The following is an excerpt from STR Enhanced Solid Ground July 2012 by Greg Koukl.


“Jesus never condemned homosexuality.” 


Though this is only a single sentence, it’s actually a full argument in shorthand, streamlined for brevity. The conclusion didn’t need to be stated. I got the point. I was wrong for attacking homosexuality on moral grounds. Because Jesus never condemned homosexuality, it is therefore morally acceptable behavior.

“Are you saying that if Jesus doesn’t
specifically condemn something, then
He condones it?” 


Notice, though, that the conclusion is not the only thing taken for granted here. The minor premise is stated and the conclusion is assumed, but what of the major premise, our first step in the argument? The unspoken major premise—the invisible wall
holding up this argument—contained a serious flaw that went undetected.

We can determine if this is a problem by asking what kind of major premise is needed to make this argument work. The full argument would have to look something like this: “Whatever Jesus did not explicitly condemn is morally acceptable. Jesus never explicitly condemned homosexuality. Therefore, homosexuality is morally acceptable.”

The form of this argument is good; nothing amiss here. But look closer at the major premise. It seems this statement is clearly false. It’s not true that whatever Jesus didn’t directly condemn is morally acceptable. Jesus never explicitly condemned slavery, child abuse, wife-beating, or even gaybashing, for that matter, but this proves nothing about His moral opinion on those issues.

Many Christians are caught flat-footed here, sensing something is wrong, but not knowing what it is. Sometimes we have to look more closely to identify the unspoken premise before we can see the problem clearly. In this case, that can be done by making the invisible wall visible.

Page 6 of STR's July 2012 issue of Solid Ground - http://www.str.org/site/DocServer/Enhanced_Solid_Ground_July_2012.pdf?docID=6382&autologin=true 
 
by Matt Slick, CARM.org

· Agenda, the homosexuals want acceptability, recognition, and approval. 

A.    Homosexuals want others in society to think like them (and behave like them?).  They are working hard to change moral, social, and political opinion to be more in line with what they want.  They are not content to be what they want to be.  They want others to accept them.  They want others opinions to change and conform to their ideology and behavior.  What gives them the right to try and change society into what they want it to be?

·  Animal kingdom:  Homosexuality occurs in the animal world; therefore, it is natural

A.    Saying that homosexuality is natural because it occurs in the animal kingdom does not mean it is morally correct.  Animals also eat each other alive, devour offspring, etc.  Should we imitate those things as well because the animals do it?  Of course not.

B.    From an evolutionary perspective how does homosexuality further the development and distribution of the human species?  It cannot.  Homosexuality would obviously work for self extermination.  Therefore, how is it natural if what it leads to is self destruction?  It would seem that natural selection would have removed the "gene for homosexuality" since it would not lead to reproduction. It would seem then, that homosexuality is not natural but is a learned behavior.

·  Born as Homosexuals:  If homosexuals are born that way, it would be natural to them

A.    There is no proof that homosexuals are born that way.  Research is all over the place and no conclusive evidence has been shown that demonstrates they are born that way. 

B.    If a behavior is said to be natural to a person and this is why homosexuality should be accepted, is it not also natural that people lie and so they too should be accepted?  Children don't need to be taught how to lie; it appears to be natural to them.  Should we then say that because the behavior of lying is natural to people there should be special privileges for them, and accept their behavior in society because that's just the way they're born and that is their truth-orientation?

·  Freedom like anyone else

A.    They are already free to marry a person of the opposite sex, the same as anyone else.

B.    They can still get married and express love, own businesses, own property, have sexual relations, received an inheritance, etc.

C.    For homosexuals to advocate redefining marriage so it can include union between a man and man, and a woman and a woman, and to have it protected legally, is to want special rights for them due to their behavior.  If behaviors are granted legal protection, then what about the behaviors of pedophilia, jump roping, and scuba diving?  Should those behaviors also be given political protection?

D.   Yes, they are free to love, hate, work, eat, etc.  But they want marriage redefined to suit their behavior of same sex intercourse.

E.    Freedom requires responsibility.

i.        People are not free to rob banks, to murder, to steal, etc.

ii.        Simply saying they aren't free to marry who they want to isn't a good enough objection because...

a.    A person is not free to marry another person who is already married.

b.    A brother and sister are not free to marry each other.

c.    A pedophiliac and his younger "partner" are not free to marry each other, even if the younger person, say a 13 year old, wants to marry the older person.

d.    A person is not free to marry an animal.

e.    A person is not free to marry another person against that person's will.

f.     If freedom to marry whomever you want to is the litmus test for marriage, then marriage will become meaningless as people redefine it to include those already married, siblings, children, animals, etc., as long as "love" is the defining characteristic.

iii.        If we allow and promote homosexual marriage, then shouldn't we also allow and promote polygamy, polyandry, brothers and sisters getting married, pedophiliacs marrying children, and adults marrying animals?  If not, why not?

·  Love:

A.    Homosexuals say they should be able to marry who they love.  But why is this true?  What if a person wants to marry someone who is already married, or is a child?  Should that person be allowed to marry someone because it is an issue of love?  Of course not.  Love is not the measure of marriage validity.  There are other issues, so to say that homosexuals should be able to marry whoever they love is a misrepresentation of the issue.

·  Rights, Civil: 

A.    Civil Rights

i.        Homosexuals already have the same civil rights and restrictions as everyone else.  They are able to hold jobs, marry people of the opposite sex, use the same bathrooms as anyone else, vote, etc.  But, marriage is not a civil right.  It is a privilege the same as the behavior of driving a car is a privilege, not a right.

ii.        Homosexuals are using the civil rights movement to force their moral agenda on the rest of society...a moral agenda based on sexual behavior.

iii.        Unalienable rights are given by God, according to the Declaration of Independence in the U.S.A.

a.    "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

b.    These rights are irrespective of skin color, gender, age, etc.  They are not based on behavior.  If they were, then parachutists should get special rights, along with Jump Ropers, Race Car Drivers, and Skate Boarders because of their behaviors.

c.    What is to prevent pedophiliacs from wanting their sexual behavior protected by "civil rights" laws?  What about necrophiliacs, and those who practice bestiality?  They also are defined by their sexual behaviour.  Should they also be protected legally?  If not, why not?

·  Rights, special rights based on a behavior

A.    They have the same rights under the law as do all people in America.  The same laws apply to everyone equally.  Laws often have restrictions.  Behaviors are not civil rights.  Stretching every day is not a civil right, nor is going to the gym, walking, going to the bathroom, etc.  The sexual behavior of homosexuals is not a civil right.  It is a behavior and the homosexuals are hiding under "civil rights" in order to change the meaning of marriage and force society into accepting it as normal.

B.    To marry the same sex is to request special treatment by having special laws passed that socially and politically approve of a particular sexual behavior and redefine what marriage is.  This is, by definition, special rights.