I pasted this directly off the White House website - [We] are wondering how the church should respond to a president that largely ignores the National Day of Prayer in May, while declaring LGBT pride month several weeks later.
Do we have a responsibility to inform the church body of these issues, as well as give leadership in how to confront the culture?
We are also greatly concerned about how these issues will affect the church and para-church organizations in the near future (ie. the Hate Crimes Bill, the Fairness Doctrine, etc.) if we choose to sit quietly by and do nothing.
Respectfully,
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 1, 2009
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.
LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country's response to the HIV pandemic.
Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration -- in both the White House and the Federal agencies -- openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.
The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect.
My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.
These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BARACK OBAMA
Dear President: We should laud the contributions of ALL Americans, not just those with abnormal sexual proclivities and diseases.
There is no good to come from such a declaration. They already are free to live in this unhealthy way; we ought not celebrate the lifestyle.
You think --as they want you to --that you are lauding THEM -that "gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender is what they ARE." When, in fact, it's what they DO. And what they DO has determined what they ARE.
How on earth does "bi-sexuality" qualify as commendable? the idea that a person has found they can be intimate with both sexes? Is this something for youth to explore? It is becoming so --a fad for the teen girls to kiss on the lips --for the observation of the boys they REALLY want to attract.
The diseases of promiscuity are not less of a risk by declaring a month celebrating abnormal sexual appetites.
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
9 comments:
PS on my post: The church has been persuaded to be confused about their role in decrying sin in the culture --they don't want to be called "single issue" voters. They have been persuaded to ignore abortion and homosexuality more -- in order to just be positive, doing the good works of Christianity. Some have even been persuaded to think that socialistic, leftist approaches to the needy and healthcare are more compassionate approaches.
Yet, Jesus's first message was "Repent!" And the prophets of the Old Testament and St. Paul in the new, tell us clearly that GOD wants righteousness --holiness --goodness over evil. They decried the evils of their day and they are the same as today! Repentance is as much needed today as then. And that means somebody delivers that message!
This is a good thing Barb. The depravity that is rotting in the heart of America is being exposed. The more depraved the culture is the more the individuals within it will realize their need for a savior. Let us let our lights shine into the darkness as a beacon to those poor souls out there, adrift in the sea of despair. Our God is infinitely greater than Obama and while Obama's proclamations will be forgotten and fade, as a mist evaporates in the heat of the day. The proclomations of God are eternal and will never fail.
The harvest is ripening. Let us pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into the harvest.
To quote the truly fantastic movie, "Across the Universe," which I highly doubt you can find it in you to respect:
"Who you are defines what you do."
What you do does not define who you are. I will leave you with that.
I thought about that when I wrote it --that who you are defines what you do in some ways.
E.G. Because we are sinners, we sin. Of course, if we did NOT sin, we would not be sinners --but in fact we all ARE, and we all DO.
But we are not homosexuals until we go there in thought, wallowing therein, and then proceed to "sexual exploration" with people of the same sex as oneself --concluding we prefer the unnatural.
Think of something that you consider "taboo." Incest, e.g. Pedophilia. Rape. Maybe adultery. If the thought occurs, I'll bet even YOU, Anonymous, will shut the door to such a thought as "repugnant," something to avoid at all costs. And you guard your mind/your heart --against impure thinking of this nature.
Most of us do that with homosexual ideation--slam the door of the mind down against it and view it as repugnant, unthinkable, disgusting --taboo! And we are not tempted. We refuse the devil his foothold in our sexual perspectives.
Porn is another really bad temptation --and one that is less taboo for people because it is more common -- and perceived as more 'normal' for men especially --but nonetheless a terribly addictive substance, and potentially destructive to marriage and family. Studies have been done which verify its harm and its addictive quality.
Homosexuality is the same in its harm and addictive aspect, though historically, traditionally more taboo and more weird than hetero porn and it is definitely very unhealthy --harmful and addictive--like porn.
We don't celebrate other perversions and encourage pride where we should instead be ashamed; why this one??
I do see homosexuals and those with gender identity disorder as pitiable --but we should be helping them by finding prevention and remedy --not by selling abnormal sexual fixations to more kids with our pro-gay parades and propaganda.
By the way, Anonymous, are you a thief --if you don't steal? a murderer if you don't hate and murder? A pedophile if you don't do kids? Are you a homosexual if you don't think and act lustfully with your own sex? I think not.
There are ways in which we are what we do --and ways in which we do what we are.
But with homosexuals, they are not intrinsically, inevitably gay from infancy up. They are "made," not born. And thus we can probably prevent this condition and there are many who claim to have successfully become heterosexual after being gay. And I believe them.
What about in the future when humanity is a machine race and people can have interchangeable "parts" You can change them out like leggos?
In your dreams, Steve.
I like how you quote the Bible at the bottom, and then you attribute the quote to "the Bible." Seems redundant? Just sayin.
It's not redundant to cite a source once. Not all would know the quotation was from the Bible if I didn't source it, would they?
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