URGENT PRAYERS/PETITIONS:
PLEASE PRAY Today (3/26) and Tomorrow (3/27) that the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold Prop. 8 (the CA law which defines marriage as only between a man and a woman) and the Defense of Marriage Act (signed into federal law in 1996) that does the same. PRAY that the Court will resist any pressure to MAKE new law based on "cultural trends." PRAY as though the very future of the institution of the family is at stake because it is.[ATTENTION: (3/26) As I've prayed every day about this for many weeks now, I have been cautiously optimistic that the Court will do the right thing in their decisions as a result of their review of the 2 cases. HOWEVER, I came across 2 pieces of information yesterday that has shaken that confidence. 1) When the Court ruled 10 years ago to strike down a Texas anti-sodomy, it left the door for the approval of same-sex "marriage" in its ruling; and 2) Chief Justice Roberts - known to be a conservative - has sided with homosexual couples seeking certain rights in the past. After the way he defined Obamacare in such a way that his was the deciding vote last spring that kept it from being ruled unconstitutional (shocking everyone), I am suddenly fearful that he may again shock us with how he decides and therefore swings the court. BOTTOM LINE: PRAY! AND ASK SOMEONE TO JOIN YOU]
CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PASTOR SAEED (Iranian-born AMERICAN pastor who just started an 8 year sentence for helping the underground churches in Iran) [See 3/25 update below!] - "As Iran continues to abuse imprisoned American Pastor Saeed Abedini, its goal is now clear -- force Pastor Saeed to deny Christ.
As the Lord leads, please pray:
- For Pastor Abedini as he endures one of Iran’s most deadly prisons, potentially beaten and abused regularly, simply because of his Christian faith.
- For the pastor’s wife and family and the Holy Spirit’s comfort upon them.
- For the continuing meetings at the UN meetings in Geneva about Pastor Saeed.
- For the U.S. State Department to get involved in a significant way to obtain the pastor’s release.
PLEASE Continue to PRAY: "Libya Arrests Suspected Christian Missionaries ," February 16, 2013; "Four foreigners were arrested in Libya on suspicion of distributing books about Christianity and proselytizing, a Libyan police spokesman said on Saturday. Spreading Christianity is a crime in the predominantly Muslim North African county. The four were arrested in the eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday and are under investigation for printing and distributing books that proselytize Christianity. Police said they found 45,000 books in their possession and that another 25,000 have already been distributed. The suspects are from South Africa, Egypt, South Korea, and one holds both Swedish and U.S. Nationality. The U.S. Embassy in Libya has declined comment. "(Sources: CBS News, USA Today, Associated Press) [So much for the so-called "Arab Spring." - Stan]As the Lord leads, PLEASE PRAY: · For the timely release of the arrested missionaries. · For all who share God’s loving salvation in Muslim countries.
"The Marriage Debate Through a Child’s Eyes," by Jennifer Marshall On March 25, 2013 - For Pastor Abedini as he endures one of Iran’s most deadly prisons, potentially beaten and abused regularly, simply because of his Christian faith.
- For the pastor’s wife and family and the Holy Spirit’s comfort upon them.
- For the continuing meetings at the UN meetings in Geneva about Pastor Saeed.
- For the U.S. State Department to get involved in a significant way to obtain the pastor’s release.
Earlier this month, 11-year-old Grace Evans appeared before a panel of Minnesota lawmakers considering a redefinition of marriage in that state. She testified to the significance of her mother and father and the different contributions each makes to her life.Then she ended with a simple question: “Which parent do I not need, my mom, or my dad? [1]” It’s a question proponents of same-sex marriage cannot answer.
This week, attorneys will echo Grace when they appear before the Supreme Court to defend two marriage laws defining the institution as the union of one man and one woman. The Court hears arguments Tuesday on California’s Proposition 8 and Wednesday on the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Americans are free to live and to love as we choose. And we’ve learned to make do in many circumstances when, for one reason or another, a mother and father cannot permanently be together with the children they’ve brought into this world. But we have continued to give unique status in law to the union of a man and a woman—the only relationship that produces children—as a permanent, monogamous, and exclusive relationship. We uphold this ideal in the interest of children, of limited, constitutional government, and of America’s future...
Marriage Matters for Children
Decades of social science [4], including the most recent and robust studies [5], confirm that children tend to do best when raised by their married mother and father. So it surprised many last Thursday when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) endorsed same-sex marriage, challenging the ideal that children should have a mom and a dad. “Based on ‘extensive research,’ this statement from a scientific organization may seem authoritative,” writes Heritage senior analyst Jason Richwine, Ph.D [6]. “In reality, however, the AAP’s position is based on ideology, not science.” As Dr. Richwine observes, “the bottom line is that the literature on same-sex parenting is not conclusive enough to generate any policy prescriptions from social science alone. We just don’t know nearly as much as the AAP claims that we know.” He notes that “the AAP has a long track record of using its air of scientific authority to make pronouncements on ideological issues” like gun control and Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. “These are perfectly legitimate political positions, but they are not scientific positions. We should never confuse the two, especially not when dealing with an issue as important as the definition of marriage.”
Marriage Matters for Limited, Constitutional Government
Policy rightly recognizes marriage, respecting it as one of the institutions that mediates between government and the individual. This protects individual liberty, particularly the liberty of dependent children. Marriage helps limit the state [7].
Some have argued [8], however, that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the principle of federalism. That argument gets it backward, explains Matthew Spalding, Ph.D., [9] Heritage’s vice president for American Studies. DOMA “was an attempt to preserve in place the ability of the federal government and the states to address marriage appropriate to their respective spheres of authority.” “[I]f we want to prevent the federal government from redefining marriage for all the states…and launching a massive expansion of the federal government,” Dr. Spalding continues, “then we should strenuously defend DOMA and uphold the ability of states to define marriage [10] in their state constitutions. That’s not just federalism; it’s constitutional self-government [11].”
Marriage Matters for America’s Future
Liberal media coverage has wrapped the movement to redefine marriage in a mantle of inevitability. It has highlighted shifting polls and support among young people. But last week, The New York Times profiled young people standing up for the age-old institution of marriage, including two of Heritage’s own [12]: William E. Simon Fellow Ryan Anderson [13] and Andrew Walker [14], policy analyst in the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society. As Walker pointed out to the Times, Supreme Court action this year will not end the American people’s debate over marriage: 'If you take the longer view of history—I’m not talking just 15 years, I’m talking 40 years or even 100 years—I can’t help but think that the uniqueness of man-woman marriage will be adjudicated over time."
Similarly, Anderson explained last week in a CNN.com piece [15]: "It’s important to future generations that Americans understand what marriage is, why it matters, [16] and the consequences of redefining it. The Supreme Court shouldn’t truncate the debate and redefine marriage by judicial decree to include same-sex relationships.
This week is only the beginning of a great national conversation about our most fundamental institution. Heritage and its allies have produced a new booklet [17] to help you engage in this conversation. Join us in the effort to restore a strong culture of marriage in America, for today’s children, and for generations yet to be born.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
For more information:
Make Your Voice Heard for Marriage [18] (VIDEO), Heritage Foundation President-elect Jim DeMint
Marriage: Children, Freedom, and a Crucial Debate [19] (VIDEO), Ryan T. Anderson at the National Press Club, March 19, 2013
Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It [16], by Ryan T. Anderson
The Constitutionality of Traditional Marriage [11], by John Eastman
What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense [20], by Robert P. George, Ryan T. Anderson, and Sherif Girgis.
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org; URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/03/25/morning-bell-the-marriage-debate-through-a-childs-eyes/
URLs in this post:
[1] Which parent do I not need, my mom, or my dad?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUfYaFys4Aw&feature=youtu.be
[2] event today: http://www.heritage.org/events/2013/03/marriage-debate
[3] March for Marriage: https://www.marriagemarch.org/
[4] Decades of social science: http://www.familyfacts.org/
[5] the most recent and robust studies: http://www.familystructurestudies.com/
[6] writes Heritage senior analyst Jason Richwine, Ph.D: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/03/22/academy-of-pediatrics-endorses-same-sex-marriage-but-science-not-so-sure/
[7] Marriage helps limit the state: http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2010/pdf/Ind.Ch5.Morse.pdf
[8] argued: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-f-will-doma-infringes-on-states-rights/2013/03/20/fa845348-90bb-11e2-bdea-e32ad90da239_story.html
[9] explains Matthew Spalding, Ph.D.,: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/03/22/marriage-and-faux-federalism/
[10] define marriage: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/02/27/why-marriage-matters-for-america-and-conservatism/
[11] constitutional self-government: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/01/the-constitutionality-of-traditional-marriage
[12] including two of Heritage’s own: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/us/politics/young-opponents-of-gay-marriage-remain-undaunted.html?_r=0
[13] William E. Simon Fellow Ryan Anderson: http://www.heritage.org/about/staff/a/ryan-anderson
[14] Andrew Walker: http://www.heritage.org/about/staff/w/andrew-walker
[15] Anderson explained last week in a CNN.com piece: http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/22/opinion/anderson-states-same-sex-marriage/index.html
[16] what marriage is, why it matters,: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/03/marriage-what-it-is-why-it-matters-and-the-consequences-of-redefining-it
[17] new booklet: http://www.scribd.com/doc/130647539/What-You-Need-to-Know-about-Marriage
[18] Make Your Voice Heard for Marriage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnw7Tvs0woI&feature=youtu.be
[19] Marriage: Children, Freedom, and a Crucial Debate: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/03/23/marriage-children-freedom-and-a-crucial-debate/
[20] What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense: http://whatismarriagebook.com/
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