The following quotes are from an article about a Focus on the Family forum where an Indiana congressman discussed how religion should influence public policy.
The Indiana Family Institute, a nonprofit with close ties to Focus on the Family, invited pastors to discuss how they might move Indiana down from its rank as No. 13 on the list of states with the most divorces.
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Rep. John Hostettler told area clergy that divorce on demand is as dangerous as gay marriage, and pastors’ actions will be key to strengthening all Indiana families.
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“If we don’t stand for God’s principles in our society, who will?” asked the Rev. Paul DeHart of the Newburgh Church of Christ. “What God has given us is the gift of democracy.”
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“Christians make the best citizens because we don’t answer just to local magistrates,” DeHart said.
Those magistrates – and all public officials – are ordained deacons of God, Hostettler said. He cited the specific reference to civil government in the Bible, and extended the ordination to leaders of all backgrounds.
That diversity, however, should not limit the role faith plays in American public life, Hostettler said.
“A pluralistic society is one where all belief systems are present,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean all value systems are equal.”
It seems to me that at least in Indiana that once gay marriage is banned that divorce is next on the list.
Maybe I’m just tired, but is it the last paragraph the focus of your point? The rest of it (aside from the gay marriage comment), seems like pretty tame stuff. I really am tired.
Sorry… I’ll go make it clearer
“A pluralistic society is one where all belief systems are present,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean all value systems are equal.”
Anyone else hear echos of Animal Farm in that statement?
Wow….
See what I mean when I said that the faith community has to be held responsible for engaging in what created human progress.
And learning from the past mistakes that compromised it.
Persistently hanging on to unrealistic ideology about gay people is easy.
They might make a statement about divorce. But they won’t.
They haven’t.
Not even much about adultery.
That’s because they know they’d be handed their own heads on a plate.
The cowardly and easy thing to do is to take gay people to the river’s edge and throw them in.
Banning divorce?
Ridiculous.
That would hugely increase the numbers of couples who would rather shack up.
Further complicating and increasing the motive to marry.
Considering that gay people maintain enduring relationships and parental responsibility without the legal hold of marriage should impress these stupid marriage control freaks.
Indeed, they are hurting people trying to do the right thing. Now they want to FORCE and legislate it for heterosexuals, that’s soooo dumb!
Boy, talk about doing an end run around the protections of the Bill of Rights and Constitution and ignoring the theocracies that are in social ruin.
What cowards…every last one of them.
Ooops, I meant to say this suggestion would complicate and DECREASE the motive to marry.
An argument I often hear for same-sex marriage is that heterosexuals have already screwed it up. Well, you’re right. We have. It is too easy to end a marriage so maybe we should work on fixing that.
Thanks for the idea!