Peter LaBarbera’s American’s For Truth (About Homosexuality) repeats a press release from Biblical Family Advocates who repeats the same press release from Christian News Wire. The title and content are the same in all three articles:
“Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese Uses the Christian Fish Symbol for Homosexual Solidarity”
That’s the title, and essentially the uproar is over the fact that The Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Catholics made a rainbow colored pin of the Christian fish symbol.
Phil Magnan, the director of Biblical Family Advocates had this to say:
“What if I was to start a group to accept adulterers, would I have them put some kind of symbol to show our acceptance of adultery? All sexual relationships outside of a heterosexual marriage are acting outside of God’s natural order for the family. There are so many reasons why same sex relationships hurt both the participant as well as society. And even worse, it is a grave sin before God.”
On his website, Phil Magnan uses the discredited Paul Cameron, NARTH, Lifesite, Focus on the Family, Exodus, Love Won Out, and Stephen Bennett Ministries – among others, to make his case for the “15 Reasons Same Sex Relationships are Wrong and Hurt Society.” I’m assuming this is what he means by “There are so many reasons why same sex relationships hurt both the participant as well as society.”
If you’re not familiar with the parties above, do a Google search and include the word “lies” and you’ll learn why they are not credible sources (there are articles on this site as well). The question is, if what they say about homosexuality is true, then why lie about it?
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But my issue here is with the fundamentally hypocritical use of adultery in the effort to “Biblically” condemn homosexuals, because the Bible also has this to say about adultery:
Matthew 5:32
But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
Luke 16:18
Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
For Phil Magnan, of Biblical Family Advocates to quip: “What if I was to start a group to accept adulterers…” is as absurd as saying ‘What if I was to start a group to accept remarried people?’
Ironically it’s the Bible itself that confirms the depth of hypocrisy that’s required to use adultery to condemn homosexuality. The Biblical sin of adultery carries the same penalty as homosexuality – eternal damnation.
Biblically speaking, everyone who is divorced – for any reason other than having been cheated on – is still married. If they’ve “re”married after that, then they are an adulterer, and thus are living the ‘unrepentant adulterous lifestyle.’ Where is their “love” and “compassion” when it comes to these ‘lost souls?’ A far greater number of which exist than the mere “1-3%” of us whom they claim are homosexual.
I’ve seen some mighty fine twisting of scripture when it comes to getting around this one. The annulment process of the Catholic Church is a fine example, they just decree that you were never “truly” married to begin with. Usually though it works out to something along the lines of, “God didn’t really mean what Jesus said.” That’s how “Biblically based” their beliefs often are. When in doubt, speak for God – the very definition of idolatry.
To be clear, I’m not against religion, nor am I saying that divorce and remarriage is a sin. My issue here is with their intentional use of lies and hypocrisy to promulgate hatred for political gain.
There are people and religious groups that condemn remarriage as the sin of adultery in addition to their condemnation of homosexuality, and recently this has even been politicized in Virginia:
(Richmond, Virginia) The organization that mounted the successful bid to amend Virginia’s constitution to block same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partner benefits says it will now concentrate on making it more difficult for straight couples to break up.
I may not agree, but to the extent that they are more consistent in the application of their Biblical beliefs, so too is my respect for them.
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