Posted on 06/23/2004 6:23:17 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback
Things just don’t add up. The polls tell us that a significant majority of American voters oppose same-sex “marriage.” Yet congressmen and senators tell us that their phones aren’t exactly ringing off the hook over this issue. In fact, they’re hardly getting any calls on the subject at all—not even from Christians. What’s going on?
One explanation might be that, for many secularists who oppose same-sex “marriage,” it’s just not that big a deal. The general public often shies away from controversial social issues, especially during election years, and no one wants to seem judgmental, after all, in today’s “tolerant” environment.
But what about Christians? What’s our excuse for staying silent?
I think some don’t really believe this is such a critical battle. To them I can only say—wake up and pay attention. This issue has the potential to redefine and, ultimately, to destroy the institution of marriage in this country—and with marriage goes the family. You can’t ignore this.
But there are other Christians who recognize the importance of the battle over same-sex “marriage” but are still not speaking up. For many of them, I think the problem is a lack of faith.
Now, that may sound harsh, but I can’t think of a better way to put it. A lot of Christians—even some of our most prominent leaders—seem to have succumbed to a “What’s the use?” attitude. They believe that the cultural climate has turned so much against us that we’ll never be able to stop the advance of same-sex “marriage.” And they have heard that we don’t have the votes to pass a constitutional amendment in this session of Congress—so they don’t even want to urge the House and Senate to vote. Some Christian commentators have sounded a defeatist note.
I understand the need to be realistic about the odds we are facing—yes, it’s a tough fight. But it’s quite another thing to believe that because we don’t have the votes today, there’s no reason to fight.
I worked in the U.S. Senate between 1956 and 1960. We fought hard for civil rights bills—against entrenched segregation. Every year the bills were blocked by filibusters. But we kept fighting year after year. So did leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., and others. By 1964 the voting rights act was passed.
And what about Ronald Reagan, whom we honored just weeks ago—the man who led us to victory in the Cold War? He dared to demand that the Berlin Wall be torn down when almost no one else thought it possible. It took years, but it happened.
Remember, too, Wilberforce and his campaigns against slavery. He had only a handful of votes when he started, but he trusted in God. He battled year after year in the Parliament, and twenty years later, an overwhelming majority voted to end that horrible villainy.
The Senate has, I’m happy to say, scheduled debate to begin the week of July 12. Maybe there aren’t the votes there this year to pass a constitutional amendment, but that’s no excuse not to start the fight. We need a great national debate so we can make our case. And maybe we’ll lose this year—maybe next year we’ll lose again. But we’ll come back year after year—until we win. Like the cause of abolition, our cause is just. And if we trust in God, I believe that during the coming public debates, the public will see this as a great defining issue. And when they do, the pressure will be on recalcitrant congressmen to come our way.
I say let the debate begin. Let us engage the battle.
And counterfeit money doesn't hurt the economy and mobile homes don't decrease the value of the neighbors' houses and ebonics doesn't degrade the English language and Elizabeth Taylor would be just as happy wearing Zirconium jewelry and knock-off products don't damage name brand goods.
There is nothing like the real thing.
Keep in mind that Christ walked this earth at a time when it was considered perfectly normal for people to live under oppressive, totalitarian governments. And nothing He said ever indicated that this was somehow unacceptable.
Seeing how none of the things you propose would ever happen (except maybe the repealment of the popular election of Senators) without a civil war and the establishment of some form of Christian theocracy, why do you even bother proposing them?
Understood. I am not suggesting that we should refrain from all participation in government. I am simply pointing out that we have no obligation to consider the government the legitimate authority in any matter that directly contradicts Christian moral teachings. If one is faced with the choice of breaking a civil law or breaking God's laws, then the appropriate choice is obvious.
(Shrugs). If so, so be it. If people choose to enter into degraded marriages and decide not to take the institution of marriage seriously, that's their loss.
Did you forget your medication this morning?
That would make an excellent tagline.
I am confident that Americans would respond to the attempted establishment of a Christian theocracy in the same way we would respond to the attempted establishment of a Muslim theocracy. Those types of government are equally repugnant to thinking Americans.
The institution of hetero marriage is sadly already dead in America -
You ignored the most likely scenario: life will go on as always and about a decade from now, we'll all realize that this gay marriage thing never really made a difference in society, one way or another.
Homosexual Agenda Ping - Don't have time to read this one right now, but need to perform my duty and pingify you all!
Let me *and* Scripter know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.
But individual actions do have an effect on larger institutions and on society as a whole. If you want to do good, that may involve taking an interest in what happens to the institutions, including government, that protect order.
This seems to be the way things work: Christians do generally withdraw from public life, until the point comes when things get so muddled, that they reenter the public and political spheres in the hopes of making sense of things, saving what can be saved, and doing some good. Hopefully they act in time. Eventually political action doesn't fulfill the hopes they have, and they retreat again.
This may not be the right issue or the right time to get activist. But Christians have gotten involved in politics in the past, and when the stakes are high, will do so again in the future.
So you don't think it affects children when nobody they know has the same last name as their parents? Then how about this example:
The homosexual movement is a direct descendant of the free love movement. My daughter is involved in an end-of-year performance where several of the kids' parents help out backstage. Yesterday one little girl came up to my daughter and said, "Guess what, my mommies are going to help you get dressed for the show?"
My marriage is stable. My daughter understands what love, sex, and marriage are. And two lesbians will be helping my daughter dress for a show. Maybe lesbians aren't as likely as gays to be predatory but I'm not happy about it.
Evil impacts everyone. It does so every time. And don't be mistaken - homosexuality is evil. It's not wrong, it's not a bad idea, it's not sick. It's evil.
We could argue about what love is. I note that from Matthew to Revelation it had nothing to do the state of the world.
And I will say to them, "I was hungry, and you did not feed me, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was homeless and you did not give me shelter, I was sick or in prison and you did not visit me." (my own loose memory translation)
Let's add, "I was ensnared in a gross evil, and you did not try to help me see the truth."
Paul also explains why the government bears the sword on G-d's behalf - or are you presuming Christians should not be involved in something done on G-d's behalf.
BTW: I was in a bad mood this morning and I took it out on you - I'm sorry.
Shalom.
The real issue, of course, is that calling a donky a horse is not the same as calling evil good. There is a very specific woe directed at the latter.
Shalom.
I would tell you not to be an a$$, but you ignored that advice a long time ago.
Shalom.
The breakdown of the black family is everyone's loss - including those blacks that have strong families.
Evil impacts everybody every time.
Shalom.
Parents' fault.
>>I worked in the U.S. Senate between 1956 and 1960. We fought hard for civil rights bills—against entrenched segregation.<<
Wonder if he had a day job while he did his "fighting." Wonder if the federal bureaucracy was as inpenetrable as it is today.
>>We stay silent because we see these people as beyond redemption anyway. We're not supposed to behave that way but there comes a time when Christians simply have to face reality.<<
I think I first said this in 1990: "I feel like a jew in mid-30's Germany.
I bought a book of matches, a can of gas and a fiddle. I'm just waiting for the day to use them.
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