The Effect Redefining Marriage has on Civil Liberties

The last two weeks, we have studied the secular argument for protecting traditional marriage. The first week focused on the impact of marriage on society, noting that unless a marriage embraces absolute monogamy between a man and a woman in marriage, the society will not last. Last week showed that marriage is necessary for children, and redefining marriage will also redefine parents, shifting a huge amount of power to the state.


Today’s post examines the effect redefining marriage will have on civil liberties. What the state recognizes as equal, it must protect as equal. When Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage, authorities notified Boston’s Catholic Charities that they could not discriminate between hetero- and homosexual couples regarding adoption policies. Catholic Charities argued that working with homosexual couples violated Catholic teaching and that homosexual couples could go to any other adoption agency in Massachusetts to adopt. But this was not adequate, because what the state recognizes as equal, it must protect as equal. Catholic Charities chose to close their doors, rather than violate their sacred teaching and conscience. Last year, Washington D.C.’s Catholic Charities also had to close their doors, due to legalized same-sex marriage.

Last week we saw a perfect example of this happening when the University of Chicago fired Dr. Ken Howell for explaining why homosexuality is wrong according to natural law in a class called INTRODUCTION TO CATHOLICISM.   He was accussed of hate speech and fired from the university.  Go HERE for more information. 
 Other examples of violated civil liberties:


• A Knights of Columbus chapter in Canada was sued for refusing to rent their hall for a same-sex reception.


• A private photographer in New Mexico was fired for refusing to film a lesbian commitment ceremony.


• In New Jersey, after the establishment of quasi-marital “civil unions”, a Methodist institution was stripped of their tax exempt status after declining to use their facility to bless homosexual unions.


• In Canada and other European nations, Christian clergy have been prosecuted for preaching against the practice of homosexuality. New hate-crime laws in America make this a possibility here, too.


• The Boston Globe wrote, “Governor Romney is denigrating gay families, practicing divisive, mean-spirited politics…by insisting that every child has the right to a mother and father.” Will this type of speech be prosecuted as hate speech later?


“Legal scholars warn that the tax exempt status and accreditation of Catholic organizations could be at risk.” (National Organization for Marriage at www.nationformarriage.org)


I welcome your comments and questions. Please keep them respectful! Come back next week for the Christian understanding of marriage!