October 7, 2013 – 12:52 pm
Despite the fact that the Washington State Constitution reads:
SECTION 11 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. Absolute freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment, belief and worship, shall be guaranteed to every individual, and no one shall be molested or disturbed in person or property on account of religion;
That state continues to be at the forefront of sanctioning people of faith when it comes to same-sex marriage. First the State sued a Christian florist, and now it has admonished a judge for simply saying he would not perform same-sex weddings due to his religious beliefs.
OLYMPIA, Wash. — A Thurston County Superior Court judge has been formally admonished for saying he wouldn’t perform gay marriages.
Judge Gary Tabor first made the comments during an administrative meeting shortly before Washington’s gay marriage law took effect late last year. He told colleagues he wasn’t comfortable performing same-sex weddings and asked if other judges would do it in his stead. (Read More)
So we ask, “What does ‘Absolute freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment…’actually mean in Washington State?”
September 13, 2013 – 2:10 pm
I remember sitting with a co-worker in Washington State this time last year marveling, in a not so good way, that our nation is even having a debate about the nature of marriage. Marriage – the institution that crosses all cultural and historical boundaries – that has literally stood the ultimate test of time – and here we are in the western world thinking, “Maybe we should change it?” It’s crazy sad that we are even having the discussion.
But when we contemplate redefining marriage, we must also contemplate a whole host of consequences. And right now, the Kirk (church) of Scotland is having one of those sad crazy discussions as they consider whether they should stop celebrating wedding ceremonies at all – for straight or gays. The Kirk is deeply concerned that if the Scottish government redefines marriage they will have no choice but to stop performing them altogether.
Before you think this is just fear-mongering, remember that in England, a same-sex couple is already suing the Church of England because the church won’t marry them. Or as one of the men said, “I’m not getting what I want.” So I’ll sue Christians.
It is crazy sad that churches have to have these discussions. But when we redefine marriage there are a myriad of known and unknown consequences that we will have to deal with.
Frankly the only answer is to not redefine marriage in the first place.
August 23, 2013 – 2:58 pm
Never be afraid to speak the truth about marriage. Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington wrote on his blog last week:
"As state after state considers changing its laws on the definition of marriage, all of us have had to think about the nature of love, the meaning of marriage and the teaching of the Gospel.
“In the debate over the nature of marriage, even the White House chose to use words like ‘discrimination’ to describe the position of people of good faith who simply disagree with the President’s stance.” And in states where the legal definition of marriage has been challenged in the legislature and/or the courts, “words like ‘bigotry,’ ‘discrimination’ and ‘hatred’ have been bandied about with nothing more to support them than the actual fact that some people think that the definition of marriage really and truly is between a man and a woman.
“Too often the people who claim to be able to read the minds of other people and thus can denounce them as bigots are prepared to say in the next breath not only are your opinions not welcome, but neither are you any longer.” -Marriage: Unique for a Reason
Media bias favoring marriage redefinition? It may be nothing new, but the Washington Post may be taking that bias up a notch in the near future. Newsbusters reports that the Post's new owner, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, spent a reported $2.5 million last year to support same-sex marriage in Washington state.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' $2.5 million pledge to defend Washington's gay-marriage law marks by far his biggest entry into politics and thrusts him into the national debate over the rights of same-sex couples.
The donation, which Bezos made with his wife, MacKenzie, is likely the largest political contribution to a gay-marriage campaign in the country and dwarfs all of Bezos' previous political giving.
It also positions Amazon as a sort of corporate counterpoint to Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain whose president made headlines with recent comments that America risked "God's judgment" by supporting same-sex marriage.
For the record, Bezos's contribution paid off as Washington's Referendum 74 on gay marriage passed last November 52 to 48 percent.
When issues of consequence like this were raised during the campaign against same-sex marriage, the backers of same-sex marriage said things like this would never happen. They went so far as to claim we were lying and that religious freedom was fully protected.
That so-called “protection” didn’t even last a matter of weeks. This is just the latest example that whenever marriage is redefined, it’s the end of full religious liberty for the citizens in that jurisdiction:
After five weeks of biting their tongues, a gay couple in Richland, Washington, ismaking a loaded offer to a florist who refused to sell them flowers based her biblical belief that "marriage is between a man and a woman."
Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed's lawyers, working with the legal powerhouse at the ACLU of Washington, sent a letter today to Arlene's Flowers owner Baronelle Stutzman saying she has two options: (1) She can vow to never again discriminate in her services for gay people, write an apology letter to be published in the Tri-City Herald, and contribute $5,000 to a local LGBT youth center, or (2) she can get sued for violating the Washington State Civil Rights Act.
That's some offer. (The Stranger blog)
April 10, 2013 – 12:00 pm
Like clockwork, those who disagree with gay marriage are being fined and forced out of the public square -- by the state-imposed redefinition of marriage:
Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a consumer protection lawsuit against a florist who refused to provide wedding flowers to a same-sex couple.
The complaint was filed in Benton County on Tuesday against Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers and Gifts in Richland. The lawsuit is in response to a March 1 incident where she refused service to longtime customer Robert Ingersoll. Stutzman did not return a call Tuesday night seeking comment. Ferguson had sent a letter on March 28 asking her to comply with the law, but said Stutzman's attorneys responded Monday saying she would challenge any state action to enforce the law. Washington state voters upheld a same-sex marriage law in November, and the law took effect in December. The state's anti-discrimination laws were expanded in 2006 to include sexual orientation.
Ferguson seeks a permanent injunction requiring the store to comply with the state's consumer protection laws and seeks at least $2,000 in fines. (AP)
February 18, 2013 – 10:30 am
An important news story by Patrick Condon in the Associated Press confirms what we have been highlighting for a long time -- Republicans who betray their base on marriage place their political future in serious jeopardy:
As some Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature weigh whether to support legalizing same-sex marriage, an analysis of gay-marriage votes from other states shows that GOP lawmakers who backed it often faced consequences, including loss of their seats.
... Republicans inclined to back gay marriage face risks.
"It was largely responsible for my loss," said Jean White, a former Republican state senator in Colorado whose 2011 vote for civil unions became an issue in a primary challenge by a fellow Republican...
According to roll call votes, in the eight times nationwide that state legislatures voted for gay marriage, just 47 Republicans bucked the party line out of many hundreds who voted against it.
Of those 47 Republicans who voted yes starting in 2009, 21 are in office today.
In New York, one of four Republican senators who supported gay marriage is still in the Legislature. One lost a primary, one retired, and one lost the general election after narrowly winning a bitter primary.
A New Hampshire Republican representative lost a primary after her 2009 vote for gay marriage, and in Maryland the former Senate Republican leader relinquished his leadership post when he started working with Democrats on a gay-marriage bill that passed last year.
"I got a lot of flak, a lot," said that senator, Allan Kittleman. He's planning to leave the Senate this year to run for a county office instead.
In Washington, which passed gay marriage in 2012, two of six Republicans who backed the bill are no longer in office.
November 11, 2012 – 11:00 am
From the Marriage, Unique for a Reason blog run by the U.S. Bishops:
In addition to
Archbishop Cordileone’s statement expressing disappointment about the results of the four marriage referenda, Archbishops, Bishops, and Catholic Conferences in the four states where voters voted to redefine marriage on Tuesday have released statements. Their words echo Cardinal Dolan’s conviction, expressed in a
statement released after the election: “We will continue to stand in defense of life, marriage, and
our first, most cherished liberty, religious freedom.”
Read the statements by the Catholic bishops and Catholic conferences in the four states here.
November 6, 2012 – 6:00 am
Charlie Butts at OneNewsNow:
Maryland, Maine, Minnesota and Washington state are voting to protect marriage or to redefine it to be a genderless institution. As Thomas Peters of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) notes, the campaign is in the final hours.
"This is all about getting out the vote and turning out people," he contends. "There's been a lot of focus on polling in all these four states, but the line I keep using -- and it's the truth -- is that the polls don't matter. Hard work and who votes matter. Those are who win elections."
... Peters submits there are three keys to gaining success in all four states Tuesday: "turnout, turnout, turnout."
November 6, 2012 – 5:00 am
If you live in one of the four states voting on marriage today here is how to protect it!
November 4, 2012 – 8:00 am
Tom Matthews, Bob Kelly and Pia de Solenni write in the Seattle Times:
WE are lay Catholic leaders in Washington state. We support and love our Catholic Church and her teachings on marriage. We support our bishops, priests and laity who courageously defend her. When they are seriously misrepresented, our consciences compel us to speak up.
This past Sunday, an ad claiming to represent the views of 1,000 Catholics was published in four major newspapers across the state. While they are entitled to their opinions and beliefs, they do not accurately represent Catholic teaching, nor are they representative of the local Catholic population, which numbers about 1 million.
We oppose Referendum 74 to legalize same-sex marriage on the Nov. 6 ballot, and we represent ourselves, as well as the Seattle Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women, the Knights of Columbus of Washington State and other leaders.
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman. It is a bond that is set apart because it unites the couple in a way that no other bond does. It is also procreative because marital intimacy naturally leads to the birth of children.
... it should be noted that there are currently 9,863 domestic partnerships in Washington, representing only 0.0029 percent of the entire state population.
Not only would Referendum 74 allow the state legislation changing the legal definition of marriage to go into effect, but it could directly affect the First Amendment rights of the U.S. Constitution: the freedoms of religion, conscience and free speech for those who, like us, have different values. We would be forced to accept a legal definition of marriage that signifies a genderless institution."
November 2, 2012 – 2:45 pm
Dear Marriage Supporter,
Did you hear the news? Brad Pitt just gave $100,000 to the four campaigns fighting to impose gay marriage next Tuesday.
What's even more distressing is that Brad Pitt's own mother Jane Pitt has been the subject of death threats and a torrent of public abuse for speaking out against gay marriage, and yet her son has still chosen to double down by pushing gay marriage on the rest of the country!
I can hardly think of a better example of a liberal millionaire trying to impose his Hollywood values on all of us, no matter the consequences.
Let's fight back!
Our Stand for Marriage America campaign, which directly funds the four campaigns fighting to protect marriage, has raised almost $100,000, from almost 1,000 donors! Can I count on you to give $10, $100 or even $1,000 today?
Your contribution will help determine who has the final say on gay marriage: the $100,000 Brad Pitt just gave...or the $100,000 we raise from hundreds of pro-marriage activists like you!
This will be our last chance to fight back against the Brad Pitts of the world through Stand For Marriage America. Can I count on you to chip in at least $10 or as much as you can spare right away?
Together, we can fight back against Hollywood millionaires like Brad Pitt and, with your help, we can protect the values they are attempting to dismantle and obscure.
So please join me in standing up for marriage and for pro-marriage citizens like Jane Pitt by donating generously to these four state efforts.
Thank you for all your generosity. We are so close!
