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Showing posts with the label Defense of Marriage Act

5 reasons why marriage still matters to you

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A small group of USA judges took it upon themselves to redefine historic marriage on behalf of millions of people. Whu gave them that right?  In light of these developments, many Christians are wondering if the struggle to preserve marriage is worth it.  “What’s the use?” they ask.  If you’re wondering why this battle is still important, here are five reasons why marriage still matters – and why it matters to you: 1. Marriage as defined by God has not changed.  Ideologies come and go.  Cultural customs can – and do – change.  Societies can decline and descend into depravity.  As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia reminded us, “Societies can rot as well as ripen.”  But God’s Truth and God’s standard remain unchanged. 2. If same-sex “marriage” is now legalized, the religious freedom of your church and your pastor is threatened.  We have seen this in other countries that are further down the road to redefining marriage.  In Sweden, a pastor was convicted of a

Pro-LGBT Clinton previously defended marriage as ‘sacred bond’ of man and woman

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Hillary Clinton in Hampton, NH (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Like the Democratic U.S. president she is trying to succeed, Hillary Clinton has done a 180-degree U-turn on the legalization of homosexual “marriage”—going from a religious-minded foe of genderless “marriage” in 2000 to a fervent crusader for it today as a supposed “constitutional right.” Most ominously in a post- Obergefell   America that is increasingly hostile to citizens who do not wish to participate in or validate same-sex “marriage,” Hillary Clinton is now a vocal opponent of “religious freedom restoration” laws like the one overturned in Indiana . These laws aim to preserve people’s right to live out their support for natural marriage before God (a belief Hillary shared pre-2013) and not to countenance sin. She also openly expresses hostility to faith-based citizens who refuse to bend their thinking on homosexual “marriage.” In that vein, Mrs. Clinton touts the federal LGBTQ “Equality Act,” which adds homo

Confused politician on homosexual marriage - Australia

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Bleijie has capitulated on marriage and is seen as a blow to a large part of his support base who are conservatives.  The capitulation of former Queensland Attorney General Jarrod Bleijie on the meaning of marriage will come as a big disappointment for people who voted for him, according to Australian Christian Lobby Queensland director Wendy Francis. “Throughout his career, Mr Bleijie has actively sought the votes of people who believe in the right of children to wherever possible be raised by their parents. “To now take a position on marriage that mandates a family structure denying this basic right to children is a blow to his social justice credentials and a breach of trust to voters.” Ms Francis said Mr Bleijie had played into the hands of those described by Paul Kelly in the Weekend Australian yesterday as seeking to “drive religion into the shadows”. “At a time when the public are very cynical about politicians, it is disappointing to see a politician jettisoning his

Homosexual Marriage and the cost of conviction

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Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337), Cappella Scrovegni a Padova, Life of Christ, Marriage at Cana (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act serves as a boost to ongoing efforts to legalize same-sex marriage across the nation. Christians believe marriage is defined by God and recognized by government. But many today believe marriage is defined by government and must be recognized by all. For this reason, I’m not optimistic about the trends concerning marriage and family in the United States . Neither am I sure of what all this means for those who, in good conscience, stand against the tide. But I am optimistic about the church of Jesus Christ . We’ve been through societal transformations before, and we’re sure to go through them again. For example, the conversion of Constantine to Christianity in 313 A. D. was certainly good for the church. (We didn’t have to worry about being fed to the lions in the Coliseum anymore.

Is teaching Christian morals child abuse?

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( MercatorNet ) -- Australia’s leading gay activist claims that a booklet defending natural marriage by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference clearly breaches an anti-discrimination act. Worse, it exposes “vulnerable children” to “damaging messages”. Rodney Croome, national director of Australian Marriage Equality , is angry that Catholic schools in the state of Tasmania are distributing “ Don’t Mess with Marriage ”. Archbishop Julian Porteous plans to give 12,000 Tasmanian Catholic school children copies to pass on to their parents. Some teachers were horrified at the prospect of Catholic schools distributing Catholic literature, says Mr Croome: The Catholic Church has every right to express its views from the pulpit but it is completely inappropriate to enlist young people as the couriers of its prejudice. The booklet says to gay students in Catholic schools that their sexuality is wrong and that their aspiration to marry is a danger to marriage, religion and societ

In Defense of Marriage and the Rule of Law — The Importance of Making the Right Argument

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Seal of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Some arguments just have to be made, and made well. In the case of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit , the moment for such an argument arrived last week when that court had to rule on appeals over the question of same-sex marriage coming from the four states in its federal jurisdiction, Michigan , Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In each case, Federal District Courts had struck down measures banning same-sex marriage. Now, the question loomed before the three judge panel of the Sixth Circuit. Until last week, no federal appeals court had ruled against same-sex marriage in the aftermath of the U. S. Supreme Court ’s 2013 Windsordecision striking down the federal government’s Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA]. That changed when the panel of the Sixth Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, affirmed the measure limiting marriage to one man and one woman in the four covered states. The

Ohio gay activists halt same-sex ‘marriage’ vote: polls show Ohioans oppose

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As judges country-wide are invalidating state marriage protection amendments, a new poll out of Ohio shows that not everyone is thrilled with the march toward a wholesale redefinition of marriage – in fact, the majority of Ohioans oppose making same-sex “marriage” legal. Homosexual activists are currently gathering signatures for a petition to repeal the state’s marriage protection amendment , which was passed by 62 percent of voters in 2004 and constitutionally defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.  But although the petition has already garnered more than 650,000 votes – far more than the 385,000 needed to appear on the ballot this year – sponsors of the effort have opted not to move forward with the initiative process because they’re worried they don’t have the votes. According to a recent Columbus Dispatch poll, 46 percent of Ohioans oppose the proposed repeal of the state’s marriage protection amendment, compared to just 43 percent who support it. 

In defense of marriage and the rule of law—the importance of making the right argument

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Jeffrey S. Sutton, Circuit Judge (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Some arguments just have to be made, and made well. In the case of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit , the moment for such an argument arrived last week when that court had to rule on appeals over the question of same-sex marriage coming from the four states in its federal jurisdiction, Michigan , Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In each case, Federal District Courts had struck down measures banning same-sex marriage. Now, the question loomed before the three judge panel of the Sixth Circuit. Until last week, no federal appeals court had ruled against same-sex marriage in the aftermath of the U. S. Supreme Court ’s 2013  Windsor  decision striking down the federal government’s Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA]. That changed when the panel of the Sixth Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, affirmed the measure limiting marriage to one man and one woman in the four covered states. The decision sent shock waves