Today I received the following from a Friend ...
"I am voting NO on prop 8. There shouldn’t be a law how people should marry. Prop 8 is unconstitutional and there are people that want to marry the same sex and we shouldn’t take away there rights. Most of my family is voting no on prop 8 including some of my co-workers from work.
People should re-examine on prop 8 and Vote “NO” on Prop. 8 ….please"
This is my response ...
My Friend,
"Thank you, for including me among those you’ve written to concerning this critical Proposition. You’ve been forthright and courageous in your acknowledgment of your position on the matter and I applaud that.
While I do not share your views, and will take some time to express mine, I assure you that I respect your right to Vote as you deem wise.
My Friend, I'm concerned about some issues implicit and explicit in this Proposition.
First of all it is necessary to deal with the real question we’re being asked. The proposition itself states simply, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” There is nothing new here. For centuries Civilizations of every stripe have given “marriage between a man and a woman,” special status and unparalleled protection and privileges. The reasons are simple. It is the only relationship that can propagate our species. And it is the relationship best suited for the nurture, development, and training of Children.
The Attorney General’s decision to add the proviso “Eliminates Right of Same-sex Couples to Marry,” as a preamble to the simply stated Proposition is inaccurate and misleading. This proposition is not about a “right.” Marriage is not a “right.” It is a relationship. It is a relationship of specific human entities. Marriage is a man and a woman bound together in a way no other combination of human entities can be bonded. And it has, in itself alone, the exclusive properties necessary to the propagation of our species. Furthermore it has responsibilities no other relationship can fulfill. I've already noted that no other relationship can perpetuate our species. No other relationship can care for and train human offspring as well as a Father and a Mother. Moreover no other relationship embodies the qualities of our Creator nor exercises His authority over all Creation as well as Man - Male and Female in a "one flesh bond" - can. For these reasons it is in our best interest as a species to provide this unique relationship with unique status, privileges, and protections. Civilizations both primitive and advanced have given it such status, privileges and protections. Our civilization, which has advanced beyond anything ever formerly achieved, would be taking a disastrous step backward to remove its exclusivity.
By introducing the word “Right” into the preamble to this Proposition the Attorney General has been dishonest. No rights will be violated if this Proposition becomes a part of the California Constitution. Homosexual couples are already free to co-habit if they wish. It is against the law to in any way interfere with that right. If a Landlord refuses to rent to a same-sex couple he or she can be sued. If a same-sex partner is hospitalized the other partner cannot be deprived of complete access to their partner at any point during the treatment of their loved one. Same-sex partners can designate their possessions to their loved one in a Last Will and Testament if they choose. Furthermore discrimination in the workplace – the marketplace for that matter – due to sexual preference can, and often is, punishable by law. The Civil Rights of homosexuals are as carefully guarded in today’s America as those of any other citizen. And if they’re not there is provision in the law for redress.
The question of Constitutionality is also a misrepresentation of the issue. Marriage is not specifically addressed in the Constitution. Only recently has there been any question how to define it.
Constitutionality is, however, a major issue here but for a completely different reason. Those who oppose the Proposition – who Vote No on 8 – ignore and neglect a major Amendment to the Constitution. Their rhetoric flies in the face of the FirstAmendment, denying certain Citizens the Freedom of religion and speech.
The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Christianity, along with Judaism, and Islam expressly declare homosexuality to be a violation of God’s will for human life and a perversion of human sexuality as well as a denigration of the persons engaged in it. To not only allow, but sanction and elevate to the status of Marriage, such behavior is to legislate against specific religions. Such legislation is expressly unconstitutional. There are to be “no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise.” In other words Congress – and all branches of government – are to “keep their hands off of” religion, its free exercise, and its pronouncements no matter how distasteful they may be to others. This same protection is, of course, extended to those who disagree with their pronouncements and have strong words of their own.
The Supreme Court of California overstepped their bounds and legislated from the bench when they legalized – legislated for – homosexual marriage. Legislation is the private domain of legislatures. What’s more their actions constituted a breach of the Constitution. By their action they set the stage for the silencing of those who are opposed to such an arrangement; who insist on the right of protest and disengagement from any civil activity promoting the cause of those who seek moral consent for homosexual behavior. You may protest, as others have, that this is an overstatement – fear-mongering. I know better. I was born in Canada. Today, in Canada, same-sex couples can marry. Pastors are being censured, and successfully prosecuted for opposing these marriages. Faith-based Social Service agencies are being sued, because they consider homosexual practices inconsistent with their religion’s values, and driven out of business by excessive fines and restrictions that run counter to the very reason for their existence .
A vote against Proposition 8 is support for the dismantling of Marriage. It is, as well, the only aspect of this issue that is, truly, Unconstitutional."
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Life, Faith, Family ...
I am not Catholic!
But I must say that my Catholic fellows in The Faith have certainly “gotten it right” in their definition of the crucial issues in this year’s election.
So you’ll understand where I’m coming from in this I urge you to go to the link below. View the video. Surf through the various resources on the site. Think through the issues at stake.
http://www.catholicvote.com/default.aspx
Life … Faith … Family.
These, I agree, are the crucial matters facing us with Election Day ’08 just 5 days away.
Think about it.
Life. The essence of Biblical beginnings. Judaeo-Christian teaching says, of humankind, that early in Creation God “breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living being.”
Life. It is the essence of the foundation of our Nation – our Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The first of these? The unalienable Right to Life.
What is more foundational than this? And yet, today, we are faced with the very real possibility -- the everyday reality -- that some would-be leaders, who pretend to be champions of our cause as living beings, will not defend this basic right in certain instances. Life begins at conception. The preservation of that life, from conception to natural death, is the first responsibility of civilized government. Like my Catholic Brothers and Sisters I cannot endorse the selection of elected officials who will not accept that responsibility. Someone’s “right to choose” whether or not to accept that responsibility must be seen as a right only in the sense that we humans are granted, by our Creator, the right to choose a course contrary to the one He’s mandated to us. Serious, far reaching consequences follow such a choice. Any leader who is disingenuous about the gravity of this matter and refuses to protect the most vulnerable of us is not worthy of our trust. For, you see, the next question that must be asked of someone who will not defend the unborn on grounds of viability and conflicting rights is, “When I am old and more costly to my society than I am perceived to be worth and an inconvenience to my loved ones and neighbors will you defend my ‘right to life’? And only a fool would expect a different answer for himself, in his dotage, than for an “unwanted, unborn child.”
Beyond this the matter of Sanctity of Life raises concerns regarding “Quality of Life.”
Here is where the gravity of “Faith,” is apparent.
Nowhere is it clearer, than in Judaeo-Christian Scripture, that we are “our Brother’s Keeper.”
Jesus, the Founder of Christianity and Master of all who follow Him, came, He said, “to serve.” He demonstrated this by washing the feet of His tired and footsore followers and then, hours later, dieing for their redemption. People of Christian Faith are the ones most aware of this and best prepared – for the Spirit of this Servant Master resides in those who follow Him – to practice the Christ like care of one another modeled in this remarkable, Divine man. The quality of life that they seek, not only for themselves but everyone, is described by their Master as, “more and better life than they’ve ever dreamed of.”
A leader worthy of our trust recognizes this and provides every incentive; throws all the power of his Office into preserving the freedom of such people to bring true justice to all. He or she sees that an energized populace, guided by Faith, and inspired by a God-given love, will effect a higher quality of life for the greatest number. The true leader will see that such grassroots, Faith inspired movements do so far more effectively and fairly than massive bureaucratic entities. He or she will see how futile it is to siphon more and more popular resources into the purses of managers, so removed from the hard work that produced those resources that they have no sense of the worth of it. Such a leader will see how the bureaucrat has little to motivate him or her except the quest for greater power and more of someone else’s wealth. He or she will insist on the uncompromised observance of the Constitutional Amendment asserting that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” insisting that this means “hands off of religious matters,” and all out effort to guard against any limitations to their “free exercise.”
People of faith, in return, will diligently pursue the highest levels of adherence to the things they say they believe. For those of us who claim to follow Jesus this means we will truly “Love the Lord our God will all our hearts, souls, minds and strength.” He will be the first person in our lives. His ways will be our ways to such an extent that any observer will know, without our claiming any allegiance, that we “have been with Jesus.” It further means that we will “Love our neighbor as ourselves.” And again, it will be clear to all who see what we’re like that we are Christ-followers in every single aspect of our lives.
This brings us to Family.
The Judaeo-Christian understanding of Family, which most of the Founders of our Nation embraced, assumes certain things. It assumes the truth of the Creation Story in which God made humankind in His “image.” This creative endeavor resulted in a couple – a human being with two counterparts just as the Divine Creator is made up of three distinct yet inseparable persons – to whom God gave the mandate to “be fruitful” and “fill the earth” with their kind. It assumes that this is the one and only relationship which can be recognized as the “one flesh bond” known biblically as “Marriage.” It further assumes that such an arrangement – one man and woman with Children – is what is meant by “Family.”
We, as Christ-followers, believe this to be not only our view but a view of Marriage and Family that has been upheld in many faith traditions and civilizations throughout history. We expect our leaders to provide an atmosphere that fully encourages and allows the uninterrupted conduct of such Family life and defends against any encroachment on its free expression.
My Fellows in Faith!
Please understand! We cannot expect our leaders to take this more seriously than we do. Nor can we expect them to defend things that we are not willing to work diligently to preserve!
We have let Marriage deteriorate among us! We have auctioned if off for such things as “irreconcilable differences.,” “loss of feeling,” “personal space,” even “the Kids” whose well-being is sacrificed in the bargain. We have opted for the politically correct identification of every imaginable form of living arrangement as “Family,” when everyone, especially those caught in the web of hurt involved, knows that its anything but what they long for. And then we wonder why a faithless society can let go of it so easily.
We’ve let it go to the lowest bidder! Why are we surprised?
As we pray for leaders who will honor these values – Life, Faith, and Family – let us remember our Lord’s command and “humble ourselves … seek (His) face … turn from our wicked – evil – ways.” Only then can He, “hear our prayer and heal our land.” For to restore the healed land to His people He must be assured that we’ll keep the trust this time!
But I must say that my Catholic fellows in The Faith have certainly “gotten it right” in their definition of the crucial issues in this year’s election.
So you’ll understand where I’m coming from in this I urge you to go to the link below. View the video. Surf through the various resources on the site. Think through the issues at stake.
http://www.catholicvote.com/default.aspx
Life … Faith … Family.
These, I agree, are the crucial matters facing us with Election Day ’08 just 5 days away.
Think about it.
Life. The essence of Biblical beginnings. Judaeo-Christian teaching says, of humankind, that early in Creation God “breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living being.”
Life. It is the essence of the foundation of our Nation – our Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The first of these? The unalienable Right to Life.
What is more foundational than this? And yet, today, we are faced with the very real possibility -- the everyday reality -- that some would-be leaders, who pretend to be champions of our cause as living beings, will not defend this basic right in certain instances. Life begins at conception. The preservation of that life, from conception to natural death, is the first responsibility of civilized government. Like my Catholic Brothers and Sisters I cannot endorse the selection of elected officials who will not accept that responsibility. Someone’s “right to choose” whether or not to accept that responsibility must be seen as a right only in the sense that we humans are granted, by our Creator, the right to choose a course contrary to the one He’s mandated to us. Serious, far reaching consequences follow such a choice. Any leader who is disingenuous about the gravity of this matter and refuses to protect the most vulnerable of us is not worthy of our trust. For, you see, the next question that must be asked of someone who will not defend the unborn on grounds of viability and conflicting rights is, “When I am old and more costly to my society than I am perceived to be worth and an inconvenience to my loved ones and neighbors will you defend my ‘right to life’? And only a fool would expect a different answer for himself, in his dotage, than for an “unwanted, unborn child.”
Beyond this the matter of Sanctity of Life raises concerns regarding “Quality of Life.”
Here is where the gravity of “Faith,” is apparent.
Nowhere is it clearer, than in Judaeo-Christian Scripture, that we are “our Brother’s Keeper.”
Jesus, the Founder of Christianity and Master of all who follow Him, came, He said, “to serve.” He demonstrated this by washing the feet of His tired and footsore followers and then, hours later, dieing for their redemption. People of Christian Faith are the ones most aware of this and best prepared – for the Spirit of this Servant Master resides in those who follow Him – to practice the Christ like care of one another modeled in this remarkable, Divine man. The quality of life that they seek, not only for themselves but everyone, is described by their Master as, “more and better life than they’ve ever dreamed of.”
A leader worthy of our trust recognizes this and provides every incentive; throws all the power of his Office into preserving the freedom of such people to bring true justice to all. He or she sees that an energized populace, guided by Faith, and inspired by a God-given love, will effect a higher quality of life for the greatest number. The true leader will see that such grassroots, Faith inspired movements do so far more effectively and fairly than massive bureaucratic entities. He or she will see how futile it is to siphon more and more popular resources into the purses of managers, so removed from the hard work that produced those resources that they have no sense of the worth of it. Such a leader will see how the bureaucrat has little to motivate him or her except the quest for greater power and more of someone else’s wealth. He or she will insist on the uncompromised observance of the Constitutional Amendment asserting that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” insisting that this means “hands off of religious matters,” and all out effort to guard against any limitations to their “free exercise.”
People of faith, in return, will diligently pursue the highest levels of adherence to the things they say they believe. For those of us who claim to follow Jesus this means we will truly “Love the Lord our God will all our hearts, souls, minds and strength.” He will be the first person in our lives. His ways will be our ways to such an extent that any observer will know, without our claiming any allegiance, that we “have been with Jesus.” It further means that we will “Love our neighbor as ourselves.” And again, it will be clear to all who see what we’re like that we are Christ-followers in every single aspect of our lives.
This brings us to Family.
The Judaeo-Christian understanding of Family, which most of the Founders of our Nation embraced, assumes certain things. It assumes the truth of the Creation Story in which God made humankind in His “image.” This creative endeavor resulted in a couple – a human being with two counterparts just as the Divine Creator is made up of three distinct yet inseparable persons – to whom God gave the mandate to “be fruitful” and “fill the earth” with their kind. It assumes that this is the one and only relationship which can be recognized as the “one flesh bond” known biblically as “Marriage.” It further assumes that such an arrangement – one man and woman with Children – is what is meant by “Family.”
We, as Christ-followers, believe this to be not only our view but a view of Marriage and Family that has been upheld in many faith traditions and civilizations throughout history. We expect our leaders to provide an atmosphere that fully encourages and allows the uninterrupted conduct of such Family life and defends against any encroachment on its free expression.
My Fellows in Faith!
Please understand! We cannot expect our leaders to take this more seriously than we do. Nor can we expect them to defend things that we are not willing to work diligently to preserve!
We have let Marriage deteriorate among us! We have auctioned if off for such things as “irreconcilable differences.,” “loss of feeling,” “personal space,” even “the Kids” whose well-being is sacrificed in the bargain. We have opted for the politically correct identification of every imaginable form of living arrangement as “Family,” when everyone, especially those caught in the web of hurt involved, knows that its anything but what they long for. And then we wonder why a faithless society can let go of it so easily.
We’ve let it go to the lowest bidder! Why are we surprised?
As we pray for leaders who will honor these values – Life, Faith, and Family – let us remember our Lord’s command and “humble ourselves … seek (His) face … turn from our wicked – evil – ways.” Only then can He, “hear our prayer and heal our land.” For to restore the healed land to His people He must be assured that we’ll keep the trust this time!
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