Sunday, June 26, 2011

Religious Freedom and Inseverability Provision In New York Gay Marriage Law

WITHOUT DOUBT ALLOWING ORGANIZATIONS AND CLERGY to recuse themselves from performing and supporting gay marriage was a key ingredient in the New York bill's passage of the gay marriage act this week. The other vital ingredient is the inseverability of this provision. In other words, if any part of the religious freedom clause is over-turned in court, the entire bill goes down in flames and is null and void. This from the Daily Beast:

Governor Andrew Cuomo and three Republican senators negotiated language changes in the gay marriage bill that pushed it over the hump. Republicans wanted legal protection for religious organizations that refused to allow their buildings to be used for same-sex marriage ceremonies. The provision also prevents those organizations from being penalized by state government and provides protection for clergy or other employees who refuse to participate in such ceremonies. Perhaps most importantly, the final law included an inseverability clause that will prevent these protections from being overturned: if any part is ever found to be invalid, the rest will go down as well.

So whether you're for or against gay marriage---and let me make it clear that I am against it---these provisions are a bright spot in our country's shocking decline from Biblical principles on which it was founded. I believe that God loves all sinners, gay and straight, and I am chief among them. I also believe the practice of any and all sex outside of one-man/one woman marital sex is an abomination to the Creator. Our country will be judged sooner or later for this downward spiral.

It's also interesting to note that several heavy-hitting, wealthy hedge fund managers, especially Paul Singer who has a gay son, helped push, prode and fund this bill into law.

May God help us all.

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