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Danville Enlightener VOL. VIII, No. 11
A Homosexual Porn StarHave you heard of Marine Cpl Matt Sanchez? Chances are you do not recognize the name and would not know him if you were to see him interviewed on TV. Cpl Sanchez is someone that is hated by the homosexual community. Furthermore, he would be someone who would cause problems among some of my brethren who contend that homosexual orientation is not a choice but genetically hardwired into the brain. Matt Sanchez is a former homosexual porn star. He appeared in pornographic videos participating in homosexual acts with other men. But Sanchez had enough and he stopped. He did not have a religious experience; he just got disgusted with the whole of homosexuality, especially homosexual porn. Writing for Salon.com recently Sanchez spoke about his past and what being employed in the homosexual porn business did to his heart, mind, and life. “Porn reduces the mind and flattens the soul. I don’t like it. That’s not hypocrisy talking; that’s just experience. I sometimes think of myself, ironically, as a progressive: I started off as a liberal but I progressed to conservatism. Part of that transformation is due to my time in the industry. How does a conservative trace his roots to such distasteful beginnings? I didn’t like porn’s liberalism. In porn, everything taboo is trivialized and everything trivial is magnified. Being in the adult entertainment industry was sort of like being in a cult, and like all followers of a cult, I have a difficult time figuring out when I stopped believing in the party line. I can tell you, though, that by the time I finished my brief tour of the major studios, I was pretty disgusted with myself. It was an emotional low, and the people who surrounded me were like drug dealers interested only in being with the anesthetized in order not to shake off the stupor of being high.” Wait a minute! Did you note what Sanchez said? He said he became disgusted with himself. As a result he stopped. He was not behaving in ways beyond his control; he chose to engage in homosexual sex and he chose to become part of the porn industry. Also, he chose to STOP. This whole idea that sexual orientation is genetically coded is utterly destroyed by those like Sanchez who become disgusted and stops. Supposedly, one’s sexual orientation is unchangeable and as such one’s propensity to engage in homosexuality is normal. But, the whole “God made me that way” argument evaporates when someone like Sanchez simply decides that it is an empty, sad, and destructive life that brings him no joy. Consider carefully what the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write in 1 Cor 6:9-11. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 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.” Repentance is not merely saying one is sorry. It is a more all encompassing idea of turning away from that which you are sorry for - and going steadfastly in the other direction. I know of faithful brethren who are living models for what Paul writes. They have been homosexuals but they repented and stopped. They were able to stop because they came to understand that the act as well as the lust leading to the behavior was sinful. Like Marine Cpl Matt Sanchez they became disgusted with the rotten lifestyle and they stopped; they repented.
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jrb
Bizarre Beliefs Former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney is seeking to become President. Romney is a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His religion is raising questions, for example a USA Today cover story asked: “Will Mormon faith hurt bid for White House?” Last December, Time magazine wondered: “Can a Mormon be President?” Electing a Mormon to public office is not new. Presently at least two members of the United States Senate are Mormons, Harry Reid (D-NV) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT). John F. Kennedy was viewed with the same amount of skepticism because of his Catholicism. Also, some feared James A. Garfield, once a gospel preacher, because of his religion. While I cannot know what Romney believes, I can know what is accepted as doctrine by his denomination. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has four standard works they consider authoritative: The Bible (in so far as it is translated correctly), the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. The LDS Church also accepts speeches and writings of their current president, considered as a living prophet like Moses, as authoritative. The LDS Church contends that the Bible is full of errors wherever it disagrees with Mormon doctrine. While most people believe Mormons accept only one God, they do not. According to the writing of Brigham Young, “Journal of Discourses 7:333” he said there are many gods. Read his quotation: “How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods.” Once you become familiar with Mormon doctrine you realize they believe that God the Father is an exalted man; a man who has progressed to godhood with a body of flesh and bones. In the “Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” (1973 ed., p. 346) we find this amazing declaration: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man . . . I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in a form-like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man.” Also in Doctrine & Covenants (30:22) we read: “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also.” These are but three of Mormonism’s bizarre beliefs. All are at odds with the Bible. Mormonism is an unchristian cult. So, whenever you hear about the religion of Romney, remember you are not hearing about someone who happens to share some of your beliefs. The doctrines of Mormonism contradict the Bible, which then contradicts the faith of each and every Christian. -- jrb "As I See It" Andrew Riley is a 13-year-old seventh-grader who was held last Thursday on 128 felony counts in connection with a crime spree that targeted homes, businesses and vehicles; it all happened in Nelsonville, Ohio. Riley was in juvenile detention and facing delinquency counts of burglary, theft, vandalism and witness intimidation. Thirteen years-old and charged with 128 felony counts, as if this wasn’t enough I listened to his mother who said that her son was not a bad boy. I wonder how many more felonies he would have to be charged with before she finally realized what a hooligan she turned loose upon society. According to his stepfather, Riley had a difficult childhood. “He’s our first born and he’s been through a lot.” Spare me! I am sure all the apologists for childhood rebellion are lining up to attack the usual suspects. Maybe he was bullied and he just snapped. Perhaps the schools and their guidance counselors failed poor Andy. For sure there was not enough after-school activities for this youngster; if there had been he would not have turned to a life of crime. If he was failed by anyone, I’ll tell you who failed this boy – his parents. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it,” (Prov 22:6). Parents are responsible for the raising and nurturing of their children. There is a specific way a child should go and it is the responsibility of parents to see that a child is trained to go that way. Timothy’s mother lived her faith and instilled similar faith in the heart of her son (2 Tim 1:5). She taught him the Scriptures enabling him to know the Lord (2 Tim 3:15). She did not dispense that responsibility to others. She saw her duty and she did it. Lois, Timothy’s mother, did not leave his spiritual training to the church, to Timothy’s Bible study teacher at Synagogue. She did not demand that “somebody do something so Timothy will serve the Lord.” She simply allowed her faith to guide her life and train her son. Several years ago I heard James Cope, then President of Florida College, tell parents of students attending FC that the college could not do for their children what parents had not done. If kids were sent to FC wild, rebellious and loving the world, it was unrealistic to think that FC could do in two semesters what parents had failed to do in eighteen years. AS I SEE IT, if I decide to bring a child into this world, the responsibility for training him to walk upon the pathway he should go belongs to me. Any help others offer will be appreciated and accepted, but the responsibility is grube alleine (mine alone). |