Check out this truly eye-opening attempt to rally local pastors against our civil marriages. Posted on a hidden (or at least yet-to-published) page on the National Organization For Marriage of Rhode Island's website:
Pastors' Resolution Petition RESOLUTION ON MARRIAGE IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND By Bible Believing Pastors of Rhode Island Relative to bills H-5012 and S-0029 before the RI General Assembly WHEREAS, The laws of nature, human reason, and thousands of years of human tradition in all cultures have always affirmed marriage to be a heterosexual institution; and WHEREAS, Our own society has been based from the beginning on the Judeo-Christian ethic which defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman; and WHEREAS, The Bible and Jesus Christ in particular define marriage as a heterosexual union between one man and one woman (Genesis 1:27; 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6); and WHEREAS, Monogamous heterosexual marriage, involving the intimate, permanent union between the two complementary sexes, male and female, is uniquely and naturally suited to fulfill our deepest needs for human companionship; and WHEREAS, Under normal circumstances, children are best nurtured in the context of a two-parent family, where appropriate male behavior is modeled by a loving father and appropriate female behavior is modeled by a loving mother; and WHEREAS, Heterosexual marriage provides the strong moral, social, and economic foundation for both family and community life; and WHEREAS, Rhode Island continues to be one of the few states without a so-called Defense of Marriage Act; and WHEREAS, The Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament clearly and specifically forbids homosexual conduct – as well as all other forms of sexual misconduct outside the bounds of heterosexual marriage (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:8-11); and WHEREAS, The Bible plainly declares that God loves all people, regardless of their lifestyle, and that he accepts, forgives, heals, and transforms all who come to him in genuine repentance and faith; and WHEREAS, It is the function of government to provide for the common good of society, to protect marriage and family life, and to promote social righteousness; and WHEREAS, Civil laws play a decisive role in influencing patterns of thought and behavior in society; and WHEREAS, Our concern as clergy is not merely to preserve the institution of heterosexual marriage as a religious rite within our own denominations but to preserve the well-being of marriage and family life throughout our state and society; and WHEREAS, The passage of laws legalizing homosexual marriage will force the teaching of the validity of this lifestyle in the public schools of our state; and WHEREAS, The passage of laws legalizing homosexual marriage will place persons of conscience who oppose such unions for moral reasons in jeopardy before the law in their business and legal relationships; Now therefore, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we urge our General Assembly to defeat H-5012 and S-0029, which broadens the definition of persons eligible to marry to include persons of the same gender; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge the General Assembly to approve a Resolution to put the following question statement on the ballot in 2012, “Only marriage between one man and one woman is valid or recognized in Rhode Island.” BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to upholding the sanctity of monogamous heterosexual marriage in our churches and local communities both by our preaching and teaching and by our marriage practices; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to strongly deplore any hateful speech or violent behavior toward persons of a homosexual lifestyle, such speech and behavior being incompatible with Christian love; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to proclaim the love of God toward all persons, whatever their lifestyle, and to offer the hope of forgiveness, acceptance, wholeness, and transformation to all who come to him in genuine repentance and faith; and BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That we welcome people of all lifestyles to attend the public services of our churches so that they might discover and experience the forgiving grace of God in their lives as we have in our own lives. Pastors' Resolution Petition [NOM RI]
WHEREAS, We live in a nation with church and state separation.
WHEREAS, Gay activists are seeking the civil license, with the ancillary religious component left to churches;
WHEREAS, Some churches *will* marry gay couples and deserve to have their own religious freedoms respected;
WHEREAS, Gays don't have "lifestyles" but rather lives;
WHEREAS, Gay Rhode Islanders pay the same tax dollars;
WHEREAS, Same-sex marriages do not threaten any of the things these folks seek to protect;
Now therefore, BE IT RESOLVED, That this document is yet another startling overstep from an organization whose "Harumph"-ing foot appears in our lives waaaaay too much already!
RESOLUTION ON MARRIAGE IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND By Bible Believing Pastors of Rhode Island Relative to bills H-5012 and S-0029 before the RI General Assembly WHEREAS, The laws of nature, human reason, and thousands of years of human tradition in all cultures have always affirmed marriage to be a heterosexual institution; and WHEREAS, Our own society has been based from the beginning on the Judeo-Christian ethic which defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman; and WHEREAS, The Bible and Jesus Christ in particular define marriage as a heterosexual union between one man and one woman (Genesis 1:27; 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6); and WHEREAS, Monogamous heterosexual marriage, involving the intimate, permanent union between the two complementary sexes, male and female, is uniquely and naturally suited to fulfill our deepest needs for human companionship; and WHEREAS, Under normal circumstances, children are best nurtured in the context of a two-parent family, where appropriate male behavior is modeled by a loving father and appropriate female behavior is modeled by a loving mother; and WHEREAS, Heterosexual marriage provides the strong moral, social, and economic foundation for both family and community life; and WHEREAS, Rhode Island continues to be one of the few states without a so-called Defense of Marriage Act; and WHEREAS, The Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament clearly and specifically forbids homosexual conduct – as well as all other forms of sexual misconduct outside the bounds of heterosexual marriage (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:8-11); and WHEREAS, The Bible plainly declares that God loves all people, regardless of their lifestyle, and that he accepts, forgives, heals, and transforms all who come to him in genuine repentance and faith; and WHEREAS, It is the function of government to provide for the common good of society, to protect marriage and family life, and to promote social righteousness; and WHEREAS, Civil laws play a decisive role in influencing patterns of thought and behavior in society; and WHEREAS, Our concern as clergy is not merely to preserve the institution of heterosexual marriage as a religious rite within our own denominations but to preserve the well-being of marriage and family life throughout our state and society; and WHEREAS, The passage of laws legalizing homosexual marriage will force the teaching of the validity of this lifestyle in the public schools of our state; and WHEREAS, The passage of laws legalizing homosexual marriage will place persons of conscience who oppose such unions for moral reasons in jeopardy before the law in their business and legal relationships; Now therefore, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we urge our General Assembly to defeat H-5012 and S-0029, which broadens the definition of persons eligible to marry to include persons of the same gender; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge the General Assembly to approve a Resolution to put the following question statement on the ballot in 2012, “Only marriage between one man and one woman is valid or recognized in Rhode Island.” BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to upholding the sanctity of monogamous heterosexual marriage in our churches and local communities both by our preaching and teaching and by our marriage practices; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to strongly deplore any hateful speech or violent behavior toward persons of a homosexual lifestyle, such speech and behavior being incompatible with Christian love; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to proclaim the love of God toward all persons, whatever their lifestyle, and to offer the hope of forgiveness, acceptance, wholeness, and transformation to all who come to him in genuine repentance and faith; and BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That we welcome people of all lifestyles to attend the public services of our churches so that they might discover and experience the forgiving grace of God in their lives as we have in our own lives.
