Whose morality will prevail?

By: American Decency Staff

Last September a new reality television show premiered on the cable channel TLC (The Learning Channel).  This reality show was entitled “Sister Wivesâ€Â and showcased an actual polygamist family living in Utah – a husband with four “wivesâ€Â and sixteen children. We began monitoring this program and quickly saw how polygamy was positively portrayed – swaying undiscerning viewers with the sympathetic plea for acceptance from the poor, law-breaking polygamists – depicting this aberrant lifestyle as just a “normalâ€Â family. The polygamist “wivesâ€Â made comments such as:  “We know it’s illegal, but we made a conscious decision, based on our own faith and our belief systems, that this is what we wanted to do.â€Â One also claimed, “We believe consenting adults should be with who they want.â€Â The husband of this harem stated, “…it’s hard to dictate by law who you love.â€Â In response we stated the following in one of our email alerts: Where have we heard that rationalization before?  ‘The law can’t dictate who we love.’  ‘We’re consenting adults.’  Every argument that is used for the acceptance of gay marriage can also be applied to polygamy or any combination.  The proponents of such want their own sinful lifestyles validated with a stamp of approval, claiming that the institution of marriage can change with the cultural winds of the time.  However, politicians and judges do not define marriage – God does, and He and His principles are timeless and absolute. Not a message that plays well to the seared consciences of those who push for the legitimization of polygamy or gay marriage. And while some may say this one obscure television show won’t singlehandedly undermine traditional marriage – it certainly is a step in that direction.  Twenty years ago we wouldn’t have envisioned the fight we face against those pushing for gay marriage.  What will we face twenty years from now? – ADA email alert, September 30, 2010 ******** Sadly, it didn’t take twenty years to face that battle – just less than one.  A recent Fox News article reports:  A polygamous family made famous by the reality TV show "Sister Wives" plans to challenge the Utah bigamy law that makes their lifestyle illegal, a Washington-based attorney said Tuesday. … Turley (the attorney) said he believes the case represents the "strongest factual and legal basis for a challenge to the criminalization of polygamy" ever filed in the federal courts. … http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/07/12/sister-wives-challenge-utah-bigamy-law/?test=faces Gary Bauer gave this strong warning and call to action in his daily email on Tuesday: … Archbishop Timothy Dolan recently warned that New York's "latest dilution of the authentic understanding of marriage" would inevitably lead to "another redefinition to justify multiple partners and infidelity." He was right to be concerned, and his warning was prophetic. Those of us who have been fighting the militant homosexual rights movement have warned for years that polygamy is the next logical step in the battle to redefine marriage. Liberals were quick to accuse us of hyperbole and scare tactics. But none of them could adequately answer the question posed in yesterday's report: If society can no longer limit marriage to the union of one man and one woman, on what legal basis can it justify discriminating against the love of one man and three women? We're about to learn the answer to that very question. Today's New York Times reports that a "proud polygamist," and the subject of the reality show "Sister Wives," is taking his case to federal court, arguing that consenting adults have a right to engage in whatever "intimate conduct" they choose. He is relying on the Supreme Court's 2003 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas. That case has been frequently cited by legal scholars as the foundation for the judicial imposition of same-sex "marriage" on all 50 states. In fact, in his dissenting opinion in Lawrence, Justice Scalia warned that if Texas was prohibited from basing laws on "moral choices," then laws against same-sex marriage and bigamy would inevitably be called into question. Well, here we are. When the left insists that we cannot legislate morality, it is lying. All law is someone's interpretation of morality — someone's decision that THIS is right and THAT is wrong. The question is: Whose morality will prevail? The left has every intention of imposing its morality on society. Senate Democrats have announced hearings on legislation that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and legalize same-sex "marriage." This is why it is so important for men and women of faith to be involved in the political arena. Yes, prayer is important, but action is necessary too. David didn't just pray that God would defeat Goliath; he picked up stones and fought. -          Gary Bauer, End of Day Report 7/12/11 Friends, the battle is real and is upon us.  We cannot sit idly back as Biblical Truth is trampled.  Yes, we do need to get on our knees and pray like never before for God’s mercy and intervention within our sinful land, but we also need to engage in the battle ourselves.  I urge you to get involved in this important fight to uphold the sanctity of marriage. That includes voting only for candidates who strongly hold this view of marriage and commit to defend it – from local officials all the way to federal representatives and the key presidential race next year.  Urge these representatives and leaders to proactively promote and defend traditional marriage and let them know you are watching! Be prepared to speak out when necessary – at city council meetings, among family and friends, even within the church.  Kindly, but firmly engage those who are wishy-washy or hold an opposing view on this issue. National Organization for Marriage is an organization doing incredible work to defend marriage.  We encourage you to get involved with their great efforts.  They also offer an excellent resource with solid talking points to help you engage and defend traditional marriage.  Click here for these talking points:  http://www.nationformarriage.org/site/c.omL2KeN0LzH/b.4475595/k.566A/Marriage_Talking_Points.htm ========================================================== Register for our summer event featuring Gary Bauer, Friday, July 29, at 7:00 pm https://secure4.afo.net/ada/registration.php?eventno=28 ========================================================== Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

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