A Guide for Parents: When a Loved One Says, “I’m Gay.”

1 CommentHomosexuality,

TV-Kit6Recently we have highlighted a number of resources on our website that are courtesy of our friends at Focus on the Family. These resources are available for you, your family, and your church, and they are designed to equip you to respond to today’s culture.

Our friends at Focus recently released a guide geared toward parents. It deals with how to respond when a loved one tells you, “I’m gay.” Jeff Johnston with Focus on the Family writes,

A 2015 study from the United Kingdom found that almost half of the 18-to-24-year-olds surveyed do not identify as ‘heterosexual.’ That’s right; 49 percent of the young adults in the poll placed themselves somewhere on the scale where homosexuality was an option. Another study by the same group found that in the U.S., almost one-third of young Americans don’t define themselves as ‘100-percent heterosexual.’

We live in a time where ‘sexual fluidity’ and the celebration of homosexuality are commonplace.

Johnston goes on to offer input and pointers on responding to family members who identify themselves as gay in a manner that is loving without compromising biblical truth.

You can download this new guide here.

You can also check out a number of similar guides on our Resources For Your Church and Family page.

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Poverty Levels Above Average in AR, OK, MS Counties with Casinos

1 CommentGambling,

According a news story published by KARK this week, counties in Arkansas and Oklahoma that have casino-style gambling also have above-average percentages of their populations living below the poverty line.

According to KARK, 19% of Arkansans live below the poverty line, but in Garland County–where Oaklawn is located–22% of the population lives below the poverty line, and in Crittenden County–where Southland is located–the number is even higher, at 24%.

Correspondingly, in Oklahoma–where a number of Indian tribes operate casinos–17% of the state’s residents live below the poverty line. In Ottawa and Comanche counties, however, the percentages of residents living in poverty are much higher.

This corresponds with research we did on counties with casinos in Mississippi. We compared Arkansas counties on the west bank of the Mississippi River with Mississippi counties on the east bank of the Mississippi River.

We found that casino gambling does not appears to be effective at lifting communities out of poverty.

Here is a breakdown of our findings:

  • Thirty percent of the population of Tunica County, Mississippi, lives in poverty; across the river, in Lee County, Arkansas, 31.5% of the population lives in poverty–virtually a tie, despite the fact Tunica County has nine casinos.
  • In Coahoma County, Mississippi, 38% of the population lives in poverty. In neighboring Phillips County, Arkansas, 33.5% lives in poverty. Despite having a casino, Coahoma County has more impoverished residents than Phillips County does.
  • In Washington County, Mississippi, 29% of the population lives in poverty. Across the river, in Chicot County, Arkansas 33% of the population lives in poverty.

Here’s the kicker: The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 22.7% of the population of Mississippi lives below the poverty line. That means even a place like Washington County, Mississippi–which has two casinos and the lowest poverty levels of any Mississippi county we reviewed–still has an inordinate number of citizens living below the poverty line.

If casino gambling is an economic boon, where’s the evidence? If gambling bolsters the local economy, provides jobs, generates revenue, and so forth as its proponents claim, why are the poverty levels so high in these counties that have casino-style gambling?

If we’re going to build a better economic future in our communities, casino gambling simply does not seem like the way to do it.

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Marijuana Polling Not Reflective of Opinions on Ballot Proposals

Marijuana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 5, 2015

On Thursday Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement regarding new polling on the issue of marijuana in Arkansas.

“Yesterday the University of Arkansas released statistics showing a majority of likely voters support letting a patient use marijuana if approved by their medical doctor. However, many people are incorrectly concluding this somehow shows Arkansans favor any of the marijuana proposals vying for a spot on the 2016 ballot,” Cox said.

“In 2012 only forty-three percent of Arkansans said they supported the ballot proposal by Arkansans for Compassionate Care. That’s because that ballot proposal did a lot more than simply let sick people use marijuana under their doctor’s supervision. It opened marijuana stores in Arkansas; it let people grow marijuana at home; it did not dispense marijuana through a pharmacy; and it stripped local communities of the ability to regulate marijuana.

“The 2016 proposal being offered by Arkansans for Compassionate Care is no different. It opens venues in Arkansas where marijuana will be sold. It lets patients who live more than twenty miles from one of these marijuana stores grow and use marijuana at home. Patients don’t have to have an official prescription from a doctor to use marijuana. The marijuana is not dispensed through a pharmacy. And cities and counties can’t regulate marijuana cultivation and use; at best, they can enact zoning regulations and limit the number of marijuana stores in the community.

“Sixty-eight percent of likely voters might approve simply letting a sick person use marijuana if their doctor agrees. However, far fewer Arkansans support letting people grow marijuana at home; opening marijuana stores in their communities; and stripping local governments of the ability to regulate marijuana cultivation, sale, and use in any meaningful sense.

“The most important poll taken on this issue occurred in 2012. Arkansans rejected marijuana at the ballot box then. This latest poll is so narrow that it fails to prove they would vote any differently today.”

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