We are being told from all sides that Gay Rights is the next big Civil Rights issue, no different than the ending of racial segregation in society.  How could free people be willing to deny the right of others to marry or live their lives as they choose?  How could society discriminate against people because of the way they were born?

Let’s examine a little of that:

I have gone on the record in stating how precious and important truth is.  I have also gone on the record in my resolve to treat everyone with love and respect.  That applies whether I agree with them or not.

It is relevant to point out that homosexuals constitute a small fraction of the population—2-3% (Family Research Report) or 3-8% (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) of the US population in 2002 (Gallup).  But a position can be right or wrong regardless of how many people adhere to it, so numbers alone do not provide the answer.

The Civil Rights movement was based upon the inalienable rights to life and liberty, endowed in people—in the words of the Declaration of Independence—by their Creator.  In other words, slavery and forced segregation and wrongful discrimination were contrary to the United States Constitution, and contrary to morality.  I’ll point out that the Constitution did not establish those rights:  It simply recognized rights that had already been granted by God to all men.

Family is the foundational block upon which all of society is built.  We need only to look at what happens when families are broken or dysfunctional to evaluate that statement.  Unfaithfulness in marriage leads to separation and divorce.  Single parenting is the leading predictor of poverty.  Orphans or foster children struggle against much greater difficulty than their peers.

When things don’t work well, we often see years or decades of pain, bitterness, difficulty, and problems with trust.  But when things do work well, the family is where we learn to love, learn our values, learn to interact with others, learn about ourselves, develop character, and develop into mature adults.

In short, when families are healthy, society itself is healthy, and when families are unhealthy, society is unhealthy.

These are some of the reasons why a healthy society looks down upon incest, polygamy, bestiality, infidelity, adultery, pedophilia, premarital sex, and so on.  All of these are variants of lying, stealing, cheating, and other character flaws as applied within the family.  What then about homosexuality?

The premise of Gay Rights as a Civil Rights issue is that some fundamental right exists that is being violated.  And this premise is buttressed by the idea that people are born homosexual.  I ask without malice whether the Gay Rights movement would liken that to being born with a birth defect or being born with a superpower.  Is it a bad thing or a good thing?  If it’s a bad thing, let’s do what we can to help.  If it’s a good thing, we should accept it as such.

Really, what could be wrong about love between two people?  A whole lot of things, in cases like incest, pedophilia, and adultery, to name a few, so the appeal to love alone is not sufficient.  So then perhaps it is unfair because the heterosexual population is denying the homosexual population the rights that they themselves enjoy.  Notice however that the traditional family offers an abundance of benefits to itself and society, and no detriments.  Would somebody please show me how the same is true of homosexuality?

My right to marry and raise a loving family is granted by God, and merely recognized by society.  That’s what the Declaration of Independence tells me.  Homosexuality does not create the same male-female union, does not produce children, and is reproductively unsustainable.  Why then should I condone it?  Why should I celebrate that diversity any more than any other non-traditional family arrangement?

Societal acceptance of homosexuality is predicated on the notion that it is a good and wholesome thing.  I don’t believe that it is.  My hunch is that mere acceptance wouldn’t satisfy the LGBT movement, and outright societal approbation probably wouldn’t either.  I suspect what they really want is approval from God, but that is going to be a lot harder to get.

As I’ve said before, I have had homosexual colleagues, I’ve done business with homosexuals, and I bear them no ill will.  I also know that they tend to be extraordinarily artistic and creative, and that they have much to offer to society.  So while I accept homosexuals as people, and am resolved to treat them with the same love and respect as everyone else, I cannot condone homosexuality.  We all make choices.  We are not responsible for how we were born or what was done to us, but we are responsible for our own actions.  For those who struggle with homosexuality and also believe in God, there is grace available to help you.