Follow the Leader?

Today marks the beginning of legal same-sex ?marriages? in America. It begins in Massachusetts: the result of the state Supreme Court's ruling in the Goodrich case which said, ?barring an individual from the protections, benefits, and obligations of civil marriage solely because that person would marry a person of the same sex violates the Massachusetts Constitution.? Once again, courts are out of control.

What is happening in Massachusetts today threatens to redefine and, ultimately, permanently damage our society?s most basic institution. That being so, you would expect a huge public outcry. Unfortunately and surprisingly, that isn't happening. Congress is seeing little evidence of public outrage--not enough calls and letters to force them to act.

It amazes me since it?s clear that the impact of same-sex ?marriage? won?t be limited to same-sex couples. Stanley Kurtz of the Hoover Institution has written that widespread acceptance of same-sex ?marriage? will widen the already existing gap between parenthood and marriage and continue to break down the family. Countries, like Norway, that adopted same-sex ?marriage? saw their rates of cohabitation and out-of-wedlock births shoot up. There?s no reason to suppose that won?t happen here.

Given what?s at stake, I believe that Christians need to make stopping the spread of same-sex ?marriage? their number-one cultural priority. And we have got to let Capitol Hill know that we support the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA).

The FMA provides that ?marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.? It also provides that nothing in the United States or any state constitution shall be construed to require states to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Legal scholars tell us that this is the only way to keep other courts from following the Massachusetts Court?s lead. While activist judges can interpret statutes the way they want to, they cannot ignore straightforward language like the FMA. This is the one way we rein in activists judges and force them to conform to the will of the people.

But the time to act is now, during an election year. The entire House and one-third of the Senate are up for re-election in November. These members know that a vote against FMA can be politically damaging. So we have to push for a vote this year, not next year when the political consequences will be less grave.

There?s another reason to act now. The more marriage licenses granted to same-sex couples in Massachusetts, the more people get used to the idea of same-sex ?marriage.? We begin to lose our outrage; we begin to lose our sense of perspective. If we are going to preserve traditional marriage, we must act quickly.

The Senate has announced a vote on FMA for June. House leaders have promised action this summer. Call us here at BreakPoint please (1-877-322-5527) so we can send you the materials that will help you argue this case and tell you how to contact your public officials.

At the time of our founding, Massachusetts played a critical role in defining American liberty. But no longer do we want to follow Massachusetts, not now as it is leading us into family anarchy.

For further reading and information:

Maggie Gallagher, ?Traditional Marriage Will Always Prevail,? Townhall.com, 11 May 2004.

Read more responses and opinions at www.townhall.com.

Kyle Cheney, ?Court divided on incest,? Daily Free Press (Boston University), 24 March 2004. Free registration required.

Fred Bayles, ?Mass. preparing for a rush of gay weddings,? USA Today, 12 May 2004.

Fred Bayles, ?Mass. to allow gay marriage Monday,? USA Today, 17 May 2004.

Pam Belluck, ?Gays Elsewhere Eye Marriage Massachusetts Style,? New York Times, 14 May 2004. Free registration required.

Stanley Kurtz, ?The End of Marriage in Scandinavia,? Weekly Standard, 2 February 2004.  See also this article responding to critics.

Chuck Colson, et al., ?Colson to NY Times: Gay Marriage Has Never Been a Constitutional Right,? BreakPoint Online, 25 February 2004.

Fr. Hans Jacobse, ?Having It Both Ways,? BreakPoint Online, 13 May 2004.

BreakPoint Commentary No. 040413, ?Is Anybody Listening??

See BreakPoint?s sanctity of marriage resource page.

Visit One Hundred Thousand Ministers for information on what pastors can do.

See Maggie Gallagher?s website, www.MarriageDebate.com.

Call 1-877-3-CALLBP to request the complimentary Marriage Amendment information packet.

Also available is the BreakPoint's "Speak the Truth in Love" resource kit ($25), which includes CDs, booklets, articles, and more to help you speak effectively and compassionately on the issue of homosexuality and marriage.