A message from the Director of Life Ministries
I urge you to help preserve marriage as the union of a man and a woman by voting “No” to same-sex “marriage” in the postal plebiscite. It is not only okay to vote “No”, it is the right thing to do.
Advocates of same-sex “marriage” have used the clever slogan of “marriage equality” to advance their cause. They argue that legalising same-sex marriage is a matter of equality—of justice and fairness—when in fact it is not. Justice is never served when unequal matters are treated equally.
Christians understand that heterosexual marriage and homosexual marriage are far from equal. The union of a man and a woman is sanctioned by God, while the union of two men or two women is prohibited by God both in the Old and New Testaments. This alone, should be sufficient justification for Christians to oppose any moves to legalise same-sex marriage.
But, the demand for “equality” begs the question: What about equality for children? Heather Barwick, now married with a child, describes the heartache she endured being reared by two lesbians. “I grew up surrounded by women who said they didn’t need or want a man. Yet, as a little girl, I so desperately wanted a daddy.” The reality is that two homosexual men cannot compensate for the absence of a mother in a child’s life, nor can two lesbians make up for the absence of a father. Children, our most precious gifts, should not become the victims of a reckless social experiment.
Beyond questions of morality and the welfare of children—it is clear that the passage of same-sex marriage would have a second equally serious consequence. It would result in an assault on religious freedom which in turn would have a major, detrimental impact on Australian society.
Religious institutions will be open to attack for their beliefs in traditional marriage due in part to inadequate laws on religious freedom and protection. Archbishop Anthony Fisher has warned that religious schools, hospitals, charities and welfare agencies could be jeopardised by a “Yes” vote.
The prejudicial treatment of Christian people and institutions because of their support for traditional marriage is already taking place. Some examples from overseas include the outrageous shutdown and seizure of Catholic adoption agencies in England and Wales; the refusal to accredit graduates of Trinity Western University (in Canada) because they signed a covenant to abstain from sexual relations outside of marriage; and the threatening tactics of US companies like Disney and Intel against the state of Georgia after it introduced legislation to expand religious freedom exemptions in relation to same-sex marriage. The same sort of treatment will surely take place in Australia if the plebiscite is not defeated.
Assurances by same-sex marriage advocates that religious institutions have nothing to fear if the vote succeeds are disingenuous. Sadly, some church leaders are echoing this false assurance, saying that with the exception of a few gay couples getting married, everything will continue just as before. But this is far from truthful. Consider the anti-discrimination complaint against the Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, Julian Porteous, over the booklet “Don’t mess with marriage”. The booklet was distributed to Catholic schools and claimed that marriage should be a “heterosexual union between a man and a woman”. The complaint was a blatant attempt to silence the church’s teaching on same-sex marriage at a time when it remained illegal. And it is a forewarning of what will inevitably take place if same-sex marriage is legalized.
Or consider how Margaret Court has been and is being vilified for defending the biblical view of marriage and family. If this is how people who defend marriage are treated even before same-sex marriage is sanctioned in law, what sort of treatment will they receive afterwards? Legalising same-sex marriage is an essential step by those who hate Christianity to silence the Christian voice in the public square.
And speaking of Margaret Court, will it be left to this courageous woman, and a few other brave souls, to stand up for marriage, or will hundreds of church leaders and thousands of Christians stand in solidarity with her?
Please, for the sake of morality, marriage, family and children—as well as for the sake of freedom of expression and the ongoing freedom of Christian churches and institutions to advocate a biblical world view, urge your congregation to vote “No” to the same-sex proposition. And please encourage them to urge their families and friends to also vote “No”. With God’s blessing, this plebiscite is winnable.
Yours for marriage, children and freedom,
Dwight A. Randall, Director, Life Ministries.
P.S. There are many articles on this website dealing with the topic of same-sex marriage. These can be read under the heading, “SUBJECTS” and under the title “Same-sex Marriage”.
Also, have a look at the Coalition For Marriage at http://www.coalitionformarriage.com.au/ and Marriage Alliance, at http://www.marriagealliance.com.au/ for information and strategies leading up to the vote.
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