Liberal Clergy's Opposition to Marriage Amendment No Surprise, Say Conservatives
by Bill Fancher
May 23, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Clergy opposed to a constitutional ban on same-sex "marriage" say religious conservatives who support the proposed federal marriage amendment are bigots. But those conservatives don't appear to be overly concerned about the left-leaning clergy's lobbying efforts to derail the proposed constitutional amendment.
Several dozen Christian and Jewish leaders held a news conference on Capitol Hill, where they are lobbying senators to reject the amendment when it comes up for a vote about two weeks from now. Involved in that coalition were United Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, United Church of Christ, Reformed Jews, and others.
The proposed amendment that protects marriage as defined in the Bible, as the union of a man and a woman, is supported by Roman Catholic bishops and the Southern Baptist Convention. But Rev. Paul Simmons, a Baptist minister and University of Louisville professor, said the amendment "has the smell and feel of Salem," comparing its supporters to the colonial Puritans who burned witches.
Simmons says he and many other clergy oppose a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. "There is a broad and profound opposition to the proposed amendment among religious people," he noted. "The thunder of the Religious Right should be resisted as misguided and prejudicial."
And Rev. Kenneth Samuel, a United Church of Christ pastor and NAACP chapter president in Georgia, said black pastors who oppose homosexual marriage have turned their backs on civil rights. "A lot of what goes on is also tied on to the faith-based initiative money," Pastor Samuel said, "and I am sorry to say that many of our African-American clergy have been bought out."
Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families is not concerned about the coalition of religious leaders who are lobbying against the marriage amendment. "I believe they're way out of step with church-going Americans who, every study shows, overwhelmingly support keeping marriage as the union of one man and one woman," he says. Every state that has considered a marriage amendment to its constitution has seen decisive majorities of voters -- as high as 70 and 80 percent -- approve the measure.
And Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council says he is not surprised to see these groups and other liberal denominations speaking out against defining marriage as it is taught in the Bible. "This is completely predictable for this bunch," says Schenck. "Every time anyone anywhere asserts traditional moral values or traditional biblical positions on anything -- and most especially marriage and human sexuality -- you can predict that this same group will parade out and oppose it."
Schenck says these groups are not only on the wrong side of Christian doctrine and the wrong side of what he calls "the moral divide," but also on the wrong side of history. He believes that is why such groups are losing members. "While it's lamentable, while it's predictable, in the end it only makes them even more irrelevant than they are," he states.
Effect of Legalized 'Gay Marriage' on Traditionalists
Meanwhile, the president of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty says churches and Christian schools that oppose same-sex marriage will face government pressure if it is legalized. Anthony Picarello says they could be barred from firing employees with same-sex spouses, forced to give them marital benefits, or lose charitable and property tax exemptions if they refuse.
Picarello and other legal experts took part in a recent panel discussion at the Heritage Foundation. Maggie Gallagher, a columnist who heads the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, offered grim predictions about people and churches who oppose same-sex unions, should they be legalized.
"Once a court goes to rule gay marriage is a civil right, people who have an older, conjugal vision of marriage as inherently the union of husband and wife are going to be treated like racists in the public square," she offered.
And as for churches that believe homosexual marriage is immoral? "The temptation will be ... [to] simply mute your marriage theology," said Gallagher, opining that many people will find it hard to resist that temptation. "If you are just quieter about it ... as long as you're not too loud about this and keep your nose clean, you'll stay out of trouble."
She believes recent events have shown why a federal marriage amendment is needed. "Leaving it to the states right now is leaving it to state judges, not to the people in states," she noted. "We've already had judges in two states overturn state marriage amendments that were passed by more than 70 percent of the people."
In essence, said Gallagher, unless the U.S. Constitution is amended to protect traditional marriage, judges will probably force states to legalize homosexual marriage.
Associated Press contributed to this article. Bill Fancher, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
