Another Court Legislates from the Bench; 
Forces Same-Sex Marriage Upon State

The California State Supreme Court ignored the will of its citizens today when it rewrote state law defining marriage as only between one man and one woman.  California voters had clearly spoken their desire to preserve marriage when they easily passed Proposition 22 in 2000.  Nevertheless, the court moved through a 4-3 decision to rewrite state law in support of same-sex marriage.

    Over one million Californians have signed petitions to put a Marriage Protection Amendment on the November ballot in anticipation of exactly this type of judicial activism when a court legislates from the bench, rather than interprets the law.

    "Those Hoosier politicians, like House Speaker Patrick Bauer and Rules Committee Chairman Scott Pelath, who claimed that a Marriage Protection Amendment was not necessary are purposefully ignoring the relentless, systematic legal attacks upon marriage occurring across the nation," said Micah Clark, Executive Director of AFA of Indiana.  

    Same-sex marriage advocates want to use the courts to force society, including schools and churches, to embrace homosexual or polygamous relationships as the moral and legal equivalent of a married husband and wife.  Twenty-seven states have protected their marriage laws from similar judicial activism with constitutional amendments.  Unfortunately, Indiana is not one of those states.  Indiana House leadership has  repeatedly refused to allow Hoosiers to vote on an amendment by blocking a floor vote on SJR 7.  The measure would have easily passed and gone on to voters for their consideration on the November ballot this fall.

    "Today's ruling should be a wake-up call to Hoosier politicians who think that our marriage laws are safe without a Marriage Protection Amendment.  Hoosier voters should take note of where their state legislator stood in 2007 and 2008 when they had the chance to protect our marriage laws,"  said Clark.

    "People who want to live outside the mainstream are free to do so, but we shouldn't allow a handful of liberal judges to destroy the time-tested truth that gender (mothers and fathers, husbands and wives) matters to children and to state policy.   Marriage is not merely the bringing together of two or three people for their own desires, it is the bringing together of the two sexes for the benefit of children and a strong society," said Clark.
click here to download Press Release on this ruling

Table of Contents

Quotables (updated 2/19/08)

This Week's AFA E-Alert (updated 3/5/08) (Archives)

Breaking News & Alerts (updated 2/19/08) (Archives)

What We're Reading (updated 3/2/08) (Archives)

Blogs We're Reading (updated 3/2/08) (Blog list)

What We're Watching (updated 2/25/08) (Archives)

One News Now, by American Family Association (auto updated)

Quotables

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"Folks, with 70 percent of the people in this country living with HIV being gay or bi-sexual we cannot deny that HIV is a gay disease. We have to own that and face up to that." (link) (Emphasis added)

Matt Foreman of the National Conference on Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender Equality

This week's AFA E-Alertfor 2/27/08

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If You Told the Truth, How Can This Be Possible?

One of my biggest frustrations during the last two sessions of the Indiana General Assembly has been the distortions, scare tactics and outright lies that have been attached to the Marriage Protection Amendment by liberals and supporters of same-sex marriage. (more)

Noted Scholar to Address Atheism and Christianity

I am happy to announce that AFA of Indiana is partnering with our friends at Indiana Policy Review and Crossroads Bible College to host author and scholar Dinesh D'Souza. The author of the new book, What's So Great About Christianity? answers the flood of a new aggressive atheism that has risen in recent years. Dinesh is a former policy analyst for President Ronald Reagan. He also served at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Dinesh has authored half a dozen books including Illiberal Education, The End of Racism and What's So Great About America?

Dinesh D'Souza will be speaking at Crossroads Bible College on the topic of his newest book What's So Great About Christianity? Mark your calendars for Monday evening March 24th at the college at 601 N. Shortridge Rd on the East side of Indianapolis. This is a free event. I will have time, room and other details next week.

The Audacity of Biblical Ignorance

This is not intended to be an endorsement or non-endorsement of any kind, but when a US Senator who may well become President makes statements concerning the Christian faith and the values that AFA defends, it is newsworthy for our supporters.

On Sunday, Illinois Senator Barack Obama was campaigning in Ohio when he said that he believes that Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount justifies his support for same-sex marriage. He also told the crowd that his support for abortion does not conflict with his Christian faith. (more)

Can't Defend Marriage; Can't Protect Life; Can't Repeal Property Taxes . . . but They Can Expand Gambling

As if Indiana does not have enough gambling or more important issues to address this session, House Bill 1143 is on its way to the Governor's office after narrow passage in the State Senate. HB 1143 is an expansion of gambling by allowing new games (pull-tabs and tip boards) in Indiana bars. Gee, what a great idea; mix gambling and alcohol to raise more tax dollars for the state. Who cares about people spending under the influence as long as the state profits from it?

Senator Mike Delph may have had the best quote on this bill when he said. "Indiana is addicted to gambling and needs to go into rehab . . . Last year slot machines, this year pull-tabs, next year, who knows what? Greed has no boundaries." (more)

Breaking News & Alerts

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Breaking News 2/15/08 HB 1107 "Cultural Competency"

Dear Friends,

Yesterday afternoon I sent you an urgent alert concerning House Bill 1107, which had passed out of the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development the day before.

This alert concerned a "Cultural Competency" bill that involves requiring licensed teachers to take diversity and multicultural training courses and for student progress on these issues to be measured.

Several questions have been raised about the content and interpretation of this bill some of which occurred because the committee changes were not yet posted on the Internet when our alert was sent. Many people who investigated the bill were still looking at the House-passed version. In fact, so many people have asked me if this bill is "really for real" that I wanted to pass along this update.

I still have concerns and questions about this bill (particularly Section 4) and how it would be implemented. I also have concerns regarding its impact upon teachers and students in various educational settings involving a licensed teacher such as a non-accredited private school or a home-school co-op.

However, over the last 24 hours I have spoken with several senators including the Senator Teresa Lubbers who is the sponsor of HB 1107 due to her chairmanship of the Education Committee. She wants to address our concerns with amendments (changes) to the legislation. I am working with various legislators and other pro-family leaders to accomplish these changes.

Incidentally, Senator Lubbers called me within an hour after our alert went out and AFA's supporters began to contact their state senators. We had a very good conversation about the bill. I expect to have more news to report to you concerning this legislation next week and what may happen with the proposal.

Thank you for responding to our alert. Your voice was heard because you took action. I appreciate your involvement as we work to represent and defend your values in the halls of government.

Best regards,

Micah Clark
Executive Director
AFA of Indiana

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What We're Reading (updated 3/2/08)

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Will Evangelicals Go the Way of Mainline Protestantism?

By Bob Burney

TownHall.com

Friday, February 29, 2008

The big “buzz” in the American religious community is the recently released report from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. In the secular and Christian media alike the results were being trumpeted as “shocking,” “disturbing” and “enlightening” among other hyperbolic descriptions. The keyboards of the “experts” began to hum, churning out what all this means for the future of religion in America.

There will be much controversy about this report, but there are certain conclusions that are unmistakable.

Mainline Protestant denominations continue their plunge downward through mediocrity to total irrelevance. No surprise there. Evangelical churches continue to grow—especially those of the non-denominational variety. Again, no surprise. Roman Catholicism is declining more quickly than any other “faith tradition” in America. Again, not a huge surprise. (full article at Townhall.com)

Blogs We're Reading

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Howey: Obama Considering Lugar for Cabinet Position

As national polls show dead heats in Texas and Ohio, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is citing his work on conventional weapons with U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar in his TV ads and at least one newspaper is reporting that Obama would consider Lugar for his cabinet if elected. (more)

What We're Watching

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Censoring the Church, Segment 1

One News Now, by American Family Association (National)

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