More Fallout

The Lord has set in place the standards by which we order our lives and given us the principles through which a society can thrive. We have the choice whether or not to incorporate those standards and principles into our lives. In Proverbs 3, we can read these words:
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Through this passage, we can gain a sense of how God desires to work in our lives - if we line up with His ways, then we can experience His blessings.  That doesn't always mean that life will progress smoothly, but we can know the joy of His presence as we navigate the ups and downs of this life.  And, He does give us the capability to live a well-ordered life, that is secure, resting on the foundation of His love and truth.

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At the end of the book of Judges, we find this discouraging statement about the spiritual condition of the people of Israel. In chapter 21, verse 25, we can read:
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

Yesterday, I shared the story of a case of the fallout that comes when the homosexual lifestyle is promoted. Because of the moral implications of children being raised in the homes of same-sex couples, it is no wonder that adoption agencies have refused to place children into those situations.  In these cases, I believe that the biology speaks clearly about God's intent for men and women to produce children.

Not men and men or women and women.  And, a recent video that went viral is a troubling sign of the departure that culture has made from the intent of God. Perhaps you have seen the video or an image from it. LifeSiteNews reported:

A series of photos posted recently on TikTok shows a homosexual couple gazing into each other’s eyes while a very pregnant woman, presumably the surrogate they contracted to carry the child of one of the men, stood far behind them in the background.

“We did a ‘maternity’ shoot and it came out great!” wrote Portia Zwicker, surrogate outreach coordinator at the New York Surrogacy Center.

As of just over a month ago, when the article released, the video had been viewed over 4 million times. Writer Doug Mainwaring at LifeSiteNews stated:

However, make no mistake: This is not a “maternity” shoot; it is a “misogyny” shoot.

These photos depict the summit, the pinnacle of misogyny.

The photo shoot celebrates the triumph of two homosexual men who had the financial resources to obtain a child through the purchase of an egg, in vitro fertilization, and then the rental of a stranger’s womb for nine months.

Rivka Edelman, a college professor raised by two lesbian mothers, noted in a 2014 English Manif commentary that children of gays are “denied one parent so that men could prove that two men can play at baby-making” and they often require two women to do it.

“Well, that dog doesn’t hunt. I grew up in a gay household and I know the arguments better than I know the pledge of allegiance,” Edelman declared. “So save it. All of it – the missives, the threats.

She went on to say, "...They will turn and tear their own to shreds in a heartbeat. Because the fragile narrative has to be protected at all costs. Family is a photo op. And children are props.”

 A Newsweek article quotes from a tweet by Bethany Mandel, in which she says regarding the image, "This is some Handmaid stuff right here..." The article points out that:

Mandel's comment refers to Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel, adapted into an acclaimed Hulu television series, in which fertile women known as "handmaids" are forced to bear children for the ruling class in the dystopia of Gilead.

Of course, outfits inspired by the movie have been used by pro-abortion activists, as well, to depict women being "forced" to bear children because of restrictions on abortion. 

Mainwairing also incorporates the "Handmaid" reference, and says, "The lucrative surrogacy industry has allowed gay couples and individuals to treat women as a class of slaves — 'breeders' — and the children born for them as chattel." He also quotes Jennifer Lahl, founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, who said: “Don’t forget they used a woman for her eggs too who doesn’t even get a mention,” adding, “Gestational Surrogacy means TWO women used and exploited.”

In another LifeSiteNews article, Jonathon Van Maren wrote about podcaster Dave Rubin's announcement not long ago that he and his same-sex partner had hired surrogate mothers for two children, to be born later this year.  He received congratulations from some conservative outlets which are popular with evangelical Christians. Van Maren says:

In debates surrounding adoption by same-sex couples, the focus is often on whether or not “two moms” or “two dads” can be great parents. That discussion entirely misses the point. A man cannot be a mother and a woman cannot be a father. Motherless children are a tragedy. Fatherless children are also a tragedy. In situations such as those orchestrated by Rubin and his partner, the tragedy is an intentional one.

It did not used to be controversial to say things like: “Children need their mothers.” The children raised by Rubin and his partner will, regardless of how kind and loving they are, grow up desperately craving the maternal attention and affection that all children need. Men cannot provide what mothers provide, no matter how hard they try. Women cannot provide what fathers provide, no matter how hard they try. These are the simple facts of life, and no amount of LGBT propaganda can change that.

Van Maren warns:

The sheer power of the cultural gravitational pull now exerted by the LGBT movement means that many Christians and conservatives are eager to hurry on and leave the same-sex “marriage” debate behind them. But regardless of the law, it is essential that Christians do not participate in the normalization of what Rubin and his partner are doing. Nobody should celebrate motherless children — especially not Christians. This is not something we should ever support, much less congratulate somebody for.

Here we are again: unfolding before us, we see the consequences of departing from God's principles.  It's the fruit of people doing what is right in their own eyes.  Rather than follow the wisdom of God, pockets of culture are affirming deviancy.  By doing so, the foundation of our society erodes. The Genesis model is sound and tried - men and women marrying and becoming one, producing children, in that order.  Get it out of order and we risk the consequences. 

We can also take a moment to spotlight the high call of parenthood.  It is not merely some sort of social arrangement or experimental contract.  Children are gifts from God, and parents are entrusted with the responsibility before God to raise them, ideally, in the knowledge of Him.