Choose Life Australia

 
Filed on 11 January 2011 in Food For Thought category. Print This Page

Dear Pastor/Leader,

As you know, the push to re-define marriage is on again in earnest and Labor MPs were asked to assess the mood of their electorates before the next sitting of Federal Parliament on Feb 8. To put the matter to bed so it doesn’t cause divisions for the next Labor Party Conference due in November a vote could be called as early as February.

What is the risk? The risk is that a majority of the Australian public – and MPs reflecting this mood – will shrug their shoulders and say “what’s the point in fighting this all the time and does it really matter anyway?” and support the motion for same-sex marriage just so the issue will go away. And even those fully committed to fighting for marriage as God gave it will suffer from battle-fatigue and stop fighting.

I don’t even need to remind you of the true nature of marriage or the benefits to society or the importance of children having a mother and a father but this is well expressed in a statement by major religious leaders in the USA in December 2010:

The broad consensus reflected in this letter—across great religious divides—is clear: The law of marriage is not about imposing the religion of anyone, but about protecting the common good of everyone. People of any faith or no faith at all can recognize that when the law defines marriage as between one man and one woman, it legally binds a mother and a father to each other and their children, reinforcing the foundational cell of human society.

I consider that we all have an obligation to defend and uphold truth and honour in our society. Part of this I believe is to teach our people and our children and teaching our people to teach our children truth and honour. Our children need to know what real marriage is and the blessing of commitment. Further, our children need to know in their own minds the falsehoods that are being presented in children’s literature and schools about “families” consisting of two mummys or two daddys. Yes, we can preach tolerance and acceptance of those less fortunate as well as upholding truth.

This is a time when great Christian truths – that once upon a time did not need defending because they were taken for granted – must be taught from our pulpits, and that means right now, this January.

But there’s more. In line with other ethical and moral “permissions” that become “compulsions” there are consequences to losing this battle in that we are then compelled to go along with the lies that have become enshrined in law. Such consequences may be to our freedom to speak truth to society and even to our children. To speak of our belief that marriage is between male and female is regarded as “hurtful to others”, as vilification and intolerance and we can be hauled before tribunals at great cost to ourselves.

Incremental same-sex changes that we are already seeing here – inclusion of books in school libraries, education in schools, forcing of adoption agencies, allowing and forcing IVF, changing of birth certificates to Party A and Party B, access to church camp sites – will be legitimised by re-defining marriage in federal law. Changes that have occurred elsewhere – the forcing of foster parents (and indeed natural parents) to comply with approved education, performing of marriages by marriage celebrants and then by ministers of religion, wedding photographers, halls, caterers, private B&Bs and other accommodation facilities – will gain increased impetus here also.

Is this disturbing? It should be. This issue is a watershed in Australian political history. If the truth about marriage is crucified at the highest level of Australian government there will be no getting it back. You may argue there is no point in fighting it, that this is part of the inevitable decline preparatory to God’s judgment but should we not preach and teach truth to our children? Should we not attempt to speak truth to our MPs before the February deadline?

How to email your MP http://www.makeastand.org.au/campaign/index.php?campaign_id=39#polliemail

3 Minute video by Jim Wallace http://www.vimeo.com/17751518

3 minute video by Warwick Marsh http://www.youtube.com/user/ACValues

Also see 21 Reasons why Marriage Matters

“Anyone who thinks that same-sex marriage is a benign eccentricity which won’t affect the average person should consider what it has done in Massachusetts” http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/effects_of_ssm.html

And, please, sign and encourage others to sign the Canberra Declaration

Lachlan Dunjey 11 Jan 2011.