The Trumpet Herald

Giving the trumpet a certain sound

March 2004

Homosexual Marriage Efforts Spread

First it was the Massachusetts Supreme Court, then the city of San Francisco, and now apparently an increasing number of incidents around the United States. It appears that some homosexuals are pushing the edges of societal norms at every opportunity.

San Francisco's defiant issuance of same-sex marriage licenses is inspiring imitators nationwide, prompting a traditional-family defender to sound an alarm declaring "anarchy is breaking loose across America."

Despite court challenges, more than 3,000 marriage licenses have been issued to homosexuals under the authority of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom since Feb. 12, while around the nation a long-simmering issue is reaching a boiling point. ("'Anarchy is breaking loose across America'", www.worldnetdaily.com, Feb. 21, 2004)

The reaching of a "boiling point" also has potential ramifications regarding popular pressure on legislators to resolve other issues, including those involving individual religious liberty.

Inspired Commentary

As most Christians know, inspiration takes expresses a clear position on homosexual activity:

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. (Romans 1:24-17)

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. (Romans 2:2)

The law of God is made void. We see and hear of confusion and perplexity, want and famine, earthquakes and floods; terrible outrages will be committed by men; passion, not reason, bears sway. The wrath of God is upon the inhabitants of the world, who are fast becoming as corrupt as were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Testimonies, v. 8, p. 49)

Religious Pressure on Politics

Recent articles in Church & State magazine have discussed efforts by religious leaders to more directly impact the U.S. political process.

According to [Jerry] Falwell and the ACLJ [American Center for Law and Justice] lawyers, pastors should be allowed to campaign for political office, encourage their followers to support that candidate and still remain free from federal income taxation, unlike all other groups and individuals that support candidates for public office. ("Pulpit Politics," Church and State, February 2004, p. 4)

Another article discussed recent moves by Roman Catholic leaders to discipline Catholic legislators who do not support certain Catholic church moral positions.

Last year, Burke [Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse, Wisc.] decided it was time for a crackdown. Several Wisconsin lawmakers in late August received letters from the prelate ordering them to toe the church line at the state capital or risk being denied communion and other church sacraments. ("Holy Orders," Church and State, February 2004, p. 8)

Inspired Commentary

While the issues that the religious leaders mentioned above seek to impact may be noble, the means chosen (especially in the light of history), give cause for concern.

Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. (The Great Controversy, p. 592)

Cloning in Korea

Cloning technology recently made a significant advance according to the Washington Post:

Scientists in South Korea are reporting today that they have created the world's first mature, cloned human embryos -- an advance that could speed the development of new therapies but also brings scientists a big step closer to being able to make cloned babies.

Each embryo was grown from a cell taken from a woman, a form of reproduction -- or, more precisely, replication -- never before achieved in humans. There was no contribution from a father. ("Mature Human Embryos Cloned," washingtonpost.com, February 12, 2004)

Inspired Commentary

The Bible recorded a promise of God not to again destroy the world with a flood (Gen. 9:11-17), but there is also a promise that someday iniquity will be cleansed from the earth by fire (2 Peter 3:9-14).

But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere. (Spirit of Prophecy, v. 1 p. 69)

Train Car Explosion in Iran

After an earthquake in December 2003 that killed over 30,000 people in Iran, a train car explosion seems small in comparison. It was devastating nonetheless as indicated by the following news report:

TEHRAN -- Runaway train cars carrying fuel, fertilizer and industrial chemicals derailed and exploded in northeastern Iran yesterday, killing more than 200 people, injuring hundreds more and devastating five nearby villages, the government news agency said. . . .

Most of the known dead were fire and rescue workers, who died in the blast hours after the train cars derailed and caught fire. Officials in the city of Neyshabur -- including the local governor, mayor and fire chief -- were among those killed. ("Hundreds killed after freight train derails, explodes," www.washingtontimes.com, February 19, 2004, printing a story from the Associated Press)

Inspired Commentary

Train disasters have been an occurrence for a long while. Inspiration indicates that they (and likely other disasters related to human-made machinery) will increase as the second coming of Jesus draws near.

Disasters by rail will become more and more frequent; confusion, collision, and death without a moment's warning will occur on the great lines of travel. The end is near, probation is closing. Oh, let us seek God while he may be found, call upon him while he is near! ("The Danger of Skepticism in Our Youth," The Signs of the Times, 04/21/1890)