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A Civil Discussion About Gay Marriage

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by Heather Disher

Submitted April 15, 2013

I’m guessing I’m not the only one who has felt overwhelmed and confused by the intense and dramatic language often used by friends dabbling in “Gay Rights” Activism. The controversy about “gay marriage” has stirred up and divided friends, families, and churches lately. I have often felt at a loss for words when trying to have a respectful discussion, as I sorted out the many disjointed and forcefully presented arguments. My hope is to help you to feel competent and calm in your own respectful discussions with your friends, family or coworkers.

Enough With the Emotive Appeals

If an argument is to be valid, it must stand without emotive appeals. Rhetorical questions such as “Why shouldn’t two people be able to spend their lives together if they love each other?” pull our heartstrings, but do not speak at all to the actual issue. Is it valid to suggest that the law, as it exists today, prohibits people from “spending their lives together” as a same sex couple? No. Civil Unions already exist and DO allow people to spend their lives together. A marriage is a covenant between a man, a woman, and God. A Civil Union is a contract between two adults and a civil authority. So already, by definition, even the term “gay marriage” is indefensible. Asking the government to let you get married is like asking the Post Office for a library card: You are asking the wrong authority, it’s not even within their power to grant your request.

Social Acceptance

An unspoken argument that is raging under the surface is for acceptance of the GLBT lifestyle as equal to the heterosexual lifestyle in the realms of daily life and by society at large. Activists hope that "legalizing gay marriage” would push it outside of the realm of “alternative” and into normalcy. On a personal level, it would mean acceptance by parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, the PTA and the little league team. However, the government can only create and enforce legislation, it cannot change people’s personal beliefs. Not to mention, the First Amendment protects free speech, even when controversial. The key here is “Your right to extend your arm stops at my nose.” A person can change his own beliefs and his own behavior, but cannot force his expectations on others.
Many will muddy this issue by linking it to violence, discrimination, or other crimes against gay people. This is also not a valid argument. Gay people already have rights. They are already citizens. If those rights are not respected, there are already laws in place to protect them and punish the guilty parties. If these laws are not upheld, that is an issue of enforcement, not legislation.

Religious Acceptance

This is another argument that is often unspoken, but is at the core of the issue. Activists want churches and synagogues—and by extension, God—to proclaim acceptance of the gay lifestyle as a moral imperative. Arguments may present a confusing dissonance of morality, claiming that “love” and “acceptance” are the same. You may have heard something similar to this: “If God is love, He must love everyone, and to love everyone, He must accept them no matter what.” So either God is wrong [because He says He is love but doesn’t love and accept homosexuality], or Christians are wrong [because they say that God doesn’t love and accept homosexuality when He actually does].”This argument catches many off guard, but its fundamental premise is flawed. “Love” and “acceptance” are not synonyms. God’s love for us is a selfless love, and when He defines an action as sin, it is because it is harmful. God can love a person without accepting their actions. There are already many resources on ucg.org that would be helpful in refuting claims that homosexuality is biblically acceptable, or in any way righteous in God’s sight. Again, legislation would not, could not change the teachings of the Bible or the beliefs of Christians.

Property Rights

When you get down to it, all of the flowery speech about love, devotion and equality distracts from the facts. The inflammatory news items of late have generated from issues of property rights. This is where any possibility exists for government legislation. The only practical discussion about “gay marriage” would be this: Should the government recognize Civil Unions as it does marriage: with tax credits, next of kin rights, and other laws governing money and property?
Some would say yes, because our government should represent its people, and protect their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We live in a carnal world, and even if the law stayed as it is, our government and our population is already far from righteous.
On the other hand, history is made up of critical moments that can turn future events on their heads. Is this debate on “gay marriage” such a critical moment? Is it possible that if enough people learned God’s truth and sought Him that America as a whole could turn and repent?
I choose to be optimistic. That is why it is so important for you and I to be informed, to be logical, to be competent in thought and discussion. Because changing hearts and minds is what we are here for. All of us have been rescued from sin, and who knows what the impact of your words could be for someone else?
So if you find yourself in the middle of a heated discussion, remember: Be logical. Be clear. Ask questions to find out what is driving your friend’s argument. And above all, remember Proverbs:11:9An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.. “With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.”

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Search the Scriptures

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The Berean form of Bible study applies to every student of the Bible - no matter how long we have been studying.

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[Darris McNeely] God's Word, the Bible – when you open this pages and study the Bible, do you bring your bias, any of your prejudices, to your study of the Word? Something to think about. In Acts:17:11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so., during the travels of the apostle Paul, we find him coming into the city of Berea. He's just had to be run out of the city of Thessalonica, and he goes on down the road, and he encounters a group of believers and serious students of the scriptures in the city of Berea. And here's what it says – a well-known passage: "The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away, and they went by night to Berea. There in Berea, these were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."
They searched the scriptures on a daily basis in Berea, and these believers here lent their name to a very serious student of the Bible who would daily open up the passages of the scriptures and study to see what they meant. It's interesting to look at what this word "searched" means. It comes from a Greek word anihcrino ( anakrino , anakrinontes - Strongs NT 350 ) and it means to search in an investigative manner, in a critical manner, without bias, without prejudice. And that's really what marked – was the hallmark of these people in Berea, when they searched the scriptures daily to prove whether the things that Paul taught them were true.
As we search the scriptures, as we listen to what people say about the Bible, this is a very valuable lesson for all of us at all times, no matter how long we've been studying the Bible, and no matter how well we think we know the Bible, to take this particular point to heart. And as we daily search the scriptures, do it without bias, without prejudice. In that way, we can go deeper, we can continually learn and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and all that the Bible has to offer us in the riches of spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Be a Berean. Do it without bias. Study God's Word. Search those scriptures daily, without prejudice. And be assured of spiritual growth and understanding of what God's way tells us.
That's BT Daily . Join us next time.

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Homosexuality & Same Sex Attraction (SSA)

http://unitedchurchofgodelpaso.blogspot.com/

by Don Hooser

It’s important for everyone to truly understand this subject. It’s especially important if you are experiencing SSA or someone you love is experiencing it. This article uses our own church history to clarify many aspects of this subject. Today, we feel very ashamed of our general lack of understanding, sensitivity and love 50+ years ago. Since then, we have had dramatic growth in our understanding and attitudes. We hope and pray that our church (which carries the name United Church of God since 1995 and referred to as UCG in this article) will be an ideal spiritual home for anyone with SSA who sincerely desires to learn and live by God’s Word, the Bible, in preparation for eternal life in God’s Kingdom.

 

 

Satan is the author of terrible confusion! Currently one area of enormous confusion is people’s sexual orientation.

 

In place of “homosexual orientation,” we feel it is more clear to say “same sex attraction” or SSA.

 

I first began to study this subject in 1974 when I became the pastor of a congregation in which one man had experienced SSA for as long as he could remember. In recent years, I have written on this subject, but my decision to write this article was triggered by a seminar on SSA conducted by our church in Seattle, Washington, on July 18, 2009. The presenter, Dennis Luker, specifically addressed the subject of understanding and helping people with SSA that God has called to be in His church. That is the focus of this article.

 

Mr. Luker began by describing his background. The first congregation he pastored was in San Francisco, but he really began to understand homosexuality after he was transferred to Seattle in 1980. There a church member with a homosexual background began ongoing counseling and invited Denny to go with him to a seminar put on by Exodus International. (EI is the world’s largest umbrella organization for coordinating worldwide efforts to help people come out of a homosexual lifestyle.) That was the beginning of Denny’s eye-opening education regarding homosexuality and SSA.

 

Following are the major points in Mr. Luker’s seminar

 

• There is a big difference between those who choose to experiment with homosexual acts and someone who has had SSA ever since he or she can remember.
• Many who struggle with SSA have never engaged in a homosexual act.
• There have always been and always will be members of the church (and/or their children) who struggle with SSA.
• In the past, very few members of the church understood this subject well enough to help themselves or their family members.
• SSA is not primarily a sex problem—it is a love problem. (For example, many of the men with SSA were not loved sufficiently by their fathers and many of the women were not loved sufficiently by their mothers.) These are people whose underlying hunger is to experience real love, usually because they missed out on it when they were very young.
• The strugglers need to deeply know how much God loves them.
• They also need to experience love from family and/or friends, especially those of the same sex. (In fact, a major way that we come to know God’s love is when it is flowing through other people to us.) People with SSA are some of the loneliest people in the world (and in the church).

 

Our church has come a long way!

 

Thankfully, our church has come a long, long way in our understanding and attitudes about people with same sex attraction.

 

The primary focus of this article is not about people who choose to engage in homosexual activity for one reason or the other. (That is primarily a behavior problem, not a mental orientation problem. When those people are called, they must simply repent and choose to stop the immorality!)

 

Nor is this article even about people with homosexual orientation that God is not yet calling—not yet opening their minds to spiritual understanding. It is about people who have felt ingrained SSA as far back as they can remember, whom God has called or is calling into His Church, and who have been or will be struggling against the temptations. I frequently will call them strugglers.

 

We know that from the very beginning of God’s Church, God has been calling people out of every kind of immoral lifestyle, both heterosexual and homosexual (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Paul went on to say, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (verse 11, emphasis added throughout).

 

God’s Ten Commandments are shorthand statements that refer to ten large categories of sins. The seventh Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” means that God forbids all sexual sins, including adultery, fornication, homosexuality and bestiality.

 

God forbids sinful thoughts as well as sinful actions. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). Sexual lust is erotic craving.

 

The principle of what Jesus said about mental “lust for” a woman being “adultery” surely applies to a woman lusting for a man and for anyone lusting for someone of the same sex.

 

But we also know that temptation to sin is not of itself a sin. Temptations often do not proceed to sinful actions or even mental lust. Even Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Most men, and some women, are tempted to commit fornication, adultery, and/or homosexual acts, but the temptations by themselves are not sins.

 

A temptation can be just a momentary thought to do wrong. But when a person willingly dwells on such thoughts and entertains them rather than rejecting them, he is lusting. To avoid lusting, he or she must quickly replace wrong thoughts with good thoughts.

 

What about the word “attraction”? We generally think of sexual “attraction” to the opposite sex as being a healthy mental orientation that God intended. It is not sinful and not necessarily even a temptation to sin. So when someone has sexual attraction toward the same sex, while it is not the healthy mental orientation that God intended, isn’t it logical to conclude that the mere attraction is not sinful and not necessarily a temptation to sinful action? (Obviously sexual attractions can easily lead to sexual temptations which can lead to lust which can lead to sinful actions, whether heterosexual or homosexual.)

 

Were homosexuals born that way or did they choose that way?

Or neither?

 

This subject is often polarized as a dichotomy—as if there are only two explanations—that a person with SSA was either born that way or that he chose that way. But for most people with SSA who feel they were born that way, there is another explanation.

 

People who feel like they have always had a homosexual orientation are people, at least in most cases, who had less than ideal experience in the first years of childhood, so their SSA feelings go back as far as they can remember. In childhood, they had too little of good experiences (like love, affection and affirmation) or too much of bad experiences (like physical, verbal or sexual abuse) or some of both. As a result, they are emotionally wounded. But their SSA seems “natural” to them.

 

There has never been any evidence that sexual orientation is genetic. However it is likely that some people are born with more of a predisposition to SSA than others. As a comparison, it seems that some people are born with some predisposition to alcoholism, drug addiction, overeating, etc. (Incidentally, an alcoholic is not sinning when he merely feels a desire to drink. A person with SSA is not sinning when he merely feels a desire for sex.)

 

The main point is this: Many people with ingrained SSA did not choose to have that attraction. They have had SSA ever since they can remember. Many have tried to change that orientation by willpower, prayer, Bible study and everything they could think of and have usually failed. They feel helpless and hopeless. (Of course, they must choose not to do anything immoral. They, like every other child of God, must exercise self-control to avoid sinful actions and lustful thoughts.)

 

Some of our church history

 

When I first became serious about God in 1962, it seems the whole subject of homosexuality was just coming “out of the closet.” At age 21, if I had ever personally known someone with SSA, I was not aware of it. “Queers” had just been a topic of crude jokes and remarks.

 

Attitudes in the church at that time weren’t very different. The impression often given was that homosexuality was an “abomination” and about the worst of sins—demonized as almost the unpardonable sin that deserved the hottest fires of hell. There was a lot of verbal stone-throwing and not much healing.

 

In conversations, seldom did one distinguish between those who only had a homosexual orientation and those actively engaged in a gay lifestyle. Usually it was all painted with one broad brush.

 

It was also a topic of derisive humor, ridiculing the “queers” and “perverts.” To joke about them was a sure way to get a laugh. Often someone would mimic an effeminate voice and an effeminate gesture (even though many homosexuals are not effeminate and many effeminate men are not homosexuals).

 

It seemed that by ridiculing homosexual men as repulsive untouchables, a man was proving both how macho he was and how spiritual he was. (People who feel insecure have a special need to “prove” themselves.)

 

Paradoxically, the attitudes of heterosexual men about lesbianism are often much less critical. Why the double standard?

 

And think of the blatant hypocrisy of people who have been much more condemning of homosexual sins than heterosexual sins! Perhaps many of the self-righteous critics had previously engaged in heterosexual fornication, adultery and/or pornography. We humans are prone to invent our self-serving definitions of what is more evil and what is less evil.

 

In the 1960’s, our church was unprepared as to how to welcome, counsel and befriend the people with SSA that God was calling. Rather than “hate the sin but love the sinner,” the church’s message sounded like “hate the sinner also.”

 

Our church and probably most Christian churches were making the mistake of portraying SSA—inner temptations and feelings—as sinful. This had a devastating effect on those with SSA. That erroneous idea led those with SSA to reason this way: “If God hates my inner feelings, and I can’t separate my feelings from me, then God must hate me.” The flaws in the church’s message quickly discouraged most strugglers from pursuing interest in the church.

 

When someone with SSA did request a ministerial visit, he usually was fearful to open up and request counseling for his SSA. Most of them were accustomed to being secretive about their desires, and in our church culture, most did not dare share their secret, even with a church pastor. So most of them just faked heterosexuality.

 

Many who attended our church services often heard about how terribly evil were homosexual sins, but heard almost nothing indicating understanding, compassion and kindness toward the strugglers. And they usually did not hear any invitation to strugglers to come for confidential and empathetic counseling designed to bring about God’s healing, grace and spiritual growth.

 

At the same time, it was difficult for the struggler to know how to initiate and build strong healthy friendships with church members, especially those of the same sex (which was so badly needed). They didn’t even realize this was what they needed because no one was teaching them that.

 

In many cases, their feelings of guilt, shame, fear, hopelessness and despair often became overwhelming and they quit attending services. Not surprisingly, the attitudes of many later turned into resentment, anger and bitterness. Thankfully, there are some with SSA who have stayed in the church, and they have been a valuable resource for helping us understand SSA and many related issues.

 

Our growth in understanding and some lessons learned

 

Over the years, we’ve learned many biblical truths much more clearly and deeply. We have come to much better understand God’s grace and God’s love for every single human being—love that He has had for us all along, even long before we began to repent (Romans 5:6-11).

 

We’ve learned that we must love everyone, even our enemies and even the “chief” of sinners, as Paul called himself (1 Timothy 1:15). We’ve learned not to compare ourselves among ourselves. We’ve learned that everyone desperately needs love and to feel loved—and that character and personality problems often are the results of people being abused, neglected, abandoned or treated coldly, especially if those problems occurred in early childhood. “Unlovable” people are generally the people who are most in need of love.

 

We’ve learned that all of us are messed up—we all have our unique combination of insanity—yet we are still tempted to minimize our own flaws and maximize those of others. We’re learning that we had better be merciful because we increasingly see our need for God’s mercy!

 

My specific learning experiences about SSA? First of all, I’ve had a lot of relatives and friends with many different kinds of struggles—smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, etc., etc. So ever since God called me, I’ve had a strong interest in helping members to “break free” of personal problems.

 

Shortly after I started regular church attendance in 1962, I learned of fellow members who had been involved with homosexuality. That made me realize that SSA was more of a widespread issue than I had thought.

 

Then in 1974, when I was pastoring a church in Nebraska, I became aware that a man in my congregation struggled with SSA. I had learned enough about godly love for everyone by that time that I tried to be a good brother and friend to him. I think he left the church after I was transferred away from there.

 

After being transferred to Texas in 1991, a man in my congregation had come out of an active gay lifestyle and had become a church member, but he continued to be strongly tempted to go back into that lifestyle. I tried my best to help him but he eventually left the church. For people with strong temptations, it’s tough to stay on the right track.

 

During my dialogues and efforts with these strugglers, I gained a lot of understanding. Then in 1990, Dennis Luker wrote an eye-opening article for our church’s magazine, titled “Hope for Homosexuals”. And in 1994, our church’s magazine carried an article by Mr. Luker and John Halford titled “Homosexuality: Understanding the Struggle.” These articles were a giant steps forward in understanding for the church.

 

Others have pioneered in our understanding, including Melvin Rhodes. He helped to pioneer and promote the Anchor Web site, which was the forerunner of this Breaking Free Web site. I began helping with that project in 2004.

I also would like to compliment the writers of our church’s booklet, Marriage & Family: The Missing Dimension. The section titled “Is Homosexuality Acceptable to God?” is well written. It is not condemning of homosexuals and it does not label SSA as sin.

 

The booklet makes it clear that it is homosexual lust and acting out that is sinful, not mere SSA. In addressing what is sinful, notice the emphasis on actions from these words and phrases that are repeatedly used in that booklet: lifestyle, homosexual activity, homosexual practices, homosexual acts, homosexual behavior.

 

Near the end of that section is this statement: “It is also important to understand the difference between homosexual orientation and homosexual lust and behavior. The orientation is not a sin but the lust and behavior is.”

 

Priorities in counseling prospective members and members with SSA

 

Many of the Christian churches go to one wrong extreme or the other. Some continue to sound condemning of anyone with a homosexual orientation, some are condoning homosexual lifestyles, and some try to coerce new believers to quickly get “repaired” so they will be fully heterosexual. We in UCG strongly disagree with all of those ditches. Our goal is to learn, preach and practice the pure and balanced light of truth from God’s Word.

 

We know we must define sin without compromise and preach repentance, but we also must give lots of encouragement and hope. To do this well requires understanding, compassion, mercy and kindness. As we encourage strugglers to take one step at a time, we can help them make decisions based on God’s priorities.

 

We try not think of SSA by itself as an issue of morality. As long as a person remains celibate—does not engage in sexual acts with another—that person is doing well morally.

 

After stopping immoral activity, the next step is to work on the thoughts and heart. That begins with repentance, baptism, coming under God’s grace and receiving His Holy Spirit. It means to replace the leaven of sin with the unleavened bread of truth and obedience to God (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). To replace hatred and coldness with love for God and love for fellow man (Matthew 5:43-48). To replace the “works of the flesh” with the “fruit of the Holy Spirit” (Galatians 5:19-23). This includes fighting against lusts of all kinds—“the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).

 

When we preach about hating sin, we try to emphasize God’s love for all sinners—and about how we must follow God’s example of having respect, kindness and hospitality to every brother and sister in Christ. When we bring up the subject of homosexuality, we try to assume that someone sitting in the congregation is struggling with SSA and is already emotionally wounded. We pray that all our words are words of healing and not hurting.

 

We must all emphasize God’s love and grace. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). A converted member who still has SSA should not feel condemned.

 

God doesn’t quit loving us even when we slip up and sin. If we are baptized and under God’s grace, we don’t fall out of grace each time we sin. We keep repenting, confessing and asking for help, and God will keep forgiving. People who are trying to overcome any kind of sin can slip up. When we fall down, just get back up and keep going forward.

 

We don’t try to influence people with SSA to seek reparative therapy, especially when the goal of the therapy is to transform the person from homosexual attraction to heterosexual attraction. The Bible says nothing about pursuing a goal of making everyone heterosexual. And we don’t push people with SSA into heterosexual dating and marriage. That will not solve the underlying problems. That can be disastrous for both people. The goal God gives us is conversion to holiness, not conversion to heterosexuality. The goal is to be oriented to God and all things godly, not to be sexually oriented to the opposite gender. (If the latter also happens, that’s a bonus.)

 

We want to be a true friend and brother or sister to the struggler, and continue to help him or her with the huge challenge of trying to enter new territory—fellowshipping with, bonding with and developing true friendships with other Christians of the same sex. No one can pull himself up by his own bootstraps. The struggler needs the help of a church culture that is forgiving, accepting, respectful and loving. We need to offer that help.

 

A person who is coming out of a homosexual practices has a two-fold struggle. Somewhere along the way his craving for love became sexualized. Therefore, in addition to battling sexual temptations, he is still also struggling with the underlying craving for love and bonding from people of his same gender. This is why his struggles may be more complex and difficult that someone resisting heterosexual sexual temptations.

 

Then after the person is baptized and is close to God, and after the person has developed close friendships with others of the same sex, then that person might want to try professional counseling and therapy, with one of the goals being to decrease his SSA. With spiritual growth the person might experience a growing attraction to the opposite sex and might even become desirous of marriage. But a person can be a spiritually-strong child of God and never experience attraction to the opposite sex. Remember that marriage is not for everyone, as Paul so emphatically explains in 1 Corinthians 7.

 

We can direct the struggler to helpful books, Web sites and organizations for further understanding and guidance.

 

The goal of every child of God, no matter his or her background, is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Let’s remind each other to keep our eyes on the goal and to keep going forward, even when it seems like just baby steps.

 

May we understand and fully believe what Jesus said: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

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Same-Sex Marriage Threatens Civilization

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article by Larry Walker

Many fail to realize the dangerous path that same-sex marriage is leading us down. Far more is involved than the opportunity for two members of the same sex to marry.

The battle over same-sex marriage continues, though not always on the front pages. The PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) Web site cites a new survey indicating that 52 percent of Americans would favor a law that prohibits same-sex marriage. A recent Washington Post poll found that fewer than four in 10 Americans support same-sex civil unions that would provide some of the rights and legal protections of marriage. Legislatures in 38 states have adopted so-called Defense of Marriage Acts, which define marriage as a contract between a man and a woman.
Yet two Canadian provinces have now made same-sex marriages legal. And the highest court in Massachusetts ruled last November to allow same-sex marriages, which began May 17.
PBS commentator Jeff Sheler referred to these cases as “a changing of the guard, a social shift of historic proportions.” He commented, “The controversial change has sent shock waves through legal and religious communities on both sides of the border.”

Theological positions regarding marriage

Reactions to the issue of same-sex marriage serve as the latest barometer of whether the Bible is acknowledged and used as the basis of morality. (Marriage and family are still reeling from earlier attacks of permissiveness, adultery, premarital sex, disrespect, rampant divorce and remarriage, abuse and a host of other societal changes.)
In many cases today, human reason trumps Scripture’s fundamental teachings. Bible passages are either misinterpreted or discounted by those who advocate a personal agenda that conflicts with its plain teachings.
Liberal theologians conveniently dismiss the inerrant authority of the Scriptures and consider many historical events, including the creation account of Genesis 1, to be myths. Many of the plain statements by the apostle Paul are seen as temporary, cultural matters.
One church official, after writing off the clear teachings of Scripture as “cultural” and thus obsolete and irrelevant in our present-day civilization, concluded, “Keeping the faith is what counts.” But faith in what? Apparently faith in a stripped-down version of Scripture tailored to individual preferences and prejudices.
Some claim that the human authors of the Bible were ignorant of the dynamics of homosexuality and the capacity for people to love someone of the same sex and to make a commitment of marriage. In their minds civil rights take precedence. Even some conservative Christians share that viewpoint, citing passages in Romans 13 that urge Christians to submit to civil authority.

Threats of homosexual issues to civilization

A homosexual man, who claims to be a devout Episcopalian, boldly stated in a PBS interview, “Family has been redefined. We no longer have, for various reasons, mother, father, two children. It can be now mother and two children; father, two children. It can be lesbians, one child, two children. It can be gay men.”
Herein lies the greatest concern. Same-sex marriage is not just about two people seeking permission and approval to make a legal commitment of marriage. It is about redefining longstanding, biblically based, fundamental aspects of our culture. It is the opening salvo on a moral battlefront with grave stakes for modern civilization, as we have known it.
Gay activists will not be content with the right to marry. They want equal rights and full acceptance of homosexuality as a legitimate “lifestyle.” This means that employers, including churches and schools, would be required to hire practicing homosexuals as teachers, pastors and in other occupations that influence the thoughts of others, including children.
Are you prepared for an even greater influx of love songs, television programs and movies based on homosexual couples? Even television commercials and other forms of advertising will pick up the trend. What effect will all of this have on your children and grandchildren?
We don’t need to guess at the answers. It has already begun. One young Christian husband and wife were shocked when their young son brought home a book from his elementary school titled The King and King. The story centers on a young prince who tells his parents that he loves someone of his own sex. So their destiny as a royal couple is dubbed king and king instead of the traditional king and queen. The young couple expressed their dismay to school officials who defended the teacher’s selection on the basis that other parents did not share their concerns.
This is one isolated incident, but one that will soon become commonplace if the present trend continues. Same-sex marriage is but a foot in the door to full recognition and legal approval of homosexuality in every aspect of life. Time appears to be in their favor. What is now the silent majority would become a silent minority, muzzled by “hate law” provisions geared to silence opposition. What is now the vocal minority would continue its campaign with the goal of becoming the majority and establishing homosexuality as the norm.
Think it can’t happen? It already did—in Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible exhorts us, “And don’t forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with sexual immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and are a warning of the eternal fire that will punish all who are evil” (Jude 7, New Living Translation).

 

Importance of Christian reaction and response

The apostle Peter wrote that “God rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a good man who was sick of all the immorality and wickedness around him” (2 Peter:2:7And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:, NLT).
Although God refers to him as righteous, in the eyes of many Lot would be labeled as “homophobic.” This is another tactic to turn the tables on opponents of same-sex marriage and homosexuality. The prophet Isaiah decries this tactic, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah:5:20Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!).
What about today? Is there enough commitment and determination by the majority of Christians and other citizens to resist the powerful efforts of the firmly entrenched gay activist minority? How deeply motivated are Christians to nip this in the bud? Jesus said in John:9:4I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work., “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work” (New Revised Standard Version).
In some areas of Canada it is even against the law to quote the Bible’s condemnation of homosexuality.
Wedding Rings

In the United States legislators in several states have sought to protect the legal status of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. In the recent election, voters in 11 states approved constitutional amendments limiting marriage to one man and one woman. The amendments won in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Utah and even Oregon—a state where gay-rights activists hoped to prevail.
President George W. Bush, too, has voiced support for a constitutional amendment that will limit marriage to heterosexual couples. The current version allows for civil unions for homosexual couples, giving the amendment opponents on both sides of the issue. Many traditional-marriage advocates consider this as an unacceptable compromise, and many homosexuals view it as unjustly discriminatory. However, even this weakened version has been given slim chances for congressional approval.
In 1 Timothy:2:2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Paul exhorts us to pray “for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” The Louw-Nida lexicon offers, “that we may live in entire godliness and propriety,” and adds the comment, “In some languages ‘propriety’ is best expressed as ‘to act in the right way’ or ‘to act as one ought.’”
Civil rights vs. legal responsibilities
Viewpoints on same-sex marriage reflect a growing trend of emphasizing rights over responsibility. One young homosexual in Portland, Oregon, protested in a television interview, “This is the 21st century; we should be able to do whatever we want to do.” This mindset is a recipe for anarchy, not freedom.
Some seem to forget that citizenship is not just about one’s own personal freedoms. It also includes the rights and freedoms of others. The laws of the Bible define true freedom and form the basis of the civil governments of the United States and other Western nations.
Some seem to forget that citizenship is not just about their own personal freedoms.

In the United States, the concept of “civil rights” seems to be elevated above the rights of governments to establish and enforce laws that define and safeguard the freedoms of everyone. The Bible presents the law of God as “the perfect law of liberty,” or as the New International Version translates it, “the perfect law that gives freedom” (James:1:25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.).
Redefining and rejecting the laws of God puts us on a course that threatens the freedoms that we presently enjoy and take for granted. Tampering with the longstanding definition of marriage, sometimes called a divine institution, as the union of one man and one woman, described in the opening chapters of Genesis, threatens the very building blocks of society—marriage and family.
God told the first man and woman to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis:1:28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.). He designed the two sexes for that purpose. Two men or two women cannot produce children as biological parents. Marriage and family are also fundamental to the plan of God in the spiritual lessons that He wants us to learn from these relationships as He designed them.
Future of marriage and family
Jesus emphasized that “from the beginning of the creation God made [us] male and female” (Mark:10:6But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.). That same Jesus promises to restore all things in His coming Kingdom (Acts:3:20-21 [20] And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
[21] Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.). That will certainly include restoring the appropriate marriage and family relationships that are clearly spelled out in the Bible.
In the meantime mankind has some bitter lessons to learn from disregarding and defying these most fundamental truths of the Bible that form the moral basis of civilization.
Christian Hope and Help for Homosexuals
Often people have been raised in a dysfunctional home environment they could not control, which left them susceptible to sexual sins. In light of this, God’s ministers compassionately help Christians who wish to conquer wrong sexual inclinations of whatever nature. The United Church of God provides a compassionate ministry to help educate, comfort and assist Christian men and women in surmounting this challenging personal issue. We offer a publication titled Anchor, a magazine of hope for Christians struggling with homosexuality. More information about Anchor can be found at its Web site, www.anchorhelp.com .

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632. Please follow on twitter here: https://twitter.com/UCGElPaso.

What does it mean to "judge," and why does the Bible say to "judge not"?

Christ said, "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). What did He mean? Is all judging wrong?

Answer: Jesus Christ said in His Sermon on the Mount: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Matthew:7:1-2 [1] Judge not, that ye be not judged.
[2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.). Therefore, many assume that it is wrong to pass judgment of any sort, and that all people should be allowed to do whatever they feel is right.
Strong's Concordance notes that the word translated "judge" in Matthew:7:1Judge not, that ye be not judged. can also mean "condemn." What Christ was saying was that, as we are incapable of seeing a person's heart or knowing his or her relationship with God, we are not to take the place of God in making judgments about someone's motives or eternal salvation. And we should be humble, knowing our own weaknesses and sins.
However, in other sections of the Bible, Christ says very clearly, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew:12:34O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.) and "a tree is known by its fruits" (Matthew:12:33Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.). While we cannot see hearts, we can see—and judge—actions. There are times God calls on us to discern others' actions because of their effects on us. For example, the Bible tells us to avoid angry people and those whose sins may rub off on us (Proverbs:22:24Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:; 1 Corinthians:5:11-12 [11] But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
[12] For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?). Hebrews:5:14But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. tells us that the spiritually mature are "those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
We are not to judge where a person stands with God, because we are simply incapable of doing so. But we must be able to "discern both good and evil" in the actions of ourselves as well as others in order to grow in wisdom and avoid falling into problems ourselves.
For an additional study tool, please read our booklet The New Covenant: Does it Abolish God's Law?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

What does the Bible say about same-sex marriages?

How does the Bible define marriage?

Answer: Jesus left no doubt about His mind on the subject of marriage in His statements in Matthew 19:4-6 [4] And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
[5] And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
[6] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

See All...: "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,' and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
Homosexuality is an explosively controversial subject in our present society, but not a new issue for the Church of God. It confronted the early New Testament Church. Note the following from 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 [9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
[10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

See All...: "Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled); neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality...will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God" (Amplified Bible).
Based upon the biblical instruction, the United Church of God believes homosexual behavior to be both unnatural and sin (Romans 1:26-27 [26] For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
[27] And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

See All...). The Scriptures are plain on the subject.
What of people who practiced homosexuality in the past? Here is what follows the above quote: "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
See All...). Members of the Church of God in Corinth were guilty of some or all of the sins listed—including homosexuality—but later converted and turned from their sins. Following the scriptural example, the United Church of God graciously welcomes into our fellowship all people who repent of their sins—any sins. But we neither practice nor recognize same-sex "unions" or marriages.
For more information, please read our booklet Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension .

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Where Does America Go From Here?

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article by Scott Ashley

As the American president takes his oath of office with his hand on the Bible, proclaiming to faithfully fulfill his responsibilities "so help me God," should we not take into consideration how God views the "state of the union" of the United States?

Source: Photo illustration by Shaun Venish/123RF/iStockphoto

Warning signs come in many forms. Sometimes it's the piercing shriek of a fire alarm or the Emergency Alert System on the TV or radio. Maybe it's the wail of a loudspeaker indicating an oncoming tornado or hurricane. At times it might be the flashing lights and siren of an ambulance, fire truck or other emergency vehicle.
Regardless of their form, we're usually aware of what warning signs mean. They're intended to alert us to approaching danger, and we know that we must take action if we are to remain safe.
Sometimes the warning signs are not so obvious. Rather than screaming in our ears or shouting in our faces to get our attention like the examples above, the signs can be much more subtle. And if we're distracted by other things and not paying attention, we can easily miss them.
Could individuals—and sometimes even great nations—remain blind to dangers that otherwise should be obvious? Could Americans be ignoring warning signs that are shouting for our attention?

A look at the state of the union

Early each year the U.S. president gives his annual State of the Union address to Congress—and, by extension, the nation and world as a whole. It's typically a lofty speech filled with ideals and platitudes expressing the president's agenda.
But despite what it's called, the speech seldom addresses the actual state of the nation. If we were to examine the condition of the United States from the perspective of God's Word, what would we find?
On the rostrum above the head of the president as He gives this speech, seemingly avoided by TV cameras, is the motto "In God We Trust." The president is himself sworn into office with his hand on a Bible as he pledges to carry out his duties "so help me God."
So what would God think about the current state of the United States?

Growing acceptance of immoral behavior

The November 2012 U.S. elections were a revealing window into the prevailing mindset of voters. For the first time, voters legalized marriage between homosexuals in several states—Maine, Maryland and Washington.
Same-sex marriage had already been approved by state legislatures or courts in six other states, but this was the first time it was approved directly by voters—after it had previously been rejected 32 times in statewide votes dating back to 1998.
Homosexual behavior is repeatedly condemned in Scripture (Leviticus 18:22Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
See All...; Leviticus 20:13If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
See All...; Romans 1:26-27 [26] For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
[27] And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

See All...; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 [9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
[10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

See All...; 1 Timothy 1:10For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
See All...). Yet far from being ashamed of such behavior, many pride themselves on their acceptance of it.
With the country's many "gay pride" marches and parades, could Isaiah 3:9The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
See All... be a prophecy for America today? "The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves" (New International Version, emphasis added throughout).
Meanwhile, in two states—Colorado and Washington—voters approved possession and recreational use of marijuana, a hallucinogenic drug that remains illegal under federal law. Nineteen other states allow what is called "medicinal" use of the drug, though it's clearly abused by many who want to use it simply to get high.
Although marijuana isn't directly mentioned in Scripture, God's Word clearly condemns intoxication in any form—calling those seeking it "drunkards" who will have no place in the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 5:11But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
See All...; 1 Corinthians 6:10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
See All...; Galatians 5:21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
See All...). The reason so many use marijuana is for the intoxicated state it produces. Otherwise, why do it?
Any nation brings curses on itself when it turns its back on biblical values and accepts sin as normal and commonplace. Thinking themselves enlightened, people in reality only show how shortsighted and blind they are to the consequences of their choices.
They fail to take into account God's view, which He states in Isaiah 5:20-25 [20] Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
[21] Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
[22] Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
[23] Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
[24] Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
[25] Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

See All...: "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! . . .
"Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom will ascend like dust; because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them and stricken them . . ."

Broken marriages + broken families = broken society

As we have often discussed in the pages of The Good News, marriage and family are the building blocks of society. When marriages and families break down, so do the bonds holding society together.
So what's the state of marriage and family in America today?
For years about half of all U.S. marriages have ended in divorce. Seeing this sad fact, growing numbers of couples choose to skip marriage altogether.
According to U.S. census figures, between 1960 and 2000 the number of unmarried couples living together increased tenfold. It doubled again from 2000 to 2010, to 7.5 million couples—though the actual number may be considerably higher since unmarried partners may describe themselves as just friends or roommates.
About 12 percent of U.S. households are now unmarried couples living together. In some cities a third of couples living together are not married to each other. Other recent studies have shown that almost 60 percent of women ages 19-44 have chosen to live with a partner of the opposite sex at some point in their lives.
However, rather than a formula for stability, living together before marriage only increases the odds that a couple will break up. About 40 percent of couples who move in together separate before marriage. And, of those who do marry, studies show the divorce rate ranges from 50 to 80 percent higher than those who chose not to live together before marriage.

The curses of promiscuity, abortion and illegitimacy

Sexual promiscuity begins early. Studies show that from 40 to 50 percent of U.S. teens are sexually active, with 20 percent having sexual intercourse by age 15.
And they are reaping the tragic fruits of breaking God's command against engaging in sex outside of marriage (Exodus 20:14Thou shalt not commit adultery.
See All...; Ephesians 5:3But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
See All..., 5; Hebrews 13:4Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
See All...; Revelation 21:8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
See All...). Young people ages 15-24 account for nearly half of the nation's 19 million new sexually transmitted infections each year. One in four females ages 15 to 19 is infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease. And each year more than 750,000 15- to 19-year-old females become pregnant, the vast majority unintended.
With so many showing such disregard for God's instruction regarding sex and marriage, it's no surprise that the nation is suffering from twin curses of abortion and illegitimacy. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost one in five pregnancies (18 percent) in America end in the abortion of the unborn baby. The nation's estimated annual death toll from abortion ranges from about 750,000 to over 1 million.
To put this in perspective, Americans were rightfully horrified by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, in which nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in the crash of an airliner in a Pennsylvania field. Yet almost the same number of innocent unborn children are murdered by abortion in America every single day. Where is the outrage? What does this tell us about the deplorable moral state of the nation?
Another sad fruit of the nation's promiscuity is that the percentage of births that are illegitimate—children born to unmarried parents—is also dramatically rising.
Of first births to mothers ages 15 to 44 today, almost half—46 percent— are illegitimate. For women ages 20-24, well over half—a staggering 61 percent —are to unmarried mothers.

A huge financial toll on society

As bad as these percentages are, they only hint at the terrible toll this takes on society—and on these children in particular. Numerous studies have shown that children born into fatherless homes are far more likely to die in infancy, to be poor, to show aggressive behavior, to abuse drugs, to have behavioral problems in school and to spend time in jail or prison.
Nearly 2 million children are born each year to unmarried parents, often to women with limited education and prospects for improving their lives. What is the cost to taxpayers?
In the 2011 fiscal year, federal and state governments spent a combined $450 billion on assistance to low-income families with children—with about three quarters of this, or some $330 billion, going to single-parent families. This averages out to about $30,000 in assistance to each single-parent household.
But this doesn't mean that this much is actually going to those who need it. Vast amounts go to the government bureaucracies and hundreds of thousands of federal and state employees tasked with overseeing assistance programs. The U.S. government currently operates more than 80 different means-tested federal programs that provide social services, medical care, food, housing, cash and other assistance to low-income families and individuals.

The curse of skyrocketing debt

It should be no surprise that the nation's growing social ills have contributed to an explosion in its financial problems.
Over the last year the debt problems of the European "PIIGS" countries—Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain—have regularly made headlines. Each of the five have enormous debt problems due to their inability to rein in government spending.
However, the per-person share of the government's outstanding debt in the United States is actually higher than in any of these deeply troubled countries!
Each American's share of federal government debt is about $45,000—15 percent higher than the per-capita debt of Greeks at almost $39,000. Even worse, American per-capita debt is expected to grow to almost $75,000 by 2020, only seven years away.
Why is government debt exploding? The simple answer is that the government is borrowing 40 cents of every dollar it spends.
To put this in perspective, the U.S. government is like a family with a $21,700 annual income spending $38,200 a year, with $16,500 of that put on credit cards—when the family already owes $142,710 on those credit cards!
For four consecutive years the federal government has amassed a trillion-dollar deficit. It took the United States 200 years to accumulate its first trillion dollars in debt. Now it takes about 10 months!
In September 2012 the total deficit passed $16 trillion— an amount exceeding the nation's entire GDP! How vast is that number? A stack of 16 trillion $1 bills would extend higher than Mt. Everest, past the space station, past the moon 239,000 miles away and back to Earth— twice.
Shocking as these figures are, they in fact vastly underestimate the scope of the problem. We need to factor in unfunded liabilities—the amount needed to fully fund government promises for Social Security, Medicare, military and government employee pensions and health care. The real debt load then jumps, depending on which set of economic and demographic assumptions one works from, to five to ten times the $16 trillion amount— far exceeding the GDP of the entire planet! And that doesn't even include similar unfunded liabilities for the 50 individual states and hundreds of American towns and cities.
The bottom line? America's cities are broke, its states are broke, and the nation is broke. And we're living in a fool's paradise.
God warned centuries ago that "the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
See All...). America currently spends more than $400 billion per year just to pay interest on its staggering debt!
God pronounced curses that would come from a nation disobeying Him and rejecting His instruction: "The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail" (Deuteronomy 28:43-44 [43] The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
[44] He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

See All...).
The United States is experiencing a drastic turnaround unparalleled in history. Until about a generation ago, the United States was the world's leading lender nation. But now that has completely reversed, and America is the most indebted nation in world history—with more than half of U.S. debt held by rival nations such as China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

From blessings to curses

The United States is under a curse—as warned of centuries ago in the pages of your Bible. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 record the blessings God promised would come when a nation honored and obeyed Him—and the curses that would come when it dishonors and disobeys Him, such as becoming a debtor nation, as quoted above.
For its first two centuries America enjoyed the abundant blessings foretold.
Yet God had warned: "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you" (Deuteronomy 28:15But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
See All...).
What curses did He foretell?
"Cursed shall you be in the city," He began (Deuteronomy 28:16Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
See All...). What is the state of America's cities? Many are impressive on the outside, but they are rotten at the core. Growing numbers are bankrupt. Many are ridden with crime. Poverty, corruption, failing schools and thousands of unassimilated immigrants eat away at their stability. Millions of people flee them—with many millions more wishing they could do the same.
"Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl," God continues (Deuteronomy 28:17Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
See All...). These represent our food sources. Study after study shows that many of our food sources aren't healthy or good for us. For many, our diet and lifestyle may in fact be dangerous to our health.
"Cursed shall be the fruit of your body" (Deuteronomy 28:18Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
See All...). Birthrates are declining. And with the legalization of abortion, we have viewed our own children as curses and slaughtered them by the millions.
For the American children who are born, one in six has some kind of developmental disability according to the CDC—and the number is growing.
Moreover, as noted above, millions of children are born into households where the mother or father or both are ill-equipped
to care for them financially, emotionally, mentally or spiritually.
"Cursed shall be . . . the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks" (Deuteronomy 28:18Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
See All...). Only a few years ago the United States was among the world's largest exporters of food—primarily wheat, corn and meat. Now that too is reversed, and America actually imports more food than it exports.
"The Lord will make the plague cling to you . . . [He] will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever . . . they shall pursue you until you perish" (Deuteronomy 28:21-22 [21] The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
[22] The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

See All...). In comparison to much of the world, Americans as a whole enjoy good health and long life. But that comes at an increasingly steep price. From 1980 to today, health care expenses have exploded more than tenfold.
Health care costs are currently about $2.8 trillion, amounting to 18 percent of the nation's GDP. Yet in spite of such enormous expenditures, Americans' life expectancy ranks only 42nd in the world, well behind most advanced nations.

Drought and defeat

"The sky over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land into powder, and only dust shall come down upon you from the sky until you are destroyed" (Deuteronomy 28:23-24 [23] And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
[24] The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

See All..., New Revised Standard Version).
Many Americans were rightfully worried about the widespread droughts and massive wildfires that plagued the country in 2012—as they did in several preceding years. With the nation having moved into winter, the situation remains serious. Lack of rainfall and snowfall has created the worst conditions for the winter wheat crop in almost 30 years.
Drought conditions have caused levels of two of the Great Lakes—Michigan and Huron—to fall to near-record lows, with the other three below historical averages. On the Mississippi River, water levels have dropped 15 to 20 feet below normal in some places, threatening to halt the barge traffic that carries millions of tons of crops and other goods through the American heartland.
"The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth," God continues (Deuteronomy 28:25The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
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At the end of World War II America emerged as a new world superpower. With the collapse of the Soviet Union several decades later, it stood as the world's lone superpower. Yet in spite of its might, in a struggle lasting eight years and costing more than 4,400 American lives and more than $1 trillion, the United States withdrew from Iraq, leaving behind a dangerous and unstable nation. A similar pattern was followed in Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are scheduled to be gone by the end of 2014.
Why is it that the most powerful military in the world was essentially fought to a draw by comparatively primitive forces—the enemies having no navy, air force or massive war machinery and fighting from caves and holes in the ground, armed with IEDs and AK-47s?
This makes no sense at all until we consider God's warning and curse for our sins: "The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies . . ."

Will we heed the warnings?

Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 also list other curses to fall on the nation that defies Him—many truly horrifying to contemplate. We don't have space to cover them all here, but you can and should read them. This is what lies ahead unless the nation changes its ways!
America likes to be viewed as a religious nation. But for many their religiosity is only skin deep. Most American households have not just one but several Bibles. The problem is that they don't read the Bible, much less do and live as it says.
If you don't believe these warnings from the Bible, consider these other warnings from two of the nation's greatest presidents:
Thomas Jefferson, to whom many wrongly attribute belief in complete separation of church and state, wrote: "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just [and] that his justice cannot sleep for ever . . ."
Abraham Lincoln, who saw the nation through a horrifying civil war, said: "At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? . . . I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher."
God's justice is indeed awakening from a long sleep. The warning signs are all around. Our destruction, as Lincoln warned, is coming from ourselves as a once-great nation increasingly rots from the core.
It may be too late to turn the nation around, but it's not too late for you. "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near," the Bible urges us. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7 [6] Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
[7] Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

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God's blessing, forgiveness and assurance of peace and safety await those who are willing to repent—who turn to seek Him with all of their heart.
Will you heed your Creator's plea?