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Beating Down the Beatitudes in DC?

 

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Dear Friends of Marriage,

All Christians are called to follow the Beatitudes. Since our nation's founding, America in particular has benefited from the fact that churches have united together to feed the poor, clothe the naked, care for the fatherless and motherless, and comfort the sorrowful.

But right now, in our nation's capital, the City Council is poised to beat down the church's ability to fully embrace and act out its Gospel message.

Astonishingly, members of the City Council of the District of Columbia, led by Chair Vincent Gray and David Catania, are pushing a same-sex marriage bill that will force the Catholic Church (and other churches) out of providing for the least of these. You can read about the attack on the church here.

The Washington Post's headline for this article is: Catholic Church Gives D.C. Ultimatum. This is absurd. It is the District of Columbia who is giving the Catholic Church an ultimatum: Either go against the core truth of both reason and faith that marriage is the union of a man and a woman or we will punish you and limit your ability to live out your faith in the public square.

I testified a week ago before the city council on the same-sex marriage bill. Mr. David Catania showed his true colors by his disrespectful behavior and false statements with regard to the facts. You can watch my testimony by clicking here (starts at the 04:46:20 mark). As I walked out, a number of African-American pastors and leaders applauded, thankful that we were willing to stand up and expose the lies that Mr. Catania is peddling in the District. NOM will continue to fight for the District of Columbia's right to religious freedom and a vote.

Don't be fooled. This is not only about the Catholic Church. This is about every faith in this nation that knows and teaches that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. If bills like the one proposed in the District are passed we will all be treated as second-class citizens.

We've said all along that there is a direct threat to religious liberty posed by the redefinition of marriage. David Catania, Vincent Grey and other city council members have proven our point. They are saying to all of us: if you believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman you are a bigot, and we will treat you as such, and punish your religious institutions.

WE MUST ACT NOW TO PROTECT MARRIAGE AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN OUR NATION'S CAPITAL!

Please call and e-mail D.C. Council Chair Vincent Grey and Council Member David Catania at the numbers below and tell them to stop the attack on marriage and religious liberty!

Mr. Vincent Grey (Chair):  (202) 724-8032
Mr. David Catania:  (202) 724-7772
Click here to send an email to both Chairman Grey and Councilmember Catania.

Faithfully,

Brian BrownBrian S. Brown
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage
20 Nassau Street, Suite 242
Princeton, NJ 08542
[email protected]

NOM Featured Articles

"Winning With Marriage"
Kathryn Jean Lopez
National Review Online
November 9, 2009

Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, has been my personal political hero for the last few election cycles for her tireless work in defense of the institution of marriage. It's a bit of a thankless task. Those who adamantly disagree with Maggie are angry and hurting, and they frequently lash out. Those who agree frequently just want to leave the issue to Maggie and not think about it. But, in various iterations, she has been at it for decades now. And she does it eminently well - that is, with reason, and compassion, and knowledge. And she knows it's about more than simply disagreeing with the gay activists. It's about rebuilding an institution that has been neglected, abused, and underappreciated. It's about re-teaching what a precious gift true marriage is. And it's about settling and codifying a definition that is at the core of human civilization and the very lives of children.

"Maine Question 1: How It Prevailed"
Church Executive Magazine
November 9, 2009

"If they can't win in Maine, they don't have a majority anywhere," Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, which donated more than $1 million to the Yes on 1 campaign, told Baptist Press.

NOM in the News

Maggie Gallagher debates Evan Wolfson
ABC News "Twittercast"

"Maggie Gallagher Is Right"
Andrew Sullivan
November 9, 2009

A long hard look at re-tooling the message now for marriage equality is vital.

"Gay-Marriage Fight Heads to New Jersey"
Wall Street Journal
November 7, 2009

"New Jersey is at the very top of our list, and it's going to happen in the next few weeks if it happens at all," said Maggie Gallagher, the president of the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriages. "They're doing it in a lame duck, because it's as far away from an election as possible."

"One Step Back on the Road to Equality"
Susan Campbell
Hartford Courant
November 8, 2009

The vote -- pushed onto the ballot in no small part by our old friends at the National Organization for Marriage -- gives Maine the dubious honor of being the second state in the union to recently play now-you-have-it, now-you-don't with gay and lesbian rights.

"Gay-Marriage Activists Seek Momentum in New York"
Reuters
November 9, 2009

But Maggie Gallagher, the leader of the anti-gay marriage group, National Organization for Marriage, said she did not believe the bill would earn the needed Republican support.

"I don't think it was ever true that the culture had shifted on the gay marriage question," she said. "To the voters, this was very strange. The politicians were obviously listening to something other than the people's priorities."

"NY, NJ Groups Race to Pass 'Gay Marriage' By Year's End"
Baptist Press
November 12, 2009

The National Organization for Marriage says it will build a $500,000 "war chest" to fund primary challengers to any GOP senator who votes for the bill.

"Battle Over Same-Sex Marriage Escalates"
New Jersey Star-Ledger
November 8, 2009

The radio ad, warning that same-sex marriage would send the wrong message to children, played over a loudspeaker in a church gym Thursday in Asbury Park, as 200 gay-rights supporters listened in silence at a post-Election Day "emergency action" meeting.

Jenn Harris, a staff member for Garden State Equality, which advocates for same-sex marriage in the state, informed the crowd that the ad, playing on radio stations in New Jersey, was bought by the National Organization for Marriage as part of its $250,000 ad campaign in the state.

"The Night They Drove the Tea Partiers Down"
Frank Rich
New York Times
November 7, 2009

FOR all cable news's efforts to inflate Election 2009 into a cliffhanger as riveting as Balloon Boy, ratings at MSNBC and CNN were flat Tuesday night. But not at Fox News, where the audience nearly doubled its usual prime-time average.

That's what happens when you have a thrilling story to tell, and what could be more thrilling than a revolution playing out in real time?

"Seeking Charity for Hate"
Will Kohler
Cincinnati CityBeat
November 9, 2009

Protests were held Sunday in Portland and Bangor, Maine over the involvement of the Catholic Church in the passage of ballot Question 1.

Portland residents, for example, took their grievances to the street in front of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. And its high time we all do something.

©2009 National Organization for Marriage.

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