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Loading ...Arizona Catholics & Jews told to support anti-gay amendment
09.05.2008 12:00pm EDT
(Tucson, Arizona) Roman Catholics and Orthodox Jews are being told by their respective denominations to support a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
In a pastoral letter to be read in Catholic churches across the state on Sunday, Arizona’s two Roman Catholic bishops say the amendment is “in alignment with our deeply held moral beliefs regarding marriage.”The letter, signed by Thomas Olmstead, the bishop of Phoenix, and Gerald Kincanas, the bishop of Tucson, goes on to say that if the amendment is not passed, a law already on the books limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples could be overturned by a court.
The Union for Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America also issued a statement to the state’s Orthodox Jews saying that the Torah and Jewish law “affirms marriage only between a man and woman.”
Evangelical churches throughout Arizona also are urging the faithful to support the proposed amendment, which will appear on the ballot in November.
In 2006, a similar amendment to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions failed when put to voters. The current amendment proposal does not mention civil unions.
Public opinion polls have showed that while most people in the state oppose same-sex marriage, they do not want to enshrine that in the constitution.
Last month a dispute between Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer and Attorney General Terry Goddard over the wording that will appear on the ballot was settled hours before a judge was to rule on the description.
The two agreed with the description of what a “yes” vote would mean – restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples. But Brewer objected to Goddard’s insistence that the wording also should point out that the state already has a law preventing same-sex couples from marrying.
Brewer wanted the description to state that a “no vote shall have the effect of retaining the current laws regarding marriage.”
But Goddard maintained that definition would not inform voters that the current law defines marriage as being between one man and one woman.
He wanted language describing the current law as “a statute that prohibits marriage between persons of the same sex.”
Brewer went to court to block Goddard from inserting his “no” definition into the ballot question. Shortly before a judge was to rule, the two agreed on a compromise.
The “no” definition now will say that the proposed amendment defines marriage as between one man and one woman, while keeping intact the current state law, which outlaws same-sex marriage.
Can any one in either California and/or Arizona provide me with the following information?
How many state benefits are associated with being married will couples be provided with if they are allowed to be married. Or rather how many benefits will they lose if they are prohibited from being married? A specific number would be appreciated with a couple of concrete examples.
I agree with aures000.
As long as the Federal Government recognizes same-sex marriages, who cares if any religion does or does not do the same.
The way it is right now, same-sex couples who live and marry in the state of CALIF don’t get federal protection and benefits that heterosexual couples do.
That’s not equal nor is that fair.
My church does a great deal of good for many people especially for the needy and the hungry and stays completely out of politics and endorses no candidate and no political point of view and welcomes both gay and straight and has all ages from baby up to great-grandparent.
Tax only those indivual churches (and do tax them) which violate their tax-exempt status by bringing in voter-registration, by openly subscribing to political points of view, by openly endorsing candidates for office, by singing the praises of president so and so while putting down his/her opponents.
Only individual parishioners may do so on their own time. The preacher may do so on his/her own time and privately when with friends and family while on vacation away from the area but really should totally refrain from doing so while actually in charge of a parish and certain should avoid doing in any public way.
But that does not mean they can’t attend a rally that expresses their own personal political point of view as long as they aren’t openly suggesting or demanding that their congregation do the same along with them and as long as they are advertizing a political rally from while conducting a service.
I have seen lots of clergy both supporting and opposing gay marriage attending rallies pro and against gay marriage near the Massachusetts statehouse which is fine so long as they are they NOT demanding or shaming their congregation into doing the same. In which case they should lose their tax exempt status.
Church is strictly about prayer and human needs and must be always above endorsing politics of any kind whether pro or against any prevailing political point of view of society or regardless which one is held by the priest, minister, preacher, rabbi, etc. or OFF with its own indivual tax exempt status.
Church’s role is to bapiize, marriage ceremony, burial service, bless, pray for healing, pray for the nation and for the world, pray for wisdom and guidance for whomever leads our land (without expressing approval or actual endorsing of any kind for the current or past leader) pray for the end of poverty etc. pray for parishes here and abroad in the denomination, remember those who died in line of duty for our country, pray for those parishioners who are ill or suffering, remember those parishioners and their family members who had just died, visit the sick, hold service and give sermon, be a source of good, interact well with the local community, be welcoming to all, to meet human needs, the running, management and maintenance of grounds and building etc.
Time for LGBT people to start pushing, en masse, for tax-exempt status of all cults to be removed. It is illegal for any of them to endorse any candidate no matter if that candidate agrees with a ban on marriage equality. Religious cultism is a choice, a chosen lifestyle, ours is not.
Dear Kari,
Idid not say that Jews killed God. I only said they gave him over to the Romans. At least that’s the way I always believed. Like Isaid I know little of your faith. I’m sorry if I offended you. Everything I write is in generic form. I would not pick out certain person to ridicule unless they be a person identified with a certain news even t or a public figure. Shalom Peace….
tax the damned church !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Doug: The point I’m trying to make is that Jews are not guilty about killing the one called Yeshua L’Natz’rat because Jews had nothing to do with his execution (which contradicts the Christian Bible but is pretty well corroborated by history) and for a Jew a man cannot be a God, ergo there can be no guilt for ‘killing a God’.
The Romans took plenty of political prisoners that they thought were a danger to their rule. The Jews as a group might be sad that many of their own were killed simply for questioning Roman authority (or even being suspected of having done so), but for a Jew, Jesus was just one of many. (One where the stories written about him led to the endemic persecution of Jews throughout the centuries.)
I’m never surprised anymore, not really, by what the Roman Catholic church does. But it still hurts me. I grew up in that church and love it dearly.
Take your pick; hetrosexual couples who marry enjoy a wide range of benifits: from filing taxes; to medical insurance. Has gay couple who know; if your on your partners benefits you get hit twice for the cost of insurance: once before taxes are taken out of your pay check and again for the 2nd time. The legalization to be able to have your names together, after death of your partner. To be able to see them in the hospital before while there sick. all this will be striped away if the bible thumpers and holy rollers have there say
I agree with many of the comments on this thread, but the generalizations about religion are about as offensive (and accurate) as generalizations about gay people. It would be very helpful to a civil society if people would use a bit more critical thinking and care in their writings.
Hey Kari,
Thanks for writing back. You are so right. Iam just not that educated with jewish faith. You’ve taught me a few things and I thank you. Like I’ve said before, I don’t want to offend anyone for their beliefs. Wouldn’t you agree that all faiths teach their flocks to love and not hate and kill. That’s a tenet I think we all could live by. Good luck honey. Peace
This is why I want nothing to do with organized religion.
With this kind of interference in civil matters, the Roman Catholic church and others using these tactics to pass laws based on their religious tenets will find members of their faiths losing at the ballot box.
As a non-Jewish gay man who has worked extensively with both Jews and Christians, I can tell you that straight Jews are very accepting of our community, and completely understand our struggle for full equality. I never felt full accepted as an very out gay man in the workplace until I worked for an organization whose employees were mainly straight Jews.
The LGBT community and Jewish community stand together on so many social issues. I think that is why both of our communities overwhelmingly vote for Democrats and overwhelmingly support Obama for President.
Also, the Reform branch of Judaism was one of the first main religious groups to support full marriage rights for our community. All minorities need to stand together now and vote for the one candidate who will promote full equality for all of us – together – Senator Obama.
I am so sick of the religous right sticking there HOLY THAN THOU noses in my personal life and what goes on behind my bedroom door. This is why there is a seperation of church and state. But the religous right is done and continues to do all that they can to punish us for something that is completely out of our hands. Not to mention that they call themselves christians… What was the message of Christ?? Respect and love thy brother. And this gun toting bitch Palin will do all that she can to try and push us out of the country if she could. But that hoe sit’s back and preaches family values; hmmmmmmmm but yet her unmarried 17 year old daughter is knocked up real good values and up ringing. It’s nice to know that she only had time to focus on the LGBT community and not take notice of what is going on in her house. But the catholics have no room to speak considering that the priest like the missionary position more that we thought!!!!!!!!!!!! And the Jews have no cause for their actions. It seems that gay men and women wore the pink or black triangle and died in the camps just as fast as they did. But then if we were to ask the little rag head in Iran the holocost never took place. But go ahead and elect George McCain and Bitch Palin and I’m sure that they will be more than happy to bring the camps back but this time for all the fags and dykes and not the jews.