On the 5th February 2013, MPs in the House of Commons overwhelmingly backed the plan to legalise “gay marriage” in the UK by 400 votes to 175. Even some of those who voted against this measure said that there was insufficient time given to debate this issue. As members of the true Church of God know, on such a matter no debate is necessary; the answer defining right conduct is there in the Word of God. End of story!
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, approved and promoted this plan, after the two previous Prime Ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, had been equally enthusiastic about promoting this ungodly practice.
All three of these politicians profess to being Christians, but not one of them seems to be in the least bit bothered by what God’s instruction manual, the Bible, has to say on this matter. I mentioned this trait in my last editorial (“Instruction Manual Ignored Again,” Update 572, week of January 11, 2013, about the Church of England voting about the ordination of women bishops. God’s Word never seems to be properly and correctly studied, or even consulted, when such situations arise; it’s the 21st century, and we have to move on and “get with it”.
But how did we get into this mess? It’s that frog’s fault yet again. For anyone who hasn’t heard this analogy, Wikipedia explains it as follows: “The boiling frog story is a widespread anecdote describing a frog slowly being boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability of people to react to significant changes that occur gradually.”
The significant changes that have occurred in society, like “gay marriage”, have come about slowly over quite a period of time. Of course, our societies’ problems are manifold, and “gay marriage” is just one of its many evils. But it shows how “changes” are introduced and accepted over time. The Sexual Offences Act 1967 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men, both of whom had to have attained the age of 21. At that time, public opinion was very much against this abhorrent act. (The Church of God does not take a stand or utter a position whether or not homosexual conduct should be considered a crime punishable by our human governments. We understand that this is Satan’s world, and that true Christians are not to engage in political acts or agendas, but they are ambassadors of the world tomorrow, when Christ will set up the Kingdom of God here on earth and establish true and fair laws regulating human conduct.)
However, in the next 38 years much was done, without too much publicity, but was moulding public opinion wherever and whenever possible. The old saying that it is a “cinch by the inch but hard by the yard” perfectly describes how “progress” was made. Stonewall, the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity, has been in the forefront of helping to change public perception, and as time passed, hardened views were softened.
Wikipedia again reports that “since 2005 same-sex couples have been allowed to enter into civil partnerships, a separate union which provides the legal consequences of marriage.” Former Prime Minister Tony Blair was a great advocate for the homosexual lobby. As Shadow Home Secretary, before he became Prime Minister, he not only supported the lowering of the age of consent for homosexuals from age 18 to 16, but quite literally championed it. When such high profile individuals support and promote such a cause, others are galvanised too, and it then increases in intensity. Many who were implacably opposed to this before may now take a more “live and let live” approach.
It has taken about half a century of hard work and constant application to arrive at the stage where “gay marriage” is now seen as a good thing, and many people who would have thought otherwise 50 years ago are now in favour of this. It’s that frog again! Unfortunately, in such a climate, young people are raised in a society where this “alternate lifestyle” is now accepted as normal.
What can we learn from all of this? Given enough time, enough commitment and enough patience, all manner of evil can be foisted on society, and indeed has been. The year 2013 is a very different place, and with very different acceptances, than was the case 50-60 years ago. This is how the verse in Isaiah 5:20 can be explained: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” And the next verse answers why: “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!”
Politicians think they know better than God. Others ignore biblical teaching and many scoff. The time is coming when our countries will be punished severely, and they will wonder why. The answer will have been there all along for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
The analogy of the frog can help us understand how Satan works and what he has achieved. We need to understand such workings and to make sure that we will never be taken in by them. We can also learn the lesson that we have a lifetime to make progress in our Christian lives, and little by little, perhaps indiscernibly at times, we should be improving, growing and overcoming which is pleasing in the sight of God. When we become more and more accustomed to positive change, then a modified “analogy” about the frog will have a desirable effect in our lives.
