As FMA Vote Looms, Pro-Family Forces Call for Grassroots Action
by Allie Martin and Jenni Parker
July 7, 2004
(AgapePress) - With the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) coming up before the U.S. Senate for a July 15 vote, and with the U.S. presidential election not much farther off, pro-family leaders are pressing hard to get citizens involved in putting more pressure on their legislators. Meanwhile, the Sky Angel nationwide direct-to-home satellite television system will be airing two special events this month in hopes of motivating believers to participate in the political process and to push for change.
One of the Sky Angel programs focuses on the FMA and the effort to defend traditional marriage. "Battle for Marriage," a television special designed to raise awareness about the proposed amendment, seeks to motivate Americans to contact their senators prior to the July 15 vote and encourage them to vote "yes." The program will air nationwide on Sunday, July 11 (7:00 to 8:30 pm, Eastern Standard Time), on Sky Angel's special event channel, Angel Two/Channel 9702. The series will re-air July 12, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., and on July 13 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. (ET).
Simulcast on television, the radio, and the Internet from Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, "Battle for Marriage" will feature a roster of imminent pro-family speakers such as radio host Dr. Richard Land, Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, and Belleview's pastor, Dr. Adrian Rogers. Information about how to tune in to the simulcast -- and about how churches can participate as a host site for the live webcast -- is available through the We Vote Values website.
Another upcoming special from Sky Angel, called "Is It a Sin Not to Vote?", will be airing nationwide exclusively on Angel Two/Channel 9702 this month and will repeat several times across the months leading up to the November presidential election. It is scheduled to debut July 26 (10 to 11 a.m. ET), and will also be shown August 7 and 19, September 11 and 28, October 20, and November 1.
During the special event, Sky Angel viewers will be able to join American Family Association (AFA) president Tim Wildmon and American Family Radio's Marvin Sanders as they ponder and respond to the question: "Is it a sin not to vote?" The program will feature special guest Stephen McDowell, the president of the Providence Foundation and an early American history expert who speaks around the world on the responsibility of Christians to be involved in government.
Pro-Family Groups Issue Rallying Cry
As the FMA Senate vote approaches, pro-family groups such as AFA, Focus on the Family, and the Family Research Council are urging Christians to be informed about and involved in the political process. Also, Internet sites such as WeVoteValues.com and Bellevue.org have been set up to encourage believers to register as eligible voters; to contact their political representatives and let them know how their constituents feel; and to vote, making the most of their privilege and responsibility to elect government officials that represent Christian family values.
AFA founder and chairman Rev. Donald Wildmon is also lending his voice to the effort, encouraging Christians to take a public and vocal stand in support of the FMA. If passed, the proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution would safeguard the traditional definition of marriage by codifying it into federal law.
This week petitions expressing support for the FMA and the biblical view of marriage and signed by more than 600,000 people nationwide will be delivered to Senate offices in Washington, DC. More than 900,000 signatures on similar petitions have been gathered on the Internet; AFA says it plans to deliver those signatures on electronic media.Still, Dr. Wildmon says with a vote on the proposed amendment scheduled for next week, it is vital that Christians bombard their senators' offices with phone calls, because the general consensus is that the FMA will fail to get the two-thirds vote it requires to pass.
"In fact," the AFA founder says, "there is a grave danger that it may not even receive a majority vote, and the reason why is that people have been very lax. They aren't involved, they aren't calling, they aren't writing, and the senators who are going to vote for homosexual marriage feel like they don't have anything to fear."
According to Wildmon, the senators who vote against the FMA are, in effect, voting for homosexual marriage. On the other hand, those voting for the amendment are voting for marriage defined exclusively as the union between one man and one woman. But with the vote looming on the horizon, the pro-family leader says legislators need to hear from concerned Christians right away, before it is too late.
"It shows how far down the path of degradation our society has gone to even be discussing this matter," Wildmon says, "but we are discussing it. And if people who favor traditional values do not get involved, after the homosexuals win, I can guarantee you there will be no discussion, period. [Homosexual marriage] will be forced down your throat."
The AFA founder warns that if the battle for traditional marriage is lost, it could very well spell the end of Western civilization. Therefore, he says, it is imperative that Christians do not sit on the sidelines in this latest significant skirmish in the culture wars.
