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Pivot of Civilization or Rivet of Life? Conflicting Worldviews and Same-Sex Marriage

by Carman Bradley

587 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-2278; ISBN 1-4120-1900-1; US$41.50, C$47.33, EUR34.00, £24.00

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This book asks "What 'God' recognizes same-sex marriage?" The study elevates the debate from superficial rights-based analysis, reveals a clash of atheistic and theistic paradigms, and equips you to choose between these competing worldviews.

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About the Book Proponents of same-sex marriage contend that the inclusion of homosexuals in the definition will have little negative impact upon the heterosexual conventions of marriage and family. Some say the impact will be liberating. Others believe the consequential erosion of theistic values in the affairs of state will only make society better. This book argues that these conjectures are misleading and will in the end be proven false and damaging, should same-sex marriage be adopted. In reality, both personal and national level decisions on same-sex marriage are a test of belief and conviction. This book takes the issue of homosexuality out of its "rights-based" context and looks at same-sex relations from a broader perspective- within the philosophical framework of what feminist Diana Alstad calls the "planetary battle" or the "morality wars" over "who has the right to decide what's right?" The thesis of this book is that acceptance of same-sex marriage will symbolize state preference for the beliefs of secularism, humanism, and free sex ethos, over traditional theistic-based, Judeo-Christian values. Worse, the legislated merger of same-sex and opposite sex societal spaces under one definition of marriage will signify that the homosexual lifestyle is the same culturally, morally, and ecologically as the heterosexual way of life. In fact they are an anathema to each other. This book equips and leads the reader to face his or her philosophy of life, before deciding on issues like same-sex marriage. The reader discovering a very complex, multi-faceted, and interlocking set of issues will face the question, "From where do we draw our moral wisdom?" Secularist (Pivot of Civilization) and Christian (Rivet of Life) worldviews are developed and their relative merits in facing key issues of the day are studied. The institutions of marriage and family will be cast in far-reaching perspective. The book will detail the potentially harmful ramifications of such a huge move away from theism and also show the societal benefits of an exclusive and distinctive definition of same-sex union, in keeping with recognition of a separate and unique homosexual minority lifestyle. About the Author Carman Bradley gave his will to Jesus Christ during in an evening windstorm at Kuwait City, 7 March 1997, bringing to an end a major calamity in his life. Two years later, he founded an intercessory prayer ministry based in Calgary (www.intercessorsanonymous.org). The authorship of this book is motivated by his passion to defend the Gospel- the Good News. In Kuwait, he worked as Chief Engineer for the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission. His education includes Civil Engineering and Masters of War Studies degrees from Royal Military College, and a MBA from Queen's University, Kingston. He is presently teaching college-level business courses in Calgary. He is married with three teenage daughters.

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION - Why This Book? Why Now?

PART 1- ELEMENTS OF FREE WILL

1 CHOICE, BOUNDARIES AND CONSEQUENCES
Choice and Ecology · Natural Boundaries · Free Sex? · Wellness
Doctrine for Promiscuity · Magic Bullet-Codependency on Technology ·
Ecological Consequences of Gay Lifestyle · Boundaries of Silence ·
Lessons of AIDS and Anal Sex

2 POLITICS, ALLIANCES AND COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
Manifestations of Cognitive Dissonance · Lesbianization of a Women's
Movement ·Infinite Orgasm · REAL Women and Feminists for
Life · Politics of Oppression and Patriarchy · Lesbian and Gay
Bigotry · Third Wave Feminists

PART 2- TWO MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE PARADIGMS

3 PIVOT OF CIVILIZATION
Mary Wollstonecraft 1759-1797 ·
Charlotte Perkins Gilman 1860-1935 ·
Emma Goldman 1869-1940 · Margaret Sanger 1879-1966 ·
Alfred Kinsey 1894-1956 · Henry Morgentaler 1923-Present ·
Humanistic (Modern Gnostic) Civilization

4 RIVET OF LIFE
Two Sides in a Binary Decision · Creation of the Universe ·
Creation of Life · Creation of Humankind · Christianity 101 ·
Pagan Slander · Gnostic Cancer · Greek and Roman Sexism ·
Christian Patriarchy · Christian Hypocrisy: A Self-made Cancer

PART 3- UNORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY: THE "COMPROMISE" PARADIGM

5 DEBUNKING GAY AND PRO-GAY CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY
God's Truth · Bailey's Pervert-The False Homosexual · Queer
Christianity · Born Again Bisexual · Consequences of Sexual
Experimentation · A Scriptural Boundary for Man-Boy Sex? ·
The Rev. Dr. John Spong · Replacing Leviticus Code with the Condom Code

6 THE PARADOX OF HOMOSEXUAL REORIENTATION
The Divided Kingdom · Is Conversion Therapy Ethical? ·
Fight Over Reorientation · Scientific Facts on Conversion Success ·
The Right to Choose · Reasons GBLTQ Want to Change ·
There is No Gay Gene · Psychology of Homosexuality · Barriers
to Change · Reorientation Process · Role of the Church

PART 4- THE PRACTICALITY OF COMPETING WORLDVIEWS

7 BABIES, CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS AND PARENTING
The Unorthodox Family · Symptoms of Crisis · Collateral Damage
From Divorce · Why Do You Work? · Anti-Parenting Culture ·
Family Risk Factors · Teen Sexual Liberation · Abstinence ·
Abortion

8 SINGLES, COUPLES, MARRIAGE AND ALTERNATIVE FAMILIES
Singles Life · Offensive Against Marriage · Cohabitation ·
Heterosexual Matrimony · Christian Marriage · Paradox of
GBLTQ Marriage · Alternative GBLTQ Union · Clones:
Alternative Family Planning

PART 5-PIVOT OF CIVILIZATION OR RIVET OF LIFE?

9 THEISTIC BOUNDARIES TO RIGHTS AND CHOICE
Is the God of the Charter Real? · Your Choice-Your Voice ·
Twenty-Four Questions of Philosophy and Belief · Pivot of
Civilization or Rivet of Life? · Respecting Each Other's Space-A
Last Hope Paradigm Shift · A Christian Closing Prayer

Appendix 1- Letter to High School

Endnotes

Excerpt

INTRODUCTION Why this Book? Why Now?

Two and a half years into my research and writing, after an infinite number of two finger key strokes and endnotes, I asked myself: Why this book? Why this time? It may seem an odd confession, but I started this project without any idea of where it would end, led by an earnest desire to study the subject matter. Foremost, this book details the secular, feminist, humanist, free love worldview, which I have called "Pivot of Civilization" and the orthodox Christian paradigm, labeled "Rivet of Life." With the recently heightened issue of same-sex marriage, I now see the research as timely and the book contents as a constructive contribution to the debate.

The inspirational spark for this effort came in the form of a guest speaker evaluation, which my oldest daughter literally tossed into my lap one evening in December 2000. Mary, then sixteen, had attended a guest speaker presentation on "sexual assault" at High School. When she was asked in the evaluation (opposite page) to "select one thing that struck you as most powerful and then to discuss how it affected you personally," Mary wrote:

The thing that struck me most 'powerfully' was that the speaker seemed to think that being gay was scientifically decided in your genes. I really disagree. It says in the Bible that being gay is a sin. So why would God allow people to be gay if he didn't make them that way?

The "gay gene" issue bothered me a lot. I felt that my daughter's and thus my family's "space" was willfully invaded. Like a previously dormant immune system, now alerted, I found I had become animated in a quest for answers and explanations. Here was a clash of life beliefs, which I felt had to be addressed. I wrote to the High School (Appendix 1) seeking clarification on school curriculum and policy. A passage, which describes the situation as I saw it reads:

Every voice in the debate speaks from some sort of value system. There can be no 'neutral' answers to most social issues. The problem is, while claiming only to discourage scapegoating, gay-affirming programs do much more. In reality, they promote a particular worldview; complete with truth claims those students are expected to adopt. These programs promote the value systems of a particular social group and denigrate the views of another, while at the same time, distorting science.

In the months following, I determined that the School did not hold the view that homosexuality was genetic. More important, according to the host teacher, "the guest speaker was only giving her personal beliefs." Equally as shocking, the School Board could not show me in the curriculum where any guidance was given for instruction on homosexuality; nor did they respond to questions 2-5 posed in my original letter (Appendix 1). The questions were as follows:

The 'homosexual orientation' or 'homosexual identity' does not itself cause medical problems; only typical homosexual behaviors can. What steps does XXXX School take to portray the health risks of a gay lifestyle?

During teaching on homosexuality, is any effort made to portray the heterosexual family unit as the optimum model for raising children?

Could you outline when formal teaching about homosexuality is given to students over their time with the Calgary Board of Education? What are the objectives of the education at each stage?

When teaching about homosexuality, is there any discussion on how this subject is viewed by Christians, Jews and students of other religions?

The School Board representative did say that a new curriculum was under development but she could not speculate on its guidance for teaching about homosexuality.

Since Mary's class was slated for a further presentation on the subject of homosexuality, I met with the next guest speaker to decide if Mary should attend. Julia (assumed name) was then a member on staff at the Calgary Birth Control Association (CBCA). Since 1996, CBCA has been providing comprehensive sexual education to high schools within the Public School System. Over 4300 students had already participated in CBCA's anti-homophobia education classes, designed to challenge stereotypes surrounding gay (G), lesbian (L), and bisexual (B) youth and to decrease factors leading to isolation of GLB youth. CBCA, a pro-choice agency, is also a "strong supporter of the feminist analysis of women's issues".

During our discussion at the abortion clinic, I showed Julia the guest speaker evaluation and asked what her position was on the "gay gene" theory. Her response remains indelibly etched in my memory. "Oh we would never say that. We don't discuss philosophy, just rights." Said with such conviction, this statement strengthened my resolve to do something, since all one hears about these days are "rights." Everyone wants constitutional (guaranteed) rights to do as they wish. Rights-based arguments are not just a problem for heterosexuals, but even homosexual and progay theorists complain about the strategy. Jeffery Weeks writes, "The inadequacy of rights-based arguments lies not in the claim to the right in itself, but in the absence of a wider social context in which the notion of rights becomes meaningful." Valerie Lehr also gives a sharp critique of "rights talk," suggesting "the extension of rights depoliticizes issues that need to be subject to public debate and discussion." She states that conceptualizing freedom in terms of rights "keeps us from asking what 'freedom' means" and prevents us from understanding the importance of our collective decision making and the societal consequences.

This idea of avoiding philosophy is fundamental to the misunderstanding and division between people. There can be no simple appeal to "rights" or isolated "facts," for these cannot be considered apart from a philosophy by which the "rights" or "facts" are interpreted. For example, High School students (or anyone for that matter) do not need more raw sexual "facts" without a context upon which to decide on their relevance.

..........

Books in general are informative, but very few become incitements to action. I have called this book "Pivot of Civilization or Rivet of Life?" with the intention of equipping and leading the reader to face his or her philosophy of life first before deciding on such issues as same-sex marriage. This book will open people's eyes to a very complex, multi-faceted, and threatening set of issues. I believe mankind is not intended to operate in a value vacuum or to navigate without a moral compass. An "adrift-lifestyle" is irresponsible. A society without moral boundaries is equally reckless. Thus secularist (Pivot of Civilization) and Christian (Rivet of Life) worldviews will be developed in this book and their relative merit, in facing key issues of the day, will be studied. The institutions of marriage and family will be cast in far reaching perspective.

The task ahead is partially one of understanding terminologies, unraveling rhetoric and exposing falsehood. I have researched well over a thousand sources in pursuit of the proverbial truth. Robert and Katherine Baird describe the challenge in Homosexuality: Debating the Issues:

When gays speak about themselves, they are speaking one language; when most straight people speak about gays, they are speaking another...There's only one way to get past the feeling of confusion: tireless, meticulous, dedication to study. You can't learn a foreign language over night, and you can't teach it by screaming it at people. You teach it word by word, until bit-by-bit they feel comfortable speaking it.

In Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality (1980), John Boswell studied the relationships of homosexual peoples to their societies from the beginning of the Christian era to the fourteenth century. In the book he argues two main points: the Christian Church has not always disapproved of homosexuality, and the Bible verses assumed to condemn homosexual sex do not refer to homosexuality at all. Of the New Testament, he wrote:

In general, only the most pressing moral questions are addressed by its authors. Details of life appear only to illustrate larger points. No effort is made to elaborate a comprehensive sexual ethic: Jesus and His followers simply respond to situations and questions requiring immediate attention.

Boswell's view makes the Bible look almost incidental-a good but incomplete book, inadequate to answer the questions of life. One must deduce that he views the Apostle Paul's comments to Timothy as falsehood or at best the musings of an unenlightened individual. Paul said:

All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Boswell wrote of homosexuality:

The belief that they [GBLTQ] constitute some sort of threat is still so widespread that an assumption to the contrary may appear partisan in some circles, and those who subscribe to the notion that gay people are in some way dangerous may argue that for this very reason they are not typical victims of intolerance.

Here Boswell goes on to explain his standard for "homophobia":

It should be noted that whether a group actually threatens society or not is not directly relevant to the issue of intolerance unless the hostility the group experiences can be shown to stem from a rational apprehension of that threat....The claims about the precise nature of the threat posed by gay people have varied extravagantly over time, sometimes contradicting each other directly and almost invariably entailing striking internal inconsistencies.

The year before Boswell's book came out, CBS did a documentary on the Buena Vista sex park in San Francisco, called Gay Power, Gay Politics. In the film CBS reporter-producer George Crile talked with gay activist Cleve Jones. "So, what's the message today?" Crile asked. "The message is 'Look out, here we come!'" answered Jones. One year later the first purple lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma (signaling AIDS) appeared on gay men in San Francisco and New York. In response to gay activism, Kristi Hamrick, Press Secretary for Family Research Council, makes an astute point:

This is why lines must be drawn, standards discussed, and battles fought. Because when people push the envelope of morality and get away with it, they don't sit back to enjoy the sensation. They reach further-touching the lives of the people around them-touching the lives of your children, and someday, mine.

..........

Regarding the question of the timing of this book, I believe three factors have come together. First, after some forty years of sexual liberation with its embodiment in Second Wave Feminism and the GBLTQ liberation movements, it is now possible to look back in hindsight and separate the truth from the rhetoric and ideological claims. Moreover, the science and psychology once employed to advance these movements now has much to say in contradiction to them. Second, the longstanding deliberate assault on the "heterosexual family"is now in its final phase. This text will reveal the amazing irony that after decades of viciously deriding and undermining the so-called "patriarchal institution of marriage,"all in the name of free sex and liberation from pervasive heterosexism, the GBLTQ community now asks for membership. Third, the advent of genetic engineering and human cloning has ushered humankind to the edge of a radically new future.

..........

A Christian Closing Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

We acknowledge your sovereignty (as God Almighty), in our lives, over our families, and over our Nation. We come before you alarmed for the future of our children and our Country. Anti-Christian activists call our concern misapprehended "homophobia." We strongly disagree. We see homosexual liberation as a direct attack upon the truth and force of Your Word, and the same-sex marriage challenge as an assault upon heterosexual marriage, the heterosexual family and Your supremacy in the Charter-related affairs of state.

We acknowledge how very far our society has drifted, willfully and in unpremeditated ways, from your wish. We are now victims of a secular form of constitutional idolatry, which places the inviolability of individual rights and freedoms ahead of Your Word and the collective welfare of society. Our judiciary has become prosecular and pro-pluralist. In their eyes Christianity fits into the general "pigeon hole"of religions, no different before the law than Gnosticism; and increasingly less relevant than humanism. We pray to You to open the eyes of our politicians and judiciary to the hypocrisy and travesty of claiming our Constitution and Charter before You, asking in our anthem that You "keep our land,"and then setting legislation against Your will and the collective wishes of virtually all theistic faiths. We wish that each elected member and judge might understand the full depth and breadth of the issues before him (or her). May they recognize and appreciate Your will and fear Your judgment.

We acknowledge that GBLTQ marriage and the advent of genetic engineering have created another crossroads of choice either toward or away from Your design. We pray for a separate definition of GBLTQ union and for protection from cloning. Furthermore, we see that the protective values and boundaries behind which Biblical (orthodox) families are to prosper have been weakened or destroyed, all but the last tenet of sanctified heterosexual marriage. We regret public policies that foster the early independence of our children from family values and religious beliefs. We regret policies and programs that suggest abortion is other than the willful killing of innocent babies. We regret the manifest adultery and fornication in our society. We regret the toxic effect of heterosexual unfaithfulness upon the institution of lifelong monogamous marriage. We confess the rampant breakdown of marriage, the ease of divorce, and our unholy response of repeated remarriage. We weep over the havoc perpetrated on children of divorce. We are drowning in our self-made sea of shameful pornography. We are functionally and morally confused in an era of radical feminism, gender "fluidity,"and sexual liberation. We regret that much of society and some professed Christian denominations have declared GBLTQ lifestyle blessed and homosexual ecology natural and healthy, in spite of disease, early deaths, and the contrary teaching of Holy Scripture. Open their eyes to see, we pray.

We lay this all at Your feet, including all the errors and deceptions that have contributed to this unholy crisis, starting with the notions that homosexuality is genetic and that life's true values are captured in the "Pivot of Civilization"as explained by Margaret Sanger. Open our eyes in all these areas to the truth. We ask in grace that You heal our Nation. We ask that this moral-ethical crossroads be turned to the good. May the state clarify its definition of "God."May clear boundaries be set to protect our families from anti-Christian influences and the harm of amoral scientific advances. Above all may Christians unify in spirit, purpose, hope and ACTION. Fill us to the brim with the Holy Spirit. Raise up millions of prayer warriors. Purify Your Church.

We pray for the conviction and either restoration or elimination of all churches guilty of conduct and principles similar to the compromised church of Laodicea. May we take strength and confidence in Your sovereign power and truth. May we hold firm to Your Word and bring light and love to the lost. Lest we not forget that the grace granted each of us is more than enough to redeem and sanctify anyone from the bondage of a bathhouse cubical. May more receive the grace granted us.

We denounce all forms of verbal and physical abuse, especially toward GBLTQ. Replace hate with humility and hypocrisy with righteousness. We ask for forgiveness when our response to the GBLTQ community has been other than a caring and steadfast witness for Jesus Christ. We pray for their mutual respect.

We lift up all ex-gay outreaches such as Exodus International. Thank You for these reborn ex-gay warriors. Bless and empower them to Your glory. We lift up God-fearing organizations like REAL Women, praying for their great anointing in this time of turmoil. May Christian women and men everywhere be called to defend Your Word and the Biblical family.

Finally, we pray that all would at least come to support the Rivet of Life worldview, if not commit themselves fully to Christ.

We ask this all in Jesus Christ's awesome name.

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Catalogue Information

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