Posted on 10/13/2003 5:28:08 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback
This week, October 12 through 18, has been designated Marriage Protection Week by the president. A coalition of Christians and conservatives is using this week to explain to our society how marriage is being threatened and why we must protect it.
The urgency of this issue cannot be overstated. This summer, a Canadian court ruled that Canada's ban on homosexual "marriage" was unconstitutional. Since then, the city of Toronto has issued 757 marriage licenses to same-sex couples. One-third of those couples were from the United States.
Three weeks after the Canadian court decision, in LAWRENCE V. TEXAS, the United States Supreme Court ruled Texas's law against sodomy unconstitutional. Homosexual advocates were ecstatic about the decision, claiming that it would lead to the legalization of same-sex "marriage" here in the United States.
I agree. That was a terrible court decision. And I think it will lead, eventually, to the legalization of much more: polygamy, incest, pedophilia, and even bestiality. As Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in his dissent, the decision in LAWRENCE V. TEXAS "effectively decrees the end of all morals legislation."
Furthermore, we're fighting this battle in a culture whose understanding of marriage has been steadily eroding for years. A Gallup poll shows that 40 percent of Americans believe that same-sex "marriages" should be legalized.
How are Christians to make the case for marriage to such a society? We need to remember the biblical injunction to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Although our worldview is grounded in biblical presuppositions, we cannot frame our arguments to a secular society in those terms. If we simply say to people, "The Bible says this is wrong," they'll come right back with, "That's fine for you, but we don't believe the Bible. So you do what you want to do, and we'll do what we want."
Instead, we have to show them why same-sex "marriage" is wrong for everyone. As Professor J. Budziszewski of the University of Texas puts it, it's an "oxymoron." Therefore, it must not be legalized. We have to work from an understanding of the natural order, which is clear to anyone who actually observes human relationships and how they work. In his excellent book THE CLASH OF ORTHODOXIES, Princeton professor Robert George explains that marriage is consummated by an act that is reproductive in nature, whether or not it actually leads to the birth of a child. And it creates an organic unity that homosexual acts do not and cannot.
And that's not even considering the fact that life expectancy for homosexual males is twenty to thirty years less than that for heterosexual males, according to several studies. We should not be urging our government to sanction a practice that is so destructive to the health of the individual and society. And these are good, strong arguments based on the common good.
I urge you to call us at BreakPoint (1-877-322-5527) to learn more about this grievous threat to marriage. We want to send you some very good resources, including a CD featuring discussions with both Robert George and J. Budziszewski on same-sex "marriage"; information on the health risks of homosexuality; and much more. Make no mistake, the future of our society is at stake; this is a battle in which every Christian needs to get involved.
I'll have to mention this to my friend Kelly when she gets married on Saturday.
And that's not even considering the fact that life expectancy for homosexual males is twenty to thirty years less than that for heterosexual males, according to several studies.
The suicide rate among gay men is six times higher than the rate for the general population in the same age groups. The domestic violence rate and substance abuse rates are also dramatically higher among gays and lesbians.
It should be clear to all conservatives by now that the left intends to demonize us. They don't just disagree with us, they hate us. And worse, they want to get other people to hate us.
Places like Free Republic drive the left batty.
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(Carles Colson is himself openly anti-divorce, which seems to be rare in his ilk nowadays).
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