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Showing posts with the label Gay Marriage

Gay Marriage state by state review

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Before the Court’s official decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was released, President Biden was already warning that same-sex “marriage” would be next. As he said in May, “It’s not just the brutality of taking away a woman’s right to her body … but it also if you read the opinion … basically says there’s no such thing as the right to privacy. If that holds … mark my words: They are going to go after the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage.” Was he right? Why Roe is Different On the one hand, Justice Samuel Alito made clear in his opinion for the majority that the overturning of Roe was different than other cases the Court could one day revisit since Roe involved “potential life.” As David French explained, “In plain English, Alito argues that abortion is dramatically different from cases involving marriage because abortion involves harm to a non-consenting party, the “potential life” (to use the language from Roe) of the unborn child. Interracial marriage involves consenting adu

This is Why I Don’t Believe Polls on Same-Sex Marriage

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Disney’s recent movie Strange World and the summer’s Lightyear both bombed at the box office. The Wall Street Journal recently called this “an unusual record for a company long considered a guaranteed hitmaker in children’s entertainment.” It was more than that. The Wall Street Journal won’t tell you one of the big reasons the two films bombed. It’s the same reason Bros — the movie whose poster showed two men grabbing each other’s buttocks — bombed. Few Americans go to the theatre to see same-sex relationships promoted. And this is why I don’t believe the polls show such a huge shift in support of same-sex marriage in the seven years since Obergefell. The practice has gained support from a solid majority of our political class, as the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act shows. But it doesn’t have so much support from everyone else. What People Don’t Tell Pollsters Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dispute that there has been some shift. And I don’t dispute that large numbers of people te

Gay White House

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“I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but to unify,” Joe Biden said in his “unifying” inaugural address. He even pointed to Scripture in a nod to his supposed Catholic faith: “The Bible tells us that to everything there is a season — a time to build, a time to reap, a time to sow, and a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America.” Well, on Tuesday, he trashed both the Bible and unity by signing the (Dis)Respect for Marriage Act and then lighting up the White House in rainbow colors. The God Biden claims to believe in established marriage when He created Adam and Eve. (He also created the rainbow for an entirely different purpose, but that’s another story.) Yet just like Biden disregards the sanctity of life, he couldn’t care less about the Creator’s definition of marriage, or about the religious liberty of those who object to being forced to affirm its redefinition. Some Catholic. Politically, Biden has done nothing but violate his pledge to unify Americans. In fa

Why draw a line with Gay Marriage?

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Columnist E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post may sometimes be infuriating, but he is never unintelligent. After graduating from Harvard, Dionne was named a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford where he earned a doctorate in sociology. He is always thoughtful, analytical, and polite. He is decidedly liberal when comes to both politics and theology, but he also seems to find conservatives to be interesting, if sometimes downright dangerous. Even more recently, he seems to find conservative Christians to be perplexing. In a column published Sunday, Dionne asks about our opposition to same-sex marriage: “Why draw the line here?” It’s a fair question. Dionne, a practicing Catholic, as they say, wonders aloud why many of us cannot just acknowledge same-sex marriage and move on. Dionne goes further and argues that he does not see conservative Christians reacting with the same “ferocious response” to divorce or adultery. He wants to know why we are demanding exemptions from anti-discrimination laws and po

MARGARET COURT MISSES OUT ON CHARITY FUNDS – BECAUSE OF HER RELIGION

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The decision by Lotterywest to reject a grant application to assist the community outreach food program at tennis legend Margaret Court’s church on the basis of its public stance on same-sex marriage is not really all that surprising. Although Court herself is disappointed. Why is it not surprising? Because it’s a sign of the times. Increasingly – and soon exclusively – any church applications for public coffers grant money will be tied to a raft of social sign-offs that orthodox Christians will not sign off on, or will do so for the sake of a bowl of red stew. Lotterywest not only turned down the application but made it clear that the rejection was not on the basis of merit or need, but solely on the basis of the well-known pastor’s equally well-known views on same-sex marriage. Lotterywest asks this question of itself on its website: Lotterywest screenshot Well we know what it doesn’t support. As reported in The West Australian newspaper, Lotterywest, which makes its money primarily

Christian minister challenges county ordinance forcing her to officiate gay ‘weddings’

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A Christian minister has filed a federal lawsuit arguing that a local “anti-discrimination” law will effectively force her to officiate same-sex “weddings.” Kristi Stokes owns Covenant Weddings, which offers marriage services as well as homilies, vows, and prayers for unions “between one biological man and one biological woman.” Represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), she is suing to block an ordinance adding “sexual orientation and gender identity” to local non-discrimination rules, which she says will not only force her to unite same-sex couples but forbid her from explaining why she only believes in heterosexual unions. The ordinance penalizes violating businesses starting at $1,000 per violation, plus additional costs such as attorneys’ fees. Stokes says she has not faced such a suit yet, but realized she was in danger in December 2019, when she turned down a request to officiate a same-sex union and realized she could have been sued for doing so – despite the fact

John Piper and Gay Marriage

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So-called “same-sex marriage” has never been more popular in America, and whatever garners cultural popularity seeps into the church. You know this. According to the Pew Research Center, among white evangelicals in America, 29 percent now favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally — 29 percent of white American evangelicals.  That’s up from 11 percent just fifteen years ago. So that’s a long and steady increase in a rise in affirmation among white evangelicals in America — up from 11 percent to 29 percent in fifteen years. Bill, who is here with us this morning, asks, “Hello, Pastor John. As the LGBT movement strives to become mainstream, I’ve watched more and more believers give in to the culture by posting rainbow-colored affirmations on social media, hanging rainbow flags outside their homes, and even attending pride rallies in my city. I want to believe the best, but I am perplexed. How should we respond to fellow believers who make such affirmations?” How you re

Bishop upholds Bible - while Denomination upholds immoral culture

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Bishop William Love addressed the Diocese of Albany’s Convention this weekend, using the moment to rail again against the actions of last year’s General Convention to extend provisions for marriage equality across dioceses, and even invoking brutal images of the martyrdom suffered by Christians elsewhere in the world to paint a picture of a faith under attack at home from forces of “social justice or women’s rights, or political correctness.” Bishop Love quickly defined his firm stance against marriage equality and “political correctness” as “Standing Firm in the Holy Spirit,” as he drew up his battle lines: Tonight, I need to talk about the crisis that faces this Diocese and Christianity in general.  The Diocese of Albany is in the midst of a battle whose outcome is not yet known.  The very nature and character of this Diocese as we have known it, is under attack from forces outside as well as within.  Each of us must decide how we will respond. We have all read the final ch

Gay Marriages: Shocking Difference Between Pentecostal Pastors and ‘Mainline’ Pastors

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47% of “mainline” pastors now support same-sex “marriage.” But only 8% of evangelical pastors do. More specifically, “Presbyterian or Reformed (49%), Methodist (47%), Lutheran (35%) and Christian/Church of Christ pastors (20%) are more likely to see nothing wrong with same-sex marriage than Baptist (3%) or Pentecostal pastors (1%).” This according to a new LifeWay Research survey. None of this is surprising in the least. How Pastors View the Bible LifeWay Research executive director Scott McConnell notes, “The movement we see among pastors’ views of same-sex marriage has less to do with their denominational tradition than their view of the Bible.” Those who hold most faithfully to the authority of Scripture will be the least inclined to change their views on homosexuality. Put another way, those who believe the Bible to be God’s inspired, unchanging Word will be the least likely to compromise their convictions based on societal changes. “An evangelical distinctive,” McConne

United Methodist Church proposes split over LGBTQ impasse

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The United Methodist Church has proposed to split in order to resolve an impasse between two factions within the church that have not been able to agree on gay marriage and clergy. If passed, the proposal will restructure the church and create a new denomination for "traditionalist-minded biblically-based congregations." A 16-member group of bishops and church leaders signed the proposal in December and released the nine-page plan titled, "Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation," on January 3.  If passed during the church's 2020 general conference, set for May 5-15 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the proposal will allow churches that disapprove of homosexual marriage and clergy to break off from what will become an apostate church. "The United Methodist Church and its members — after careful reflection, discussion and prayer — have fundamental differences regarding their understanding and interpretation of Scripture, theology and prac

Opposing same-sex marriage is not "vilification"

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The recent NSW decision of Passas v Comensoli [2019] NSWCATAP 298 (18 December 2019) provides an example of someone who has been penalized for “homosexual vilification” as a result of comments concerning same-sex marriage. However, it does provide clarification that merely to express disagreement with the introduction of same-sex marriage does not amount to such vilification under NSW law. The Facts Ms. Passas and Mr. Comensoli were fellow occupants of a block of units in Ashfield. On 15 November 2017, the results of the postal survey on the introduction of same-sex marriage were announced, with 61% of respondents to the survey in favor. Mr. Comensoli, in celebration of the result, draped a rainbow flag over his balcony. Ms. Passas disagreed with the proposed change. What followed was summarised by the Appeal Panel of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal as follows: [I]t was found that on 15 November 2017 she made loud verbal demands upon the Respondent to remove the fla