by Allie Martin – OneNewsNow
An official with the Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD) says it’s a sad sign of the times that a group of “faith leaders” in Iowa signed a document declaring their support for same-sex “marriage.”
The letter, dated and made public on Tuesday, was signed by more than 160 faith leaders and was presented to lawmakers during a news conference held by the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa. It says many faith traditions affirm that “where there is love, the sacred is in our midst” — and goes on to say: “This belief is the same for couples comprised of a man and a woman, two women, or two men.”
Last year, the Iowa Supreme Court struck down a law banning homosexual marriage in the Hawkeye State. The Legislature has been encouraged to start the process of putting a constitutional amendment before voters that would overturn that ruling, but most Democrats — who hold the majority in both chambers — have chosen not to act.
Alan Wisdom with the IRD says although the signers of the letter represent what he calls a small fringe of the Christian community, some damage has been done.
“It does give cover to the proponents of same-sex marriage to pretend that they stand on equal religious ground,” he explains. “They’re going to claim…there are some Christians over there who are opposed to same-sex marriage, but [that] there are these other ones who favor it — as if it were an even division.”
That claim, notes Wisdom, is untrue. “The overwhelming majority of the church in the United States and globally affirms the marriage of man and woman,” he emphasizes.
Wisdom says it also damages the church when pastors, who are charged with defending God’s Holy Word, promote unscriptural practices. (Source-OneNewsNow, Copyright 2007 American Family News Network – Used by permission)
