A Parable From Real Life-
From time to time I have the opportunity to communicate with addicts and alcoholics. This is because I myself, as many here know, am a recovering addict and alcoholic.
A while back, a cocaine addict was telling me of his struggles to try and keep clean. He said that he really, really wants to stop, but he just can't seem to. His addiction, he told me, was hurting his wife and child a lot. He was so grateful that his wife had not left him. He was disgusted with himself for not quitting. In fact, he just hated himself!!
I told him that he should hate himself and that I hated him too. I told him that he obviously didn't really want to quit, and didn't care who he hurt if he could continue using. I told him that his wife should leave him, and that, in general, he was full of
ureX:.
Two days later, he contacted me, thanked me for what I told him, and told me that later that afternoon he was entering rehab.
Being nice to people who are sick from their own behavior, desires etc. simply does not work. We (us right wing religious fanatics) believe homosexuality to be a disease. We believe that the only real effective way of helping a person with this disease, at least one who is clearly not serious about getting better, is an "in your face," tough love approach. Does it always work? Sadly, no. In fact, in the majority of the cases it does not. This is just as true for addicts and alcoholics. The thing is, that the "nice" approach is an enabling approach, and it is even less effective. The "nice" approach makes us feel good, it typically does little or nothing for the person in need of help.
Maintaining the illegality of homosexuality, or restoring the illegality, is part of a tough love approach. Nobody (well, almost nobody) wants homosexuals to die. We want them, for their benefit, to repent.
