Senate Takes Steps Toward Sodom

A bill to ensure federal recognition of same-sex marriage rights passed a crucial test in the Senate late yesterday afternoon.

The New York Times reported minutes after the Senate's vote:

This vote "signaled a remarkable shift in American politics and culture, demonstrating how same-sex marriage, once a politically divisive issue, has been so widely accepted in society that a law to protect the rights of same-sex couples across the country could gain decisive, bipartisan majorities in both the Senate and the House."

Christian leaders are calling it the most blatant attack on religious freedom and the institution of marriage in the history of our country.

Sadly, 12 Republicans helped the Democrats push the culture toward Sodom.

Here's what we should expect in the coming days and weeks as a result of this vote.

Be informed, not misled.

Twelve Republicans joined Democrats to advance the deceptively named "Respect for Marriage Act", putting it on track to become law in the twilight of the Democratic-held Congress.

The New York Times reported minutes after the vote: "The 62-37 vote, which came only days after the midterm elections in which Democrats retained control of the Senate but were on track to lose the House to Republicans, was a rare and notable last gasp of bipartisanship by a lame duck Congress as lawmakers looked toward an era of political gridlock in a divided Washington."

Christians and conservatives saw something very different. Indeed it was a "last gasp," but not for bipartisanship, rather an attempt to defy the Creator who established the institution of marriage as between one man and one woman at Creation. They also saw it as a betrayal by 12 in their own Republican Party, and a US Senate that chose to defy Almighty God. And Nature.

The twelve.

This is the list of the 12 Senate Republicans who voted against the platform of their Republican Party in a betrayal of the millions of conservatives and evangelical Christians who voted for them.

The Republican Senators who ultimately voted for the measure on Wednesday were: 

1. Roy Blunt of Missouri
2. Richard Burr of North Carolina
3. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
4. Susan Collins of Maine
5. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming
6. Rob Portman of Ohio
7. Dan Sullivan of Alaska
8. Mitt Romney of Utah
9. Thom Tillis of North Carolina
10. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
11. Joni Ernst of Iowa
12. Todd Young of Indiana.

Last summer, 47 House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a version of the bill.

What's next?

It's probably a done deal.

Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, said that passage of the legislation, now expected after Thanksgiving, would be “one of the true highlights of the year for this body” and “one of the more significant accomplishments of this Senate to date.”

Speaking on the Senate floor, Mr. Schumer noted that his daughter and her wife were expecting a baby in the spring and he wanted “them, and everyone in a loving relationship, to live without the fear that their rights could one day be stripped away.”

Even as the test vote reflected bipartisan support for the measure, the vast majority of Republicans, including Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, voted against it.

But there were not enough "public servants" who were willing to stand for marriage.

On the other side of the Capitol, Republicans have secured a narrow House majority called in their favor by The Associated Press. 

The impact of this step toward Sodom.

First, this deceptively named "Respect for Marriage Act" declares war on American parents.

American Family News says, "Like free speech, conscience rights, tax-exempt statuses, religious freedom, and every other fundamental value on the chopping block with this bill, the right of parents to have a say in their children’s education would vanish. The second Joe Biden’s pen hits the paper to sign H.R. 8404 into law, the microphones across the country’s local school boards meetings — the same ones that thousands of moms and dads have used to speak their peace — would be turned off."

Under this proposal, which some Republicans have the audacity to support, natural marriage is considered a bigoted view — discrimination, in fact. Some legal experts, including Family Research Council’s Mary Beth Waddell, believe the text actually makes a correlation between natural marriage and racism.

The bill itself threatens, “The Attorney General may bring a civil action in the appropriate United States district court against any person who violates subsection (a) for declaratory and injunctive relief." In other words, if you hold the belief that marriage is the union of a man and woman — the mainstream view for all of human history — and stand in the way of the Left’s redefinition in any way, the full weight of the Justice Department will be brought to bear. As if that weren’t enough, a private right of action — meaning everyday citizens can sue based on some perceived violation of their rights — is encouraged for anyone “harmed” by your biblical beliefs.

Carrying that out to its logical conclusion, parents who object to graphic or inappropriate curriculum in the classroom would be targets. If people thought the “domestic terrorism” label was bad, this legislation effectively turns every same-sex marriage enthusiast into an agent of the DOJ.

“Once this is codified into law, parents will be considered bigots for pushing back on extremism in the classroom,” Family Research Council president Tony Perkins warns. “It won’t be an illegitimate ruling, where the courts acted on their own. It will be the law of the land.”

Tony Perkins, president of "Family Research Council," in a commentary in The Daily Signal told the story of  Rev. Dr. Bernard Randall--- a Christian Chaplin speaking in a Christian school in the UK, explaining what the Church of England believes regarding marriage, was suspended, fired for gross misconduct, and reported to child protective services simply for restating what the Church of England believes.

Perkins says, "HR 8404 is a stick of dynamite that, in the hands of the Left, would supercharge the attacks, the marginalization, and the oppression of people of faith and anyone who believes in marriage as human history defines it."

Randall came to Washington, D.C. to warn America that this was possible. 

“My story sends a message to other Christians that you are not free to talk about your faith,” he cautioned. “It seems it is no longer enough to just ‘tolerate’ LBGT ideology. You must accept it without question and no debate is allowed without serious consequences.”

Perkins wrote his commentary hours before our US Senate, with the help of 12 Republicans passed this bill out of the Senate to be approved again by the House---before the House majority changes to Republican in January.

Takeaway

Writing hours before the Senate voted yesterday afternoon, Perkins said: "The greatest threats are policies like the so-called Respect for Marriage Act being considered by the United States Senate. They are what curtail the exercise of religious freedom—which leads not to a violent overthrow of this fundamental freedom, but to its systematic suppression and eventual loss."

The US Senate took what they called "historic progressive steps toward equity" yesterday to codify so-called "same-sex marriage" into federal law.

Rather than "progressive," these steps are faulty, stumbling steps toward Sodom, with the consequences of destruction to follow.

Is it over for our country? No. 

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" is the only solution."

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.