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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Gay-Rights "Train Wreck"

In “Train Wreck Coming,” former Time writer, David Aikman, explains why homosexual marriage has begun to threaten the free expression of religion guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. He says, “After the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was legal, a 1971 IRS ruling came into play. It decreed tax-exempt status should be denied to non-profit groups that hold views ‘contrary to public policy.’ Since same-sex marriage had been defined by Massachusetts as ‘public policy,’ any organization that refused to extend social services to same-sex couples would be liable to lawsuits for discrimination.”

His brief commentary illustrates some of the religious organizations and individuals that have been impaled on this legal spear: the Swedish pastor imprisoned for preaching against homosexuality, Massachusetts Catholic Charities decision to shut down rather than face state prosecution for refusing to give adoptive children to same-sex couples, and campus organizations like the Christian Legal Society and InterVarsity being denied campus recognition because of their stance on homosexuality.

It's a chilling prediction of conflicts to come from a level-headed source. "The issue has gone far beyond the freedom of homosexuals to live and act openly," he says. '''The issue is now the freedom of religious people and organizations to criticize that lifestyle.”

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