In contrast to the trend of countries and states legalizing same-sex marriage, today Nigeria voted to ban same-sex marriage in their country. The bill goes much further than that, as well. It also outlaws the organization of any group supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage, and criminalizes any public show of affection between same-sex couples (10 year prison sentence). Gay sex is already banned in the country, which is common in many African countries.
May 31, 2013
Nigeria bans same-sex marriage…and more
Posted by Jason Dulle under Apologetics, Same-sex Marriage[12] Comments
Thinking to Believe 
May 31, 2013 at 3:33 pm
What do you think of this, Jason?
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May 31, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Stan,
I support their refusal to give same-sex marriage a legal foothold in their country, but I imagine you are referring to the banning of PDA between same-sex couples, the banning of advocacy groups, and the punishment of prison time for disobedience. I’m a bit split on this. My first reaction was one of amazement and disagreement. The pro-democracy part of me thinks this goes too far. People should be free to form advocacy groups and advocate for their position, even if it is wrong. I do not want to stifle people’s voices. As for PDA, the libertarian part of me thinks this goes a bit too far as well. Let people do as they please in their private lives.
But on the other hand, if homosex is morally wrong, and if both homosex and same-sex marriage are bad for society, then should Nigeria be faulted for wanting to tackle the issue at its root, rather than just tackle it at the branches? After all, once a society accepts homosexual activity as normal and moral, approval of same-sex marriage will soon follow. If they give homosexuality a foothold in every other part of their culture, then surely they cannot expect to hold back the tide when it comes to marriage.
I have to ask myself what my position would be if we currently outlawed homosex and PDA between same-sex couples in the U.S. I don’t think I would be supportive of eliminating these laws since supporting such a change would be supporting that which is immoral. But given that homosex and PDA is already legal, I do not find myself in the position of trying to repeal this. I’m more content to say the buck needs to stop with same-sex marriage. Let gay people do what they want in the privacy of their own homes, but when it comes to the public institution of marriage, it needs to remain as-is. Apart from the moral questions this raises, on a purely practical level this is what we need to do anyway. The tide has already turned against us on same-sex marriage. We need to focus our efforts there. If we can’t prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage, we surely are not going to be able to re-criminalize homosexual activity. And of course, a case can be made that it should not be criminalized anyway. While the law generally outlaws that which is immoral, it doesn’t outlaw everything that is immoral, and nor should it.
I have probably raised more questions than I have answered, and I need to give these things more thought, but this is where I am at right now. What do you think about it?
Jason
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June 1, 2013 at 5:37 am
Jason, as you I agree that this is a difficult subject to iron out in simple terms, which is why as you said you need to give it more thought.
I do as well but I believe that I am a little further along in my convictions and conclusions than you seem to be at this point.
I understand the extreme actions taken by their country. They clearly understand the spirit that drives such an orientation and the history of what happens when such immoral practices are not discouraged.
I have to commend their drive for spiritual survival and I feel for them because of the extreme wisdom needed to toe the thin line between preserving/protecting/encouraging national morality, and violating human freedoms.
We are seeing in our country what the Bible and history has already told us, if you allow that orientation to be normalized and celebrated, those so inclined will not stop at “acceptance”, the spirit that drives them will try to dominate and corrupt as many others as possible.
There is a reason that God outlawed homosexuality and placed a hard punishment on those who engaged in it. I have to side with God’s wisdom.
If you have been following the homosexual activists agenda and what the media has been very careful to hide from the public, you should be clear as to what their real goals are.
What concerns my most is the manner in which their misinformation and intimidations are so carefully covered that even many professing Christians are being persuaded that there is really no harm in supporting their agenda.
Watching the popular media talk show hosts who are pro-homosexual or homosexual, strategically set up and demonize their Christian celebrity guests and others who do not support that orientation, that go on their programs unprepared to deal effectively with their trick questions and sly comments is disappointing.
See a good example here:
http://newschristianview.weebly.com/youtube-and-commentary.html
It is not that intelligent and well articulated arguments are not being made against homosexuality and same sex marriage, but that it is being kept from the public and students.
Fairness, Accuracy & Honesty in Discussing Homosexuality and Marriage – Lynne Marie Kohm, Mark A. Yarhouse
Click to access Vol.%2014,%20No.%202,%202%20Kohm.pdf
For those interested, these are two great links to help bring you up to speed on these thing. Hope they are a blessing of edification and information to you.
http://www.regent.edu/acad/schlaw/student_life/studentorgs/lawreview/onlineissues/v14n2.cfm
http://drjudithreisman.org/archives/2009/03/watch_videos_on.html
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June 1, 2013 at 5:52 am
Hey Jason, please give me a call when you have a moment to talk. like 10 minutes. Hope all is well. Much love to the family Danzil 516-810-9949
________________________________
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June 2, 2013 at 12:00 am
What do we know about Nigeria? It is the Scam Capital of the world.
It has one military coup after another.
The Boko Haram islamists demand Sharia Law .
Its followers are said to be influenced by the Koranic phrase which says: “Anyone who is not governed by what Allah has revealed is among the transgressors”.
Muslims execute homosexuals.
The group’s official name is Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad”.
But residents in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, where the group had its headquarters, dubbed it Boko Haram.
Loosely translated from the local Hausa language, this means “Western education is forbidden”.
Boko originally means fake but came to signify Western education, while haram means forbidden.
Boko Haram’s trademark has been the use of gunmen on motorbikes, killing police, politicians and anyone who criticises it, including clerics from other Muslim traditions and a Christian preacher.
The group has also staged several more audacious attacks in different parts of northern Nigeria, showing that it is establishing a presence across the region and fuelling tension between Muslims and Christians.
These include the 2011 Christmas Day bombings on the outskirts of Abuja and in the north-eastern city of Damaturu, a 2010 New Year’s Eve attack on a military barracks in Abuja, several explosions around the time of President Goodluck Jonathan’s inauguration in May 2011, followed by the bombing of the police headquarters and the UN headquarters in Abuja.
In a 15-minute video posted on YouTube, the group’s leader Abubakar Shekau defended the group’s targeting of Christians, saying this was revenge for previous attacks on Muslims.
The bill has been condemned by campaigners who say that it will encourage other nations to follow suit and increase or introduce stringent jail terms for homosexuals.
The London-based gay rights charity, the Kaleidoscope Trust, has called on President Jonathan not to sign the proposed new laws into force.
The UK has threatened to stop aid to nations that discriminate against gay people, however, the money given to the west African country is minimal.
The charity’s director of faith and social development, Reverend Ijeoma Ajibade, said: “This legislation denies LGBT Nigerians their fundamental rights. By claiming it is about outlawing same-sex marriage, the parliament is deliberately misleading people.
“Not a single group in my home country has asked for gay marriage. They ask only for the same rights to freedom from discrimination, personal liberty, human dignity and privacy that all Nigerians are entitled to under the constitution.”
Across the African continent, many countries already have made homosexuality punishable by jail sentences.
Ugandan legislators introduced a bill that would impose the death penalty for some gays and lesbians, though it was amended in November to remove the threat of execution.
Even in South Africa, the one country where gays can marry, lesbians have been brutally attacked and murdered in so-called “corrective rapes.”
Anyone who supports this country’s decision to put gays in jail for being gay has rocks in their head and shows just how out of touch people are who cannot get past their own mindset their ancestors indoctrinated them with against certain minority class peoples AND WOULD OSTRACIZE and kill other human beings in the name or religious insanity by creating an uncivilized Caste System for Modernity.
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June 4, 2013 at 4:20 am
Nigeria, nor any other nation, should be held up to the standard of US democracy. They are a sovereign nation with the right to self-rule. It’s apples and oranges, here.
Just because they limit freedoms and enforce policies that may seem un-palatable to Western sensibilities, doesn’t mean they have broken some universal moral code.
In fact, for the good of the whole Nigerian society, the laws they have enacted may actually do more good for them as a nation in the long run. We should not judge prematurely.
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June 28, 2013 at 6:54 pm
I am sorry that’s all you know about Nigeria, littleleothetruthfairey. As a Nigerian living in the US, I must beg to disagree. Your characterization of 180 million people is absurd at best, and ignorantly racist at worst. The country is sharply divided into a northern Muslim and southern Christian parts. Thus, there is no Muslim law in half of the country. Also, there are scam artists everywhere and America’s very own Madoff still takes the cake for successful scams. Why not do some much needed reading?
P.s. Thank you Jason Dulles for your blog and website. I have been voraciously devouring its spiritual content as an agnostic who recently turned Christian. God bless and keep you.
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June 29, 2013 at 10:54 am
Patrick:
I would say I know quite a bit abut Nigeria.
An agnostic is a wannabee believer sitting on the fence about what supernatural god myth to believe in, just in case. lol What part of ghost don’t you know about? What part of Leprechaun don’t you believe in? Which Pasghetti Monster don’t you accept? hahahahaha. OMG, if there was one: What part of Darkness do you think might exist that prevents you from admitting it does not? In case I said that too fast; we are past masters at complicating the issue because “NOTHING” turns us on!
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July 1, 2013 at 2:48 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/court-wins-draw-big-crowds-gay-pride-parades-002804140.html
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gay rights supporters crowded parade routes in San Francisco, New York and other major U.S. cities to celebrate what once was unimaginable — two Supreme Court victories on same-sex marriage.
The high court gave celebrants one more reason to cheer Sunday when Justice Anthony Kennedy rejected a last-ditch effort by opponents to stop gay marriages in California.
Among the thousands at San Francisco’s event, now in its 43rd year, were scores of teenage girls, opposite-sex couples and families with children.
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August 25, 2013 at 7:13 pm
Leo,
May I talk with you off this forum? If you would be willing, just let me know and you or I will trade emails. Blessings
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August 25, 2013 at 8:56 pm
Deb:
I am not in the habit of giving out my email however there is a way we can chat off this forum. I have a channel page at the following link. You reach me there to chat.
Thanks
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August 25, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Deb:
Or you can go to YouTube.com and search for
“MY SPIRIT WILL LINK TO YOUR SPIRIT”
Click on the video channel that pops up and you will be linked to my channel.to my channel
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