as Cheryl Jacque, head of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, put it in a recent letter, "hate-filled people who will stop at nothing to achieve their discriminatory, offensive goals." But Cassidy knows better: She is one of the first generation of "gayby boom" babies, raised by two moms. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Two Mommies Is One Too Many Time magazine, By James C. Dobson, December 10, 2006
Love alone is not enough to guarantee healthy growth and development. The two most loving women in the world cannot provide a daddy for a little boy--any more than the two most loving men can be complete role models for a little girl. The voices that argue otherwise tell us more about our politically correct culture than they do about what children really need. The fact remains that gender matters--perhaps nowhere more than in regard to child rearing. . . . . But set aside the scientific findings for a minute. Isn't there something in our hearts that tells us, intuitively, that children need a mother and a father?
RELATED ARTICLE: Are Same-Sex Families Good For Children? But we must all ask if these changes in our understanding of family are harmless. Family.org, By Glen T. Stanton
Same-sex advocates are quick to assure us that chi
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