Focus on the Family Responds

So I finally got an email back from Focus on the Family on the 7th. It was long and kind of round-about. I'll try to sum it up as best I can.

They started off saying, "Permit us to respond in an equally straightforward fashion." Sounds good, right? The email is nowhere near straightforward.

The next paragraph starts off with them saying that they found my blog and read it and that I must have not read multiple articles on their website because I didn't mention all of them in my blog post. Really? That's kind of a cheap shot. Then they went on to say that if I had really read other articles, I would have seen that they examined a lot of different studies. (Remember, I wasn't concerned with the studies they were refuting, I was concerned that they didn't bring up studies to support their side.)

So then they talk about how in the 90s there was a big rush of scientists trying to find some answer as to where homosexuality comes from, pointing out that most of the studies were focusing on genetics and other ways it could be inborn. They did acknowledge that it's true nobody really knows that much about it.

But then they went on to tell me that none of that really matters because they look at it from a religious view.

We believe in the biblical doctrine of the fall of man, and we take the view that sexuality is just one of the areas of human life affected by the fall.  In one way or another, everybody struggles with sexuality and relationships.  Everybody needs God’s help to live according to His principles.  In other words, we see homosexual lust and homosexual behavior as manifestations of human sin.  And as in the case of every other sin, we believe that the only sure remedy is confession and repentance – turning back to God.

Then they gave me some recommendations for reading on the topic. "If you’d like to go deeper, we highly recommend  Dr. Jeffrey Satinover’s book, Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth.  This resource is available through the ministry of Focus on the Family and can by ordered from our Online Store." And then they go on to suggest some other writings about the possible origins of homosexuality. Namely, the links they provide are all on their side of the fence. Seriously, they gave me a link to NARTH (National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality).

Finally, they attached "part of a booklet on male homosexuality that’s in the process of being rewritten by Jeff Johnston, a member of [their] staff." Guess which part they attached? The part about gay marriage. Rather than sticking with their biblical views in this section, though, they pulled in ideas about marriage from anthropologists to legitimize their bigotry. In fact, they said that since most definitions of marriage brought forth by those promoting marriage equality are as simple as two people making a life-long commitment to each other based on love, you could argue that some people are married to their employees. Cheap shot, guys. Cheap shot.

Anyways, that ends my saga with Focus on the Family for now.