For the first time, a new poll shows more Americans "strongly support" same-sex marriage than "strongly oppose" it, a finding that could be attributed to changes occurring within organized religions, says a Presbyterian elder and lay preacher.

"For 2,000 years, religion has been the genesis of antipathy toward homosexuals, but now, three major American denominations have approved ordination of openly gay clergy," says Paul Hartman, a retired PBS/NPR station executive and author of The Kairos (www.CarpeKairos.com), a novel that imagines Jesus as gay.

"Gay has become the civil rights issue of the 21st century," he says.

The May survey of more than 1,000 adults found a dramatic reversal from earlier surveys: more adults now "strongly support" same-sex marriage rights (39 percent) than "strongly oppose" them (32 percent).  Over all, Langer Research Associates says, 53 percent of Americans believe same-sex marriages should be legalized - up from only 36 percent just six years ago.

"Episcopalian, Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations have overturned centuries of tradition in welcoming openly gay clergy," Hartman says. "There's a growing realization that religion can and should help lead us all toward a more mature understanding and acceptance of minority sexual orientations."

In 2012, he says, there is a new human rights landscape in the United States. He cites these additional recent developments:

• The U.S. military joined 43 other countries when it repealed "Don't ask, don't tell" and allowed openly-gay service members.

• Same-sex marriages are now legal in six states and the District of Columbia. Three other states -- Washington, Maryland and California -- have same-sex marriage under active consideration. Eleven more offer "civil union"-type status for same-sex couples.

• A federal appeals court in Boston recently struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (which defines marriage as "one man, one woman"), making consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court almost certain.

• Dr. Robert Spitzer, one of the last nationally-respected scholars whose studies lent credence to "gay reparative" therapies, recently offered a retraction and apology to the gay community.

"Unfortunately, the occasionally hateful crowd still resonates with a very small group of people, including those headed by preacher Fred Phelps and congregants, who continue to make news as they picket the funerals of soldiers and celebrities," Hartman says.

Western cultures' condemnation of same-sex love appears to have originated from Judeo-Christian scriptures, but contemporary biblical scholarship amends old interpretations, he says.

"That's why I wanted to tell a religion-based suspense story about homophobia," Hartman says. "It addresses fear of all kinds, because in passage after biblical passage, scripture tells humans who are facing change, sickness, alienation, death, and everything else: 'fear not.'  It applies to homophobia, as well."

About Paul Hartman

Paul Hartman is a retired PBS/NPR station executive with a passion for biblical history. He is a Presbyterian elder, a lay preacher and a Dead Sea Scrolls aficionado. Hartman, a father and grandfather, confesses he is a lifelong fear-fighter.

Most adults of a certain age believe they've had some colorful jobs. Chances are likely, however, that Bethany Mooradian has them beat.

"I began finding random jobs after receiving my degree in puppetry because I realized that most puppeteers don't make that much money," says Mooradian, author of I Got Scammed So You Don't Have To (www.QueenOfTheRandomJob.com), a how-to book for finding legit work in an economy of scammers. "At one point, I was even Ronald McDonald's bodyguard."

Beginning in 1999, in order to make ends meet while pursuing her artistic passions, she looked for odd jobs. It wasn't long before the search for and execution of odd jobs became a lifestyle. She gave so much advice to her friends on how not to be scammed, that she decided to write a book about it.

Mooradian came up with an acronym to help as a general outline to avoid scams: SCRAM. S = scrutinize the source; C = check for affiliate links and fees; R = research the heck out of every detail; A = ask for more information; M = mouse over images and links to see what website you end on before you click.

"I was scammed in a work-at-home gig from a magazine ad when I was young and naïve," she says. "It was before the internet was widely used, so it wasn't as easy to check it out, and I hadn't yet developed my SCRAM method."

While the odd, random job or source of supplemental income usually does not replace the income of a fulltime job, there are several ways of making money people often overlook, or simply don't know about.

Mooradian emphasizes that anyone can find extra ways to earn income from what they already know how to do, "No one ever goes to college to learn how to 'work at home.' It's simply a matter of taking your skill set and translating that into a home-office or flexible work environment instead of a 9-5 job."  Here are five income opportunities most people are not aware of.

• Being a Virtual Assistant: If you have computer and internet skills, you can work as a VA doing general secretarial work, or processing orders for large-name corporations at home. Many companies are seeing the benefit of "homesourcing" instead of "outsourcing" because overhead is reduced, and customers get to speak to local operators who understand the language and culture.

• Merchandising: Have you ever walked up to someone shelving products in a store to ask for help and they reply, "I'm sorry, I don't work here?" Those are merchandisers. They're hired to set up displays, check prices on items, and shelve products like magazines, food items, and greeting cards. Merchandisers have specific locations to service, but with fairly flexible hours.

• Landlord (rent that extra space!): Many people own property because they want their personal freedom. But for those who've fallen on hard financial times, like millions of Americans, finding a good, trustworthy person to rent your extra room, a storage space, garage, or a parking space is a great option.

• Mystery shopper: Mooradian has created a video and book training course on this topic titled "The Mystery Shopper Training Program," which can be found on her website, as well as through Amazon.com and local bookstores. Mystery shoppers are paid to surreptitiously check out the behavior of employees in retail shops, bars, restaurants, apartment buildings, car dealerships, banks, and even on cruise ships and travel resorts.

• Use your talent: You don't have to have movie-star aspirations to get work as an extra in movies, television shows or industrial/training films. Many times you can call up your local film board to find casting directors in the area to get on their "extra" list. Voiceover work can also be done from the comfort of your home if you have a powerful enough microphone, and you can also be a "standardized patient" acting out diseases to help medical students with their board exams.

"The internet is full of information, but finding useful leads for jobs or making extra money can be like searching for a needle in the proverbial haystack, which is why I provide over 300 legitimate companies, ideas, and resources for money-seekers," she says.

About Bethany Mooradian

For 13 years Bethany Mooradian has lived the random-job lifestyle, including everything from being a puppeteer, dog walker and art gallery owner to actor, sexual health resource clinic advisor and parade float fabricator to elderly caregiver, phone book deliverer, mystery shopper, virtual assistant and more. The "Queen of the Random Job" has written books, created training programs, and teaches classes in both Seattle and online to assist others looking for ways to make ends meet.

I remember when the Internet first gained prominence and it became apparent that having a Web site was essential for any commercial enterprise.

Back then, Web designers were not plentiful and few people thought to hire a professional to create a Web site. They felt that ANY Web presence was better than none at all, and they found people they knew to help them who were "into the whole Internet thing."

As a PR professional, when I would see a Web site that didn't represent people well or looked amateurish, I'd ask who created it. Invariably, I'd get answers like, "My nephew did it," or "I bought Web Design for Dummies and did it myself," or "My son has a friend who just graduated with a degree in computer science."  While those days have passed for Web sites, I'm afraid I am seeing the same thing happen with regard to social media.

As social media has become a serious part of the foundation of the media in general, some people regard it the same way as they used to regard Web sites - as something that's a good addition to their marketing tactics, but not so essential that they need to approach it with a professional sensibility. As with any marketing outreach, social media done badly will actually set you back instead of move you forward. Here are some ways to know if you are taking the right approach or heading down the wrong path:

• My Daughter Does That For Me - If your daughter is a college graduate with a broad-based education that includes a degree in mass communications, I'd say you may be on the right track. However, if she's 18 and her primary qualification is that she has Twitter and Facebook accounts, I'd say you need to reevaluate your choice of marketing personnel here. Just because she's your daughter and can use Facebook and Twitter, doesn't mean she has the skills necessary to market a business using social media.

• I Hired a College Intern - While college students may be part of the social media generation, it doesn't automatically qualify them to do social media for you. Unlike traditional media, which is a communication to a broad audience, social media is one-to-one marketing outreach. You are communicating directly to individuals and anyone who has ever posted an opinion in an Internet forum knows the online audience is not to be trifled with. Understand that your reputation is on the line. With the variety of questions and comments you will receive, it is critical that they're handled with care and professionalism to avoid any repercussions to your name and brand. A social media marketing professional is an astute communicator who ensures each time the right tone, caring and message is delivered for maximum return and keeps your audience engaged. This dynamic is crucial for the success of the program.

• I Got 11 New Followers on Twitter This Week - Of course, building followers is important, but you'll never make a social media campaign work with the onesy-twosy approach. For myself, my company and our social media clients, we have a monthly benchmark for building followers. Now, this benchmark is not a gross number, but a net figure after we have weeded out spammers, chronic friend adders, and marriage proposals from men in foreign countries, and yes, I've gotten a few of those.

At the end of the day, social media is serious business.  Do it right and you can create a base of thousands of followers.  Do it wrong and you'll have spent a lot of time and energy, spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast.  More importantly, you'll end up thinking that social media marketing is a complete waste of time, when in fact in today's world it is one of the most critical and fundamental components for any marketing strategy, which every company needs to put in place.

Here's to your successful social media journey.

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 22-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. She also co-hosts "The News and Experts Radio Show with Alex and Marsha" on Sirius/XM Channel 131 on Saturdays at 5:00 PM EST.

A recent rash of news stories highlights the positive in society's youngest members: "Child Saves Kids from Bus Crash;" "Child Saves His Brother from Possible Abduction;" "Child Saves Family from House Fire."

But all too often, the news involving children indicates a dangerous lack of morality: 7- and 8-year-olds stealing cars; a 9-year-old's recent shooting of a school classmate; a 12-year-old charged with armed robbery. A particularly bad one nearly 20 years ago shocked sisters Debbie Burns and Patty Cockrell. Two 10-year-old truants abducted a toddler in England, tortured the little boy and beat him to death.

It prompted the women to begin work on Tukie Tales: A New Beginning for a Better Tomorrow (www.tukietales.com), a series of five children's books designed to help parents teach young children important values.

"There is something especially senseless in reading about small children committing sadistic crimes," Burns says. "We wanted to be part of a 'positive push' in the right direction."

The younger the child, the more impressionable they are, she says. We wanted to help busy parents scrambling to make ends meet teach children empathy, compassion, environmental awareness and other values.

"I don't think parents are bad," she says. "But with all the economic worries, the job losses and home foreclosures, many are focused on working and worrying. It's hard to also be thinking, 'What value will I teach my child today?' "

Burns and Cockrell offer tips for parents to help positively shape children:

• Promote a love for nature: Are your kids outdoors much? Parents who are busying shuttling their sons and daughters from one building to another may overlook the benefits of the great outdoors. Wilderness, however, has a therapeutic effect on indoor dwellers. Spending time in nature also helps children learn about their place in the world and the value of all the life that shares space with us.

• Show the value of teamwork: Working together toward a common goal doesn't always come naturally to children - or adults. Many youngsters learn teamwork through sports, which is good but almost always includes a competitive element. It's important for children to experience the added benefits of creating, problem-solving and getting chores done as a team. Parents should look for opportunities to point out their children's great teamwork.

• Make sure they appreciate safety: No good parent wants to unnecessarily frighten their children, but carelessness leads to bad habits, injuries and opportunities for others to do them harm. The best medicine for any problem is prevention. Remember: Don't take for granted that your young child knows what's safe and what's not. Some years ago, someone taught you that stoves can burn your hand - even though you can't remember who or when it was.

• Build their confidence with at least one skill: Remember what it's like to be 4 years old? Very young children come into this world with no previous experience, which means their brains are hungry for know-how. Knowledge and skills to a child are like water for a thirsty man in the desert.

• Kindness counts: It is one thing to teach kids the old idiom that one catches more flies with honey than with vinegar. But children should also know that people who make kindness a habit tend to be happier; there is an inherent joy in helping others.

"I understand parents are busy earning a living to support their children," Cockrell says. "But who you raise in the process makes all the difference to the future world."

About Debbie Burns & Patty Cockrell