The Real Victims

As we debate things like marriage, feminism, and divorce, I can get a little angry-well, more than a little. (Can you tell?) Primarily, it's because of the children. Read this recent post from Chuck Colson and Breakpoint:


Casualties in the Culture Wars:
Gay 'Marriage' and Children May 18, 2006

Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.

I have a quick test for you. Don't worry, it's a multiple-choice test and won't take long. Ready? Here's the question. Which of these things doesn't belong: A) children, B) Easter egg hunts, or C) political activists?Unfortunately, the homosexual activists of the Family Pride Coalition did not pass this test on Easter, when a nearly 130-year-old tradition of hunting for eggs on the White House lawn suddenly became the bull's eye of controversy.Three months before the event, the Family Pride Coalition announced that gay and lesbian couples would be attending the Easter Egg Roll with their children to raise awareness of gay and lesbian "families." While I echo the sentiments of Easter Egg Roll hostess Laura Bush -- who said that all are welcome provided they comply with the rules -- I categorically disagree with what the activists did. They used a children's event to make a raw political statement.

While it saddens me that the activists chose to politicize the event, it does not surprise me that children were once again the unfortunate casualties in the war on the weak. It fits the pattern.From the get-go, the quest to legitimize gay "marriage" in this country has not really been about marriage. It has been about the pursuit of unlimited personal autonomy -- no matter what the cost to society or to its most vulnerable members, our children -- because, in the end, what gay "marriage" proponents are doing, intentionally or unintentionally, is undermining the institution of marriage itself. And when that happens, children are the real victims.

Now, lest we fail to remove the plank from our own eye first, we need to admit that the problem with marriage in this country began with no-fault divorces. The take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward marriage was the first step in undermining the sanctity of marriage.Selfishness, sexual sin, high divorce rates, and casual attitudes toward marriage in general have opened wide the door to redefining marriage in a way that leaves the voiceless, in this case, children, vulnerable and at great risk.

It's distasteful when children are used as political pawns, but it's disastrous when a society fails to protect its weaker members. This is especially true when it comes to protecting the institution of marriage. As Dr. Timothy Dailey concludes in HOMOSEXUAL PARENTING: PLACING CHILDREN AT RISK, "The complementary aspects of parenting that mothers and fathers contribute to the rearing of children are rooted in the innate differences of the two sexes, and can no more be arbitrarily substituted than can the very nature of male and female . . . [despite] accusations of sexism and homophobia . . . , [despite] attempts to deny the importance of both mothers and fathers in the rearing of children, the oldest family structure of all turns out to be the best."Children need a mom and a dad. And children need us to protect the institution that protects them best, whether that's fighting for strong marriages, or fighting against no-fault divorce laws and against so-called same-sex "marriages."

In a little less than a month, there will be a vote in the Senate on the Marriage Protection Amendment. Please call your United States senators. If Christians don't protect society's most vulnerable, then who will? And if we don't do it now, then when?This is part two in the "War on the Weak" series.Get links to further information on today's topic (http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=2285)________________________________________________Take Action--------------------------- Urge your two senators and your congressman to vote for the Marriage Protection Amendment: Call 202-224-3121.