How will gay ‘marriage’ hurt us? Here’s how.

by Eric Mataxas

June 28, 2012 (Breakpoint.org) - Christians are often asked by gay activists why they oppose same-sex “marriage.” “How does our marriage hurt you?” they ask.

Well, I can think of one significant way it will hurt us: It will destroy religious freedom and free speech rights.

The handwriting is on the wall in Canada, which legalized same-sex “marriage” in 2005, in effect completely changing its true meaning. Since then, as Michael Coren notes in National Review Online, “there have been between 200 and 300 proceedings … against critics and opponents of same-sex marriage.” Of course he means legal proceedings.

For instance, in Saskatchewan, a homosexual man called a state marriage commissioner, wanting to “marry” his partner. The commissioner, an evangelical Christian, declined to conduct the ceremony for religious reasons. He simply referred the man to another commissioner.

But that was not enough for the gay couple. Even though they got their ceremony, they wanted to punish the Christian who had declined to conduct it. The case ended up in the courts. And the result? Those with religious objections to conducting such ceremonies now face the loss of their jobs.

Canadian churches are also under attack. Coren writes that when Fred Henry, the Roman Catholic bishop of Calgary, Alberta, sent a letter to churches explaining traditional Catholic teaching on marriage, he was “charged with a human-rights violation” and “threatened with litigation.”

Churches with theological objections to performing same-sex “wedding” ceremonies are being threatened with the loss of their tax-free status. In British Columbia, the Knights of Columbus agreed to rent its building for a wedding reception before finding out that the couple was lesbian. When they did find out, they apologized to the women and agreed to both find an alternative venue and pay the costs for printing new invitations: But that wasn’t good enough. The women prosecuted, and the Human Rights Commission ordered the Knights of Columbus to pay a fine.

Of course, the lesbians knew perfectly well what the Catholic Church teaches about marriage, but they sought out a Catholic-owned building, anyway. As Michael Coren puts it, “it’s becoming obvious that Christian people, leaders, and organizations are being targeted, almost certainly to create legal precedents”—precedents intended to silence and punish anyone who dares to disagree with so-called gay “marriage.”

If you think this couldn’t happen here, think again. This year we’ve seen ObamaCare attack the autonomy of Catholic churches by attempting to force them, in violation of Catholic teaching, to pay for contraceptives and abortifacients for church employees. And just last week, a lesbian employee of a Catholic hospital in New York sued the hospital for denying her partner spousal health benefits.

This is what we need to tell our neighbors when they ask us, “How does gay ‘marriage’ hurt us?” It means that those hostile to our beliefs will attempt to bend us to their will to force us to not only accept gay “marriage,” but to condone it as well.

This is why I urge you to join the half-million Christians who have signed the Manhattan Declaration. Please sign it yourself by going to manhattandeclaration.org.

You and I must demonstrate love to our gay neighbors, of course, remembering that we are ultimately engaged in spiritual warfare. But we should boldly stand up when our rights as citizens and the demands of our conscience are threatened.

Reprinted with permission from Breakpoint.org

LifeSite News

29 / 06 / 2012

www.pravoslavie.ru

This is all true, but not the whole story. In fact they are coming for our kids even imposing indoctrination through Catholic schools in the province of Ontario and recently the province of Alberta moved to require indoctrination of homeschooled children.

The response from bishops has been characteristically flimsy.

In any case, I find the entire discussion including the article at the top of this thread to be a weak and useless Christian response.

The issue, for a Christian, is much less how this will hurt Christians than how it will hurt the individual participants in the thing, and the wider common good.

This same wasted approach has been seen from the US bishops in the Obamacare debate, looking to protect the conscience rights of Church organisations, leaving individual believers and non-believers to fend for themselves.

I see little point in a Christianity that only plays defence.

Same thing is happening in Victoria Province, Australia.

Reading a passage of scripture which condemns homosexual conduct has been prosecuted as "hate speech".

Keep in mind: "Down under" freedom of speech is not an absolute right (i.e. First Amedment in the USA) but a mere statute which can be supeceded by other statutes.

Constitutionally, I can care less if a same-sex couple wants to hookup, and get married. Now, when it comes to point of redefining POV/traditions of a population, that's when I think they've gone overboard. What happened to letting the parents be parents, and letting teachers be teachers?

Nothing new abt. gay people getting married. What IS new is that now they're "marrying" each other.

If you don't like gay marriage, then don't marry a gay person.

I don't personally give a hoot about this issue. It's a non-issue for me. I am more concerned about gas prices. Same-sex marriage is metaphysically impossible anyway. That's good enough for me.

To each his own. I'll not rattle their cage and they probably won't rattle mine. If they do, I'll deal with it. I'm not gonna get paranoid over the so-called gay rights agenda.

All they want is to be happier.So does everyone else. Ironic, isn't it? Some of the most chronically unhappy and ANGRY people on earth refer to themselves as gay.

JDC,

I'm impressed with your response. What should the bishops do?

CDL

This is what happens when the Church becomes involved in matters of State.

The State does not benefit from contact with the Church. Rather, the Church finds itself at the mercy of the State.

I've always said that the separation of Church and State is to the benefit of the Church, and it seems that the people in this thread are wishing there was a bit more separation in Canada.

Both are here to benefit society. Today, the state with little influence from the Church is trying to crush the Church. What will be left? All one needs to do is look at the Democrat agenda to find out.

I hold out no real long lasting hope for the Republicans either. What we need are true republicans that transcend the two party system.

I agree with Nelson on this one.

Since the book of Daniel, through the Roman Colosseum and the Soviet gulags, the correct response is the same. Let it be know that they may make what laws they wish, but we will preach the gospel and live it. Then, do that.

You have a misconception here....the bishops have been working for conscience protection for EVERYONE, not just the Church since the Obamacare proposal was announced in 2010.

I have used the info the USCCB provided in my homilies telling healthcare, pharmacy and social workers that they may be demanded to violate their consciences via abortion, euthanasia and denial of care. Up until this atrocious piece of legislation was passed "conscience protection" was law, even though some hospitals flaunted it.

I believe I posted it on this forum as well.

Fr Deacon Paul

What of, say, a building contractor who didn't want his insurance plan paying for his employee's abortion? All I heard talk of was rights for religious institutions, and squabbling over what qualifies as a religious institution. Anyway I cede the point. I have my own crumbling country to worry about and may not have paid full attention to the USCCB.

The fact remains that a bishop seeking to negotiate an exemption to a grotesque injustice is hardly providing a saintly or courageous example.

Liberals believe the State exists to benefit society.

Conservatives expect it only to presere liberty.

This has nothing to do with political parties, all of which aim to control the State for their varying agendas.

Are you agreeing with me or disagreeing? I cannot tell. I do not believe that either party works for the benefit of society if by Party you mean Democrat and Republican or Liberal or Conservative. It is only when the Church is strong that it can act to aid society. It then will influence the government to do the good for society. Without a strong Church we are left with an amoral government seeking only to control and/or crush any opposition. Very few nations outside of the Vatican itself is in a very good place just now.