Lisa on...Homosexuality.

In the Parents section of her Web site, Lisa responds to letters submitted by readers seeking her wisdom on certain topics. On this site, The BN, we'll occasionally impart our wisdom on the topics Lisa has chosen to address. For our first such endeavor, we have chosen, obviously, the controversial topic of homosexuality.



Here's how Lisa's response begins:

This original question was from a mom who wrote to me and was concerned that her son might be struggling with homosexuality. In my original answer, among other comments, I expressed my belief that, if a person desires, it is possible to leave behind a homosexual lifestyle. I know this is true because I’ve seen it come true in the lives of many of my friends. Thousands have been helped, loved, and supported by websites such as www.exodus.to and the many ministries they recommend.

This does and does not surprise us. All at once (our therapist says it's OK to feel more than one emotion simultaneously, and we think it's very brave of us to allow it here). Does, because we don't believe someone as fanatically devoted to Christianity as Lisa Whelchel is would give any pass to homosexuality. Doesn't, because she knows the only people who watched The Facts of Life were girls and fags. If she were truthful about this topic, she'd see half her already shaky fan base disappear. And we'd be meaner. Especially to Clancy. She knows better.

She continues...

Believe me; I didn’t dare answer this question without tons of research and even more prayer. Even so, I soon discovered that in attempting to answer her question in 300 words or less, I believe I may have done more harm than good.

Tons of research, eh? OK, we're now convinced her unnamed temptation in her July 7 journal entry was definitely the "L" word. Or, The L Word. Either.

I’m not afraid of confrontation and I’ve tried to live my life standing up for what I believe. The Bible tells us that we shouldn’t be surprised when we are persecuted for our beliefs. If people aren’t saying mean things about us then we probably aren’t being “salty” enough to make a difference in this world and are good for nothing. (Matthew 5:11-12 ESV)

True or not true, Lisa? Again, we don't totally believe she's being truthful here. We think she's being "nice." And we hate "nice." If you're not afraid of confrontation, Leese, then stand up for what you believe in. Which we're assuming is rounding up all the gays and sending them to an island. Thing is, Lisa, we already have a few of those. We like islands.

Oh, and did Matthew, in the Bible, really say "salty"? Probably not, right? So why is she citing specific verse when it seems she's paraphrasing? Is that mysterious "ESV" short for "Extremely Shortsighted Version"? And how do we even know she's telling the truth about this verse after so many lies, lies, lies? The truth is, because we're not afraid of the truth, we don't.

Despite this fact, it bothered me deeply to feel like I was closing a door of opportunity to show God’s love and mercy to a community that often only hears judgment. After much prayer and soul-searching I’ve chosen to delete my original answer to the question on homosexuality. Not because I’m backing away from my convictions, but because I don’t believe my brief answer could ever adequately address the complexities of homosexuality or the depth of God’s love for homosexuals. Thanks for understanding.

Finally. Some truth. That truth being: she not gonna tell us the truth about how she feels about homosexuality. Thanks for understanding.


ADDENDUM:
Helpful reader CTB left this comment:

thanks to the wonders of Google, we can now read what she thought she removed ... the 1st version of her post! Remeber nothing disapears on the net - ever! Bless you, Google cache, for saving this quote:

"Fortunately, a healing substitute often can be found in a strong father figure. If not, some young men attempt to “cannibalize” other men through homosexual actions to fill that void."

Duh! How could we have overlooked the wonders of Internet archiving?!? (Our only excuse is that we've been busy with this.) So, please do enjoy Lisa's initial response to this homosexuality-related question. Where else will you find a quote like this?

The father holds the key to affirming a boy’s manhood. Without that blessing, a gaping hole is left in a young man’s life.

You ain't kiddin'.