The District of Columbia City Council has changed a proposed ordinance legalizing same-gender “marriage” to supposedly add protection for pastors. The ordinance was supported by a coalition of area clergy.
?One of those clergy members, Robert Hardies of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation, says the ordinance “ends harmful discrimination” against homosexual couples and at the same time “preserves the sacred rights” of his colleagues. Another pastor, Dennis Wiley of Covenant Baptist Church, says it “clearly protects clergy who disagree with me about marriage equality….”
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Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs at?Liberty Counsel, hopes the faith community is not fooled by the coalition known as D.C. Clergy United For Marriage Equality.
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“Well, this is just a cheap political stunt,” he responds. “These are a group of leftist secularists essentially dressed up in the garb of clergy….[W]hat do you do call clergy who abandon the fundamental tenets of their faith and adopt instead the lies of the world? I call them counterfeit clergy.”
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Barber adds that “they want to have their religion cake and eat it too.” He explains.
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“They are going to push a leftist political agenda that runs completely counter to biblical principles,” he asserts. “The ridiculous and oxymoronic notion of same-sex marriage flies in the face of every major world religion.”
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The Liberty Counsel attorney turns to the Bible which asks what good is it for a man to gain the world yet forfeit his soul (Matthew 16:26).
Of course, U.S. law isn’t based upon “biblical principles.” Clergy who are opposed to same-sex marriage need not perform them.
Not that this changes anything. Churches are currently free to marry, or not marry, whomever they wish.
As it should be.
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U.S. law isn?t based upon ?biblical principles.??
Really which one?
PRINCIPLE:
Sovereign authority of God,not
sovereignty of the state,or sovereignty of man.
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Mayflower Compact, Declaration, Constitution, currency, oaths, mention of God in all 50 state constitutions, Pledge of Allegiance.
BIBLE:
Ex. 18:16, 20:3, Dt. 10:20, 2 Chron. 7:14, Ps. 83:18, 91:2, Isa. 9:6-7, Dan. 4:32, Jn. 19:11, Acts 5:29, Rom. 13:1, Col. 1:15-20, 1 Tim. 6:15
PRINCIPLE:
Existence of objective moral values, Fixed standards, Absolute truth, Sanctity of life.
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Declaration (“unalienable” rights?life, etc., “self-evident” truths)
BIBLE:
Ex. 20:1-17, Dt. 30:19, Ps. 119: 142-152, Pr. 14:34, Isa. 5:20-21, Jn. 10:10, Rom. 2:15, Heb. 13:8
PRINCIPLE:
Rule of law rather than authority of man.
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Declaration,Constitution
BIBLE:
Ex. 18-24, Dt. 17:20, Isa. 8:19-20, Mat. 5:17-18
PRINCIPLE:
All men are sinners
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Constitutional checks and balances
BIBLE:
Gen. 8:21, Jer. 17:9, Mk. 7: 20-23, Rom. 3:23, 1 Jn 1:8
PRINCIPLE:
All men created equal.
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Declaration
BIBLE:
Acts 10:34, 17:26, Gal. 3:28, 1 Pet. 2:17
PRINCIPLE:
Judicial, legislative, and executive branches
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Constitution
BIBLE:
Isa. 33:22
PRINCIPLE:
Religious freedom
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
First Amendment
BIBLE:
1 Tim. 2:1-2
PRINCIPLE:
Church protected from state control (& taxation), but church to influence the state.
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
First Amendment
BIBLE:
Dt. 17:18-20, 1 Kgs. 3:28, Ezra 7:24, Neh. 8:2, 1 Sam. 7:15-10:27, 15:10-31, 2 Sam. 12:1-18, Mat. 14:3-4, Lk. 3:7-14, 11:52, Acts 4:26-29
PRINCIPLE:
Democracy/Republic
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Constitution
BIBLE:
Ex. 18:21, Dt. 1:13, Jud. 8:22, 9:6, 1 Sam. 8, 2 Sam. 16:18, 2 Kgs. 14:21, Pr. 11:14, 24:6
PRINCIPLE:
Importance of governing self and family as first level of governance
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
First, Second, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments
BIBLE:
Mat. 18:15-18, Gal. 5:16-26, 1 Cor. 6:1-11, 1 Tim. 3:1-5, Tit. 2:1-8
PRINCIPLE:
Establish justice
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Declaration
BIBLE:
Ex. 23:1-9, Lev. 19:15, Dt. 1:17, 16:19-20, 24:17-19, 1 Sam. 8:3, 2 Sam. 8:15, 1 Kings 3:28, 10:9, Mic. 6:8, Rom. 13:4
PRINCIPLE:
Fair trial with witnesses
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Sixth Amendment
BIBLE:
Ex. 20:16, Dt. 19:15, Pr. 24:28, 25:18, Mat. 18:16
PRINCIPLE:
Private property rights
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Fifth Amendment
BIBLE:
Ex. 20:15,17
PRINCIPLE:
Biblical liberty, Free enterprise
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Declaration
BIBLE:
Lev. 25:10, Jn. 8:36, 2 Cor. 3:17, Gal. 5:1, James 1:25, 1 Pet. 2:16
PRINCIPLE:
Creation not evolution
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Declaration
BIBLE:
Gen. 1:1
PRINCIPLE:
Biblical capitalism not Darwinian capitalism (service and fair play over strict survival of the fittest)
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Anti-trust laws
BIBLE:
Ex. 20:17, Mat. 20:26, 25:14-30, 2 Thes. 3:6-15, 1 Pet. 2:16
PRINCIPLE:
Importance of the traditional family
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
State sodomy laws,few reasons for divorce
BIBLE:
Ex. 20:12,14, Mat. 19:1-12, Mk. 10:2-12, Rom. 1:18-2:16, 1 Cor. 7:1-40
PRINCIPLE:
Religious education encouraged
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Northwest Ordinance
BIBLE:
Dt. 6:4-7, Pr. 22:6, Mat. 18:6, Eph. 6:4
PRINCIPLE:
Servanthood not political power
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Concept of public servant
BIBLE:
Ex. 18:21, Rom. 13:4, Php. 2:7
PRINCIPLE:
Sabbath day holy
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
“Blue laws”
BIBLE:
Ex. 20:8
PRINCIPLE:
Restitution
LEGAL DOCUMENT:
Restitution laws
BIBLE:
Lev. 6:1-5, Num. 5:5-7, Mat. 5:23-26
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