“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” – Isaiah 5:20
Those who adhere to a Biblical worldview on human sexuality have been told for years that it is partly our fault that there is a mental health crisis engulfing the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ activists have long claimed that if there was greater social acceptance and affirmation of those who identify as LGBTQ, they would experience significantly better mental health.
Newly conducted research by Amy Hamilton, Ph.D., who is a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin, has turned the belief in LGBTQ “affirmation” upside down. In her academic paper, she provides thorough evidence revealing that LGBTQ “affirmation” is a false belief.
Dr. Hamilton collected research from three different continents, which includes Australia, Europe, and the United States, and it shows that psychological distress and suicidal behavior are not improved for LGBTQ-identifying individuals from simply being in a more “accepting” environment. One of her studies actually found the opposite to be true.
One facet of Dr. Hamilton’s research showed that younger LGBTQ-identifying people experienced worse mental health in a more “affirming” environment. This research should not surprise us as we know that human flourishing is never produced by celebrating and affirming what the Scriptures call sin.
From a Biblical perspective, we are commanded to always speak the truth in love, which means that we are never to affirm lifestyles that align with what the Bible has condemned. Out of deep love for our neighbors, we are never to affirm sinful lifestyles that ultimately lead to pain and devastation, as all sin does. We are to affirm the goodness of God’s created order and the flourishing that accompanies those who live their lives according to it.
LET US PRAY…
Father, we are grateful for Your Word and how it allows us to flourish in life if we live according to it. Lord, help us to never shirk back from standing for truth in our culture. Father, please empower Americans to truly understand that contentment and satisfaction in life never come about from practicing sin. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
