By L.A. Williams, Correspondent
Christian Action League
April 30, 2014
North Carolina’s Marriage Protection Amendment is facing a third legal attack, this one filed Monday in federal district court in Charlotte by a dozen clergy members, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, and several homosexual couples.
Unique in its approach, the lawsuit alleges that the “one man and one woman” definition of marriage violates the First Amendment right of freedom of religion.
“By denying same-sex couples the right to marry and prohibiting religious denominations even from performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples, the State of North Carolina stigmatizes same-sex couples, as well as the religious institutions and clergy that believe in equal rights,” plaintiffs argue.
Tami Fitzgerald, with the N.C. Values Coalition, said it’s the first lawsuit in the nation initiated by a church denomination and members of clergy as aggressors in marriage redefinition.
“This is sadly, and predictably, the ‘lawsuit of the week’ filed by those who want to impose same-sex marriage on North Carolina, in spite of the fact that 61 percent of the voters passed the Marriage Amendment two years ago. North Carolinians had good reason to protect marriage in our Constitution, recognizing that the union of a man and woman plays an irreplaceable role in the health of society, first of which is the protection of children,” Fitzgerald said in a Monday afternoon press release.
She called the misguided United Church of Christ “simply revisionists that distort the teaching of Scripture to justify sexual revolution, not marital sanctity.”
The Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League, agreed with Fitzgerald that it is both ironic and sad that a so-called Christian denomination would seek confirmation of its errant beliefs from the courts.
“This fact is really the only thing new about the 29-page lawsuit. Otherwise, it lays out the same arguments for so-called ‘marriage equality,’ that we’ve seen again and again,” said Dr. Creech.
He said using the courts to try to turn a moral wrong into a civil right will only weaken the very fabric of society and pave the way for promoting other unhealthy relationships.
“Promoters of homosexual marriage have steadfastly denied that their efforts would open the door to polygamy, and here they are using the very same argument that some Mormon groups have used in the past to justify that practice.”
The new lawsuit names as defendants Attorney General Roy Cooper as well as registers of deeds and district attorneys in counties where the homosexual couple plaintiffs have been denied marriage licenses. Filed in the Western District of North Carolina, it cannot be combined with the existing pair of suits filed against the Marriage Amendment in the state’s eastern district.
Read Rev. Creech’s scathing rebuke of the United Church of Christ and the clergy who filed the lawsuit against N.C.’s Marriage Protection Amendment by clicking here.
