Protestant ministers will rally tomorrow to ’save marriage’
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- June
- 18
A couple of hundred Protestant ministers are expected to gather in Albany tomorrow morning to protest Gov. Paterson’s call for New York agencies to recognize gay marriages from other states.
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedom, an evangelical lobbying group, is calling for a huge turnout: “NYCF is looking for a thousand Bible-believing ministers who will not bend, blend or bow! We are looking for ministers willing to mobilize for morality.”
The rally will start in the lobby of the Legislative Office Building at 10 a.m. (Pictured is the Rev. Duane Motley, NYCF’s founder and executive director.)
NYCF is calling on all ministers to sign a petition to “save marriage in New York state.”
At the top of the group’s agenda is this:
Brethren, we must pray not only for the defeat of this bill, but for the salvation of our opponents. They advance this moral wickedness because they are in rebellion against their Creator and do not have a right relationship with Him. Pray that those on the frontlines would have speech seasoned with grace and hearts that never forget the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12).
The New York State Catholic Conference is not taking part in the rally. But the group, which represents the state’s Catholic bishops, is asking Catholics to email Gov. Paterson to express their disapproval.
A prewritten message on the group’s website, which visitors can email to the governor, says:
I am very disappointed by your ill-advised, unilateral decision to recognize out-of-state same-sex “marriages†in New York State. Marriage is the very building block of our society. No interpersonal relationship is more important to a healthy society than marriage. The state has a compelling interest in recognizing and bestowing privileged benefits on marriage, since it is the foundation of a stable society and is the best arrangement for bearing and nurturing children. To arbitrarily redefine it in a way that alters its very essence devalues marriage between one man and one woman, reducing it to simply one more lifestyle choice, instead of the essential engine that drives society. If there are any rights that individual members of society do not enjoy due to the fact that they do not wish to marry members of the opposite sex, let the legislature grant those rights in some other way. As a citizen of this state, and a voter, I strongly urge you to reconsider your action.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 at 11:09 am by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
