Sex Education and Sexual Confusion

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By the Rev. Dr. Joe Renfro, Ed D

Adam and Eve did not have gender confusion but were male and female in the Garden of Eden picture.  There was no question about transgender rights, which is much different from the situation in contemporary America.  Confusion is sweeping our land, as the educational establishment now must cater to a small minority who experience gender confusion to affirm their transgender rights at the expense of the rights of the majority and even more in the conflict with the righteousness as taught by the Bible-the confusion of seeking man’s altering desires over God’s ultimate order.

Make no mistake, hostility toward Christians in the United States is on the rise and will grow unless we stand up for our freedoms of religion and conscience. Believers in this country are called bigots and all kinds of names, as they become the target of a culture that has turned its back on Almighty God. This is being driven especially by progressives, LGBT activists, and the anti-God forces of secularism.  Confusion is in the air!

James 3:16 says: “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”   1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace…”  Educationally, confusion is in the air!  Notice confusion is related to every evil work, and it is not God’s way.

In the state of Washington by the fall of 2017 public schools are to begin teaching gender expression to kindergarteners under newly-approved health education learning standards designating sexual health a “core idea” of public K-12 education that creates real gender confusion. “Self-Identity” instruction begins in kindergarten, where students will be expected to “understand there are many ways to express gender.”  Much of this is to instill the idea that homosexuality is not something that should be avoided and that it should be fully accepted.  As children are forming self-images, the education establishment are going to confuse them by suggesting their sex of female or male might not be who they are really are.

The state of Washington’s health education glossary defines gender as “A social construct based on emotional, behavioral, and cultural characteristics attached to a person’s assigned biological sex.” The liberal focus see gender expression purely as:  “The way someone outwardly expresses their gender.” These definitions differ from the state’s definition of ‘biological sex,’ which is based on chromosomes, hormones, and internal and external anatomy.”   (“Washington State To Teach Transgenderism To Kindergartners” –  by Peter Hasson, Daily Caller, June 8, 2016)

What if our government sought to support the teachings of Christianity in the education of our youth like they are now increasingly doing in the support of transgenderism?

According to an article by Dr. Susan Berry (Brietbart News, May 6, 2016) the state of Oregon has set down far-reaching rules handed down by school districts, titled “Creating a Safe and Supportive School Environment for Transgender Students,” which fully implement the progressive program to not restrict even young children’s choice of “gender identity” in any way. These rules are set to comply with the claim by the current administration that Congress’s 1964 laws against sex discrimination also require schools officials to treat “transgender and gender nonconforming students as whatever sex they claim to feel. This goes along with a complicated vocabulary as how to personally address each one. This is interpreted and enforced by “Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance,” says the U.S. Department of Education.

In Oregon the school officials prevent schoolyard criticism of “gender identity” youths, and must ensure they can participate in sports and social activities without sexual categorization.  Transgender students are to be treated consistent with their gender identity and not excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to harassment or other forms of discrimination on the basis of gender identity in any program or activity. Chose to be on the male or female spork teams The new rules state that the student – regardless of age – should decide his or her gender, regardless of sex. “The person best situated to determine a student’s gender identity is the individual student,” the department states.  But doesn’t anyone ask if the educational establishment and the progressive course of our culture is not really seeking to indoctrinate this gender identify confusion?

In Oregon they chose to expand its Medicaid coverage to include the often staggering costs of transgender medical bills.  It joins California, Massachusetts, Vermont, the District of Columbia, and others –all who already offer coverage for gender dysphoria. Oregon’s expanded coverage includes reassignment surgery, hormone therapy, and puberty suppression. People with gender dysphoria have many more hospitalizations, ER visits or doctor visits for depression and anxiety. The program currently costs the state $200,000 funded from state taxes.  (Oregon Medicaid Now Covers Transgender Medical Expenses  — by Stassa Edwards, Jezebel  – January 11, 2015)

In California governor Jerry Brown’s office announced the state will now make it mandatory for high schools to teach students about sexual consent. It was the first U.S. state to do so.  The new law, which passed the state legislature unopposed in a bipartisan effort, is to take effect on January 1st, 2017, and will require all California school districts that have a health class requirement for graduation to incorporate a lesson on affirmative consent.

Also under the SB-1146 in California the faith-based institutions would no longer be able to require a profession of faith of their students. This law is designed to expand and to be detrimental to Christianity in American education.  These institutions would no longer be able to integrate faith throughout the teaching curriculum. These institutions would no longer be able to require chapel attendance for students, an integral part of the learning experience at faith-based universities. These institutions would no longer be able to require core units of Bible courses. Athletic teams would no longer be able to lead faith-based community service programs.  Students will lose state aid if the schools fail to comply.   When the state determines there is discrimination against transgenders, like having separate bathrooms for sexes and many other things, there will be lawsuits against the schools.

I received a communication from Dr. Ben Carson that basically said:  “Here’s what’s going on — there’s currently an effort underway in the California Senate (SB- 1146) to strip the state’s faith-based colleges and universities from operating in ways that are consistent with their religious missions. This bill could be the end of Christian education in California. Trust me, it won’t stop there. It will spread across America…It’s a direct assault on the First Amendment protection for religious freedom. It is totally unprecedented…This bill could slide through and threaten the future of Christian education in America.”  We need to take heed to what is going on and seek to reverse this disastrous direction!

Todd Starnes in a Fox News, article, May 15, 2016, entitled – “Parents furious over school’s plan to teach gender ‘spectrum, fluidity’,” brings out how, “One of the nation’s largest public school systems is preparing to include gender identity to its classroom curriculum, including lessons on sexual fluidity and spectrum – the idea that there’s no such thing as 100 percent boys or 100 percent girls.”  He writes, “They’re telling us you can be both genders, you can be no gender, you can be a gender that you make up for yourself. And we’re supposed to affirm all of it.”  In the article it is brought out that from their educational focus that “Individual identity will also be described as having four parts – biological gender, gender identity (includes transgender), gender role, and sexual orientation (includes heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual).”  True males and females in each individual have varying degrees of androgens-the male hormone and estrogens-the female hormone—but this does not change his or her sex.

Isn’t part of education to give the students the capacity to make wise and discreet judgments?   The pattern followed by this liberal movement is to give a positive slant on the homosexual, bio-sexual, and transgender life-styles, even to teach how many homosexuals have been very admirable people, which can be the case.  But to do this without facing the facts that nearly half the sexually active people in America get (STDs), and homosexuals are most often active with multiple partners, especially the males.

STD most often affect people by the age of 25 and it brings on all types of problems physically, psychologically, spiritually, and on and on; with homosexual behavior being most unwise and destructive even more that free heterosexual.  The astronomical suicide rate in homosexuals, the psychological breakdowns, and the high murder rate in the homosexual communities. Some STDs (like gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis) can be cured with medication, while others like TDs like herpes and HIV cannot be cured.

The schools teach that condoms are considered one of the best ways to practice safe sex, safe sex meaning no pregnancy or VD—which is only a part of the situation — for sex involves psychological, spiritual, medical, and many other factors the condom use can’t cover.

Is there really anything outside of the unity between one man and one woman that is basically safe sex?   When worn correctly, a condom can be usually be effective in preventing the transmission of HIV. For gay men, the consistent use of condoms is 76 percent effective in preventing new HIV infections during anal sex. When used correctly and without error, a condom is up to 99 percent effective in preventing HIV transmission. But would you put a gun to your head and pull the trigger even if there was a 99 percent chance it was not loaded?

Jane Collingwood  in an article, “Higher Risk of Mental Health Problems for Homosexuals” (Psych Central-October 30, 2015) observed that homosexual people tend to experience more mental health problems than heterosexual people, and it was brought out that in one study of the rates of mental disorder that among 7,403 adults living in the U.K., whose details were obtained from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007 that the rates of depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobia, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol and drug dependence were significantly higher in homosexual respondents. This all suggests that non-heterosexual people are at higher risk of mental disorder, suicidal ideation, substance abuse and self-harm than heterosexual people.”  If sex education is taught, why not teach this!

We need to face reality and move from this confusion.  This does not mean to hate or even reject the non-heterosexual people, but it does not mean to cultivate their life-styles by the education of children even from the early ages to see this as a healthy sexual orientation.

There have been a number of articles about a California pastor who is being called a bigot for not accepting a demand that requires high school kids to learn about homosexual “safe sex.”

Pastor Chad Vegas stepped down from his position on a high school board in California. He made the decision after he was challenged by his stance against the liberal indoctrination of students. Vegas was concerned about a law requiring students learn about “homosexual safe-sex education,” how to get an abortion, and gender fluidity with which he did not agree.

Vegas also posted on his Facebook how he felt about the current narrative of homosexuality’s teachings and “gender identity.”

He wrote: “I have served on the largest high school board in CA and the nation for 12 years. I basically led that board. Our board voted to adopt the new law into policy. I voted against it. I was breaking the law for doing so. I could be personally sued and our attorney tells me the board insurance won’t cover me because I am breaking the law and I am a bigot.”

However many people wanted Vegas to stay. The Global Dispatch reported many parents protested against the law hoping to keep Vegas on the board. Thousands gathered in hopes of stopping the bill from becoming law. Vegas is so popular, despite the conflict, the board, school administration and even the liberal teacher’s union wanted him to stay.  But Vegas stuck by his decision to resign saying, “My time as a public school board member has come to an end. I am very much at peace with this decision,” he said in a June 3 Facebook post.

He said, “While I am not optimistic about the future of our country, I am deeply optimistic about the future of Christ’s Church. Jesus will build his Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

“It is legally required to teach your children the LGBTQ sexual mores; while simultaneously illegal to mention God. I can’t and won’t enforce that foolishness,” Vegas stated.

“I am a Christian pastor above all else, I could not vote for these policies. I cannot remain on a board to enforce these policies. I spoke out against the board voting for this. I called on them to realize that they will answer to God on this vote, and they should fear Him more than the state. I did not prevail,” Vegas concluded in announcing his decision to leave. (Homosexuality, Gender Identity Teaching: This Pastor Has Had Enough –CBN NEWS, July 15, 2016).

HERE IS A PASTOR WHO STOOD AGAINST THIS EDUCATIONAL CONFUSION. PRAISE GOD! WHAT ARE MOST OF US GOING TO DO?

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