Is Economics(Love of Money) Fueling Gay Marriage?

Can you say dollar signs $$$!

I initially wrote this story with GCMWatch back in March 11, 2010, called "For the Love of Money and Same-Sex Marriage," currently the United States Supreme Court is hearing cases on the ban on Same-Sex Marriage in California along with the defense of marriage act(DOMA). If the ban on Gay Marriage(Prop. 8) be lifted so that Same-Sex Marriage would be legal in the state of California, and defense of marriage act is repealed then it is a possibility Same-Sex Marriage would become legalize in the entire United States. Is economics one the factors for the push to legalize Same-Sex Marriage? Let us examine this question.

Although the people of California voted yes on Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriages, the battle still rages on in the homosexual community to make it legal.  But the battle involves more than just gays and lesbians fighting for and gaining the right to marry both in California and elsewhere. Believe it or not, economics is now playing strong role in the same-sex marriage.  How, you ask?  Through the wedding industry!  If same-sex marriages were legalized everywhere the wedding industry would experience an economic increase through the onslaught of new homosexual clients.  Let me explain…

Forbes Magazine’s online article on June 16th, 2009, estimated that the financial impact gay weddings would have if legalized nationally, would add up to a whooping $9.5 billion if you added engagement rings, banquet halls, wedding dresses, and honeymoons. This would most definitely have a financial impact in our country.  But is it really worth the cost of selling our morality for the almighty dollar?

In the June 15th, 2008 online article, “California Boosted by Gay Marriage Bonanza,” the University of California at Los Angeles did a study stating that the same-sex marriage industry would create 2,100 new jobs.  In addition, the spending of same-sex residences would boost the economy by $683.6 million dollars.  Analysts also feel that California would have a monopoly on the same-sex marriage industry and would cause a boom in tourism business.

When gay activists believed that Proposition 8 would be defeated cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Palm Springs were ready to market themselves as gay-friendly wedding destinations.  Jack Kyser, the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, said that same-sex marriages would lift local tourist sectors as fears of recession gripped the tourist industry.

First Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through many sorrows.” Many lobbyist and politicians are influenced by money these homosexual groups pump into their pockets.  In return these wayward politicians come up with gay-friendly laws and get bills passed through the state and federal governments. It’s all about the Benjamin’s!  The love of money has made these judges, lobbyist, politicians; businesses sell out their morals to the “dolla’ dolla’” bill. The fact is this: behind the wicked collaboration of homosexuals, attorneys, lobbyist, judges, and politicians there is the love of the money same-sex marriages can introduce into the national economy.

Today, Hollywood does an excellent job promoting homosexual lifestyle through movies and television. Let’s remember that Sodom and Gomorrah were prosperous cities in their time.  But despite their prosperity, God still judged them for their unrighteousness.  In the days of the Prophet Jeremiah, Judah was prosperous nation but backslidden from God.  Jeremiah tried to tell the nation to repent and return back to God. However his words fell on deaf ears.  Judah trusted more in their riches and they were eventually judged and taken into Babylonian captivity. 

Updated Estimated Projected  Economic Numbers 2013 for Same-Sex Marriage

In New York City, it has been reported that the city has obtained $259 million boost from Same-Sex Marriage weddings since it was legalized last year (source)

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With state of Washington it reported that Same-Sex Marriage will boost the economy of Washington by $88 million in the next three years(source).

The state of Maryland since legalizing Same-Sex Marriage is looking at an estimated $62.6 millions boosted by homosexuals couples spending money on weddings(source).

In a new economic study of the state of Hawaii, they found that if same-marriage was legalized in the state it boost the economy between $46 million to $258 million between 2014-2016, because of increase of same-sex couples visiting the island to marry, wedding ceremonies, and by out of state same-sex couples coming to Hawaii to honeymoon/tourism (source).

The Image of Jealousy(Sexual Sin is Idolatry)

Multiple Breast Goddess Idol

In today's times, the Church really needs to examine what may provoke G-d to jealousy. Exodus 20:5 says, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them, for I am a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third, and fourth generation of them that hate me." Looking at Ezekiel 8:3, it states, "And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate, that looketh toward the north; where was the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy." The notes from NIV(New International Version) Study Bible for that verse states that the idol that was in the temple was statue of the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah(Astaroth).

Who is Asherah? 

    Goddess Asherah

Asherah is an idol goddess that was worshiped by the Canaanite people. This goddess is known as Venus by the Romans, Diana Greco-Romans, Artemis Greeks, Isis by the Egyptians, and Ishtar by both the Assyrians and Babylonians. Asherah's name means lasciviousness, lust, and seduction. This goddess represents sexual perversion, along with the male idol counterpart Baal. 

Sexual acts were conducted during the worship of Asherah, abominable acts of multiple sex partners, sodomy(homosexual activity), and sex with temple prostitutes, women dressing like men and men dressing like women(transvestites), and pornography. The idol of Asherah had sexually perverted overtones, showing multiple breasts. Asherah places of worship had groves, which were altars of worship of mostly sexual perversion and were also called the high places. Asherah was the worship of sexually perverse demons.

Judah in Ezekiel 8:1-18 was guilty of setting up an idol of Asherah in the temple of G-d, and was thought that they were practicing these acts in secret, where G-d did not see them. Ezekiel 8:12 says, "Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery?  For they say, the Lord seeth us not; Lord hath forsaken the earth."

21st Century Church and Worship of Asherah 

The church of the 21st century has fallen into the worship of Asherah in an indirect way. Statistics show 80% of Christians are dealing with sexual sins(source/source). A survey of lay leaders and pastors conducted by Leadership Magazine revealed that 62% have viewed pornography. New Man magazine states that 1 out of 10 men attending church are dealing with a sexual addiction. 37% of pastors in a Christianity Today survey indicated that they struggle with internet pornography.

Young, old, single, married, lay member and those in ministerial positions come on Sunday morning to worship in the house of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yet, in private, they have erected an idol of Asherah in their temple, which is their body. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:18-19 says, " Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

The modern idols of Asherah have been set up in the hearts and minds of some in today's church as follows: singles who continue to have pre-martial sex(fornication), adultery, men and women viewing pornographic material(via the Internet, magazines, and DVD's/Videos), men and women committing homosexual acts, teenagers viewing pornography on the internet and watching music videos on stations as BET and MTV(which is nothing more than soft porn). In the Greek, the word porneuo means to indulge in unlawful lust of either sex, to practice idolatry, to commit fornication.

The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is soon. The Church must cry out with a loud voice to its people to rid their hearts of Asherah and any sexual sin that has ensnared them; we must warn them that they need to cleanse their personal temples. Do not provoke G-d to jealousy by having the image of jealousy in your hearts. Tear down the high places of your hearts. Let Jesus be number one in our lives. The people of G-d need to confess sin and repent. G-d will forgive and deliver you. Saints, let us live holy and sanctified lifestyles. AMEN.       

Days of Noah: Same-Sex Marriage End-Time Sign

Same-sex marriage is widely being accepted in societies all over the world. Just a couple of months ago President Barak Obama stated he believed it was okay for same-sex couples to marry.  Recently the nation of Denmark legalized a same-sex marriage bill in Parliament 85-24 making them the eighth European country to legalize it, and eleventh country overall (source). The bill in Denmark now makes it legal for the Lutheran Church of Denmark to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.  In Great Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron and his political party are pushing to legalize same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom (here).

Jesus Christ Spoke About the Days of Noah 

I wrote an article about the days of Noah and same-sex marriage entitled, "Jesus, the Days of Noah, and Same-Sex Marriage"  in February 27, 2010 for the blog, "Gay Christian Movement Watch" (www.gcmwatch.com).  It was one of the first documented articles of its kind that dealt with how same-sex marriage is nothing new and was prevalent in the days of Noah.

Ironically, Jesus said in Luke 17:26-30, “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when Son of man is revealed.”

Jesus being a first century Rabbi, like most Jewish teachers, coupled Sodom with the flood generation as a typical image of evil.  His intent was to inform his audience that at His second coming the conditions of the world would mirror Noah’s days and the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Jewish Writings, Days of Noah and Same-Sex Marriage

The Midrash Rabbah Genesis is a specific form of rabbinic literature of ancient Judaism commentaries of the Hebrew Scriptures. It is based on the interpretation of the Torah (Old Testament). It speaks about the subject of same-sex marriage during the days of Noah.

The rabbis wrote in the Midrash Rabbah Genesis that the flood in Noah’s day was primarily triggered when males starting writing marriage deeds with other males, and between men and beasts (bestiality).  Based on the account of Midrash Rabbah Genesis, same-sex marriages took place during the days of Noah. There was nothing new under the sun and this is stated by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:9.  Lot, in Sodom and Gomorrah, is synonymous with the destruction of the flood generation in Midrash Rabbah Genesis.  It states that Lot pleaded all night for mercy for the Sodomites, and that the angels permitted him to plead for them.  But once the people said, “… bring them out [the angels] so we may have sex with them,” mercy ran out. The angels told Lot, “for now on you have no right to plead anymore.”  Judgment was sent upon Sodom.  Flood water was the judgment of God on the people in Noah’s day.  Fire and brimstone was the judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah.

The book of Enoch was written before the birth of Christ and although it is not an inspired book, it is a good resource.  Parts of it are quoted in Jude 14-15. 2nd Enoch 34-1, 3-4 states,

“God convicts the persons who are idol worshipers and sodomite fornicators, and for this reason he brings down the flood upon them. And all the world will be reduced to confusion by iniquities, wickedness and abominable fornications. That is, friend with friend in anus, every other kind of wicked uncleanness which is almost too disgusting to report, and the worship of the evil one. And that is why I shall bring down the flood onto the earth, and shall destroy everything, and the earth itself will collapse in great darkness.”

Second Enoch states that perverse homosexual relationships were the main cause of the flood.  Both Midrash Rabbah Genesis and the second book of Enoch state that God frowns on homosexuality in cultic prostitution, and in so-called “loving consensual” homosexual relationships. So don’t believe the liberal Christian theologians, gay-affirming churches and inclusionists. Homosexuality and same-sex marriage are an abomination in God’s eyesight.

In 2008 on the radio program Faith2Action host Janet Porter had guest Rabbi Aryeh Spero verified that the Babylonian Talmud, a book written 1000 years before Christ, states that men began to write marriage contracts to other men (homosexual marriage) in the days of Noah.  Rabbi Spero went on to say that G-d was compassionate. That He was patient, and  gave the people of that day a hundred and twenty years to repent.  Spero went on to say, “Even in ancient Greece they did not write marriage contracts between men. There was homosexuality, and it was wrong, but there was not an official ‘blessed’ policy. … Marriage is ‘sanctification’ (not simply a partnership).” He said to confer the title of sanctification and holiness upon this behavior is “probably one of the greatest sins of all that one does against God’s plan for this world (source).”

We are definitely in the last days that Jesus spoke about!  In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John wrote that there would be an explosion of fornication during the Tribulation period.  There will come a time when the heart of men will become so hard that they will not repent and they will be given over to a reprobated mind.

Revelation 9:20-21

King James Version (KJV)

²⁰ And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
²¹ Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

     

Sex in the Church: Does the Black Church Need Sex Education? Part 1

I initially wrote this article for gcmwatch.com back March of 2010 , and decided since it is Black History Month to reevaluate if in indeed sexual immorality has impacted the African American Community and the Black Church.You be the judge!



“Why Dodge the Sex Question?” Is Sexual Immorality Destroying the African American Community?

In November 1929 Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Sr. (pictured) published a series of sermons on sexual perversion. Powell claimed sexual perversion was steadily increasing in large American cities, particularly among women and ministers. During this time many Black men and women left their spouses for members of the same sex. Powell stated that homosexuality was one of the powers that debased a race of people. It also caused a rejection of familial responsibility that held the black community together and therefore, made it a viable political entity. He further went on to state that there was an increase in the number of black ministers who placed their own desires for personal gratification, prestige, and wealth over the interest of their congregation. Having a sense of entitlement was at the root of homosexuality[source].

Rev. Powell instituted sex education classes in his church taught by medical doctors. To his critics Powell replied, “why dodge the sex question?” He stated that ignorance was the reason so many diseases spread. Didn’t Hosea 4:6 say, “…my people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge?”

Almost sixty years ago the late Harlem US congressman Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Jr. wrote an article entitled, “Sex in the Church.” Appearing in the November 1951 issue of Ebony Magazine, the article first spoke about the need for sex education in the African-American Church. Revered Powell told a story about an unidentified pastor’s grief over the death of his handsome and talented personal male assistant. Powell described the funeral of that of a scene out of Arabian nights with a lavish spread of flowers and a very expensive coffin. But what Powell found most disturbing was the preacher’s quavering voice, tear soaked eyes and shaking body. The pastor even attempted to leap into the casket! He went on to write that the minister’s broken sobs were those of someone who had just lost his lover. As it turned out, the two had been involved in an unnatural relationship for a number of years and the entire congregation knew about it. Today this “man of God” is one of the most powerful and respected Negro pastors in all America. The preacher Powell was referring to was Detroit Prophet Jones (James Francis Jones) and his longtime companion James Walton. Jones was said to be very flamboyant and exhibited feminine tendencies. And he himself admitted that he lived differently from other men!


Powell Jr. was absolutely right when he said there was a need for sex education with all the homosexuality that was taking place in the Black Church. However, Powell Jr. was no saint either. He committed adultery on his first wife [source]!

Adam Clayton Powell Senior and Junior had timeless messages that are still relevant today. If we fast forward to the twenty first century we see the rampant homosexuality that is taking place in the gospel music industry. We hear more and more about sexual abuse cases, mega-superstar preachers committing adultery, down-low brothers and all other sorts of sexual perversion. What happened to holiness and sanctification?



Our church leadership has failed in the area of promoting sexual purity and standing on the principles of God’s Word when it comes to this subject. For the most part, they have been muted from speaking out against immorality across the pulpit. There are pastors who will look away at the immoral lifestyle of their talented singers, preachers, and prophets. As long as they draw a crowd and bring in money, they will choose to believe that God is endorsing their sinful people. They love prophets that ”prophet lie” and prophesy blessings, instead of the truth. Isaiah 56:10-11 says, “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea they are greedy dogs which can never have enough and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” They won’t bark out against the sexual immorality that is taking place in the four walls of the church and it brings a reproach on the Church of Jesus Christ because of the hypocrisy.




When God gave Moses the Torah, it just wasn’t just a book of arbitrary laws. It was a book of instructions for the nation to live by and to be separated unto YHWH. It taught the people to be “sanctified in their own sexuality” and to not take on the sexual practices of pagan Gentile nations. Leviticus 18:3 says, “After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.”   The entire chapter of Leviticus 18 was dedicated in instructing Israel to abstain from unlawful sexual relations and to follow the Torah. In short, it educated the nation of Israel on “sanctified sexuality.” This made the nation of Israel very different from any other nation at the time because the Gentile nations had no sexual boundaries.



Here in the United States a whopping 78% of Americans identify with being a Christian. But it seems that a lot of Americans are not practicing what they profess they are. Are we really practicing Christianity or are we practicing Satanism? As Christians we follow what is said in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, “What God wants is that you be holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to manage his sexual impulses in a holy and honorable manner, without giving in to lustful desires, like the pagans who don’t know God.” Are Christians that don’t abstain from sexual immorality really Satanist by de facto? The first commandment of Satanism is indulgence instead of abstinence and this promotes self indulgence of the flesh.




The United States boasts the highest percentage of professional evangelicals in the industrialized world. According to polls, 46 percent of Americans consider themselves to be born-again with the highest percentage in the African-American community at 59 percent[source]. However, America has the highest percentage of single parent homes, the highest abortion rate, the highest sexually transmitted diseases rate, and the highest teenage birth rate. Isn’t it funny that one in three Americans or 90 million people claim to be born-again[ source]?



Sex education is most needed in the Church! We just can’t depend on the federal government or school system to teach sex education to our children. Its taught from worldly point of view, and not from the standpoint of the Word of God. Even adults within the Church need to be taught the disciplines of sanctified sexuality in the context according to the Word of God.



Planned Parenthood is not a viable options either to teach sex education to the church. They teach kids that masturbation is safe and healthy and that using condoms is way to practice safe-sex. What they fail to tell you is that a person can contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD) through skin on skin contact and not just the exchange of fluids. The group also teaches that if a person can’t practice abstinence, than s/he can use lower risk activities such as: manual stimulation, mutual masturbation (phone-sex, cybersex, etc.), erotic massage, kissing, body rubbing, or oral sex[source]. Abortion is a tool for birth control, and to eliminate unwanted pregnancy. Planned Parenthood definitely does not promote the biblical-based teaching that God created sex for the enjoyment and confinement of marriage between a husband and wife.



Has sexual immorality devastated the Black Community?






Does the Black Church need sex education?






Has the Black Church been impacted by sexual immorality?






Part Two of, “Does the Black Church Need Sex Education” will examine these questions.