Free Republic

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – Emily Valdez had fallen in love: with her fiancé, of course, but with a wedding venue, too. She’d scoured the internet looking at photos and reading reviews. Eventually, she’d found it – a venue that fit her family’s needs – a place she’d be proud to make a lifelong commitment to her partner. She scheduled and attended a tour, and she loved the venue even more. Then, Swann Lake Stables provided Valdez with a contract to sign. On its last page, just before the signature line, was a provision Emily Valdez said she was shocked to...

Last week Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) voiced the commonly held belief that the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage across the country was wrongly decided — yet popular Twitter personalities twisted his words to tell a more sinister story. Yet that is an oversimplification of the senator’s comments on the subject on his podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz. https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1548340766920978434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1548465411481432065%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalreview.com%2Fnews%2Fprogressives-twist-ted-cruzs-obergefell-criticism-beyond-recognition%2F Cruz, asked what the argument would be for overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, replied that the decision, like Roe v. Wade, “ignored two centuries of our nation’s history.” “Marriage was always an issue that was left to the states,” he...

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court ruled Monday that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage does not violate the constitution, and rejected demands for compensation by three couples who said their right to free union and equality has been violated. The Osaka District Court ruling is the second decision on the issue, and disagrees with a ruling last year by a Sapporo court that found the ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional. It underscores how divisive the issue remains in Japan, the only member of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations that does not recognize same-sex unions. In its ruling,...

The Covenant Fellowship Scotland, a think tank of evangelicals within the Church of Scotland, issued a statement:…”The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, in converting an overture permitting ministers and deacons to officiate at same-sex marriages into an Act of the Church, has acted in a way which is both unbiblical and sinful…But we must nevertheless point to the complete absence of any compelling or persuasive biblical evidence that might permit ministers and deacons of the Church of Scotland to officiate at same sex marriages.”Members of the General Assembly in Edinburgh voted to change church law following years of...

SACRAMENTO — If the “right to privacy” that courts have ruled is provided by the U.S. Constitution were a home, Roe v. Wade would be the foundation and subsequent rulings enshrining LGBTQ rights would be akin to the floors built above. LGBTQ activists and legal scholars say that’s why the revelation that the Supreme Court is set to overturn Roe v. Wade, the historic case protecting abortion rights, sent a wave of panic through the community as many question whether rulings protecting same-sex marriage and consensual sexual acts could be targeted next. “If the foundation of a house crumbles, the...

An independent school with an evangelical ethos has cancelled its support for a charity providing emergency humanitarian support in Ukraine after one complaint about its Christian beliefs on marriage. One set of parents, demanding St Lawrence College, Ramsgate drop its support for international charity Samaritan Purse’s Operation Christmas Child (OCC) programme, was enough to see the school capitulate and withdraw future support. Samaritan’s Purse holds to biblical beliefs, shared by the mainstream churches across the world on human sexuality and biblical marriage. Other parents have described the move of the fee-paying college as a: “betrayal of Christian children and parents...

Christians shouldn't attend same-sex wedding ceremonies, as attending would be to an inherent show of support, according to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr.In an episode of Mohler’s “The Briefing” podcast that aired Friday, the Evangelical theologian was asked by a listener about what to do if one is invited to a same-sex wedding ceremony.Mohler responded by noting that the “whole context of the wedding as a public event is the public exchange of vows and the public declaration of the rightness of this relationship.”“Remember that the traditional word used of those who are attending a wedding is...

Whether you like it or not, there’s plenty of evidence that the God of the Bible does not sanction same-sex relationships. You may not interpret the Good Book that way. Perhaps you’ve got reasonable theological reasons for it.

German Bishops Chairman: Gay Sex Does Not Harm ‘One’s Relationship with God’ROME — The Chairman of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, has urged the Catholic Church to change its teaching on sexual morality, insisting that gay sex does not harm a person’s relationship with God.Same-sex relations are okay, Bishop Bätzing told the German magazine Bunte in its March 4 issue, “as long as they are carried out with loyalty and responsibility.”“It doesn’t affect one’s relationship with God,” the bishop added.Bätzing went on to say that how a person lives their personal intimacy “is none of my business.”In...

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[Catholic Caucus] Indiana School Complies With Bishop, Fires Gay Married Teacher Indianapolis school reluctantly complies with archdiocese's demands INDIANAPOLIS (ChurchMilitant.com) - Less than one week after casting a Jesuit school adrift for hiring a teacher married to a same-sex partner, the Indianapolis archdiocese was successful at bringing another school into compliance with Catholic teaching. Cathedral High School, which operates under the aegis of the Brothers of the Holy Cross in northeast Indianapolis, also employed a teacher in a same-sex union. Unlike Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, however, Cathedral opted to terminate the contract of an employee inobservant of the Catholic faith rather than forfeit...

Tens of thousands protested in Switzerland on Saturday for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Alpine country. The protests came ahead of a national referendum on Sept. 26 on the legalization of gay marriage, which has already been introduced in many other European countries including Germany, Austria, France and the Netherlands. Public broadcaster SRF reported that tens of thousands participated in the Zürich Pride parade, which had the slogan “You can do it. Marriage for everyone now.” …

Support for same-sex marriage in the United States has reached a record high, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday. The survey found that 70 percent of respondents in the U.S. said that marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, an increase of 3 percentage points from June 2020. Gallup found that the latest increase in support for same-sex marriage was driven by Republicans, with 55 percent saying it should be recognized as valid. This is the first time Gallup recorded a majority of Republicans supporting same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, 73 percent of independents expressed support...

Those bent on remaking bodies, language, and society to accord with their desires won't persuade if they can command, or reason if they can suppress.The despisers of the body are at it again. In this case, they are in Kentucky, where the Democrat governor’s administration is trying to shut down a Baptist foster care and adoption agency for being, well, Baptist. There are many similar cases across the country — including one under consideration by the Supreme Court — with Christian ministries penalized for adhering to Christian beliefs about sex and the sexes. Put simply, Christians believe that our physical...

Is Pope Francis Distancing Himself from CDF Same-Sex Blessing Clarification? Unlikely, Say CommentatorsThe document has prompted an outcry from those in the Church who wish to see a change in teaching, mostly in the German-speaking world.VATICAN CITY — Did Pope Francis actually give his assent to the responsum saying “No” to the blessing of same-sex unions? Or, in the wake of criticism of the Holy Father reaffirming Church teaching, are personalities close to him, as well as curial cardinals, bishops and others trying to cast doubt on his approval to further their agenda? This question is being asked in...

A majority within all partisan groups, including Republicans, now support same-sex marriage, according to a poll from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) released on Tuesday. In 2019, less than half of those who identify as Republican — 47 percent — backed gay marriage, but the survey indicates that number rose to 51 percent last year. Approval also increased among independents, with 72 percent now in support. In previous years, figures among independents hovered in the mid-60s. Democratic approval stayed strong, with around three-fourths in support, similar to previous polling years. Democrats, independents and Republicans have all polled at a...

A Setback for the Catholic LeftIts reaction to the Vatican’s ban on blessings for gay couples has been revealing.Pope Francis has never been known to hold a strict view of documents from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). In 2016, a reporter asked him about a 2003 CDF document prohibiting recognition of gay civil unions. He replied, “I do not remember that document well.” In fact, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he had disregarded the document’s directive and endorsed legislation in favor of gay civil unions.Another indication of his casual view of CDF documents was his advice...

Washington D.C., Mar 15, 2021 / 01:15 pm MT (CNA).- While the White House on Monday would not respond to the Vatican’s statement on marriage, press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden supports same-sex unions. On Monday, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued a response to a question on the Church’s power to bless same-sex unions. The CDF said that the Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions or any relations “that involve sexual activity outside of marriage.” When asked by a reporter on Monday if the president had a response...

A district court in Japan has in a landmark decision ruled that the country's failure to recognise same-sex marriage is "unconstitutional". Japan's constitution defines marriage as one between "both sexes". But a Sapporo court ruled that this denied the couples constitutionally-guaranteed equality, in what is seen as a symbolic victory for LGBTQ activists. Japan is the only country in the G7 group of developed nations that does not allow same-sex marriage. The case was one of several brought to district courts in various parts of Japan by a group of same-sex couples who are seeking damages for mental suffering. The...

Elton John has criticized the Catholic Church for its staunch stance against blessing homosexual marriages, while simultaneously profiting off of his biopic. “How can the Vatican refuse to bless gay marriages because they 'are sin’, yet happily make a profit from investing millions in Rocketman - a film which celebrates my finding happiness from my marriage to David?? #hypocrisy,” the iconic musician tweeted. Primis Player Placeholder The Church recently confirmed its long held stance against same-sex unions, calling them a "choice” that involves “sexual activity outside of marriage.” As such, the Vatican views the unions as sinful, adding that God...