Chapter 17 . The need for honesty about homosexuality . . . On the issue of homosexuality, Toffler is essentially as ignorant as average journalists, average politicians, or average voters; basically he operates without a knowledge base. . On the basis of near-total ignorance of the subject our elected officials pass laws and judges render decisions on matters of legalities and "rights." . On the basis of ignorance most people arrive at conclusions about how to vote or how to react to others socially on the issue of homosexuality that amount to little more then guessing. . Exactly why should anyone tolerate this indefensible state of affairs? . Yes, it takes time and reading in professional literature to become informed; what of it? Many people make a similar effort when they want to purchase a new car; they certainly do so if they are on the market for a house. People also research illnesses when they are sick, at least diseases over which they may have some control. Parents sometimes research schools for their kids; just about all do so when their offspring are ready for college. People also research business firms when they enter the stock market or other financial markets. They may research nutritional value of foods; they may even research the weather if they are making plans for a trip. . But is it too much trouble to make themselves informed when their children are growing up and are increasingly exposed to a wider culture in which homosexual blandishments that seek the participation of the young in sodomy are commonplace? Then there are social pressures that demand acceptance of homosexuality as supposedly normal. It does not matter if a son or daughter is lured into homosexuality -or coerced into it? . There is a word for this kind of refusal, for not making oneself informed even when not doing so may carry serious real world costs. That word is "irresponsibility." . There is a near-synonym that goes along with it: Inexcusable. . . Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, in a recent article on the subject, "Why Reveal the Dark Side of the Gay Movement?" made the point that we are desensitizing ourselves to unspeakable evil -phenomena that are unhealthy to our inner well being, that are destructive to mental health, and that may ruin the lives of people you care about- by ignoring the consequences of tolerating the intolerable. . Isn't it time that you did something about it? Maybe there is little that you can do but is all you can do nothing at all? Sure, there will doubtless be pushback; opposition to homosexual values in the current climate of public opinion is guaranteed to bring rebuke. But if you make yourself informed, vs. simply shooting off your mouth, you can prevail or at least be an influence on others who are afraid of criticism but share your concerns; maybe all they need in order to become motivated to take a stand is the knowledge that someone else has a backbone, that they aren't alone. . What does it take to awaken what remains of your shrunken and atrophied conscience?. . Speaking to those who accept homosexual claims at face value, never looking into those claims to see if they are true or not, deciding on the issue almost entirely on the basis of opinion polls or water cooler conversations: "You're a sad excuse for a human being, you know that? You lack any sense of decency. How can you live with yourself? Don't you have any integrity at all? You have taken the easy way out; do you want to know why? Because your values are hopelessly compromised. Are you going to continue on that path or are you finally going to grow some balls?" . What the equivalent expression is for women escapes me but my outlook would be no different in talking with a female. . I have met or know far too many people who are spineless conformists not to express my profound dismay. Because of widespread acceptance of homosexuality our culture has become an open sewer. And while this has been happening multitudes of middle class Americans, not to mention the status-seeking rich, have allowed human decency to be replaced by filth wherever you look. Which, if this overstates the case, at least expresses my honest sentiments. . Here is what Dr. Nicolosi is concerned about, all those things that are directly correlated with homosexuality: Sadomasochism, public sex, -in bathhouses, public parks, and unsanitary restrooms- and concomitants like substance abuse and abuse of children. The whole panoply of homosexual behavior is "degrading" and "destructive of their integrity as human beings." And if this isn't obvious it is only because it is so much easier to pretend it doesn't exist. After all, if you acknowledged the sick truth you might feel that you have a responsibility to actually do something about it. That, of course, would be an inconvenience. It would be uncomfortable. It might -the horror, the horror- put you on the spot. . Nicolosi discussed observations of a homosexual street fair that were published in Culture Facts, a Family Research Council journal. The sponsors of the fair were the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, two national groups "committed to mainstreaming and normalizing homosexuality." After all, what could be more mainstream and normal than "public whippings, body piercing, public sex, sado-masochism, and public nakedness by parade marchers?" And what folksy fair-going would be complete without fair booths selling bumper stickers? Take your pick from available slogans such as "God masturbates," and "I Worship Satan." Keeping with the spirit of Capitalism there were various products for sale like those old favorites of every normal household, "studded dog collars and leather whips (not for their dogs)." For those seeking a diversion there was a sideshow for the whole family: "A man dressed as a Catholic nun was strapped to a cross with his buttocks exposed, and onlookers were invited to whip him for a two-dollar donation." . All of this, we are assured by the American Psychiatric Association, is perfectly normal and obviously not the least mentally disturbed. Which , if you favor "homosexual rights," you favor you approve, and in which you see nothing wrong.. This was unclear until now? O, really? Under what rock have you been hiding? Exactly what did you think homosexuality consisted of? Perverts holding hands and whispering endearments? . How stupid are you? Or is the question: How degenerate have you become in the past decade or so? I'm sick of supposedly smart people doing utterly witless things because, deep down inside, they live for money, not human values, and because in their heart of hearts they put fear of social criticism ahead of everything else and have no real conception of taking a principled stand on any issue that matters. . Nicolosi had unkind words to say about his fellow psychology professionals: "How long can psychologists be in denial about the significance of the dark side, and ignore what it implies about the homosexual condition?" Indeed, as he continued, "mainstream psychologists are usually too conflicted (or simply uninformed) to acknowledge any pattern or assign any significance to this sexual radicalism." Which, coming from someone who is as conscious of social status as anyone gets, were harsh words. . But these kinds of activities are the province of a tiny percentage of the perverted? How naive can you get? The answer seems to be: As naive as necessary to deny the truth and suck up to the manager at your office, to suck up to the big shots you know downtown, and to suck up to your favorite millionaire. . Part of Nicolosi's article was also about the acquiescence of just about all the leaders of the homosexual cause in such activities, Andrew Sullivan, Mel White, Michelangelo Signorile, and everyone else. The Republican homosexuals seeking favors from the party these days may go to great lengths to conceal such filth from GOP leaders but they are no less part of the problem even if their personal antics "only" consist of asshole ramrodding, rimming, and S & M. . What kind of cretin are you if you excuse any of this? . "And there's a matter of even greater concern," Nicolosi concluded, "how long will psychologists eagerly throw open the door to gay life for every sexually confused teenager?" . To which can be added a reminder: The "sexually confused teenager" may turn out to be your son or daughter, niece or nephew, or simply the cute girl down the block or the 9 year old boy who plays football with your kid after school. . And you don't care? . . The number of potentially deadly diseases homosexuals expose themselves to is another part of the equation. Herpes Simplex, is common among homosexuals. They have far higher rates than among the general population. Of course, hard statistics are difficult to obtain these days; because of Political Correctness considerations some researchers only identify carriers of the illness among nearly useless lines such as number of partners and aggregates of all men or all women -with no breakout for homosexual rates vs heterosexual rates since that would be "discriminatory." However, other researcher sometimes do attempt to provide answers. . It should be noted, for example, that in general homosexuals are unhealthy compared to heterosexuals. One study tells us that homosexuals are diagnosed with gonorrhea at a 3 : 2 ratio vs heterosexuals, 3 : 1 for early stage syphilis, and about 12 : 1 for anal warts. There are some diseases like scabies where heterosexuals are more likely to become infected but, generally, these are diseases with low overall infection rates. An exception is nongonococcal urethritis which is approximately as common as gonorrhea according to a study by L.J. Melton for the US Navy. . For the general population about 20% of all women have some kind of herpes simplex infection although the rate among black women is about 50%. Among all men the infection rate is a little more than 11%. However, in one British study carried out by sigmaresearch.org.uk, of male homosexuals treated at sexual health clinics the rate was 72%. . Not that Herpes Simplex will kill those who are infected, it won't. However, if someone has Herpes Simplex he or she become highly susceptible to HIV infection, which often will kill people. . How sane or normal is it to take excessive health risks? But there is also behavior to think about, with the fact that many, many people, while hardly trained psychologists, feel completely certain that homosexuals they know are mentally ill. And who wouldn't? . Here is fairly typical commentary, this from the June 8, 2015 edition of Free Republic. Here is how a reporter described his situation: "My brother is a full flaming weirdo that can't be trusted to be around the rest of the family's children. He is full-time obsessed with all things gay and no fun whatsoever to be around. He goes into towering rages at the slightest of reasons. There is literally nothing else in his life but gay activities and he insists on inflicting it on all of us -6 sisters and 3 brothers. He is a poster child for mental illness." . Are we supposed to dismiss these kinds of observations simply because they are not written about in prestige journals? . In this case the same reporter noted that he also has a cousin who is homosexual yet 'acts normal' and has a stable lifestyle. This should not be much of a surprise; in all these kinds of cases we are talking about ranges of behavior; not everyone in every population will exhibit the same excesses and some may usually appear to be normal. But we are also talking about rates and probabilities. A psychological disorder that doesn't always result in high octane lunacy is still a disorder. And, of course, what the report does not provide is an account of the cousin's behavior when he isn't visiting his heterosexual family and -presumably- is on his best behavior. . Sometimes homosexuals themselves will describe their condition as mentally disturbed. Dr. Charles Socarides, for example, commented on a large number of homosexuals who saw him as patients during his long career. They wanted out and were willing to undergo extended treatment to achieve freedom from homosexuality. But this phenomenon may best be understood from the testimony of a homosexual. . Here are comments posted on July 3, 2011, by "nerdyboy" at a site called emptyclosets.com. He began by asking this question about homosexuality: "Why isn't it classified as a mental illness?" . He then went on to say: "Why do people freak out if it's suggested that homosexuality may just be an illness? I've heard the defense that it doesn't hinder people, but I quite disagree with that sentiment. After all, it stops us from loving the opposite sex. Which more or less ensures we will never breed, requiring people to either be closeted and lie about it, or get a third party (sperm donors for lesbians, surrogate mothers for gays). From a Darwinian point of view, we're all kinds of screwed up." . "There's also the defense that we're born with it, and it's supposedly a part of what we are. But so are food allergies and down syndrome, but nobody tries to pretend that those aren't illnesses." . "It's so bad that these days, it is considered monstrous to even suggest that homosexuality just MIGHT be an illness, to the point where some fighters are trying to argue against it being an inborn trait for fear it's discrimination.....What is so bad about it being an illness? And actively fighting AGAINST any sort of cure is quite possibly the most selfish thing I've ever heard of. Yeah, you might like being gay, but that doesn't mean all gays are happy that way. What about the ones that actually wanted a normal life? ... What about the people who want to marry a spouse and have kids without jumping through a bunch of hoops? Don't they deserve a cure?" . "Why do people try to pretend that this is even remotely normal?" . There was one rejoinder that insisted that homosexuality harms no-one but as we have seen, it harms just about everyone even if the news media doesn't report the facts, even if homosexuals and their supporters deny the facts, and even if most people, including homosexuals, make little or no effort to be informed about what the facts actually are.
. . Next there is a research paper by Father Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, a Greek Orthodox priest who is also a scholar of psychological illnesses. This is his study of 2003 entitled "The Myth Of The Gay Gene." There are actually a number of telling observations in this article, for instance: . Exactly what does occurrence of a behavior among animals in the wild really say? The answer depends on what kind of behavior, of course, but the issue here is what episodes of homosexuality mean when seen in nature. The answer to that question is: Not much. . As Fr. Austriaco pointed out, animals are capable of all kinds of behaviors that, were they to occur in humans, would be universally condemned. Especially relevant is rape behavior on the part of primates in the wild. "For instance in wild orangutans, most copulations by immature males and almost half of all copulations by adult males occur after fierce female resistance has been violently overcome by the male." Should rape be accepted practice among human beings? Who would claim any such thing? Yet according to homosexual apologists, if you accept their logic, "the common occurrence of rape in other animal species would suggest that rape even in human societies should be considered natural." Something similar does, in fact, occur in a few tribal societies, and in Islam, but either we are civilized or we are not, and rape cannot be allowed in civilized nations for many entirely obvious reasons. . Then Fr. Austriaco discussed the evidence of identical twins, referring to several research studies on the subject. The findings of the first two were summarized this way: . "In the first study, Herrell et al. used a powerful technique, the co-twin control method to look at the psychological health of homosexual men. They studied 103 middle-aged male-male twin pairs where one brother reported male sex partners after age 18 years while the other did not. The study concluded that on average, male homosexuals were 5 times more likely to show suicide-related behavior or thoughts than their heterosexual counterparts. Significantly, most of the findings were valid even after the researchers accounted for the influence of substance abuse and depressive symptoms other than suicidality." . "The second study followed a large New Zealand group from birth to their early twenties. Corroborating the first study, this independent report showed a significant increase of depression, anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, substance abuse and thoughts about suicide among those who were homosexually active." . Lastly, the third paper reported-on "showed that there was an increase in mental health problems associated with homosexual persons in the Netherlands. Remarkably, HIV status was not a factor.". . What all of this demonstrates are two things: . (1) Homosexuality is closely associated with illnesses and negative psychological conditions, including pathologies, and (2) since half of identical twins are not homosexual there cannot be anything like a 1:1 genetic cause. If genes were determinative, 100% of identical twins would be homosexual. . At that, because the population sample was skewed by the fact that subjects were recruited through homosexual publications, self-selecting for the maximum number of homosexuals in a population of twins, there unquestionably was bias in that sample; the actual ratio of homosexual to heterosexual twins may well be something like two heterosexuals for each homosexual. That kind of result could destroy all claims to genetic factors. . As if, for some people, for example denizens of coastal California, evidence means much of anything. Why should it? Their religion trumps science, it trumps research, it trumps logic. Their religion isn't practiced in a corner church, however, but is integral to their participation in politics -their religion, replete with dogmas, anathemas, and worship of a savior figure, is the Democratic Party. . This irrational faith is not only found on the West Coast, another virulent form of the same thing exists on the East Coast. For example, in New Jersey which, to repeat the point, is not -at all- intended to say that the Republican Party is rational and all virtuous. It suffers from its own forms or irrationality and, while some of its leaders may promote actual virtues, they often are so stupid that they have no effectiveness and, in the process, take their supporters on one children's crusade after another, to failure. Always insisting that there cannot be any other way, that they are doing what is right, and no other ideas are needed, and if you are educated to reality, "who needs you?" . To somewhat revise the maxim: We have two parties in America, the Nihilist Party and the Idiot Party. . Let us look at the record of how the beliefs of the Nihilist Party have effected jurisprudence in New Jersey. We could, of course, just as well look at California where its very Catholic and very Anti-Christian governor, Jerry Brown, has led the fight for surrendering all morality for the benefit of homosexual causes, but the Garden State is particularly instructive. . There is a small literature about the decision of State Superior Court Judge Peter F. Bariso, Jr., in February, 2015, to rule that reparative therapy is fraudulent and consists of "consumer fraud" and therefore should be disallowed. One example can be seen in a Susan K. Livio article for Religion News Service for February 17, 2015. Another is entitled "NJ Judge Bars Experts Who Believe Homosexuality Is Disorder...," a a Christian Post story by Michael Gryboski that was published on February 11, 2015. But the most important was a major article, "The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity" found online at _www.hrc.org/resources_ (http://www.hrc.org/resources) . . The particular case concerned Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing. better known by its acronym, JONAH. . About this group, if (if) the description of its practices is correct, personally I would be contemptuous. First there were its fees, which are outlandish and seem to be based on the premise that paying a lot of money ($100 per session) makes a treatment sound -vs. low cost treatments or even free services offered by religious organizations . What is more objectionable -again, if the allegation is true rather than a smear- is the methodology in use by JONAH practitioners, as cited by Gryboski, "sessions that involved clients undressing in front of a mirror and even a group session where young men were instructed to remove their clothing and stand naked in a circle with the counselor … who was also undressed." . This sort of thing isn't professional, it is amateur guesswork mixed with voyeurism and maybe a refection of psychological problems of the staff of JONAH. In which case, given the fact that the founders of the group were seeking to create a "therapy" based on the Torah, what we have is the Jewish equivalent of the kinds of stupidity found on the part of all-to-many Christians. The Bible, for all of the value that can be extracted from it, is not a manual for psychological healing and the Torah contains no valid procedures that are applicable in cases like this. Which, needless to say, was not its intention anyway. . This disclaimer made as clear as possible, the founders of JONAH did make a valid claim in court, to their right to produce reliable witnesses -experts- who were willing to testify that homosexuality is a mental illness and the fact is that it can be cured, if not in every instance, with regularity. Judge Bariso disallowed any such thing. . To the uninformed his ruling probably sounded rational; in actual fact it was no such thing. But, briefly, here is the paragraph in the article that summarizes his reasoning: . "Many right-wing religious groups promote the concept that an individual can change his or her sexual orientation, either through prayer or other religious efforts, or through so-called "reparative" or "conversion" therapy. The limited research on such efforts has disproven their efficacy, and also has indicated that they can be affirmatively harmful. Beyond studies focused solely on reparative therapy, broader research clearly demonstrates the significant harm that societal prejudice and family rejection has on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, particularly youth. Furthermore, there is significant anecdotal evidence of harm to LGBT people resulting from attempts to change their sexual orientation. Based on this body of evidence, every major medical and mental health organization in the United States has issued a statement condemning the use of reparative therapy." . This example of flagrant bias, misinformation, and shoddy research can be picked apart effortlessly if you know what you are talking about -which is true for almost NO traditionalist Christians or Jews . They don't know what they are talking about and make themselves look like idiots every time they try to mount a defense of their entirely valid positions. . About which, speaking personally again, I am sick and tired of such incompetence. You can almost say that to do what needs to be done it will be necessary to proceed despite Christians or Jews; basically they get in the way. And like just about everyone else, they refuse to educate themselves to the facts of political life. They are hopelessly simple-minded and naive when it comes to these kinds of issues -even though, when they go to work on Monday they may look forward to a week of high level business management, computer software development, chemical research, or brain surgery. . . But about the Judge's screed: . * It may be true that "right-wing religious groups" are part of the picture, it is also possible, and sometimes likely, that non-religious organizations or well qualified professionals (religious or otherwise) have valid things to say, in fact, may champion ideas that are superior to anything Bariso considered. The case before him may well have featured a Right-wing group of religious incompetents but clearly the case had much wider implications than that. What the judge, in effect, confessed, was that be prefers the views of Left-wing atheistic groups. Hence his flagrant disregard for the request of the defence to produce expert witnesses explaining why homosexuality is a mental illness. . * He said, about reparative therapy, that it is "affirmatively harmful." Since he offered no evidence to this effect on what grounds were his remarks anything but an expression of prejudice? He looked at none of the evidence that supports the effectiveness of such therapy, relying entirely on the negative statements of organizations who long ago capitulated to homosexuals and their political allies. . Interesting about some of these organizations is the fact that, like the American Medical Association and the American Psychoanalytic Association, some of these groups opposed the 1973 American Psychiatric Association reclassification of homosexuality for many years, the American Psychoanalytic Association until well into the 1990s. Yes, they finally caved in, but only after years of resistance to relentless political pressure from the dogmatic Left while the uninformed and stupefied Right did nothing at all to counteract the homosexuals. . And some of these organizations, especially the National Association of Social Workers, the National Education Association, and the Interfaith Alliance Foundation, are Left-wing, body and soul. The Interfaith Alliance Foundation is especially odious and reflects nothing so much as Cultural Marxism transposed into the religious realm. These were Bariso's "authorities"? . * The judge also swallowed, hook, line, and sinker, the bogus argument that all homosexual problems are everyone else's fault, never the fault of homosexuals. Hence we get statistics, cited in the article, to the effect that because homosexuals are- . 8 times more likely to have attempted suicide, 6 times more likely to be clinically depressed, 3 times more likely to be a substance abuser, and 3 times more likely to be HIV positive or have ...a Sexually Transmitted Disease, . ...that, therefore, this is all the result of "rejection" by parents or care-givers, those nasty people -who must face the shame of a son or daughter embarking on a life of filth, disease, psychoses, and crimes of various descriptions that are typical of the perverted. Or as the article phrased it: "Societal prejudice causes significant medical, psychological and other harms to LGBT people." . Au contraire, they bring it all on themselves. All the so-called research that tells us that anti-homosexual bias causes homosexual malfunctioning has been discredited years ago. To repeat the point, it has been observed as far back as the 1990s and early 2000s that in countries where toleration of homosexuality is very high, such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and New Zealand, the homosexual rate for psychological problems including the most serious, and their rate of medical illnesses, is virtually identical to places where populations are hostile. There is no "bias effect" that explains homosexual miseries, any such argument is a false -to be more candid, it is a lie. . As if any of this was considered by Judge Bariso. But why should he have made even a shallow attempt to show objectivity? He lives in New Jersey, where Governor Chris Cristie has never met a sodomite he doesn't like, and who, in August of 2013, signed a bill criminalizing reparative therapy. . . About reparative therapy there is some (or much) misunderstanding. As used in this book the phrase may refer to any of several treatments designed to allow homosexuals to escape their disorder. Included is the form of therapy promoted by NARTH, but which is essentially Freudian in nature. Still, NARTH has consistently reported 20% cure rates, with approximately another half of patients who report substantial improvement but less than total success. . However, as explained elsewhere in this book, there are serious drawbacks to Freud's model of the psyche and his recommended procedures. The author's view is that any kind of "pure" Freudianism is obsolete and that there are far better approaches to problems of psychology. Still, there are numerous lessons to learn from Freud, as the neo-Freudians understood, and his work is a good starting place for any kind of general study of the field of psychology. It is also helpful to learn Freudian vocabulary inasmuch as it "spoken" as a sort of second language by many psychology professionals. . Some "experts" seem to think that the only type of reparative therapy that exists is NARTH or NARTH-like Freudian therapy. . An example is Warren Throckmorton, writing at Patheos, in an article entitled: "Reparative therapy information." In it we are assured that reparative therapy starts with the premise that a homosexual is someone who uses same-sex sexuality to compensate for deep emotional problems that arise toward a parent of his (or her) same sex because of bad parenting. Except that, to the extent that this summarization does justice to NARTH or similar therapies, this is only to describe a Freudian approach. Other forms of psychology do not operate on the basis of that kind of theory. . Of course, with genuine appreciation for the many contributions to the study of homosexuality carried out by NARTH since its founding in 1992, there are problems with the organization besides over-reliance on Freud. Basically the leadership of NARTH is an outcaste establishment group. It seeks recognition from the American Psychiatric Association and has compromised its own founding principles in a futile effort to appease the APA. It no longer disagrees with the 1973 decision but merely asks, hat in hand, to be allowed to carry out work based on the premise that there should be a category for ego-dystonic disorder. In other words, NARTH is a professional organization for wimps. . It also is a refuge for -to be kind about it- odd birds. This can be seen several times over in the writings of Jeffery Satinover. While it must be conceded that his research into homosexuality is first rate, the fact is also that he is seems constitutionally unable to not mix his rather bizarre religious beliefs into his commentaries about sexuality. As a consequence, despite his research, I rarely (almost never) cite Satinover in any of my own writings on the subject because he is such an embarrassment. So, there is also this liability concerning NARTH. . The organization provides a much needed public service but it has serious limitations. . About other forms of reparative therapy, reference should be made to the research of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, whom I have mentioned repeatedly in my writings. I will continue to do so as long as it takes until people understand the obvious. If it means citing their 1979 study, Homosexuality in Perspective, again and again, that is what I will do. . The point being that Masters and Johnson developed an empirical program to reverse homosexual interest and replace it with normal heterosexual interest, all through clinical testing. Their cure rates were in the 60% to 70% range making use of therapies available to them in their era. And obviously Masters and Johnson were the opposite of Right-wing in their social views. . Who else I have cited repeatedly has been Claude Crepault, especially his important article in the Summer 1995 issue of the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy. As Crepault made clear, there is no such thing as homophobia; what there is, is clinical heterophobia, a very unnatural and unhealthy aversion to normal relations with the opposite sex. Crepault also developed his own form of reparative therapy that produces cures in the 70% range. . Various religion-based programs also seem to work reasonably well, and for some this is an optimal approach since it combines desire to change with commitment to a worldview which values heterosexuality and denies any legitimacy to homosexuality. . These things pointed out, it is as clear as anyone might want that Judge Bariso's ruling was defective -and biased- and should be voided. The arguments made by opponents of reparative therapy are exactly wrong in substance and intent. Here is what is claimed by those who reject the value of reparative treatment: * Psychological views that are critical of homosexuality are scientifically dubious * Homosexual anxieties, episodes of deep depression, dissatisfaction, and self-destructive behaviors of different kinds are caused by reparative therapies. * Social stigmatization is responsible for most problems homosexuals have. * Anyone who criticizes homosexuality is "prejudiced" or "bigoted." * Reparative therapy causes damage to people; it harms, not helps. . Each of these propositions is false. In fact, virtually all the harms involved in any discussion of homosexuality are caused by homosexuality itself. . Another paper by Joseph Nicolosi should be cited here, "What Is Reparative Therapy? Examining the Controversy." In this study Nicolosi pointed out that, according to a Minnesota study, "25.9 % of 12-years-olds were uncertain if they were heterosexual or homosexual." This, of course, is ridiculous. . A "finding" like this must be regarded as highly suspect. It defies every "reading" any perceptive person has of the mental disposition of the young and suggests that the design of the study was pro-homosexual from the outset, intended to supply bogus information for political reasons -or to assist homosexuals in recruitment. That is, what we seem to have here is an example of egregious disinformation. . After all, as Nicolosi also noted, the actual number of homosexuals in the American population is on the order of 3%. How do you get from 25% to 3% in the space of maybe 7 or 8 years in a young person's life? I mean, has anyone ever attended a high school social? You do recall, don't you, scenes of opposite-sex teens clinging to each other, dancing so closely that a sheet of paper could not be placed between them? You might think that since participation in such events is typical for teens this kind of observation has real world meaning. . As Nicolosi also said, there is another problem in this. It means that "approximately 90% of these “sexually questioning” teens could erroneously be identified as homosexual, if they are affirmed as gay by a gay-affirmative therapist, school counselor or an on-campus gay club." . Which presumably would matter to any conscientious parent. And which makes clear, all the more, why becoming informed on the issue of homosexuality is so important. As it is, given the pro-homosexual bias of so many 'advice givers' in the schools in our time, current policy is encouraging teens to become homosexual as a good thing to do or at least to try it to determine if they were "born that way." . In Nicolosi's words once more: "A teenager may become convinced that he is gay through the influence of a persuasive adult -a gay-affirmative therapist, mentor, teacher, or even his own molester. Such influential adults could succeed in swaying an uncertain youth that homosexuality, is for him, simply inevitable." . Which is to say that for a parent not to become informed is horribly irresponsible. And inexcusable. . Yet I know from experience that some parents, maybe most parents, simply will not make the least effort to become informed. This includes otherwise well-meaning Christian parents. And so the long slide into mass-scale depravity continues, just about completely unchecked. . Indifference to evil is a wonderful thing, isn't it? That is what this amounts to. There can be no future for Christian faith that is worth having unless Christians realize what a failure their actual faith can sometimes be. There is much, no question about it, that is redemptive and "good" in Christian faith; however, the failures are everywhere, including in the deadened hearts of believers. Not even the sexual future of their children matters to them. . Don't believe me? Go ahead. Ask as many Christians as you would like: Are you informed about homosexuality? What critical books on the issue have you read? Any? . A modest prediction: None will answer candidly, or almost none. What you will hear are evasions, attempts to change the subject and, of course, you might be belittled for even bringing up the subject. . Because, in my own way, I am a Christian albeit not only a Christian, but, still... Therefore, I will not be writing a sequel to Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian. But if I was, this would deserve a chapter. It isn't that many Christians don't live up to their professed convictions, all people have that kind of problem, but because, on the issue of homosexuality, they don't even try. . Not even for the sake of their kids. Not even for them..... . That is moral failure like nothing else. . . -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
