Republicans Are Playing Right Into Democrats’ Hand On Gay Marriage
Republicans on Capitol Hill are fleeing in terror from the Democrats’ attempts to enshrine gay marriage in federal law. The Orwellian titled “Respect for Marriage Act” disrespects marriage by denying that the family is an institution with its own authority and that marriage and family were neither created nor defined by the government.
The government’s disrespect for marriage and family inherently undermines the family and contributes to cultural degradation.
The fundamental truths regarding marriage, family, and the role of the government are absent from the current discussion. At best, Congressional Republicans articulate that the bill is a waste of time because the Supreme Court will never overturn the “right” to gay marriage.
Thus, they concede the issue of gay marriage and simply argue in favor of judicial law-making over statutory law.
In explaining his no vote, Sen. Ted Cruz stated, “reasonable people can disagree” about the definition of marriage. Such a statement concedes the point to the left.
If marriage is about different lifestyle preferences, then there is no reason to limit the definition of marriage. Restricting the definition to only a man and a woman is little more than bigotry under this framework. The real issue is the government’s continued attempts to redefine marriage.
Marriage and family were created and defined by God and are inherently religious institutions. At no level does the government have the authority to redefine marriage. Furthermore, the Founding Fathers had zero intention of giving the government the capacity to legislate on such a matter.
The role of government is to protect individual liberty, the Founders forbade the government from becoming overly involved with the cultural composition of society.
However, since this time, the government has embraced the Hegelian view that the nature of humanity is mutable and perfectible and that government is the best institution to bring about perfection.
The Obergefell decision, authorizing gay marriage, was based on imposing secular morality on society that attempts to undermine and rejects natural law limitations. It gives the government far more authority than the Founding Fathers even imagined possible.
Further, the Constitution gives states the general police power of government. Therefore, the limited role that government can have regarding marriage and family is wholly restricted to the states. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell violated the rule of law because the court ignored the actual meaning of the Constitution and exercised powers it did not have.
The 14th Amendment requires states to uphold the individual rights recognized by the Declaration of Independence. The Supreme Court decision in Obergefell created a group identity right to gay marriage that contradicted the Constitution.
The government claims to have the power to define marriage and family, thus making itself a false god and the center of society. It has inherently violated religious liberty by undermining the authority of the church and family institutions.
Marriage should be under the control of religious institutions. No one should be forced to participate or not participate in any of the marriages, be it a minister or cake artist. But Democrats intend to force people of faith to perform same-sex marriages even if their religions prohibit homosexuality.
The state should stay out and not seek to settle the theological instead of acting as a secular, false god that imposes its will on society by force.
The Republican Party has failed to adequately defend marriage. Instead, they focused on the empty “slippery slope” argument that made conservatives look homophobic by bringing up stereotypes about homosexuals. The true basis for upholding traditional marriage has nothing to do with homophobia or anyone’s views of homosexuals.
Republican senators are now either embracing gay marriage or refusing to defend traditional marriage, by doing so, they are demonstrating that they are intellectually and morally bankrupt.
Johnny B. Davis is an International and Constitutional Law Attorney, Liberty University Professor with the Helms School of Government, and an Army Reserve JAG. Professor Davis is a classical liberal who advocates a return to the principles of the Founding Fathers to restore the American republic.
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