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02/25/2010

Hey, #focusonthefamily: You were pulled because of hurtful wares, not deceptive advertising copy!

by Jeremy Hooper

These are direct quotes from the Focus on the Family website, which one can find by simply typing "homosexual" into the search box found on the organization's main landing page:

" Focus on the Family is committed to the thousands of individuals who are ensnared by homosexuality but are desperately seeking a way out. " [Source]

" Look beyond the "gay" or "lesbian" label to the whole person inside. Rather than seeing your friend as a homosexual, think of him or her as a person with a homosexual problem. " [Source]

" Truly, the homosexual movement has become a steamroller in nations around the world. " [Source]

" Any nation that mocks the laws of God will ultimately fail. It is inevitable. And each of us is either part of the problem or a part of the solution. " [Source]

" The best prevention of gender confusion remains a strong home life. Homosexuality is much less likely to occur in the context of a loving home where parents are reasonably well-adjusted sexually themselves. I don't think it is necessary to react with paranoia even in this aberrant culture. If parents provide a healthy, stable home life and do not interfere with the child's appropriate sex role, homosexuality is highly unlikely to occur. " [Source]

" To those of you who are parents, I say, "Be aware!" Your children are being inundated with inaccurate — but enticing — messages about homosexuality. Television, movies, music and an increasing number of public schools constantly reinforce the idea that "gay is good." Monitor the influences your children are receiving, and address the subject of homosexuality directly with them. " [Source]

" Sexual orientation is complex because it develops over time. We are born with the potential to have a healthy sexual orientation — towards the other sex — but because of sin, our sexual orientation may not develop as God intended. This is where we need God's power for healing and change. " [Source]

" Finally, if homosexuality were genetically transmitted, it would be inevitable, immutable, irresistible, and untreatable. Fortunately, it is not. Prevention is effective. Change is possible. Hope is available. And Christ is in the business of healing. Here again, gay and lesbian organizations and the media have convinced the public that being homosexual is as predetermined as one's race and that nothing can be done about it. That is simply not true. There are eight hundred known former gay and lesbian individuals today who have escaped from the homosexual lifestyle and found wholeness in their newfound heterosexuality. " [Source]

" I head a division of Focus on the Family whose purpose is to introduce homosexuals to Jesus Christ and to offer a way out of the lifestyle that ensnares them. We also provide hope, information and support to their friends and family members. We have found that many homosexuals who seem so angry are actually desperate to escape, but have never been told that God loves them. Many are intimidated from seeking a solution to their pain. " [Source]

" In addition to the ominous feeling that something is wrong, there are a number of telltale signs that your partner might be struggling with same-sex attraction or having a homosexual affair: [FOF proceeds to list 14 "warning signs"] [Source]

" Attempts to subjugate objective biblical truths to subjective human experiences lead men and women to accept lies. Often those having a personal interest in the promulgation of pro-gay revisionist theology twist the plain teaching of Scripture to support and justify their behavior. " [Source]

" The media, the rock music and film industries, universities, the judiciary, and now more commonly, Congress itself conspire to reposition homosexuality as just another normal lifestyle. Nothing could be further from the truth. " [Source]

" Homosexuality is a lonely and disillusioning way of life. There is a reason why this behavior has been considered morally wrong throughout most of human history. " [Source]

" Love is not enough to justify a relationship. A married man can fall deeply in love with a woman other than his wife; that will never sanctify adultery. Likewise, love between two men or women cannot justify a homosexual relationship. " [Source]

So why do we show you this? Well, because Focus on the Family is on an aggressive mission to deny that the NCAA had any credible reason for pulling an FOF banner ad from its website. Staffers, led by head communications guy Gary Schneeberger, are acting like there was no cause, since the ad copy itself was benign and loving:

Gary Schneeberger, vice president of ministry communications at Focus on the Family, said he was “befuddled” by the NCAA’s decision. “Have we really become a society where it’s considered distasteful and controversial for a dad to hope the best for his son?” he said. “If so, we have a lot of soul-searching to do as a nation.” Steve Maegdlin, CEO of the CSK Strategic Marketing Group which produced the print ad, said there’s no reason for it to be pulled. “There’s no hidden message or hidden agenda in here,” he said. ... “We said during the weeks of controversy before our Super Bowl commercial with the Tebows aired that – despite the charges of critics who hadn’t even seen it – the spot was not political or divisive or hateful,” Schneeberger added. “And, it wasn’t. The print ad now being protested is even more non-threatening – if that’s possible. It simply says, ‘Focus on the Family is here to help you raise your kids, thrive in your marriages and tackle the challenge life throws your way.’” NCAA Pulls the Plug on Focus Ad After Protest [FoTF]

But of course true to "pro-family" form, Schneeberger and company COMPLETELY IGNORE the product that they are selling! The ad that was pulled led viewers directly to the FOF landing page. It's the same landing page where one who searches for information on the subject of homosexuality is greeted with comments like the above (but a tiny fraction of the site's unscientific homo-hostility, which we were able to assemble in less than twenty minutes). Their product undeniably tells people that gays have a "problem" that needs "fixing," regardless of how much they might wish to soften that before presenting it to the American public!

It's one thing if FOF wants to defends its property. But it's COMPLETELY disingenuous of them to use the nice, sweet ad copy as a way of denying any wrongdoing. It would be like McDonald's denying that their food can make one obese, simply because their spokesmodels are attractive and their jingles catchy!

Your thoughts

As a kid going to a Baptist school from Pre-school all the way to graduation: I can say from experience that this organization caused more self-hate, self-deniel and extremely dangerous behavior for me than if someone could of just said, "Hey Jen, Ya know some people may not get it, but God loves you, just as much as he does them and we all make mistakes." That statement leaves it open for anyone to be wrong about anything yet still find common ground in humanity. I've healed from what they did to me, but man oh man, I don't wish it on my worst enemy.

Posted by: Jen | Feb 25, 2010 11:41:33 AM

It is sad that some gay youth will grow up listening to this crap. They make these claims based on the Bible and the testimonies of those with awful experiences in gay life. "Love is not enough to justify a relationship." I didn't know I needed to justify any gay relationship I have to FOTF.

Posted by: KZ | Feb 26, 2010 10:54:30 AM

Oh, these comments are just SICK! Yet again, the Christians are trying to bombard society as a whole into believing that there is something 'wrong" with being gay, and that it should NOT be the treasured gift that it is, and that it has been for countless millennial! Now, MY mission is to express to as many religious leaders, their communities, and to as MANY Gay people as possible that we MUST reclaim our once-powerful religious roles and esteem that society once viewed us as...

Posted by: Wade MacMorrighan | Mar 1, 2010 12:09:04 AM

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