Wash. Marriage Proponents Motivated by DOMA Court Challenges
by Allie Martin
March 8, 2005
(AgapePress) - Supporters of traditional marriage rallied in Washington state today (March 8) at the State Capitol building. "Mayday for Marriage" coincided with that state's highest court hearing arguments related to Washington's Defense of Marriage Act.
The Washington State Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday on lower-court rulings in two counties that found Washington's Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. Those hearings prompted Christian activists to hold a lunch-time rally in Olympia on the grounds of the Capitol. Speakers at the rally included several key pastors in the area who have been spearheading the issue, as well as lawmakers and representatives from several organizations.
Randy Leskover, a Seattle-area pastor who organized the event, says support for traditional marriage is strong in the Evergreen State. He described the motivation for the gathering beforehand.
"We're going to have a time of praise," he said. "We're really rallying to show that we love our country, we love the people of our nation, we love families, we love kids, [and] we want to see the right thing take place."
Leskover's group warns that if the high court upholds the lower-court rulings, Washington runs the risk of joining Massachusetts as the only states in the country to allow "gay marriage." Such a situation, the group says, could occur as early as this summer. Leskover shares his pastoral perspective on the issue.
"It's a spiritual battle. I believe that Satan wants to tear down families [and] to tear down marriages," the marriage advocate says. "I'm a pastor, and it is an intense spiritual battle. We need to be praying, petitioning our Lord to move upon the hearts of the decision makers whom we elected, the courts, and the people -- His people -- to stand up on this issue."
Leskover says a state constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage is needed in his state.
Rally organizers say the assembly had three messages to deliver to the court and to state lawmakers: (1) marriage by definition is between a man and a woman only; (2) it is the birthright of every child to be raised in a healthy family by the child's mother and father; and (3) if the courts strike down the current legal definition of marriage, it will improperly usurp the role of the legislature.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
