If you have not contacted your Senator, please do it NOW! The Albany Senate session has been held over by Governor Cuomo to take care of three signature issues that include same-sex “marriage”. LifeNet believes that the Governor has used the other two issues - tax cap and rent control - to give cover to the pesky third. It has not worked. If you have already made your call or e-mail, do so again and let your Senator know again that you support “Marriage between one man and one woman”. "Don't bring this to the floor!" In our area that Senator is Greg Ball - Call him at 518-455-3111 or 845-279-3773. He is still considered a swing vote.
Ball has stated, most recently in his interview with CNN, that unless a religious exemption is in, he cannot support the legislation. As of now, Ball does not say that he is specifically against this legislation, but if he votes for the bill, even with an exemption, he is in effect supporting same-sex "marriage". We hope he understands this. It would be naive to think that even with a so-called "religious exemption" the word "bigot" will not be used to strangle religious and secular opponents into submission on this misguided issue of conscience, morality, and law.
It has been a heated spring in Albany. The push for same-sex "marriage" legislation has been the most brutal media onslaught we have seen in recent times. Most mainstream media outlets have been bursting with pro same-sex "marriage" articles, commentary, and panel punditry. Hollywood and music industry icons have been flexing their muscles through the social media sights. What has been lacking in all these months is more in-depth discussion of the reasons why SSM is opposed by so many. The sense that all opponents are "bigots" or "religious fanatics" or simple-minded clods, unenlightened about the inevitability of this vote, defies the facts. The National Organization for Marriage has been great with these facts. Go check out their website at www.nationformarriage.org. Only 3% of the population of America have a homosexual orientation. Same-sex "marriage" supporters and ambivalent citizens who see redefining marriage as no big deal are in for a shock. People do have a problem with social engineering, whether in the classroom or in the halls of Congress.
LifeNet believes that while many of our friends and family try to avoid speaking out on the issue at all, when it is discussed, it is often on superficial levels. Not all, but too many of our Catholic and other denomination churches or synagogues have been AOL on the topic completely, as have some politicians. For Catholics, first it was abortion, a topic too "controversial" to be discussed from the pulpit. Now some in the clergy are mediocre at best in their efforts to speak directly to the people from the pulpit on the true meaning and intent of marriage for fear of offending. Lack of courage breeds lack of courage, it seems.
Whatever the Catholic Church's strengths or failings, she has had a voice that was heard loud and clear through some circles, most notably in our area the Sisters of Life and their Family Life/Respect Life Office in NYC, and indirectly via the web through the Bishop's Catholic Conference www.nyscatholic.org. Prayer and personal sacrifice has accompanied political action and has been front and center in this most recent assault against marriage and the family, but so much more could have been done and should have been done on the parish level.
It's the eleventh hour politically. Let's remember that grassroots activism is what America is all about. Participate or live with the consequences.
marriage is as sacred as the relationship of Jesus to his church. It is a sacrament and must be as the Lord willed it - between one man and one woman.
Posted by: Augustine W. Difiore | June 23, 2011 at 05:31 PM
Everything from morality, legal benefits, the impact on children, public schools, government and private businesses have been discussed in the media. Incredibly, almost no attention has been focused on the very real threats to our civil and religious liberties.
Posted by: relationship problems | July 14, 2011 at 10:34 PM