iDigress

Musings of an antipodean contrarian

Archive for the category “homosexuality”

24 Jan 2013

Cancel the NSW Proud Schools program

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 27 Jan 2013.

The mainstream media have largely ignored it, and the Department of Education has fobbed off enquiries, but the NSW “Proud Schools” program appears to misrepresent the clear teaching of the Bible on homosexuality, accuses Christians of inciting “homophobia,” and represents a waste of taxpayer money which could be better spent on numeracy and literacy in economically disadvantaged communities.

Material associated with a similar program operating in over 70 schools in Victoria claims that Bible teaching about homosexual behaviour is a key cause of “homophobia,” and seeks to convince students that “modern” biblical interpretation considers homosexual acts as normal.

If NSW politicians and the Education Department receive too few complaints, the Proud Schools program is likely to be rolled out to every NSW state school, and it may not be long before such a program is incorporated in the compulsory national curriculum, with Christian schools also compelled to teach it.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.

Posted in children, education, hermeneutics, homosexuality | Leave a Comment
30 Jul 2012

Don’t blame the church for gay suicides

Gay activists sometimes accuse advocates of marriage and traditional family values of contributing to increased suicide rates among young homosexuals by what they say.  It’s a tactic designed to silence critics of same sex marriage and the so-called “normalisation” of homosexuality.

But research by Professor Rob Cover from the University of Western Australia has found that neither legalising same sex marriage nor implementing anti-bullying policies will prevent the high rate of suicide among young gay people.  He says that while same sex marriage may gain political legitimacy, there is no clear indication that it will legitimise gay people in the minds of others.

There are many reasons why young people encounter depression and attempt suicide, and it’s ridiculous to assert that the expression of valid Christian arguments against same sex marriage leads to suicide among young Australians.  In some cases the same sex attraction may be a symptom of other underlying psychological problems that need to be addressed by health professionals.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 29 Jul 2012.

Posted in homosexuality, same-sex marriage, suicide | Leave a Comment
05 Jul 2012

Christians and same-sex attraction

Freelance writer Eve Tushnet, the daughter of a liberal Harvard law professor and a former civil rights activist, “came out” as a lesbian as a young teenager.

She went off to Yale University, where she attended a meeting of a conservative student group, intending to laugh and ridicule.  Instead, their thinking impressed her, and the degree to which they lived out what they believed, even when it required sacrifice, left a deep impact.

Many of those in the group were Christians, and within a year Tushnet was baptized and welcomed into the church.  Her sexuality has not changed, but she has embraced celibacy, and works to convince gay and lesbian people to take seriously the moral teaching of the church.

Life is far from easy for people like Eve Tushnet.  It’s my prayer that God, who is rich in mercy and grace, will richly bless her, and all who live with same-sex attraction, aware that the Bible does not condone homosexual practice.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 8 July 2012.

Posted in homosexuality, morality | Leave a Comment
05 Jun 2012

Gay men and surrogate mothers

My attention was drawn this week to an article by Michael Cook in BioEdge which linked the same sex marriage debate with the controversial issue of surrogate motherhood.

If lesbian couples want children, all they need is a sperm donor and possibly IVF. But if gay couples want children, they need a womb. In the United States, the UK or Australia, these do not come cheap.  In countries like India, they do.

Click on the website AffordableSurrogates.com and you’ll see how babies are effectively being sold as a product.  More demand will drive the price of surrogacy down, especially in countries where women are in desperate financial straits.  Large numbers of women are already open to exploitation by unethical customers.

Michael Cook asks whether gay couples are ready to face the ethical consequences of getting outsourced and exploited surrogate mothers to bear their children.  This is an essential element in the same-sex marriage debate which is being completely ignored.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 3 June 2012.

Posted in homosexuality, same-sex marriage, surrogacy | Leave a Comment
05 Jun 2012

Hateful heterophobia in Victoria

The forced resignation of Professor Kuruvilla George from the board of Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Commission for the crime of expressing his personal opinion that marriage between a man and a woman is the best environment for children to be raised is deplorable.

Warwick Marsh from Dads4Kids said the decision was an example of “hateful heterophobia at its worst and it needs to be stopped before it is too late.”

And the Australian Christian Lobby’s managing director, Jim Wallace, said Australia should continue to support free speech, and the expression of a professional opinion against same sex marriage was no reason for someone to be driven from a significant position in the community.

Mr Wallace said “The pressure put on Professor George is typical of the gay activists, that once again they demonise alternate voices and clearly very credible ones from the public debate.  It is a tactic the public should reject.”

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 20 May 2012,

Posted in freedom of speech, homosexuality, same-sex marriage | Leave a Comment

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 30 other followers

%d bloggers like this: