What is the first thing you think of when you hear the term same-sex “marriage”? Do you think about the damage inflicted on children reared by homosexual “parents”? Do you worry about the destruction of traditional marriage?

These are legitimate concerns and good reasons to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. But there is one huge problem same-sex “marriage” will cause that you may not have considered. If we legitimize same-sex unions, we will make ourselves even more of a target for terrorists. Now before you write me off as a crank, read carefully.

We have to remember the reasons that Islamic extremists are waging their terror war on the West. As Charles Krauthammer writes in Townhall, when it comes to the reasons Islam is fighting “the great jihad” against America, we “agree on the obvious answers: religion, ideology, political power, and territory. But there is one fundamental issue at stake that dares not speak its name,” Krauthammer writes. “This is also about – deeply about – sex.” In making their case against freedom, the jihadists claim that wherever freedom travels — “especially in America and Europe — it brings sexual license and corruption, decadence and depravity.”

Mark Galli made the same point in Christianity Today. He noted that Islamic militants are angry at the West for exporting “hedonism and materialism into their very homes through television, enticing Muslims to become religiously lazy and morally corrupt.” Galli quoted a 1985 communiqué from the terrorist group Hezbollah which said, in part: “Our way is one of radical combat against depravity, and America is the original root of depravity.” Members of these groups see themselves, not as terrorists, but as holy warriors fighting a holy war against Western decadence.

Now, we want to be careful not to blame the victim—that is, to blame innocent Americans for murderous attacks against them. At the same time, let’s understand how America’s increasing decadence is, in a sense, giving aid and comfort to the enemy. When we tolerate increasing amounts of trash on television, when we permit pornography and gambling to invade our homes via the Internet, when we allow babies to be killed at the point of birth, we are fueling the flames of radical Islam. And when we talk about legitimizing homosexuality by granting same-sex relationships the status of marriage, we’re giving powerful ammunition to those who use America’s decadence to recruit more snipers and hijackers and suicide bombers. We’re also making it much more difficult for Christian pastors and missionaries to win the hearts and minds of Muslims around the world—one more very good reason we need to clean up our act.

Over the next few columns I’m going to be talking about the arguments Christians must make to their neighbors about how marriage must be preserved as the union of one man and one woman and why changing that definition spells disaster for us all. I hope you’ll keep reading.

You see, it’s not just about protecting marriage—or even about protecting children—important as those goals are. It’s also about protecting our country from those who would use our decadence and depravity to destroy us.

[Editor's note: See Colson's entire series of columns on “gay marriage.”]

Copyright © 2004 Prison Fellowship. Used with permission.

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