Transcript Sample - Point of Power

DEADLY DESIRES
A Study of Homosexuality
By Rev. Richard D. Starr
Lesson Five—The Change
A TRUE STORY
What would you do if a friend of yours engaged in behavior
that would inevitably result in the following?
 A significantly decreased likelihood of establishing or
preserving a successful marriage
 A five- to ten-year decrease in life expectancy
 Chronic, potentially fatal, liver disease—hepatitis
 Inevitably fatal esophageal cancer
 Pneumonia
 Internal bleeding
 Serious mental disabilities, many of which are irreversible
 A much higher than usual incidence of suicide
 A very low likelihood that its adverse effects can be
eliminated unless the condition itself is eliminated
 An only 30 percent likelihood of being eliminated through
lengthy, often costly, and very time-consuming
treatment…
You should also know that while genetics
may play a role, the condition is caused by
behavior. Even though the condition is
destructive, people choose to continue the
behavior. Many people with the condition
deny that they have a problem and resist
all attempts to help them change. Often
people with the condition socialize almost
exclusively with others engaging in the
behavior. If a loved one or someone you
care deeply about was caught in such
destructive behavior, what would you do?
Would it help you to know that
the condition described above is
alcoholism? Wouldn’t you do
everything you could to help the
person eliminate this behavior
from his or her life? Wouldn’t
you do everything you could to
help the person make healthy
lifestyle choices?
What would you do for a loved one or friend with this
list of similar problems?
 A significantly decreased likelihood of establishing or
preserving a successful marriage
 A twenty-five to thirty-year decrease in life
expectancy
 Chronic, potentially fatal, liver disease—infectious
hepatitis, which increases the risk of liver cancer
 Inevitably fatal immune disease including associated
cancers
 Frequently fatal rectal cancer
 Multiple bowel and other infectious diseases
 A much higher than usual incidence of suicide
 A very low likelihood that its adverse effects can be
eliminated unless the condition itself is
 An at least 50 percent likelihood of being eliminated
through lengthy, often costly, and very timeconsuming treatment…
You should also know that while genetics
may play a role, the condition is caused by
behavior. Even though the condition is
destructive, people choose to continue the
behavior. Many people with the condition
deny that they have a problem and resist all
attempts to help them change. Often
people with the condition socialize almost
exclusively with others engaging in the
behavior. If a loved one or someone you
care deeply about was caught in such
destructive behavior, what would you do?
This condition is
homosexuality. You can
see the striking
similarities between the
two conditions, both of
which have their root
cause in the individual’s
choice of behavior.