For children ages five to eight (kindergarten to second
grade):
• Some people are homosexual, which means they can be
attracted to and fall in love with someone of the same
gender. (p. 29)
• Love means having deep and warm feelings about
oneself and others. (p. 36)
• Many people live in lifetime committed relationships,
even though they may not be legally married. (p. 39)
• People who are married or committed to each other
may get divorced or break up if they decide they do not
want to be together anymore. (p. 39)
• Touching and rubbing one’s own genitals to feel good is
called masturbation. (p. 51)
• Some boys and girls masturbate, and others do not.
(p. 52)
• Some people may expect or demand that boys and girls
behave in certain ways, but this is beginning to change.
(p. 72)
For children ages nine to twelve (third to sixth grade):
• Sexual orientation is just one part of who a person is.
(p. 29)
• People of all sexual orientations can have relationships
that are equally fulfilling. (p. 29)
• Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of
being male, female, or a combination of these. (p. 31)
• Children may have a mother, a mother and a father,
two mothers, two fathers, or any other combination of
adults who love and care for them. (p. 34)
• Sexual feelings, fantasies, and desires are natural. (p. 51)
• Many boys and girls begin to masturbate for sexual
pleasure during puberty. (p. 52)
• The belief that all people of the same gender should
behave the same way is called a stereotype. (p. 72)
For children ages twelve to fifteen (seventh to eighth
grade):
• Many scientific theories have concluded that sexual
orientation cannot be changed by therapy or medicine.
(p. 30)
• There are organizations that offer support services,
hotlines, and resources for young people who want to
talk about sexual orientation. (p. 30)
• Some Internet sites offer gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
heterosexual individuals the opportunity to join a
community and find friendship and support. (p. 30)
• The origin of people’s gender identity is not known.
(p. 31)
• Some transgender individuals may take hormones or
have surgery to alter their bodies to better match their
gender identity. (p. 31)
• Marriage is a legal contract between two people and the
state. (p. 39)
• Two people who live together without being married
can have the same commitment and responsibility
toward one another as married people. (p. 39)
• Some agencies specialize in working with young people
and provide services for teenagers that do not require
parental permission, are confidential, and cost little to
no money. (p. 49)
• There are many ways to give and receive sexual pleasure
without having intercourse. (p. 54)
• In most states, young people can get prescriptions for
contraception without their parents’ permission. (p. 59)
• Individuals should be allowed to make their own choic-
es about appropriate roles for themselves as men and
women. (p. 72)
For children ages fifteen to eighteen (ninth to twelfth
grade):
• Sexual orientation is determined by a combination of
a person’s attractions, fantasies, and sexual behaviors.
(p. 30)
• A person may accept his/her family’s values and not
always agree with all of them. (p. 43)
• Communication about sexual feelings, desires, and
boundaries can improve sexual relationships. (p. 46)
• Many teenagers have had sexual intercourse, and many
have not. (p. 54)
• Some people use erotic photographs, movies, art, liter-
ature, or the Internet to enhance their sexual fantasies
when alone or with a partner. (p. 56)
• Emergency contraception is a high dose of birth control
pills that when taken shortly after vaginal intercourse
can prevent pregnancy. (p. 60)
• Gender role stereotypes are harmful to both men and
women. (p. 73)
These guidelines should trouble Christians at every age
level. First, they contradict the Bible and often teach the
opposite of what God instructs in His Word. Children are
being taught an erroneous definition of marriage, a faulty
understanding of who may marry whom, and an unbiblical
view on the roles of men and women in marriage. Children
are encouraged to explore sexual desires at very young ages
and given damaging guidance about gender identity, abor-
tion, homosexuality, cohabitation, and divorce.
Second, these guidelines encourage certain behaviors
and plant ideas in children’s minds while suggesting certain
behaviors are normal and good. The statements are subtle,
but many of them equate to an immoral how-to manual.
They imply that young people can and should use porn,
touch themselves for pleasure, take emergency contracep-
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