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.