'Evangelicals and Catholics Together' Denounce 'Threat' of Same-Sex Marriage

[William769]

Some Catholics and evangelical Protestants are putting differences aside to unite against marriage equality, calling it a greater 'threat' than divorce or cohabitation.

Some LGBT people and their allies occasionally express the feeling that people with religiously based anti-LGBT feeling usually seem more concerned about same-sex nuptials than other potential “threats” to the traditional nuclear family unit.

But those opponents of LGBT equality don’t usually express that sentiment as blatantly as the Evangelicals and Catholics Together coalition, which is set to publish a statement explicitly naming marriage equality and same-sex relationships as a “graver threat” than divorce. (It even suggests that “a kind of alchemy is performed” when same-sex marriage is legally recognized.)

“What the state defines as marriage no longer embodies God’s purposes in creation. An easy acceptance of divorce damages marriage; widespread cohabitation devalues marriage. But so-called same-sex marriage is a graver threat, because what is now given the name of marriage in law is a parody of marriage,” says the statement, dubbed “The Two Shall Become One Flesh: Reclaiming Marriage.” It is expected to be printed in March in the conservative religious publication First Things, according to Religion News Service. It also declares that a “faithful Christian witness cannot accommodate itself to same-sex marriage,” and it contends that Christians who accept marriage equality may no longer be fully Christian.

First Things editor Russell Reno told RNS that Catholic and evangelical signatories to the statement put aside differences of opinion about issues such as birth control to focus on marriage. Regarding differences between Catholic and evangelical Protestant beliefs, Timothy George of Samford University's Beeson Divinity School told the Baptist Press that “the people who drafted this statement are well aware of those differences. We have not smudged them or pushed them under the rug.”

http://www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2015/02/04/evangelicals-and-catholics-together-denounce-threat-same-sex-marriage

Nothing is more of a threat to life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness, than Religious nuts.

[Lars39]

1. They get together at the international level also to work against abortion

and contraception.

[TexasProgresive]

2. You should delete this in GD and post in Religion. n/t

[William769]

3. It's more about them attacking my civil rights than hurting their Religion.

[RKP5637]

15. So much of it's about hatred, much as the KKK was aligned with religion on fighting civil

rights. It's the same thing, IMO, fighting against civil rights for others in supposedly a country with separation of religion and government. So much of religion is about hatred and hostilities persecuting others. It's the SOS, over and over again. That's why for me, I have absolutely nothing to do with religion, it's far too filled with illogical hatred and mythical beliefs.

[William769]

18. You are correct my friend.

[SidDithers]

4. ...

Sid

[Arugula Latte]

5. As an atheist I denounce the threat of Evangelicals and Catholics

[RKP5637]

16. It is, in fact I see it as one of the most dangerous aspects of the US, illogical beliefs based on a

god with mindless flocks following.

[guillaumeb]

6. the gravest threat to marriage?

As a left wing, socialist Christian, married for 34 years, I must ask how a same sex couple marrying in any way affects my marriage? My wife knows a same sex couple who have been together for 20 years. They seem very happy. My children are in long term committed relationships. They also seem happy. 3 types of relationships. What exactly is the difference and why are they so concerned about the social relationships of others?

If these would be theocrats are truly concerned about grave dangers to marriage why not ban divorce? Listening, Newt Gingrich?

Also my opinion that any who call themselves Christian should heed the words of Mathew7:1-3. (For all the non-Christians out there that is the verse about judging not. )

[William769]

8. Pardon the pun, but your preaching to the choir with me.

[hunter]

7. The bond between right wing Evangelical Christians and right wing Catholics...

... was forged in hell.

[Terra Alta]

9. ok, so how is divorce

which is the END of a marriage -- less of a threat to marriage than two people of the same sex who get married and spend the next 50, 60+ years together?

Conservative logic, gotta love it.

[William769]

12. Divorce means another hook up for them.

Oh wait, they don't necessarily need to divorce.

[Terra Alta]

17. true, just look at Al and Lisa Robertson

of "Duck Dynasty" fame.

She cheated on him, and all she had to do was ask God for forgiveness and now everything is hunky-dory.

[msongs]

10. good thing catholics have no issues or probs with their heterosexual marriages lol nt

[William769]

11. This is their threat.

What a bunch of fucking asswipes!

[world wide wally]

13. I'm noticing a pattern here.

They are more adamantly anti abortion now then when the Supreme Court first ruled it legal and they want to repeal that.
Now that same sex marriage is legal in 36 states, they are becoming more vocal than ever in repealing that.
Obamacare has passed and they are voting for a 56th time to repeal that.

What is their logic in waiting until something is law to become even more active in opposing the law and repealing it?
Is this by design?

[Initech]

23. Maybe they're dadaists and don't even know it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadaism

[world wide wally]

28. I haven't seen any of them that are very artistic

[guillaumeb]

25. there is a method to their outrage

By waiting until something passes, think the Civil Rights Act, Roe v Wade, the growing support for marriage equality, the right has yet another example of big liberal government acting against the wishes of "real Americans".

When Bush the Lesser was President, he had a Republican government for 6 of 8 years, but made no move to repeal any of these big government intrusions into Americans God-given right to hate and discriminate against people. Why not? Because repealing Roe v Wade would remove a reason to fundraise, to stir up the angry and ignorant at election time.

Face it, the Republicans do not know how to govern, but they do know how to promote fear and use that fear to raise money.

[Beartracks]

31. Like someone somewhere said, religion is useful to the ruling class. n/t

[sibelian]

35. It's their whole modus operandi

...to keep every argument open and unresolved. That's how they attract the freaks who don't know how to think and vaguely suspect that they don't know how to think and latch onto Fox so they have their ignorance legitimised.

[RKP5637]

14. Exactly what they have become, religious cults as disciples from hell! n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

19. I've asked many admirers of Francis why they think he's not a Fundie, being anti gay and anti choice

and working with the Fundies and all. They sputter 'it's different' and then vanish into a puff of hypocrisy.

[NightWatcher]

20. How long till we can start labeling churches as Hate Groups and revoke their taxfree status?

As soon as you start sounding like a hate group, boom, you're labeled as such and treated the same.

[RKP5637]

26. So many are so filled with hatred! Excellent idea to me! n/t

[Initech]

21. Sooner or later, they need to realize they're on the losing end of this argument.

You know you can talk all the shit you want about the 2000 campaign. About Karl Rove using extreme bigotry in southern swing states to get out the vote, and how extremist groups like Focus On The Family and the American Family Association backed this up in campaign ad after campaign ad, and it worked. For a while. But the flip side is that it showed us that this kind of ugly bigotry isn't what the United States stands for, and to pass all these anti marriage laws is unconstitutional. And I think that is what caused this country to wake up on this issue. And now the religious wingnuts are the ones who are on the losing end of this argument. The more they keep painting themselves as hateful, the more we're going to turn on them. After all, we're fighting a 3 trillion dollar war against religious extremists, aren't we?

[FLPanhandle]

22. So we have two groups of people who cling to a make believe god, who...

feel a make believe threat from gay marriage?

Do I have that right?

[PeaceNikki]

24. Your comment bolded at the end really sums it up nicely.

And I would like to add that even the religious who don't think they are among the nuts embolden the nuts with their social and financial contributions to dangerous religious organizations. Every time they give money or any kind of support to the organization, they support the nuts. One only has to follow the money behind prop 8 and other legal fights to see that.

[BrotherIvan]

32. ^^This!^^

If you tithe to your church, you cannot try to delude yourself into thinking it's only for "good works." It's for taking away the rights of LGBTQs, women, minorities and anyone else who doesn't worship at their alter. You are giving them money to discriminate and lobby for religious laws. You are killing women and gays by giving them a penny that helps to pass these laws. YOU ARE COMPLICIT.

[Dawson Leery]

27. Rick Warren and Maggie Gallagher, now the homophobes are really slumming it.

[LuvNewcastle]

29. There's no bond like a common hatred

to unite these people. I think Jesus would be very nauseated by all of them.

[William769]

30. I am reminded of the shortest bible verse when it comes to these people.

"Jesus wept."

[Behind the Aegis]

33. The stupidity burns!

If marriage is all about "making babies", then what about couples who can't have or don't want children? What about gay couples who DO have children? This "logic" is so twisted that pretzels look at it in wonder!

[Trillo]

34. Maybe so, but there are plenty of religious schools

Why should religions be allowed to spread their hatred to children and teenagers via compulsory education?