Free Republic

It’s never fun to be proven right when warning of some impending wrong. Many in the pro-family movement have long stressed that the cultural Marxist left’s belligerent push for the judicial fiction that is “gay marriage” was never about gaining “equal access” to this biologically exclusive male-female institution, as they profess, but, rather, is, and has always been, about control. While there are many layers to unfold, the almost instant explosion in government-sanctioned, anti-Christian extremism on display post Obergefell v. Hodges, confirms the poisonous three-fold agenda that underlies the “social justice” mob’s flowery “marriage equality” propaganda. That is: 1) the...

A lot is happening at a very rapid rate. And with all the discussion that’s been going on, I’ve been kind of eager to get to you, and maybe help to give you a perspective. And I know that there have been comments made from this pulpit—exceptionally helpful, clear, well-chosen comments on the issues that face our country today. But I need to just kind of add some of my own insights and perceptions, and then direct you to a particular portion of Scripture. This country talks a lot about terrorist attacks—and rightly so. Almost anybody in America can give...

Everyone loves a love story. And what makes a movie ever better is if is based on a true story. So what happens when you have a true love story and have it starring Chris Pratt? You get the real life love story of Chris Pratt, in a case of art imitating life imitating art. You see, Chris Pratt has made the public announcement that from this point forth, he refuses to participate in any movie love scenes. Why? For two reasons. One, he is married to the love of his life, comedy actress Anna Faris so he doesn’t want...

There is no human being who, looking back on their life, hasn’t had the thought, “If I only knew then what I know now…” It’s human nature. No matter how long ago “then” was, hindsight is always 20/20. This isn’t about Hillary Clinton and her secret, unsecured email server. She didn’t make a bad choice and end up skirting the law; she made a conscious decision and is now getting caught. That’s karma, not virgin ignorance. No, I’m not writing about Hillary’s ever-changing email excuses (I already analyzed that here on Friday) or anything else political. This is personal –...

Human nature is one of those things that everybody talks about but no one can define precisely. Every time we fall in love, fight with our spouse, get upset about the influx of immigrants into our country, or go to church, we are, in part, behaving as a human animal with our own unique evolved nature—human nature. This means two things. First, our thoughts, feelings, and behavior are produced not only by our individual experiences and environment in our own lifetime but also by what happened to our ancestors millions of years ago. Second, our thoughts, feelings, and behavior are...

Marriage can be a long and difficult journey, full of obstacles trying to keep you from being happy in your relationship. But don't be discouraged or distracted. If you want to keep your marriage and family together, learn to recognize and avoid these six pitfalls: < excerpted questions: >1. Your heartbeat speeds up but not because of your spouse.2. Your spouse is a little worse for wear.3. Someone else is a more preferable option. 4. You deserve better.5. There is no physical romance. 6. The honeymoon stage is over. < snip > We are constantly told how divorce and infidelity...

TALLLAHASSEE – In what could become a rallying point for social conservatives next year, state Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, filed legislation Monday to prevent clergy members and churches from being sued because they refuse to preside over same-sex marriages. He filed HB 43 in reaction to this summer's landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling same-sex marriage legal throughout the country. "We think that this is something that people on all sides of the debate should at least be able to agree on is that pastors and religious practitioners should never be compelled to perform a ceremony that violates their sincerely...

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has confirmed coalition MPs will not have a free vote on same-sex marriage, destroying any chance of the law being passed under this Parliament. He said roughly 60 MPs supported the existing position, while 30 called for a conscience vote after a marathon six-hour party room meeting. 'There was strong support for the existing position... that marriage is between a man and a woman,' Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday night. Following the party room meeting, Mr Abbott conducted a press conference and said that of the 30 who said there should be a...

The Supreme Court’s recent 5–4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges legalizing same-sex marriage across the United States has already spawned speculation about “what will be next” in expanding marital rights. As the Supreme Court noted, “[t]he history of marriage is one of both continuity and change. That institution … has evolved over time.” Interracial marriage, equality between husband and wife, and same-sex marriage were all excluded for long periods of time under our Constitution but now have been sanctioned and protected by the courts. While these changes have come slowly, and courts are unlikely to take the next step in...

Just hours after the Supreme Court declared a constitutional right to same-sex marriage on June 26, Politico published an op-ed explaining why “group marriage is the next horizon of social liberalism.” If your first reaction was to dismiss this out of hand, you haven’t been paying attention. As the 21st century progresses, it is going to become increasingly difficult to answer the question “what is marriage for?” or even “what is marriage?” And, no, don’t blame it on the gays.If the Internet is to be believed, “open marriages” are, quite possibly, the next social frontier that, sooner or later, could...

The Republican National Committee’s resolutions committee quietly rejected a pair of resolutions critical of homosexuality Wednesday. The controversial resolutions dealing with sex education and same-sex marriage threatened to cast a shadow on the first GOP presidential debate Thursday in Cleveland, as the party looks toward expanding its base in the key swing state. According to a member of the committee, both failed to gain support to be recommended to the full 168-member party governing body on Friday.

Following a month-long hiatus, Pope Francis resumed his Wednesday general audience on August 5 and called for a compassionate welcome to those who have remarried outside the Church. In doing so, he made no mention of the upcoming Synod of Bishops nor of the controversial proposal to admit those in such situations to Holy Communion. Citing statements on the same topic by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, the Holy Father said that the Church should reach out to help those who are in irregular marital situations, aware that there are no "simple solutions" to their problems. Although the Church cannot...

Aaron and Melissa Klein of Gresham, Oregon, have learned how dangerous it can be to fail to support “gay marriage” in this day and age. The now-infamous bakers refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple and were subsequently slapped with a $135,000 fine from the state of Oregon. Negative national publicity forced them to shut down their bakery, Sweet Cakes by Melissa. Outrage from progressives has essentially ruined the Kleins’ lives, but journalist and author Jack Cashill, who wrote the forthcoming “Scarlet Letters: The Ever-Increasing Intolerance of the Cult of Liberalism,” believes this incident ultimately is not...

Some highway billboards are the same wherever you go across this great land of ours: McDonald’s, Target, Walmart. Others are more regional (where is the line at which Carl’s Jr. becomes Hardee’s, anyway?). Some are particular to states, and those road-tripping through Oklahoma will likely see billboards directing them to visit online adult toy shops and to alert law enforcement about any methamphetamine use they come across. And in one small part of the state—the town of Durant, in the southeast corner—visitors and residents may now feast their eyes upon a message against marriage equality. The plea comes from Betty...

When the Supreme Court ruling came down in late June, extending the right to marriage to members of the same sex in all 50 states, some observers felt that the Catholic Church was fairly immune to any requirements that it would have to allow same-sex weddings before her altars. Now, though, calls for the Church to allow such nuptials are bubbling up. How far they will get is another question. The issue was raised Tuesday by a report in the New York Times that featured “gay and transgender Catholics” who are making noises with the approaching visit to these shores...

Reason magazine went out on a limb recently and published an article entitled “Privatizing Marriage Is a Terrible Idea,” by Shikha Dalmia. She presented an argument that is boldly counter-intuitive for many libertarians these days: that abolishing state-recognized marriage would increase government interference in our lives rather than reduce it. Dalmia is absolutely correct about this. And it would behoove anyone who truly stands for limited government to consider her points thoughtfully and soberly. The libertarian default position that goes by the slogan “let’s just get the government out of the marriage business” is short on substance. If it sounds...

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump may have raped his ex-wife Ivana Trump, according to a 1993 biography of the real estate mogul uncovered by The Daily Beast. Trump's attorney on Monday denied the allegation, claiming “you cannot rape your spouse.” “You’re talking about the front-runner for the GOP, presidential candidate, as well as private individual, who never raped anybody," Michael Cohen, the Trump Organization’s special counsel, told The Daily Beast. "And, of course, understand that by the very definition, you can’t rape your spouse.” The biography, Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump, by Harry Hurt III, details...

Beijing: While social media was designed to bring people together, it can sometimes drive them apart — more Chinese people are switching their status from married to single and social media could be responsible, say experts. A report by the ministry of civil affairs in June found that 3.637 million couples divorced in 2014, up by 3.9 per cent from the previous year, Xinhua reported. Statistics from the ministry show the country has been witnessing a continuous rise in divorces since 2002. Su, a white collar worker from Shanghai, was stunned and furious after discovering her husband's secret romances online....

Americans have become so “non-judgmental” that many people can no longer tell the difference between good and evil. We congratulate ourselves for being “nicer,” more sensitive and less prejudiced than past generations of Americans, but we don’t stop to consider how much more there is to morality than that. An America that isn’t full of good people won’t remain a good nation, nor will it remain strong and free over the long haul. Our country’s lack of morality has real consequences that are capable of eventually sinking us as a nation. 1) The Collapse Of Marriage: There used to be...

Sex might very well sell, but so does separation. America has long had a love affair with stories of divorce, breakups and infidelity. We eat it up like chocolate cake, feasting on the drama of others’ heartbreak. Nothing whets the public’s appetite like a scandalous affair, and judging by the most common tabloid headlines, you’d think that all we want is to see a couple falter and fail. We care more about cheating than loyalty — anniversaries may be sweet, but they sure don’t sell. Couples who make it are just so . . . boring. But Andy Grammer wants none of...