Bad for You, and God Called It Again

 

Monkey Pox: Homosexuality Is

Bad for You, and God Called It Again

JEFF MILLER, Ph.D.

AMERICA'S CULTURE WARHOMOSEXUALITYIN THE NEWS

On August 4th, 2022, the Biden administration declared a public health emergency in response to the outbreak of “monkeypox.”1 The World Health Organization (WHO) had already done so in July.2 Rashes with painful blisters, facial, genital, mouth, throat, eye, and anal lesions, scabbing, swollen lymph nodes, severe rectal pain, kidney damage, heart inflammation, fever, chills, flu-like symptoms, excruciating pain while eating or going to the bathroom, and throat swelling significant enough to prevent drinking are common with the disease, some leading to hospitalization, permanent damage, scarring, and even death.3 New Scientist reported that “the vast majority of cases have been in men who have sex with men, according to the WHO. It reported that 99 per cent of cases have been in this group in the UK, US, Canada and Spain…. The disease is more likely to occur in people who have had multiple sexual partners recently.”4 Rarely is it the case that our brazenly immoral society stumbles across the biblical solution to a problem but, to their credit, one of the solutions being advocated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is homosexual abstinence—at least temporarily.5 Once again, God called it.

Let’s face it: we are prone to quickly view “rules” and “laws” that we don’t like as unnecessary and overly controlling—to be despised, eliminated, or, at the very least, ignored when possible. With very little deeper investigation, we will reject the oftentimes well-thought-out ordinances that govern our land, the instructions of a parent, or even the rules of God in Scripture. 

Rarely does it occur to us that we might be ignorant about the wise purposes behind various restrictions. Instead, we are quick to arrogantly assume that we know better than the authorities to which we are charged by God to submit (Romans 13:1-7; Hebrews 13:17; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13; Matthew 22:17-21).6

It is true that, as the American government and society at large moves ever farther from making laws that are based on biblical principles, those laws will become more unwise, irrational, and even evil. God’s rules, however, are guaranteed to be perfect: rational/reasonable, wise, just, and for our ultimate good. “And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 6:24). God’s laws are not random or pointless. While human laws are not guaranteed to be for our good or to extend our lives, God’s laws are always for our ultimate good, and will, therefore, tend to improve our lives. And so, it is with God’s rules about sexual behavior—in this case, specifically, homosexuality.

God implemented clear and decisive regulations against homosexuality—sexual relations with another person of one’s own gender:

“For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1:26-27, ESV).

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,7 nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you…” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Again, when God outlaws a certain behavior, it must be for our ultimate good, regardless of whether or not we understand why or how that might be true in every case.8 As regards homosexuality, the rationale for God’s directives are abundantly clear.

As we have documented elsewhere,9 homosexuality is a toxic lifestyle that is both physically and psychologically detrimental to one’s health—not to mention the collateral damage caused for others in the process.10 Based on the statistical evidence, there can be no debate that the homosexual lifestyle is characterized by highly increased levels of sexual violence, substance abuse, psychological issues, shortened lifespans, suicide, and diseases such as Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HPV, anal cancer, and HIV/AIDS. 

That truth is once again being highlighted by monkeypox, the latest worldwide outbreak of another disease that is undeniably associated with homosexual behavior.11 If we would but listen to the sexual commandments given by our loving God for our good, things would “go well” for us (Deuteronomy 4:40). Sadly, all too often, we refuse.

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it”’” (Jeremiah 6:16).12

Endnotes

1 Bradford Betz (2022), “Biden Administration Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency,” Fox News on-line, August 4, https://www.foxnews.com/health/biden-administration-declare-monkeypox-public-health-emergency.

2 “Monkeypox Declared a Global Health Emergency by the World Health Organization” (2022), United Nations: UN News, July 23, https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123152.

3 Jason Arunn Murugesu (2022), “Monkeypox Emergency,” New Scientist, 255[3397]:7, July 30; “Monkeypox: Signs and Symptoms” (2022), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 5, https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/symptoms.html; Tina Hesman Saey (2022), “Monkeypox Is a Global Health Crisis,” New Scientist, 202[3]:7, August 13.

4 Murugesu, emp. added.

5 “Take a temporary break from activities that increase exposure to monkeypox until you are two weeks after your second dose” [“Monkeypox: Safer Sex, Social Gatherings, and Monkeypox” (2022), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 5, https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/sexualhealth/index.html].

6 Excepting, of course, any restrictions that violate God’s Law (Acts 5:29; Ephesians 6:1—“in the Lord”).

7 Or “catamites”—the individual in a homosexual relationship on the receiving end of the act.

8 While a small child may not understand why his parents require him to eat his vegetables, not play in the street, or touch the electrical socket, he should trust his parents to have good reasons for their rules.

9 Jeff Miller (2021), “Homosexuality: Society, Science, & Psychology [Part 3],” Reason & Revelation, 41[2]:15-20, https://apologeticspress.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2102-web.pdf.

10 E.g., those who are passed diseases by others, the effect of unbridled sexual behavior on societies, etc. [Jeff Miller (2015), “God’s Word: Right About Sex,” Apologetics Press, March 22, https://apologeticspress.org/gods-word-right-about-sex-5138/.]

11 Specifically, men having sex with other men.

12 For a thorough study of the biblical, scientific, and psychological data regarding homosexuality, see Jeff Miller and Dave Miller (2021), Homosexuality: Scripture, Society, Science, and Psychology (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).

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