Alabama Legislators Take a Stand on Same-Sex Marriage
At a time when enormous social pressure to be “politically correct” has been brought to bear on the average American, the courage that some politicians are manifesting is quite heartening to the Christian. Several Alabama legislators have introduced bills that manifest agreement with the biblical stance on homosexuality. Senate bills (SB) that seek to amend the state constitution to define legal marriage as existing only between a man and a woman (SB4—Sen. Hank Erwin Jr., R-Montevallo) and that prohibit the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples (SB5—Sen. Hinton Mitchem, D-Albertville; SB33—Sen. Larry Means, D-Attalla) are in the mill for consideration. Likewise, House bills (HB) are being set forth that seek to amend the constitution to prohibit same-sex marriages (HB59—Rep. Yusef Salaam, D-Selma), and to prohibit marriage licenses for same-sex couples (HB1—Rep. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale), as well as to prohibit the use of public funds or facilities to sanction or foster sodomy and sexual misconduct (HB30—Rep. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale) (“In the Hopper…,” 2005).
The so-called “Bible Belt” is undoubtedly the final frontier for the defense of traditional American values—i.e., those drawn from the Bible. These moral principles were the ideals upon which the Founding Fathers launched the grand American experiment, and it is these moral principles that have characterized American civilization from the beginning—up until the last 50 years. Unless Christians are willing to step forward and speak out as the Bible teaches (thereby vocalizing the will of God on these critical moral issues), the nation will continue its downward spiral into moral degradation at an increasingly rapid rate.
After all, the Bible teaches that it is religious, moral, and spiritual factors that determine the course of a nation (e.g., the books of Kings; cf. 2 Chronicles 7:19ff.). The future of American civilization will be determined by its moral climate—viz., the moral and spiritual behavior of its citizenry. When any nation reaches the point at which it may be said, as was said of the Palestinian population of the fifteenth century B.C., that its iniquity is “full” (Genesis 15:16; Matthew 23:32; 1 Thessalonians 2:16), then that nation is ripe for destruction. Sadly, there can be little doubt that America is moving swiftly in that direction.
To compromise on this critical moral issue—to sit back and allow an immoral minority to alter the course of American history—is to allow the floodgate to be opened and to invite a rushing torrent of sexual disorientation and confusion to sweep over the land. This conclusion was recognized in the now infamous U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas on June 26, 2003, in which all state sodomy laws were simultaneously eliminated. Justice Scalia, who penned the dissenting opinion for his fellow dissenters Justices Rehnquist and Thomas, referred to the “massive disruption of the current social order” that will result from the Court’s majority opinion. He then made the following penetrating observation that forecasts the inevitable:
State laws against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution,…adultery, fornication, bestiality, and obscenity are likewise sustainable only in light of Bowers’ [previous Supreme Court case—DM] validation of laws based on moral choices. Every single one of these laws is called into question by today’s decision (Lawrence, et al…, 2003, emp. added).
With the elimination of laws against homosexuality, the judicial system has no rational basis upon which to condemn any other sexual behavior as illegal and punishable by law, no matter how warped or perverted—whether bigamy, polygamy, or incest. Likewise, America is equally victim to those who wish to promote bestiality (sexual relations with animals), pedophilia (sexual relations with children), and necrophilia (sexual relations with dead bodies). Moral and sexual insanity is well underway. One cannot help but be reminded of the sexual anarchy that gripped the pagan civilizations in ancient times.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness (Romans 1:26-29, emp. added).
You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion. Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants (Leviticus 18:22-25, emp. added).
God help us.
REFERENCES
“In the Hopper: House, Senate Bills for 2005” (2005), Montgomery Advertiser, January 30, [On-line], URL: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/specialreports/legislature/storyV5BILLS30W.htm.
Lawrence, et al. v. Texas(2003), [On-line], URL: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&navby=case&vol=000&invol=02-102.
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