ustxtxb_obs_2005_10_07_50_00011-00000_000.pdf

ALAN WARD Stephenville ill he people of the state of Texas are about to vote on gay marriage, and this amendment is a “get to”we are going to “get to” see where Texans stand on this issuewhere “we the people” stand. We pro-family Christians have been on the defen sive for a long time. Some have called us ultra-conservatives who only want to vote against issues, to vote issues downlike we were bigots, almostso now we want to vote for somethingfor the family. The sign on my church says “Baptist?’ but I am more Christian than Baptist. No man is perfect except for Jesus who died on the cross. He taught us to love people, so we love people, but, simply put, we do not tolerate or stand for the homosexual lifestyle. The Bible is what my wife and I choose to live by, and it’s one of the reasons that we are totally pro-family. We speak for the family because we ARE a family. There is a natural way that human beings are crafted to operate, and that is on a heterosexual basis. We had a homosexual in my family, a young man. During high school, he learned to be gay; he wasn’t before that. Was that different for my family? You bet it was, because we are a family of heterosexuals who really believe in being heterosexual. About two years ago, that young man learned not to be homosexual, and he has a girlfriend now. Right in the midst of all this social controversy, he learned to be gay, and then he learned not to be. I’ve seen him changed, and I’ve seen two or three or four changed. Logically, [policing sexual behavior] is out of the reach of the government, but I’m not saying that I believe it should be. There is not enough manpowernot enough people working for the governmentto go into every home of every professing homosexual to put eyes on them and watch to see that they do not commit homosexual acts. That’s not possible. There is not enough manpower. Sarah and I can both say with a clear conscience, “We do not hate the [gay] person:’ We are against the lifestyle, not the person. In our years of running this college ministry, we have ministered to, talked to, and befriended gay people. Do we condone the lifestyle? No, we don’t. It wouldn’t be right to do so. You wouldn’t watch your child doing something you strongly disagree with and say, “It’s okay. Continue?’ But you don’t “not love” your child, although some Christians may mess up. Even if your mother was a racist, you can condemn her actions and behavior, but you will also defend her until the day she dies. Nobody is going to lay a hand on your mother because you love her. If your mother is a racist, she was taught to be a racist, and being taught to be a racist does not make it right. Homosexuals were also taught homosexual behaviors, but that doesn’t make those behaviors right either. Let me ask you this: Who is the state? Who is the church? It’s the people, the same people who make up the government, and it’s impossible to separate a person from himself, correct? TO: Then do you believe in the separation of church and state? AW: I do not want to go there. I do not want to answer that question because it’s too controversial, and my answer can be taken in too many different ways. I am not going to answer that question. OCTOBER 7, 2005 THE TEXAS OBSERVER 11