In 1998, in the remote town of Laramie, Wyoming, a student named Matthew Shepard was beaten to death by two local boys. Since that horrific crime, many groups have used this as proof that homophobia in the United States is out of control. This included the famous play "The Laramie Project", showcased in high schools across the country. In response to this outrage over a brutal act whose root cause was popularly attributed to antigay feelings, many (including some close to the killers) claimed it was not because of homophobia, but drug-induced aggression and potentially social class difference.

Deemed an extemist position for years, recently the mainstream news organization ABC News had a major report in which several people involved in the case denounced the notion that Shepard being homosexual had anything to do with it. Access to that report by ABC can be found below:

New Details Emerge in Matthew Shepard Murder

However this report is already garnering constructive criticism, especially for its reliance on individuals whose credibility has already been challenged. Regardless of how accurate the ABC News report was, let's step back and take note of a few things.

For one, its not as though conservative Christian leadership considers the murder to be a good thing. Robert H. Knight, director of cultural studies at the Family Research Council said, "The perpetrators of this crime should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

Randy Tate, executive director of the Christian Coalition, remarked, "Christian Coalition and people of faith throughout the nation condemn in the strongest terms the vicious and barbaric attack on Matthew Shepard which resulted in his death...There should be zero toleration in a civilized society for people who commit such acts of senseless violence. In this country all murder is a hate crime."

Really it does not matter if Matthew Shepard was killed because he was gay or not. If he was killed because he was gay, his murderers were successfully prosecuted by the law and currently are still serving their terms. Shepard being killed for his sexual orientation does not give evidence for the existence of the gay gene, nor does it offer legal proof to decriminalize sodomy or institute gay marriage.

If the reason for his murder had nothing to do with his sexual orientation, so what? It is not as though others have not been harrassed, assualted, or killed because they were homosexual. This should not be a revelation, as every group has had some member or members be killed for being who they are, be it Christians, Jews, Muslims, human rights activists, radicals, reactionaries, and others. Homophobia exists, whether or not Matthew Shepard was killed because of his orientation.

A commonly accepted view in religiously conservative circles is that the practice of masturbation is a sin. Until the 20th century it was even considered a psychological disorder. However, the realization that neither of these assessments are true is catching on, in particular by the fundamentalist Christian organization Focus on the Family. The following are excerpts from their website, found in full here:.

"First, let's consider masturbation from a medical perspective. We can say without fear of contradiction that there is no scientific evidence to indicate that this act is harmful to the body. Despite terrifying warnings given to young people historically, it does not cause blindness, weakness, mental retardation, or any other physical problem. If it did, the entire male population and about half of females would be blind, weak, simpleminded, and sick."

"As for the spiritual implications of masturbation, I will have to defer to the theologians for a more definitive response. It is interesting to me, however, that Scripture does not address this subject except for a single reference in the Old Testament to a man named Onan. He interrupted sexual intercourse with his sister-in-law and allowed his semen to fall on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother, which was his "duty" (Genesis 38:8). Though that verse is often cited as evidence of God's disapproval of masturbation, the context doesn't seem to fit."

There are plenty of studies indicating that marriages benefit from spirituality. A recently released report on the connection between strong marriages and church attendence was covered in a story by yours truly and can be found here.

However, the evangelical The Barna Group of Ventura, California nevertheless reports that born again Christians still have a problem with divorce, namely that they committ it so often. Below are some exerpts from the article from the Barna Group website about what they found with the URL found afterwards.

"Recent legislation, lawsuits and public demonstrations over the legality of gay marriage are just one battlefront regarding the institution of marriage. A new study released by The Barna Group, of Ventura, California, shows that the likelihood of married adults getting divorced is identical among born again Christians and those who are not born again. The study also cited attitudinal data showing that most Americans reject the notion that divorce is a sin."

"Although many Christian churches attempt to dissuade congregants from getting a divorce, the research confirmed a finding identified by Barna a decade ago (and further confirmed through tracking studies conducted each year since): born again Christians have the same likelihood of divorce as do non-Christians."

"Born Again Christians Just As Likely to Divorce As Are Non-Christians", The Barna Group of Ventura, California, September 8th, AD 2004, found at http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=170, accessed September 12th, AD 2008.

The study mentioned above does show an example of a homosexual community suffering from lower than average life expectancies in an area largely if not completely devoid of homophobia. Taken with other studies done elsewhere, the numbers show that homosexuality is comorbid with mental and physical health problems. This entry is meant to show that the researchers themselves objected to this thesis, as they note in a letter to the editor. Quotes from the letter are found below with citation and a link at the end.