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World Views

The Respect for Marriage Act

The Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, held that there was no right to abortion implicitly protected by the due process clause of the 14th. Amendment or by any other provision in the Constitution. The ruling overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should likewise reconsider the precedents that similarly relied on the concept of “substantive due process.” Among the cases he specifically mentioned was Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision that announced the discovery of a constitutional right to same sex marriage. Justice Thomas’s opinion is what initiated the knee jerk reaction by liberal ideologues  to pre-empt the overturning of Obergefell. Within a month of overturning Roe, the House of Representatives wrote and passed the Respect for Marriage Act which would codify into federal law same sex marriage. Every Democrat along with 47 Republicans voted to pass this law. The Senate has decided to wait until after the midterm elections to consider the bill, allowing a bipartisan group of Senators time to hammer out changes that would make the bill more palatable to Republicans.

Why should Christians be concerned? We have seen the consequences of the Obergefell ruling. Americans unwilling to assent to the new “orthodoxy” are being labeled as bigots and are vilified. Businesses, religious universities, adoption agencies and churches have faced censure, threats and lawsuits, over their sincerely held religious beliefs on marriage and human sexuality. Nondiscrimination and public accommodation laws and policies have been weaponized by local, state and the federal government in order to stigmatize, intimidate and coerce those who believe in a biblical definition of marriage. Many Americans have acceded to the beliefs that we should let bygones be bygones and after all no harm will come to anybody, we should not stand in the way of love between consenting adults, and many have friends who are in same sex relationships. Nothing could be further from the truth, the reality is that activists have relentlessly attacked those who do not comply and embrace the new ideology and will continue to do so until they have wiped out the entire concept of biblical marriage in America. If that is not enough we are being forced to embrace a nonbinary, non-biological definition of male and female and even changing our language to accommodate this chaos. Parental control of our children is being undermined in schools where they are being indoctrinated and groomed to question and change their sexuality. Boys and girls are being surgically butchered and given hormonal treatments by Doctors who condone this ideology. This is what letting bygones be bygones has led to. 

There are three key reasons why The Respect for Marriage Act should not be codified into federal law.

1. It prioritizes the gratification of adult sexual desires superseding the the welfare of children as a societal goal. This view of marriage prioritizes “happiness” for adults and ignores the fact that uniquely only the marriage of an opposite sex couple can procreate.

2. Religious freedom repercussions:  More of the same attacks on people who hold to beliefs of Biblical marriage and sexuality. Activists will be emboldened by federal law and will be more egregious and numerous in their attacks upon people of faith.

3. States Rights objections: The act requires every state to recognize as valid a  marriage solemnized in another state. Therefore, If one state decided to legalize polygamy other states would be required by federal law to recognize it as well. The sky is the limit as to what one state could do to the other 49. (think California)   

We are not on the precipice of a moral abyss, we are sliding over the edge. Every successful society of mankind that has ever walked this earth has had to recognize the importance of marriage being between a man and a woman and the subsequent family that arises from the conjugal relationship between them. Families are the building blocks of any society. Values, ideals, and institutions that lead to human flourishing must be preserved - and that includes marriage.

What can we do? Call your state’s Senators and raise your objections to this law. Vote wisely in the midterm elections for those candidates who do not support attacks on marriage. Stay informed of the attacks on religious liberties and court rulings. Pray that the Supreme Court will overturn the wrongly decided Obergefell decision. Talk to family, friends and coworkers to raise awareness of this insidious evil.

Posted by Art Flickinger

Pennsylvania Post Roe

Kansas and Indiana made the news this week, the former voting down an abortion ban law and the latter codifying into law the strictest anti-abortion law in the country. So where does Pennsylvania stand in regards to abortion? We stand on hold, waiting for the election of a new governor and legislative seats. (D) Josh Shapiro is the radical pro-choice candidate running for governor against (R) Doug Mastriano who is pro-life. Life is on the ballot this November in the Commonwealth, make no mistake about it. As early as this coming spring we could be voting on a Constitutional Amendment. (Senate Bill 956) The bill introduced by (R) Senator Judy Ward was in response to the abortion industry's lawsuit demanding an end to Medicaid restrictions on abortions. Currently Pennsylvania Medicaid only pays for abortions in the case of rape, incest or the life of a mother is at stake. The abortion industry is going beyond just the funding by taxpayers but is looking to inject a "right" to abortion into the constitution via a State Supreme Court fiat. Senator Ward's bill also will decline any "right" to abortion in Pennsylvania. The abortion industry is trying to bypass the legislative and constitutional amendment process by going through the courts. Does this strategy sound  familiar? It should be, this is the same strategy that brought us the Roe decision that was just ruled unconstitutional on the federal level by the United States Supreme Court. 

The consequences of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in favor of the abortion industry would be disastrous to pro-life efforts in the Commonwealth. The Abortion Control Act would be struck down. Protection for late term pregnancies would cease, no parental consent requirements and no 24 hour waiting period. Abortion centers would no longer be subject to state inspections. This law was passed in response to the Gosnell house of horrors.  Abortion clinics would be less regulated than a massage parlor. In order for PA Bill 956 to become an amendment  to the constitution, it must pass both the House and Senate in two consecutive sessions and then be voted upon by the people. That is why this November state elections are so important. The bill has passed both House and Senate already and it needs to be passed again this upcoming session. We need to vote in pro-life candidates so that we can pass Senate Bill 956 and insure the addition of the Life Amendment to the PA Constitution. 

 

Posted by Art Flickinger

The Great Divide II

I previously wrote on this topic two years ago (November 9, 2020). I missed the mark in that article by failing to expose the primary etiology of the Great Divide. I kind of danced around the edges of it. Politics as divisive as it can be is not the  issue here. Red states versus blue states and republicans versus democrats seems to be what we all focus on. Everything is not red, blue or even purple. No, we get carried away with this idea that everything will be ok once we elect our guy and hold on to power by knocking our opponent out of the majority. How is this working out for us? Not so good as far as I can tell. We are experiencing similar cycles that we have seen Israel experience with their Judges and Kings. Their issues were the result of a spiritual divide that led God's Chosen to their ultimate demise. They found themselves again and again on the wrong side of the divide, even after continuous warnings by the prophets sent by God to correct them. I contend that like Israel we have a spiritual divide in our country.

Psalm 1 outlines for us the divide. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night." Do we find ourselves mixing in and siding with modern day "Canaanites" and "Moabites," when we are called to be in the world but not of it? Are we spending time in the Word so that we can avoid the same pitfalls that Israel experienced? There is a blessing in it for us if we heed God's call to us.

What does the man who abides in God's Word look like? "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does , he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away." When we are nourished daily with living water we will flourish. The contrast couldn't be more clear here, we are to be, a bountiful tree that is deeply rooted and nourishes others, as opposed to the rootless dried out, dead chaff that is driven away by the wind. 

"Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." As Christians we play the long game because in the end we win. Christ has already won the victory for us on the cross and by his resurrection from the dead. Politics is like the chaff that is blown away by the wind. We must put our faith in the eternal not the ephemeral.

What side of the Great Divide do you find yourself on? If you find yourself on the wrong side there is hope for you. However, there is only one way over and that is through the cross of Christ, by putting your faith and trust in Him you can find the bridge that leads to life and life eternal.

Posted by Art Flickinger

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