"Traditional and Christian" (?) Values
The June 23, 2002 edition of the "The Lexington Herald-Leader" devotes much of the front page to a story about two homosexuals who got a woman to be a surrogate so they could have a baby through invitro fertilization. This story tells much more about our society than it does about this specific story.It is so sad that such ungodly behavior takes place, but it is even sadder when such behavior is praised and "merits" front page status of a newspaper. It is also a sad commentary on the newspaper and its editors when such a story is given such praise and attention.The story states that "the surrogate mother was initially pregnant with quintuplets." The decision was made to abort (kill) one of the babies to help the chances of the other four's surviving. This killing is referred to by one of the men as a "reduction."The most disgusting aspect of the whole story is the affirmation of the men in saying "they can provide the babies with a loving home and with values they describe as traditional and Christian." One of the men said he "looked to God for guidance" and had asked, "Why can't people like us have children?" and now he is asking, "God, why did you pick us for these babies?" Such statements are nothing short of blasphemy.If the men were wanting guidance from God then why not go to God's word and follow His directions. We do read in the Bible of the "values" described in this article. Paul has much to say about such in the first chapter of his letter to the Romans. Paul described the conduct discussed in this article in Romans 1:26,27. He said, "For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due." Let's look at some of the terms Paul uses to describe such behavior and see how it compares to the glorified account given in the newspaper account. Paul calls such "ungodliness and unrighteousness" (v. 18), "uncleanness" (v. 24, "a lie" (v. 25), "vile passions" (v. 26), "against nature" (v. 26) and "things which are not fitting" (v. 28).Many other passages could be cited to show God's attitude toward such conduct. However, Satan continues to use the same methods he has used from the very beginning. When he was able to get Eve to look upon that which was condemned by God as something good and to be desired (see Gen. 3:6) she did eat. Today he is succeeding in getting men to look upon that which is an abomination to God (homosexuality and killing innocent babies) as just an "alternate lifestyle" or a "woman's choice" or, as stated in this article, a "reduction."What is the real cause of such conduct? Paul gives us the answer. He said, "they refused to have God in their knowledge" (Rom. 1:28). Since they refused to have God in their knowledge Paul says "God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness" (v. 24) and "God gave them up unto vile passions" (v. 26) and "God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting" (v. 28). This is just another way of saying that God allows them to suffer the consequences of their own decisions and actions.Another sad aspect to this story is that there are going to be four innocent babies who (if they live) will be brought up in an environment where they, too, will be taught that things which are an abomination unto God are to be accepted.It may be too late to change the thinking of many in our society but I plead with all who love and respect God and His word to speak out against such ungodliness and unrighteousness.