Time for an Amendment
November 13, 2003
By Rev.
Todd Crofford
Sr. Pastor
Laurel Wesleyan Church
How come even simple things are becoming complex lately? Correct me if I’m
wrong, but hasn’t 5,000 years of culture on literally every continent in the
world understood that marriage is a union between man and woman? Well, hang on
for a bumpy ride because that very backbone of our culture is being questioned.
Now I know that anyone who dares speak out and refer to marriage in such a
“limited” way is immediately accused of being a bigot or hateful, but I am
gravely concerned about the direction of our culture on the marriage front.
In a July 3, 2003 op-ed piece printed in the Washington Post, liberal columnist
Michael Kinsley wrote, “The solution is to end the institution of marriage, or
rather, the solution is to end the government monopoly on marriage. And yes, if
three people want to get married, or if one person wants to marry herself and
someone else wants to conduct a ceremony and declare them married, let ‘em… if
marriage were an entirely private affair, all the disputes over gay marriage
would become irrelevant.” Now unless you think he is out there alone on a limb
of radical opinion, we should recognize that in 1972 the National Coalition of
Gay organizations demanded the “repeal of all legislative provisions that
restrict the sex or number of persons entering into a marriage unit; and the
extension of legal benefits to all persons who cohabit regardless of sex or
numbers.”
Is this viewpoint really a reasonable way to exist within a secure society? I
think not! Do we think we will survive long once Heather has three mommies and
two daddies all living together? Once we head down that slippery slope, we are
not far from a culture that will let you marry your child or even your dog. At
some point we must stop the insanity. And the line we must draw in the sand is
to refuse the redefinition of marriage.
Some argue that to deny married status to gay couples is to impinge on the
rights of homosexuals. While certainly I believe that two men or two women have
the freedom of choice to live together, where do they have the right to demand
that the government call that marriage? They may have a partnership, they may
share a house, but societies of every religious background and every racial
identity has always recognized marriage as man and woman and God help us if we
deviate now.
In recent days, many who are concerned as I am have begun the long and arduous
process of proposing the Federal Marriage Amendment to the constitution. It
reads as follows, “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union
of a man and a woman. Neither this constitution or the constitution of any
state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital
status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or
groups.” Frankly I think we desperately need it.
The bar for passing an amendment is very high, requiring 2/3 in both the House
and the Senate, and it then must be ratified by ¾ of all states. I believe this
amendment is worth the fight. If we cannot agree on something so foundational to
our stability as a culture as marriage being instituted by God as a man and
woman in lifelong commitment, then there remains virtually nothing left that can
be considered solid footing.
For more information on the Federal Marriage Amendment go to
www.citizenlink.org!
The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of Site One
Networks, Inc, the congregation of
the Laurel Wesleyan Church or the Wesleyan Church International. You may respond
to the author directly by E-mailing laurelwesleyan@siteone.net
|
