A Word Corrupted. . .a Life Destroyed. . .gay

Just as a lovely and one time innocent word of the English language (gay) became befouled by association to a demonic lifestyle, likewise we witness the destruction of many innocent lives that come in contact with the homosexual lifestyle. Observe the following remarks:

We are living in an age similar to the time of Isaiah when he delivered God’s warning, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20). Throughout our society there are many who are trying to force others to accept perversions of God’s creation that God plainly calls sin.

It was God’s design to create us male and female (Genesis 1:27). From the very beginning, man was to "leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). Ever since this beginning, homosexuality and lesbianism have been a perversion of God’s purpose for His Creation. It is a sin that often brings judgment in this life and will always cause condemnation in the next. This sin is not unique in our time. The term "sodomy" is used to describe homosexual activities and it comes from the ancient city of Sodom. The men of Sodom were "exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord" (Genesis 13:13). Because of their great sin, God utterly destroyed them. As you read through the account of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction in Genesis 19, the only specific sin that is brought out is that they were homosexuals.

Centuries later, after Israel entered the Promised Land, some among the tribe of Benjamin became as corrupt as the men of Sodom. In the last three chapters of Judges, there is an account of how some men wanted to rape another man who was visiting their town. When the other tribes gathered together to punish the wicked, the tribe of Benjamin defended the homosexuals. There were three battles in which Benjamin was decimated. Before the final battle, God instructed the other tribes to "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand" (Judges 20:28). The tribe of Benjamin began with 26,000 men, but after the fighting, there were only 600 survivors. This did not happen because all of Benjamin were homosexuals, but because they tried to defend the homosexuals in their midst.

The law of Moses was very plain concerning this sin. In Leviticus 18:22, Israel was commanded, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." Later, in Leviticus 20:13, the penalty for anyone who practiced this abomination was given. There, Israel was warned, "And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." This may sound harsh to those who do not consider the holiness of God, but the penalty in the New Testament is the same. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul describes the corruption of the Gentile society in the first century. At the beginning of the list of their sins, he wrote, "For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due" (Romans 1:26-27). Just a few verses later, Paul added, "those who practice such things are deserving of death" (Rom. 1:32). The death penalty is not limited to just homosexuals, but also all the other sins mentioned in the context.

Throughout the history of the Bible, the righteous have always stood strong against this sin, while the corrupt willingly accept it. Part of the evil during the reign of King Rehoboam in Judah is described in the words "there were also sodomites in the land" (1 Kings 14:21-22). When the good king Asa ruled, the first thing that was mentioned concerning his return to God was "he put away the sodomites out of the land" (1 Kings 15:11- 12). Years later, the nation of Israel corrupted themselves again and allowed the sodomites to return. When king Josiah sought to cause Israel to return to Jehovah, he "made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul." In carrying out this covenant to obey God, "he brake down the houses of the sodomites" (2 Kings 23:3-7).

Would You Call This a Gay Lifestyle? Homosexuals make up about 4% of the population. Yet, they have 44% of all male syphilis, 50% of all venereal disease, 53% of all intestinal diseases, 43% of all hepatitis A, 35% of all hepatitis B, and 88% of all AIDS cases. Lesbians are 19 times more likely than heterosexual women to have syphilis, twice as likely to suffer from genital warts, and four times as likely to have scabies. The average age of homosexuals dying with AIDS is 39. The average age of homosexuals dying of all other causes is only 41. Only 1 percent of homosexuals live to be 65 or older. The suicide rate among homosexuals is 60 times higher than the general population. They are three times as likely to have alcohol or drug abuse problems. They are 45 times more likely to be involved in auto accidents than heterosexuals. The rate of murder among homosexual men is 50 times greater than the general population.