Free Republic

Ron Belgau delivers lectures, publishes essays and letters and generally enters into very public debates supporting the Biblical injunction against homosexual acts. In fact, he studied ancient Greek for two years in college to better understand his faith but also so he could better understand a single Greek word, arsenokoitai.There are two lists in the New Testament that prohibit homosexual acts. 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy both provide a list of prohibited behaviors including what the original Greek calls arsenokoitai. Most Bible translations make it clear this refers to homosexual acts. Belgau points to his New Testament Greek lexicon:...

Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family … Because it fulfills yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life’s momentous acts of self-definition.” The words above come from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ­decision that made the state the first to authorize gay marriage. They are also part of a longer passage read last month at the Newport,...

Support for same-sex marriage has risen across the board in the last four years, new polling data shows, signalling a shift in the overall political and social views of Americans. The new data, released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, shows a higher percentage of Democrats, Republicans, whites, minorities and people of all generations support same-sex marriage legalization.... Among voting groups, there has been an increase in support for same-sex marriage even among Republicans. Since 2008, Democrats have jumped in support from 50 to 65 percent; Republicans from 19 to 24 percent; and Independents from 44...

Democrats are poised to add gay marriage to the party's platform for this year's election, and a new poll shows the timing may be perfect. Nearly two-thirds of Democrats -- 65% -- now support gay marriage, a 15% increase from this time in 2008, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center. The partisan divide on gay marriage is also increasing substantially. Though Republicans supporting same-sex marriage increased from 19% in 2008 to 24% in 2012, the gap between Dems and Republicans jumped from 23% in 2004 to 31% in 2008 and is now at 41% in this...

Consider this a warning: the theory I’m about to describe is likely to boil untold liters of blood and prompt mountains of angry fists to clench in revolt. It’s the best—the kindest—of you out there likely to get the most upset, too. I’d like to think of myself as being in that category, at least, and these are the types of visceral, illogical reactions I admittedly experienced in my initial reading of this theory. But that’s just the non-scientist in me flaring up, which, on occasion, it embarrassingly does. Otherwise, I must say upfront, the theory makes a considerable deal...

Chick-Fil-A came under criticism this month after a report by the organization Equality Matters revealed that the company donated around $2 million to antigay Christian organizations in 2010. “Guilty as charged,” the fast-food chain’s president Dan Cathy said over allegations that his company is antigay (“We are very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of the family unit.”). So. Here we are. Tumblr, listen up. We’re hoping to find a current or former employee of Chick-Fil-A who might want to spill the beans on life inside the alleged antigay company. If that’s you, or you know someone who might...

The southwest Minneapolis suburbs of Minnetonka and Eden Prairie bring to mind Garrison Keillor's tales from Lake Wobegon: They're lined with well-maintained homes and tree-lined roundabouts, and home to residents of largely German and Scandinavian ancestry. But the ladies of these towns have quietly begun a revolt -- one fought with rainbow flags and a Minnesota nice attitude. The women, mostly in their 40s and 50s, come from different political parties, religious views, and backgrounds, but they've united to fight what many of them call an embarrassment to Minnesota: a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage that will appear on...

One needn’t have had “gaydar” to know that Anderson Cooper was homosexual. That’s why the significance of the CNN anchor’s declaration yesterday – “I’m gay always have been, always will be” – is not that he made it, but that he felt so empowered to do so. In an email to Andrew Sullivan, a fellow homosexual who authors a blog for the Daily Beast, Cooper explained that he was reminded recently “that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible.” That’s...

Mary Cheney, the openly gay daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has married her long-time partner Heather Poe, The Daily Caller has learned. Cheney spokeswoman Kara Ahern confirmed to TheDC that the couple married Friday morning in Washington, D.C. In a statement provided to TheDC, both the former vice president and his wife, Lynne, said they are “delighted” the couple could have their “relationship recognized.” “Our daughter Mary and her long time partner, Heather Poe, were married today in Washington, DC,” the Cheneys said. Poe and Mary Cheney have two children: Cheney gave birth to a son in 2007,...

Homophobia is more pronounced in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex and who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires, a series of psychology studies demonstrates.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — A former Rutgers University student accused of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate's love life was convicted of all counts Friday in a case that exploded into the headlines when the victim of the snooping committed suicide by throwing himself off a bridge. ******************* More at the link: http://news.yahoo.com/former-rutgers-student-convicted-webcam-case-155436220.html

Birth Certificate to Say Baby Has 2 Moms Nov 15 4:50 PM US/Eastern By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press Writer MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. Two women will be listed as parents on the birth certificate of a baby born this week in New Jersey, one of the first implications of a state Supreme Court ruling that gives same-sex couples access to the same rights as married couples. The state and the women agreed in a closed family court proceeding Monday, the day before the child was born, that both women should be listed in light of the landmark high court ruling. A...