Monday, June 30, 2008

Weekly Opinion/Editorial
THE FENCE BUILDER
by Steve Fair
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Genesis 2:24.

On May 15, 2008, in a 4-3 decision, California's Supreme Court ruled in favor of two dozen gay couples, and the city of San Francisco, who argued that the 2000 state law banning same-sex marriage in California was discriminatory. The decision makes California the second U.S. state to legalize gay marriage. Currently four states recognize gay marriage and thankfully that number doesn’t include Oklahoma. In his written opinion, California Chief Justice Ron George said, "limiting the designation of marriage to a union 'between a man and a woman' is unconstitutional and must be stricken from the statute." Those who penned California’s state constitution must be spinning in their graves. It never occurred to the framers to include a definition of marriage as being between exclusively a man and a woman. That fact seemed so obvious that it didn’t need defining. Once again activist judges have moved from interpreting the law to legislating from the bench.
Gay marriage opponents in California are collecting signatures to place the same sex marriage issue on the November ballot in hopes of striking down the measure. It's unclear at this time whether the initiative has enough strength to be successful. In the meantime, same-sex California couples, gay rights organizations and gays across the country are celebrating the landmark victory. In a written statement, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi- D, California, wrote, "I welcome the California Supreme Court’s historic decision. I have long fought against discrimination and believe that the State Constitution provides for equal treatment for all of California’s citizens and families, which today’s decision recognizes."

California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called the ballot initiative “a waste of time.” “I personally believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, but at the same time, I think that my, you know, belief, I don’t want to force on anyone else.”

Back in September 2005, Schwarzenegger vetoed a gay marriage bill but said at the time that gay couples are entitled to full protection under the law and should not be discriminated against based upon their relationship. The Guvanator said "I am proud that California provides the most rigorous protections in the nation for domestic partners.” Arnold is a RINO (Republican in name only), so his illogical statement on this issue was not unexpected. The Republican platform has a plank that calls for a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage, so Schwarzenegger is out of touch with his party.

California does tend to be getting more tolerant of the gay lifestyle. According to Gregory Lewis of Georgia State University and Charles Gossett of California State Polytechnic University, "Californians born in each decade tend to be more accepting of gay relationships and more willing to grant them legal recognition than those born the decade before," But accepting something that is wrong because you’ve become insulated to it doesn’t make it right.

Former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, has said the laws in this country are built upon a certain worldview, and it is the Judeo-Christian worldview. Santorum says that worldview has been expressed in our laws on marriage for 200-plus years and this issue was never an issue until about 25 years ago. To even consider legalized same sex marriage would have been beyond the pale. And so it is clearly a dramatic departure from the Judeo-Christian ethic that is reflected in our laws that say marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman.

Christians believe that the homosexual lifestyle is sinful and as Americans, they should have the right to be able to express their religious beliefs without fear of being branded as hate-inciting criminals. The truth is, the most hate-filled people in this debate are the homosexual activists who are forcing their worldview on others. Christians should have the right to protest the “gay” agenda that is being forced onto their children via the schools (teaching four-year-olds about same sex relationships) and television shows. Just last week, Heinz pulled an ad that showed a homosexual male couple kissing, but whenever anyone states a position that differs from the gays, they become intolerant.

A fence is a structure serving as an enclosure, a barrier, or a boundary. It offers a means of defense or protection. Before a fence is removed, one should ask why that fence was erected in the first place. There is a societal and Scriptural fence that was erected by Almighty God 6,000 years ago. Many in our culture are seeking to tear down that fence of "Traditional Marriage" which was built by God. While they may think they can get by with ripping down the fence, the fence builder doesn’t take kindly to destruction of His property.

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