They will not go away

The outrage of the gay community over Obama’s choice of Rick Warren to pray at the inauguration illustrates that this issue of same-sex marriage is not going away. Apparently the radical gays hate conservative Christians like Rick Warren almost as much as they hate the Mormons who helped pass Proposition 8 in California last month.

The advocates of the GLBT lifestyle are becoming more vocal and the media has embraced their cause wholeheartedly. Their demands for full acceptance in our society grow more strident each day. Traditional Christian values of morality and marriage have become the current battleground in the fight between good and evil.

Many of those pushing the gay agenda have said that all they have to do is wait until those of my generation die out. They have made it clear in their online communications that they hate us because we are the only ones who stand in the way of letting them reach their goal. They want their sin declared acceptable.

Using the web to communicate

I find it very interesting that the gay community, which, according to the Family Research Institute is less than three percent of the population, is so angry with the Mormons, another group of individuals who are also less than three percent of the population of the U.S. Who will exert the greater influence in this ongoing battle?

It doesn’t take much digging to find those who support and encourage the efforts of the gays to achieve full recognition and acceptance. One of the most visible is Pam’s house blend. On there, you can find the writings of Chino Blanco, a former Mormon who has done an amazing job of documenting the recent Prop 8 battle.

I confess that I learned more about what was going on in the trenches of the campaign by reading Chino’s regular postings than I did from the official Prop 8 sources. It may not be a fair comparison, but I’ve got to give the man credit. He’s a diligent researcher and I wonder how he finds the time to write all that he does.

The Digital Network Army

But I’ll bet you don’t know much about those quietly working to sway public opinion in opposition to people like Chino Blanco. We are the Digital Network Army, a group of bloggers and others who actively write and comment in various online forums where we hope to clearly communicate our views to the public.

We met online last night at Rad Dad’s blog. I was amazed at the number of bloggers who showed up to say hello and discuss some of the difficulties of our online efforts to provide a clear voice in support of traditional marriage and family. We are also united in that most of us are recipients of comments from Chino Blanco.

Not all members of the DNA are Mormons. That’s a great thing. We are so pleased to work together with those who believe as we do that the traditional family is in need of our united efforts to uphold. This is an especially difficult task here in California where all three branches of the government are against us.

The word of living prophets

One of the arguments used by those who are in favor of homosexuality and gay marriage is that the Bible forbids a lot of things that we do not follow today. The great advantage that we have as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the word of modern prophets and apostles in addition to the Bible.

When the First Presidency sent the letter to all the bishops to be read in California congregations on June 29th, they did not have to explain why joining the campaign to pass proposition 8 was important and necessary. We have been taught clearly over the years that marriage was ordained of God to be between man and woman.

We have also been clearly taught that same-sex attraction is a temptation while homosexual behavior is a sin. That’s why one can be gay and be an active and faithful member of the LDS Church. For example, read the blog of Samantha, who blogs about her same sex attraction or that of Clint Martin, a gay Mormon blogger.

Making a choice

Just like in the world you will find all kinds of attitudes towards gay people, you will find the same thing in the church. There are those who are intolerant and bigoted in the extreme. Yes, bigot is the right word. Then there are those who know that some struggle with this attraction and are compassionate towards them.

Finally, there are those who are either gay themselves or who have gay family members. For them, this issue has become explosive in the past six months. They have been forced to decide on which side they are on – that of the world or that of the church. What used to be gray has become black and white. That can be hard.

Because of the church’s stand on the issue, some have chosen to leave the church. We are saddened that they do not feel accepted and loved here, but we honor their choice. Seeing the attacks by the more radical elements of the gay community, some of us had become more determined to stand up for traditional marriage.

Meet the DNA

Although I already have a number of them on my blog roll, I have tried to compile a more complete list of all those who participated in our meeting last night. Many of them asked to have their blogs highlighted and added to lists of other members. I have included links to many of the DNA member blogs at the end of this essay.

However, I just have to mention a couple that have done an outstanding job and should be visited by all. First is the Kingfisher column. Even with less than a month of activity, the blog has become the definitive source for information about the defense of traditional marriage and family. I thoroughly recommend it.

Another very active DNA blog is the Beetle Blogger. I’ve written about her before. There are less than three months of archives, yet there is a world of helpful information there to educate those who are serious about this issue. Like me, she has received some serious opposition in the comments from avowed enemies.

Summary and conclusion

I know from experience that there is no way that I can write about this topic without offending someone. It has happened on every previous essay on the subject. In some cases, the dialog was helpful in bringing me to a better understanding of things. In other cases, the comments were meant to hurt.

The title of this piece is meant to refer to the radical element of the gay movement. They are not going to go away because they are fighting for something that they want – full recognition and acceptance of a lifestyle that we believe God has repeatedly condemned and forbidden. In like manner, we of the DNA are not going away.

While I hope that the ongoing dialog on this subject both on this blog and on the blogs of other members of the DNA will be civil, I do not hesitate to affirm that we will continue to proclaim the words of modern prophets in this matter. We will not and we cannot change. A living God has confirmed this to leaders of His church.

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A limited selection of the DNA bloggers:

01. Kingfisher column
02. Beetle Blogger
03. Latter-day Commentary
04. Rad Dad
05. Pomegranate Apple
06. Akina’s for Prop 8
07. California Crusader
08. Pearl Diver
09. Secular Heretic
10. Article VI blog
11. Journalista Chronicle
12. Preserving Marriage
13. A Guy for Marriage
14. Make My Vote Count
15. Stand for Marriage
16. Keyser Causes
17. Busy With Conviction
18. Thinking the Wright Way
19. Wendy’s weblog
20. Rickety
21. Left Coast Conservative
22. Joy’s blog
23. Good Sense Politics
24. Dead Seriously

16 thoughts on “They will not go away”

  1. thepomegranateapple

    thanks for the post. i love being a part of the DNA. it was really cool to meet other people yesterday.

  2. Hi Tim – Thanks for this very important post. Like you, I doubt that this will die down, for a variety of reasons.And thanks for highlighting some of the blogs in this article. I’ve come across a number of them previously, and have added them to my site.Would you do me a favor please? Can you send me an email at greg at believeallthings dot com? I’d like to chat off-line with you about this topic. Thanks – great post!

  3. Scott: I see you joined the DNA. I added you to the list. I love your blog. I’ve been there before but I’m going to be there more often in the future as I’ve added you to my blog roll and Google reader. Thanks for stopping by.Pomegranate Apple: I’ve been enjoying your blog for the past month or two. Thanks for the great essays. I especially appreciated the Gianna Gessen video. I had not seen that. It was incredibly touching and heartwarming to see and hear her amazing story.Greg: Thanks for the visit. I’ve been enjoying your essays over at Believe All Things. I especially appreciate your latest essay about the economic difficulties we are experiencing being forewarned. I’ll shoot you an email.

  4. Hi Tim -I don’t know if you seen the Prop 8 news from Yesterday -1) California Attorney Journal Jerry Brown has taken position strongly opposed to Prop 8.2) A Prop 8 Group has filed a lawsuit to nullify the 18,000 gay marriages created earlier this year.

  5. Tim, thanks for the personal compliments, but this has always been much bigger than you, me, or even Prop 8.I’m nobody, but Mike Connell was somebody, and now he’s dead at 45.Either you and your DNA crew find a way to get your heads around the reality that this struggle has always been about political power, or you’ll keep blindly serving Mammon.The choice is yours, but let’s be clear on how I view the situation: you’ve been had. The folks supplying your army with “Go Viral” emails could care less about your family, or mine. For them, it’s been a political operation from start to finish.The Gadiantons are inside the city walls and they are encouraging you to hate me for their own purposes.Enough already. We are parents. You and I are both fathers. What I believe is that we both want the best for our kids. I want them to be safe, and strong, and to grow up to bring the kind of righteousness to this world that my own Mormon parents brought: honesty, hard work, a commitment to education and a serious dedication to the task of transmitting values from one generation to the next. I refuse to believe that what you want for your kids is somehow substantially different from what I want for mine.

  6. Hi Chino,Thanks for visiting my blog. I concur that this issue is bigger than you, me or even Prop 8. I was sorry to read about the death of Mike Connell. I’m not sure what his life or death has to do with the issue at hand – the struggle of those who are seeking marriage equality. Conspiracy theorists are having a field day with his death, suggesting that Karl Rove was involved in it.I note with interest what you had to say about the Prop 8 battle being more about political power than about morality. That may very well be. I would be interested in what you have to share, if you are willing to share. However, for me, it was a moral battle, and I chose to be involved. I don’t mind being used. I did so willingly, because I agree with the basic principles at stake.Chino, I don’t hate you. I think we’ve had this discussion before, or else with others who have visited here arguing vehemently that just because I supported prop 8 that I hate all who oppose it. I have stated many times that my beliefs and my essays are motivated out of a desire to stand for traditional marriage and morality and out of a willingness to follow counsel from a prophet.I don’t care that the folks who supply the “Go Viral” emails don’t know me. That’s OK. I don’t know them either. I just happen to believe in what they are doing and appreciate the efforts they are making to raise my awareness of important happenings in this fight. I pick and choose which “Go Viral” emails I respond to. I’m looking for subjects that will further the work of the Lord.I like what you had to say about wanting the best for our families. I also appreciate that you honor your parents by embracing the values they also embraced: honesty, hard work, education, and transmitting values from one generation to the next. Like you, I want that, especially the last one. Ultimately, values are something that each generation must choose for themselves.I meant what I said about your work. I read your blog and am impressed with your abilities to dig out information on this fight that is both interesting and provocative. Thanks for sharing. I have learned a lot from you and pray the best for you and your family. As always, I appreciate your respectful dialog. You are a great communicator. Thanks for adding to my knowledge.

  7. Regarding Mike Connell, his firm (Connell Donatelli Inc.) got paid $200K to support the Yes on 8 campaign. The expense was entered as “website” by the ProtectMarriage.com folks, and that may or may not be where the funds got spent (sorry, but I think we’re both well aware that it’s a money grab where Evangelicals and these kinds of campaigns are concerned, and as long as they’re entrusted with keeping the books, I’m gonna remain skeptical).Anyway, it’s nearly the holidays, and whatever I may or may not have added to your knowledge, I hope this adds to your holiday cheer: Merry Christmas.

  8. Tim, Here’s a tip. If you want your blog essays to have credibility, don’t cite the junk science of Paul and Kirk Cameron.

  9. Hi Steven and Merry Christmas,I wondered if someone would mention that. I Googled “What percentage of the population is Gay?” and grabbed the top link, which happened to be the Family Research Institute. I take it that there is still some debate over the answer to that question – an accurate count of how many gays there are among us.I found Paul’s own self-promotion a little amusing. His website proclaims that he was nominated in 1985 by national gay magazine The Advocate as “the most dangerous man in America.” He also states that he is known as the man every homosexual “loves to hate,” and that it is not a self-appointed title. I believe him.A look at the Wikipedia article on Paul shows that there are many who do not agree with his work. The article dismisses him as being irrelevant. I think that is because he disagrees with others who have researched the subject. The criticism is bias and having an agenda to prove Kensey and others wrong. He is not the only researcher wanting to do this.Thanks for visiting my blog again and thanks for the tip, Steven. I would appreciate if you could let me know what a better source to answer the question would be.

  10. Tim – Although there are certainly biased studies about homosexuality, only one name is outright associated with discredited junk science on the subject. That would be Paul Cameron. Other studies should be judged by their own particular methodologies.I have always heard the general consensus that gay people comprise about 5% of the population, given the assumption of under-self reporting. And much has to do with how we define who is gay.Anyway, Wikipedia has what appears to be a neutral overview of demographic studies:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_sexual_orientation

  11. Ah, much better, especially since self-identification seems a more reliable method. 5% it is then and a good Wikipedia Link to back it up. I stand corrected, and gratefully so. Thanks for the follow up. I will dig more diligently into my sources next time before citing questionable research. Cheers!

  12. Speaking of available statistics, here is a link to a list of blogposts at The Opine Editorials on that very topic.Some include charts and tables as well as analysis and discussion.Regarding the various estimates of same-sex attracted people, the range is quite large considering the small share of the general population. So the potential for large margins of error is highly significant whenever this subset of the population is surveyed or studied.The pro-gay advocacy group, the Human Rights Commission, has used the 5% guesstimate in its analysis of the last Census.Crucial, of course, is how the subset is defined and the purposes of that definition.Openly gay (or GLB) would differ significantly from same-sex attracted or from experience with some degree of same-sex sexual behavior. Unfortunately, all sides of the marriage issue have misrepresented the available data and evidence.The pro-SSM (same-sex “marriage”) side has varied its estimate from 3% to 5% depending on the implications on the analysis of households, for example. Sometimes a lower share helps the SSM argument, at least rhetorically, and at other times it detracts; likewise with the higher estimates.I’ve seen this play out in public discussion of fostercare in Florida, for example. It also has appeared in court cases around the country. It makes me very sketpical of the recent HRC reports on more recent demographic data from the census bureau. In future blogposts at Opine I’ll provide my perspective on how these data shake-out and how they are being used — again rehtorically — by the pro-SSM side.The DNA is a fantastic idea and project. For the record, The Opine Editorials is a group blog and does not speak on behalf of any particular religious or political affiliation. Cheerio.– Chairm Ohn

  13. Paul Cameron? Do you realize he was ousted by the APA and has been officially denounced by every reputable professional organization for unprofessional behavior and what amounts to an anti-gay crusade masquerading as “research”? His Family Research Institute is on the SPLC’s list of official hate groups. He is a bigoted sham and quoting him makes your entire argument bunk . You might as well go to the KKK for “facts” about black people or the Neo-Nazis for “facts” about Jewish people. Not that I think for a moment accuracy and truth are part of your agenda.

  14. Buffy, please…Steven B and I already had this dialog in a previous comment. It was an innocent Google search for statistics that brought the Family Research Institute into the essay. We’ve already agreed on a different number of 5%. Don’t throw out the essay based on one small link. I haven’t quoted anything from Paul Cameron other than the number. So Buffy’s law doesn’t apply in this case.But I do appreciate you adding the links so I can continue my research on the subject and become more educated for future essays. And hey, my objective is accuracy and truth. I have no agenda other than to understand gay Mormons and how they feel about what they go through in our church these days. Thanks for visiting and please come back to comment on future essays. I value your input.

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