SpongeBob Squarepants to Promote Homosexuality Tolerance

Original Post: 1/7/2005

A slew of cartoon characters will soon be participating in a homosexual tolerance campaign for children. I'm not surprised that Blue's Clues is participating but not my childhood favorite Clifford!!

How does 2-4% of the population generate such support? John Piper has a good article on tolerance that he wrote back on Christmas in 1988. To be "tolerant" of homosexuality means that it cannot be taught as a sin. That contradicts God's Word. I can tolerate a homosexual person the same way that I tolerate every other sinner in the world (which is all of us) but to condone the sin is asking too much.

Update 1/21/2005: The mainstream media caught onto the story after James Dobson made a statement about the video. Here is one example. Just type in Spongebob on Google news and you can read a plethora of articles on the subject. Most are attacking the closed-minded Christians for there intolerance of tolerance issues. While it may seem like the video is just an innocent remake of "We Are Family," the whole story needs to be understood. If the video, scheduled to be delivered in March to 61,000 schools nationwide, did not come with a curriculum for teachers to speak about tolerance - there wouldn't be an issue. If the kids were seeing nothing more than happy cartoons jumping around and hugging each other, it wouldn't be an issue. Here's where the problem lies (quoted from the liberal source at MSNBC):

"The eight-page long teacher's guide that accompanies that DVD makes three passing references to same-sex parents. It contains generic advice about what teachers should do if kids ask them about atypical homes— like ones with adoptive parents, step-siblings, or grandparents. Teachers are advised to remind kids that everybody's family is different, but they're all based on love."

There is also a tolerance pledge found on the website which encourages the same idea. If tolerance held true to it's meaning, "The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others," then people are being pretty selective in who they choose to tolerate.

Would there be an outcry if the KKK chose to use the Simpson's to portray a nuclear family reading the Bible together and encouraging others to take a stand for God? Even though the KKK claims to read the Bible and claims to love God, they obviously clash with It's teachings. Some might point out that the actual KKK video doesn't portray any racial hatred or violence, yet would that be ok? Wouldn't it be obvious to all that the video was merely a shadow of the reality the KKK teaches? Clearly, we can all agree that tolerance should have it's limits.

Though the above example is extreme compared to the "We Are Family" video, the point I am trying to make is that we all have our own set of standards and beliefs. For some, the idea that a child could be raised in a homosexual family, brings thoughts of prejudicial breakthrough. They encourage it and look forward to the day when all people will be accepted as equal and given the same rights to adoption. For others, the same idea causes a conflict of spiritual beliefs. If the Bible teaches homosexuality as a sin, then no amount of "tolerance" teaching is going to change what a conservative Christian believes. Their authority is in God's Word, not the media.

Does that mean us Christians despise homosexuals? Do we teach and encourage gay-bashing? Hardly. That would be hypocritical of us. I show love to "sinners" everyday, I too am a "sinner." I can accept someone's differing opinions and co-exist without any violence. I can understand where they are coming from and even befriend them, but I won't condone the sin. And I won't encourage public schools to condone it either.

Update 1/22/2005: Finally, a Christian Blog that defends Dobson. So many of my daily reads were attacking Dobson right along with the MSM. Hugh Hewitt does the right thing and challenges God-blogs to think twice before agreeing with the NY Times.

Imago Dei has two of the best posts on the subject that I have read in the blogosphere. Read The Intolerance of Tolerance and then check out Cartoons: Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Another great article on the ultimate threat the video poses. This article links to the Writing for Change program (which he inappropriately associates with the cartoon video) which explicitly discusses homosexuality tolerance.

Here's an example of when tolerance goes too far. Illinois has added "sexual orientation" to their discrimination law. Discrimination laws of this nature typically attach a clause that makes religious organizations exempt, however, this particular bill doesn't.

When churches are forced to hire homosexuals the govenment has overstepped it's boundaries. The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Carol Ronen, D-Chicago says regarding churches, "If that is their goal, to discriminate against gay people, this law wouldn't allow them to do that."

IFI Director Peter LaBarbera says, "It's about saying that 'gay rights' are more important than religious freedoms, and we hope ultimately it will be struck down in court."