Special Pastors’ Summit Edition

 

 

“The Pastors Summit was a giant step towards passage of the marriage amendment,” said Gary Borgendale.  Hundreds of pastors have returned to their congregations, energized and equipped to stand for one man, one woman marriage.  Ask you pastor how you can become involved as a contact, letter writer, or petition signer,” he concluded.

 

Click here to see if you live in a key senate district.

 

In this issue – 12/08/05

 

·       Bible could become hate speech, warns Canadian Bishop Henry.

·       “Children need a mother and a father,” says Pastor Barb White of Light Foundational Ministries.

·       Civil unions, civil marriage equality – no one is happy.

·       Volunteers Needed – Become a contact in your church.

·       Make a financial contribution to protecting marriage in Minnesota.

 

Speaking at the Pastors’ Summit, Catholic Bishop Frederick Henry of Calgary, Alberta told how Canada legalized same-sex marriages “…without the benefit of social science research, without adequate democratic deliberation."   Consequently, "People who disagree with same-sex marriage risk charges of hate speech,” he added.  Henry has first hand knowledge of this assault upon religious expression as he has been threatened by government tax officials and called before the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal for promoting traditional marriage in his pastoral letters. "The human rights tribunals have become like thought police," he says. "In Canada, you can now use the coercive powers of the state to silence opposition."

 

Once same-sex marriage achieves the same legal status as traditional marriage, homosexual activists can then use the courts, anti-discrimination laws and eventually tax laws to intimidate churches that stand for traditional marriage. By strengthening the legal definition of marriage as one man and one woman, the Minnesota Marriage Amendment helps block this route of attack in Minnesota state courts.

 

Click here to read Katherine Kersten’s interview with Bishop Henry.

One of the primary reasons to protect marriage is because children need a mother and a father.  “I am concerned about our children,” said Pastor Barb White of Light Foundational Ministries.  “Some claim that all children need is two loving people in a committed relationship.  In my experience this is simply not true.  We have tried this in my community and found it to be wrought with failure.  For decades we have tried to raise our sons with two loving people - a mother and a grandmother - and we know it doesn’t work.  But is anyone listening?  There is a mountain of sociological data that proves children are far better off in a home with a mother and a father.  Let me tell you something, a same-sex marriage is an environment without a mother or a father.  And here in the African American community we already know what will happen.”

 

In “Why Children Need Father-Love and Mother-Love”, Glen Stanton writes, “To be concerned with proper child development is…making sure children have daily access to the different and complementary ways mothers and fathers parent. If Heather and Brandon are being raised by two mommies or two daddies, Heather and Brandon have two adults in their lives, but they are being deprived of the benefits found in the unique influences found in a mother and father’s differing parenting styles. Much of the value mothers and fathers bring to their children is due to the fact that mothers and fathers are different. And by cooperating together and complementing each other in their differences, they provide these good things that same-sex caregivers cannot.”

 

Click here to read September Letters to Editor regarding children and parents.

”Some call it civil unions.  OutFront calls it civil marriage equality.  No matter what it’s called no one is happy,” said Chuck Darrell, director of communications for Minnesota for Marriage.  Although support for homosexual civil unions has dropped 10%^[1] in the last year, some Minnesotans view civil unions as a means to satisfy both sides in the marriage amendment debate.  However, in states like Connecticut where civil unions have been approved, they have done just the opposite.  Rather than ending the marriage debate, civil unions have put same-sex marriage supporters’ one step closer to ending marriage as between one man and one woman.  Exactly what the legislators – and the voters - meant to avoid.

 

Here in Minnesota, OutFront has recently changed its tactics from demanding all or nothing when it comes to marriage, to an incremental approach that creates same-sex marriage slowly but surely - even when Minnesotans citizens overwhelmingly oppose homosexual marriage. ^[2]

What has occurred in Connecticut is a prime example of this incremental approach.  In the Independent Gay Forum, activist Dale Carpenter proposed that homosexuals use the California Model described as “Spousal Rights by Increments.”  Another activist, John Corvino, says that homosexuals should fight for civil unions as a way of securing homosexual marriage by another name.  In Minnesota, OutFront now calls this stealth tactic “civil marriage equality.”

 

In April, the Governor of Connecticut signed a civil union bill that granted same-sex couples all the benefits of marriage, and, as a nod to conservatives, protected marriage as between one man and one woman.  However, rather than satisfy both sides, the bill has done just the opposite.

 

Connecticut same-sex marriage supporters are already stating that they consider the bill a “down payment on same-sex marriage” and will continue to push for full-fledged marriage rights. Anne Stanback, president of an advocacy group called “Love Makes a Family,” said the conversation isn't over.  "Today we celebrate this step forward. Tomorrow we begin again to work towards the day when there are not two lines at town hall-one for them and one for us-but a single line for all loving and committed Connecticut couples who come to seek the recognition, protections and responsibilities of marriage.”

 

This seems to be the tactic in Minnesota, says Tom Prichard of Minnesota Family Council.  “The strategy is to first secure legal incidents like “civil marriage equality”.  Then, as time goes by, Minnesotan’s will perceive these unions as virtually indistinguishable from traditional marriage.  Eventually, social endorsement will be achieved as Minnesotans will start calling them marriages and gradually forget why they objected to doing so before.  That’s what happened in Scandinavia, and it’s happening elsewhere in Europe,” he concluded.

 

 

·       Click here to volunteer to be a letter writer.  MFM will begin an aggressive 7-month letter writing campaign starting in September.  We can help you with guidelines and ideas, but we need you to write the letter.  We are particularly interested in letter writers in the following senate districts:

o        District 27 - Dan Sparks

o        District 22 - Jim Vickerman

o        District 09 - Steve Langseth

o        District 01 - LeRoy Stumpf

o        District 11 - Dallas Sams

o        District 20 - Gary Kubly

o        District 30 - Shelia Kiscaden

o        District 28 - Steve Murphy

o        District 13 - Dean Johnson

o        District 51 - Don Betzold

·       Gather petition signatures in your community.  Help expand our petition drive by gathering at least 10 signatures on our Marriage Protection Petition.  Click here to download the petition.  Please fax or mail the completed petition to the address on the petition.  Petitions in the districts listed above are important.

·       Click here to volunteer to monitor local newspapers in your area.

·       Click here to volunteer as a church contact.

No issue is more crucial to the future of our culture than the preservation of society’s most fundamental building block – families based on the marriage of one man and one woman.

Click here to donate on-line to Minnesota for Marriage.

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