Posted on 08/18/2008 12:28:13 AM PDT by MartinaMisc
Has Ellen DeGeneres won the culture war?
Its somewhat surprising that DeGeneres daytime television show has become Republican central over the past several months, with high-profile appearances by Laura Bush, Jenna Bush and John McCain. Even more surprising: the fact that DeGeneres treated both Bushes and McCain with the utmost respect, although McCain and DeGeneres had a civil disagreement over same-sex marriage.
One cannot imagine, say, Rosie ODonnell showing any respect for McCain and the Bush ladies. DeGeneres is far more tolerantbut mere tolerance isnt the only reason DeGeneres avoids the usual Hollywood anti-Republican shtick.
DeGeneres realizes that her show is quite popular in the red states. Theres no real reason for the show not to be: its fairly innocuous stuff, free of the cultural obnoxiousness and political sloganeering that afflicts shows like The View. DeGeneres is a modest, self-effacing host, not a self-loving David Letterman type. She comes across as sunny, pleasant, optimistic, all-American.
By treating Republicans with respect, DeGeneres shows respect for a key portion of her audience. She is also, in a very subtle but very effective way, breaking down cultural barriers.
As everyone knows, DeGeneres came out of the closet in 1997, and shortly thereafter had her character on the ABC sitcom Ellen do the same. Her decision set off a national firestorm, with Jerry Falwell labeling her Ellen DeGenerate and social conservative groups calling for a boycott of ABCs parent company, the Walt Disney Co. In the spring of 1998, ABC decided to cancel Ellen, citing low ratings.
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
It is also a teaching of my church that those who teach had best teach correct doctrine. They won't like the results if they don't. Ellen shows that homosexuality can be low-key, and possibly acceptable. Charlie Manson, to mention someone cited elsewhere on this thread, was not exactly low key, and definitely not acceptable.
Homosexuality leads to death. Death of the spirit, death of the body. Homosexuality involves leading another to sin. Therefore, it is worse than murder. No, I can’t say that. It is as bad. A sin crying out to God for vengeance.
I don’t call people stupid.... and I don’t profess to understand how or why god does things.....If you want to speak for God, be my guest.
Ellen DeGeneres, America’s lesbian.
Fun isn't sinful.
You know, some people aren't jealous of sinful behavior because they know that what goes on in our minds eventually influences the way we act.
Homosexual intercourse is a vice, like being an alcoholic. Some people are born or otherwise develop a disordered relationship to booze, others with a disordered relationship to tail. Saying that homosexuality is okay is like saying that alcoholism is okay but other than opposing these vices through public discourse, there is little that can be done to stop people from engaging in them. In the end it is up to the person with the disordered relationship to decide which acts he or she will or will not commit.
Divorce is something else. Divorce is enshrined in law, encouraged by society, and has become part of our culture yet it causes far, far more misery, suffering, and destruction than do consensual sexual perversions or drug abuse. Divorce is murder the murder of a family and nothing good comes of it. In cases of physical or mental abuse and/or cruelty, I can of course understand a man or woman physically leaving his or her spouse to live a separate life but to divorce them to pretend that a valid sacramental marriage never existed is a lie and a sin. "Until death us do part" means until DEATH no matter what.
And remarriage does nothing but add polygamy to the sin.
Note that I said "valid, sacramental marriage". A "marriage" that takes place outside the sacrament of the Church (or at least outside the intention to participate in the sacrament) is no more valid than a gay wedding. The ironic fact of our society is that most "married" people in our country are likely not truly married at all. Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman in which they ask God to unite them into a single person, a single being, and in which they swear that they have become that being. Obviously, such an entity could never be broken by a mere piece of legal-sized paper: "What God has joined, let no man put asunder". But what passes for marriage these days is more like a consumer transaction than a covenant a spouse is a "purchase" made for the sake of convenience and ultimately as disposble as a refrigerator or washing machine when it fails to suit the "buyer's" desires.
In my opinion, homosexuality is nowhere near as bad for people and for society as is divorce and remarriage. I am the father to a son, and I'd much rather have him grow up to be a screaming bender than the kind of "man" who would break a vow before God and dump his woman and children like garbage. At least homos don't usually drag poor little kids into their misery.
What total unadulterated rot! The ratio of gays being pedophiles vs straights being pedophiles destroys your claim.
“...maybe homosexuality is better than murder? Others can still make their choices around homosexuals, while murders take away all choices. Which is the lesser of two evils here?”
What does that have to do with this thread? We’re talking about the mainstreaming of homosexuality/lesbianism.
You know very well what I mean. Although homosexual pedophiles exist, most gay men have no interest in children, and their backdoor antics harm no one but themselves.
Divorce frequently involves children, and causes them untold suffering. Some kids never get over it.
Divorce ruins lives.
I’ve also heard that criminality is influenced by genetics. So what? I don’t think it matters if people are born with a same sex attraction or not. Society needs to discourage homosexual/lesbian behavior because the behavior readily spreads disease (especially homosexual behavior) and it is non-reproductive. It’s not a question of “hate,” that much-beloved, all-purpose insult so readily bandied about by some of our liberal brethren. It’s a question of maintaining a healthy society. Some behavior is discouraged and some is encouraged. That will always be the case. What do we want to encourage and what will we discourage?
Unless I’ve missed something, heterosexual sexual behavior spreads a number of diseases as well. How do we deal with the question of maintaining the “healthy society” you refer to? Plus the problem of unwanted pregnancies?
My monogamous friends, gay and straight, seem to be quite healthy.
They once called Rosie O'Donnel "The Queen of Nice."
IIRC, Ellen arranged an all expense paid vacation for a Soldier and his family when he returned from Iraq.
I disagree with her life style but that was cool.
Let's hope she doesn't get stuck on stupid.
Race is 19th century pseudo-science, not reality. I don't think all the evidence is in yet on Adultery, but I do know it (or something like it) is much more prevalent in nature than the 19th century Victorians would admit. However: My church, too, teaches that active Adultery is a sin. Love the sinner, and hate the sin, is about all we have left, here, I think. I used to watch Ellen's sitcom, and quit over the same thing that bothers many others here. I've also had adulterous friends who were otherwise good people. If she had to choose a serious sin to practice, maybe adultery is better than murder? Others can still make their choices around adulterers, while murders take away all choices. Which is the lesser of two evils here?
Things get interesting when we compare sexual sins.
Should we celebrate the adulterous lifestyle? Are some "born" that way? Should we organize a "Cheating Pride" parade? If so I think DC would be the right venue.
They once called Rosie O’Donnel “The Queen of Nice.”
I know and I hope that Ellen does not end up like Rosie...Ugh!!! Two lesbians that I don’t mind (lifestyle yes, but personally no) is Ellen and Susie Ormon. I just hope that they don’t go gay agenda on us like Rosie did. I believe we might be safe from Ellen doing it since it did not go well for her before...I am worried that the press are going to make a big deal about here wedding this week, but hopefully they leave her along and she does not mention it on the show.
.
You did not post to me, but I think you may not have a direct line to God and quite frankly don’t get to speak for him.
Let’s abolish all laws against drug use, prostitution, gambling.
Truthfully those three I could live with...the others you mentioned not so much. We spend way too much money on drug enforcement and prostitution that we can’t afford.
The ratio of gays being pedophiles vs straights being pedophiles destroys your claim.
B-Chan is right. Straights are pedophiles at higher rates than homos.
I guess it blows right over your head that then the other poster said "God blah, blah, blah", they were doing the same. But wait... it get better, you are "speaking for God", by claiming that I don't. Too funny.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.