Joseph's Coat Ministries
CNN Poll Majority: Gays' orientation can't change and my response
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CNN Poll Majority:
Gays' Orientation Can't Change  Since the ministry has received such publicity over the article in the Chattanooga
Times Free Press, and my radio interview with American Family Radio was aired, there has been such a vicious attack on
my character personally and my family, as well as attacks on my faith and what I believe in - the change process.
One of arguments that have come to my attention is a recent poll conducted by CNN. The focus of
the poll was on whether gays can change their orientation. Below is the article. I've inserted
my responses (in red) within the body of the CNN context.
 CNN
-- A majority of Americans believe that gays and lesbians could not change their sexual orientation even if they wanted to
according to results of a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday. It's the first time in a CNN poll when
the majority has held that belief regarding homosexuality. Fifty-six percent of about 515 poll respondents said they do not
believe sexual orientation can be changed. (Is this a surprise considering the culture we currently
live in?) In 2001, 45 percent of those responding to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll held that belief. In 1998,
according to a CNN/Time poll, the number was 36 percent. In addition, 42 percent of respondents to the current poll
said they believe homosexuality results from upbringing and environment, (Agree)
while 39 percent said they believe it is something a person is born with (For the sake of argument,
suppose it could be proven that homosexuality, as a condition - born that way, is unchangeable, that no amount of prayer,
counseling, or efforts of any sort could make a homosexual become attracted to the opposite sex. What then? Should that change
our view of homosexual behavior as being sinful? No. There's no contingency in any scriptural reference to any kind of sin,
in the Old or New Testament when it says: "Thou shalt not do thus and so.” For example, it is never written: “Unless,
of course, you tried hard to change, went for prayer and counseling, and found you just could not stop wanting to do thus
and so, in that case, then thus and so is no longer a sin. It's an inborn, immutable gift and you can indulge it.")
A close division that reflects the national debate over the issue. However, those numbers are greatly changed from the 1970s
and '80s, in which fewer than 20 percent of Americans said a person is born homosexual (This
is not surprising. There has been such a moral decay of our society, that anything goes, and when this happens, judgment from
God is not far behind. This is when the breakdown of the family takes place. Civilization as we know it is destroyed.
Read your history. Every civilization where homosexuality became the norm saw that its downfall was not far behind.)
In a 1977 poll, the number was 13 percent. Ten percent in the
latest poll said they believe both factors play a role in someone's homosexuality. Three percent said neither, and 6 percent
had no opinion. The sampling error for the results released Wednesday,
in which the question was asked of a half-sample of 1,029 telephone poll respondents, is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
The poll was conducted Friday through Sunday. In a poll conducted May 4-6
that dealt with other issues regarding homosexuality, participants were asked whether openly gay people should be allowed
to serve in the U.S. military, which currently has a "don't ask-don't tell" policy on homosexuality. Seventy-nine
percent of poll respondents said openly gay people should be allowed to serve in the military. (Agree)
Eighteen percent said they should not. On the question of gay marriage, 43 percent of respondents in
May said they would not support same-sex marriage or civil unions, which provide many, if not most, of the same legal protections
as marriage. (Agree) Twenty-four percent said they supported same-sex marriage,
while 27 percent opted for civil unions. (Gay people in a long term committed
relationship with a proven record of success should have legal protection to property rights as well as visitation rights
to a sick partner. They should have the legal authority to act on the behalf of their partner in the case that their partner
is incapacitated. I believe that a committed gay couple should have the above rights. I don't believe homosexual couples
should have the right to be married. I believe homosexual behavior is sinful and is conflicting with the teachings of the
Bible. Therefore, homosexual couples do not fit the criteria of a "marriage." I do support civil unions.
By receiving civil unions (which are a legal act) this guarantees that the homosexual couple is guaranteed most of the rights
as a heterosexual couple). But a majority of poll respondents -- 57 percent -- said gay and lesbian couples should have the legal right to adopt
children. (Homosexual couple should not have the right
to adopt! Homosexual homes are not the best environment for a child. Before you judge me, hear me out! I'm confident
that homosexuals can be nurturers. However, I feel strongly that by placing a child in a home with a homosexual couple
is not placing the interest of the child first. In order to give a child the very best "head start" possible,
a child should be placed in a loving, affirming, safe and secure home, with both a father and mother. A child needs
both role models in order to be affirmed in the development of his/her budding sexuality. Both sexes complement
the child's growth and sexuality. I am fully aware that there are heterosexual homes that do not live up to the
standards of good behavior and right living. There are studies that are indicating little difference between a child
being raised in a homosexual home vs. a heterosexual home as long as there's love and affirmation. This research is relatively
new, and more studies are needed. Nothing has been proven conclusively. I will share additional information on
this topic in the near future. Regardless of their findings, I return to the Word of God! God created male and female.
This is the model for a relationship, and this is the type of relationship that works. As well as not supporting homosexuals'
having rights to adopts children, I don't support single men or women adopting children--whether they are homosexual or heterosexual.
Children need both a father and mother who are devoted to one another in marriage. Some say, "Well, what if the child
has a positive same-sex role model in his/her life that is outside of the child's home?" This is well and
good, but it is not enough. Having both a dad and mom in the home is the model all should strive to attain. I understand that
life is not perfect, and we all experience ebbs and flows in life. Let me give you another example: There may be
a family in which a spouse dies; does this mean the surviving parent should not continue to raise their child?
Of course not! There is grace given from the Lord Jesus Christ in a case such as this. The thing that should
take place is that the Body of Christ should surround the grieving family and offer them love and care until the healing
process is bearable. God already knows that the child is in need of an opposite sex role model, and He will provide
that role model in His timing. However, He will provide temporary support through church members, family, and friends.
If a spouse has lost his/her partner through death, he/she is typically open to eventually remarrying. In this case,
the surviving spouse will have to trust God to bring the right spouse into his/her life. There has been a great failure
in federally-funded (not surprising!) Department of Children's Services, adoption
centers, as well as foster care systems. These institutions have not always put the children first. Due to these failures,
children have suffered the most. Christians have a role to fulfill in saving the lives of the children. Matthew 18:5-6
says: "Whoever receives a little child like this in My name receives Me. But whoever causes one of these
little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned
in the depth of the sea...” Christians should be stepping up to the plate to fulfill Christ's commandment by taking
in those who are in need of a safe, secure home. I'm speaking from experience. I grew up in a home of great insecurity.
Nothing was ever the same day to day. I used to pray that my mom would put me up for adoption. I too grew up without
a daddy. Growing up without my father became a very deep wound for me; even though I had a myriad of step-fathers, it
just wasn't enough. You may ask "why wasn't it enough?" It wasn't enough because I did not grow up in
a Christian home where the Word of God was our foundation. Instead, I grew up in a home where the primary influence
was chaos and confusion. Imagine if every Christian home would adopt one child. We could totally eradicate the need for
adoption in this country. Forty percent said they should not. The sampling error for those questions
was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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