WASHINGTON – A prominent pro-family leader is urging fellow conservatives to withdraw their support for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over his recent expressed support for a “sexual orientation” non-discrimination law.
Romney during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” said he supports the contentious Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which adds “sexual orientation” to a list of federally protected classes that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
The bill upsets conservative leaders because it grants special protection to employees based on their “actual or perceived” sexual orientation. Moreover, it would force Christian organizations that oppose homosexuality to hire gay employees.
“Mitt Romney’s Christmas present to the homosexual lobby disqualifies him as a pro-family leader,” said Peter LaBarbera, longtime pro-family advocate and founder of the Republicans For Family Values website.
“Laws that treat homosexuality as a civil rights are being used to promote homosexual ‘marriage,’ same-sex adoption and pro-homosexuality indoctrination of schoolchildren,” he said. “These same laws pose a direct threat to the freedom of faith-minded citizens and organizations to act on their religious belief that homosexual behavior is wrong.”
The former Massachusetts governor responded on “Meet the Press” that ENDA “makes sense” at the state level. But LaBarbera warns that if Romney “openly” promotes homosexual agenda at the state level then he cannot be trusted at the federal level.
He pointed out that the state’s “sexual orientation” nondiscrimination law laid the groundwork for Massachusetts legalizing gay “marriage” – the first in the country to do so.
Moreover, the ENDA-like law forced Boston’s Catholic Charities to shut down its century-old adoption agency because it refused to place children in gay households against Catholic teaching.
“Given Romney’s extensive pro-homosexual record and willingness now to depart from principle on this crucial issue, should we trust a ‘President Romney’ not to reverse course again on federal pro-homosexual laws such as ‘Hate Crimes’ and ENDA?” LaBarbera posed.
In addition to the homosexuality agenda, pro-family leaders have also had reservations on Romney’s commitment to the abortion issue, which he only recently said he was against.
Well-known conservative leaders who have endorsed Romney include Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation; Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition; Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law & Justice; and Mark DeMoss of the PR agency DeMoss Pond.
“Now some pro-family leaders – who have raised millions of dollars over the years opposing ‘gay’ activism – will need to explain how they can go on supporting an openly pro-homosexual-agenda candidate,” LaBarbera said.
The federal ENDA bill is opposed by Christian heavyweights such as Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr. of High Impact Leadership Coalition, Alan Sears of Alliance Defense Fund, the Rev. Rick Scarborough of Vision America, and Colin A. Hanna of Let Freedom Ring.
President George W. Bush has also indicated he intends to veto the bill if it makes it to his desk.
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1 Timothy 4:1
[ The Great Apostasy ] Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
1 Timothy 4:1-3 (in Context) 1 Timothy 4 (Whole Chapter)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
2 Timothy 4:2-4 (in Context) 2 Timothy 4 (Whole Chapter)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
2 Peter 2:1
[ Destructive Doctrines ] But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 Peter 2:1-3 (in Context) 2 Peter 2 (Whole Chapter)
2 Peter 2:4
[ Doom of False Teachers ] For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
2 Peter 2:3-5 (in Context) 2 Peter 2 (Whole Chapter)
2 Peter 2:12
[ Depravity of False Teachers ] But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,
2 Peter 2:11-13 (in Context) 2 Peter 2 (Whole Chapter)
2 Peter 2:18
[ Deceptions of False Teachers ] For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.
2 Peter 2:17-19 (in Context) 2 Peter 2 (Whole Chapter)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
SummaTheologica, wouldn't you expect articles at a Christian site to reflect the truth of the Bible? If/when Mormon teachings contradict the Bible, what would you expect articles here to say?
rubin, you mentioned something about a similarity between believing in God and believing in Santa Clause. I heard an interesting lecture this past week by Alister MacGrath. Have you heard of him? He has a book published in response to Dawkins. At any rate, he made the interesting observation that people generally stop believing in Santa and the Easter Bunny around 6 or so years old. The fact that they and others do not start believing in them when they are older, such as 18, 35 or even 70 years old (such as Anthony Flew) expresses a distinction that something different embodies belief in God and that it is more than mere wishful thinking.
rubinluski:
I appreciate what you just wrote. I now have a better understanding about how you feel and where you are coming from.
What kind of scientist are you?
Hey chris thanx for you detailed response. Yes indeed, blogs can be very time consuming, especially when you want to get your point out there correctly. For me it all boils down to the fact that I can not really relate to the religion stuff, I have tried it and nothing there for me. I guess I am ambivalent towards religion. I figure if there is life after death, and a God, then I suppose I will learn about it then. Until then, I try to get thru life as best I can. I am a scientist by prefession, thats what i relate to. Its not a religion for me, but its what interests me. Religion only interests me in terms of what others think about it. I like to discuss religion and politics with others, sometimes I agree, sometimes I dont.
SummaTheologica,
Don’t whine so much, just because people disagree with Mormonism. When people challenge Mormonism they're not anti-Mormon. You might actually learn something if you're willing.
“You want a yes or no answer to stoning- those do not mention stoning so I don't know where you come up with the question.”
kc95819, yes I want a YES or NO answer on whether you agree or disagree with this very commandment and those like it. Either you do, or you don’t’ it’s not multiple choice, just you agree or you don’t and then your reasoning.
“When death is mentioned in this manner it may be referring to spiritual death and the ever after, not heaven, but the abyss, death or earthly death from STD"s or probably both.”
No, it’s not a deeper symbolic meaning or some symbolic translation. It means exactly what is says and asks for gays to be put to death via stoning them. This is exactly why I mentioned all the other lovely acts (working on the Sabbath, being a witch or wizard, inviting an acquaintance to seek other gods, adultery, rape, being non believer, etc.) that also ask and emphatically require a person be stoned to death, so it’s painfully obvious what it implies as ‘resolute justice’. Your rambling of STD’s and other nonsense was nice subterfuge though.
“Christians have never believed homosexuals should be stoned or harmed in anyway”
You sure about that? I have seen/heard some pretty outspoken evangelical Christians who openly ask for their death in the hear and now. While others like Ted Haggard are closet homo’s themselves, and although they don’t ask for persecution of them, its ironic they want
Well, Summatheologica, I do agree that this post is sometimes anti-mormon (though often pro-mormon as well) and often not Christian writings posts. This website is open to anyone to post on it, be they agnostic, buddhist, mormon, or even atheist. I have to ask you, what is your point? For that matter you say anti-mormon as if that is necessarily a bad thing. If you want more honest Christian perspective, then yes it will be more anti-mormon, if you want less Christian writing posts, then it will be pro-mormon, you can't have it both ways. But I am not sure that is what you want.
Oh yes, and Happy New Year to you too!
Rubin,
First off, thanks for your response. These blogs can be very time consuming. To begin with, it seems your main problem with Christianity is with the idea of sin, Hell, and an all loving and all powerful God. I am assuming that you find these ideas to be contradictory? However I would also go so far as to assume that these are not the only reasons why you reject Christianity. For instance if I were able to demonstrate that there is no contradiction between these ideas (as I am relatively sure I can give an intellectually satisfying answer) still you would not then decide to become a Christian.
But, to answer your question about Christianity; first off, I do not know that I would say that hell is a continual place of torture. I would say that it is a place of complete separation from God, which might entail suffering that is worse than said torture.
“The problem I have with most religions is they claim to know what the creator is thinking and if you dont behave in a certain fashion or you dont believe the right stuff, the creator will punish you.”
In answering this I would say that most religions do not say that you have to believe a certain thing. Most religions in fact say you have to act a certain way, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam (to a large extent), and Judaism. Of course right belief is a part of these systems, but the key is that you get to “heaven” by doing the right things. Christianity is unique in its offer.
However you are partly right that at least in Christianity, belief in Christ is the only way to heaven. Look at it this way, if a fish is out of water it will die, if the fish were intelligent and you could speak to it, and you told the fish that the only way to live is to go back in the water, it would be silly for the fish to say, “That is not fair, I want to live on the land” In much larger proportions we are people who are “outside” of God, and if our souls last for eternity then the consequences are naturally so. This all goes without saying that God does love us and He did give us a way to live “In” Him, through Jesus Christ. It doesn’t do us good to complain that that is the only way.
You said, “"God is a loving God", if thats the case, why would God allow billions of souls to be tortured for an eternity?”
It is key to remember that God does not send anyone to hell, but that He is also a just God, and a God that allows us to have free will; by choosing to live apart from God and reject His way we are choosing to go to hell. (I will not say that it is torture for eternity either).
These answers may not fully satisfy you, but they are logically coherent and at least they intellectually answer your proposed problems. I now ask you, why can’t you believe in Christianity?
This website should be renamed the "Anti-Mormon and sometimes Christian writings Post," there really isn't a whole lot Christian about it..... What a shame.
test
yellowjelo wrote:
".......WE ARE ALL CHILDREN OF GOD. Even Jesus himself asked the crowd when they presented the adultress women, that he that was WITHOUT..."
yellowjello, let me correct you Scripturally speaking if I may. Not everyone is a child of God. The correct statement is to say that we are all created by God, but not all are children of God.
We are children of God, only when we repent of our sin nature, accept Christ Jesus as the only Mediator between us and God. Accept Him as Lord and Savior; surrender completely to His Lordship (the Christ of the Scriptures; not a fabricated Christ of course), and ask Him to forgive us our sins, and come into our lives to rule and reign in our lives as Lord and Savior, and then we are to die to ourselves daily, pick up our crosses, and follow Jesus Christ!
We are also to be discerning of Sound Doctrine as the Scriptures exhort us. For we are living in the end times, and many false teachers have gone out amongst the world. We are to continue steadfastly in the firm foundation of the Word of God, and nothing else.
Also, yelloejello, you had stated on another post that you were Mormon. I want to very lovingly exhort you to examine your beliefs and see if they are truly in line with the Holy Bible. I am a BIble Believing Born again Christian who believes that both the Old Testament and the New Testament Scriptures are the God Inspired Infallible Absolute Truth of God. To add to it or take away from it is heresy. We do not need a companion book to the Bible in order to teach us how to live.
I have some challenging questions for you that you possibly have for the Mormon church yourself, as it is clear that the Boobk of Mormon is composed of non-biblical teachings, and they are subsequently taught as sound doctrine in the Mormon church.
1) Would you know if the Mormon church has been able to link DNA evidence to suggest the popular mormon teaching that the indian people groups in the America's have a link to the 12 tribes of Judah?
2) The Mormons celebrate great battles of people groups never heard of in history. For the record, the people groups I am refering to are made up of other people groups; not the Mayans, or Inca's. Also, what biblical basis does the Mormon Church have to say that white people are superior to blacks; or that Jesus was married and had children?
You may want to chew on some of these questions, because they do draw a fine line between clear sound doctrinal biblical teachings, and the doctrines of men. I want to encourage you to read the Word of God, Book by Book, Chapter by Chapter, Line by Line, Verse by Verse, and you will see that it will expose the Book of Mormon as a heresy. I hope the Lord gives you wisdom in your endeavor. I will be praying for you.
seedplanter, thanks for bringing out David Barton. He is definitely an authority on the matter, and his organizatin "Wall Builders" has many original historical artifacts that prove that many of the founding father's were Christians, and not just Deists as some would have us believe.
Also, on a side note, you all may want to purchase the book mentioned by seedplanter, as wel as another one written by David Barton called "Benjamin Rush: Signer of the Declaration of Independence". You don't hear much about Benhamin Ruish, because many in today's secular progressive public schools just like talking about Benjamin Franklin, but there are many more founding father's than just Benjamin Franklin.
Although Jefferson would not be considered an orthodox Christian and he was the least religious of the founding fathers he said:
“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep forever.” Nathaneal Greene, The Papers of General Nathaneal Greene
“I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus.” –Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson
Doesn’t exactly sound like a deist. Who knows?
“History will also afford frequent opportunities of showing the necessity of a public religion… and the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern.” Benjamin Franklin, Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania
“And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? …[W]ithout His concurring aid… we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages.” Benjamin Franklin, The Works of Benjamin Franklin
“Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited…. What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be.” John Adams, Works, Vol. II
“I have examined all [religions] …and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more of my little philosophy than all the libraries I have seen.” John Adams, Works, Vol. X
“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were… the general principals of Christianity… Now I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principals of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and the attributes of God….I could therefore safely say, consistently with all my then and present information, that I believed they would never make discoveries in contradiction to these principles.” John Adams, Works, Vol. X
“[S]uch compliances [compromises]…of my honor, my conscience, my friends, my country, my God, as the Scriptures inform us must be punished with nothing less than hell-fire, eternal torment; and this is so unequal a price to pay for the honors and emoluments [profits from government]…that I cannot prevail upon myself to think of it [compromise]. The duration of future punishment terrifies me. If I could but deceive myself so far as to think eternity a moment only, I could comply and be promoted.” John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
Citations from Original Intent by David Barton