NEWSLETTER No. 121, FEBRUARY 2006

 

 

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BISHOP HENRY SPEAKS ON IMPLICATIONS OF SAME-SEX “MARRIAGE”

 

In Canada, where same-sex “marriage” became legal in June 2004,  a social revolution is underway.  Some people argue that same-sex marriage wouldn't change anybody else's marriage but merely expand the institution to provide equal rights for all.  What has happened in Canada  in recent months suggests a different story. 

Bishop Frederick Henry of the Catholic Diocese of Calgary, Alberta, has been at the forefront of Canada's battle over marriage.  He recently spoke to   the Minnesota Pastors Summit -- a ground-breaking interdenominational conference of Catholic and Protestant pastors -- at Grace Church in Eden Prairie.

He said that Canadians, too, were originally told that same-sex marriage was just a small step to promote ‘inclusiveness.’  "But today in Canada a social revolution is underway," he said.

How could a simple law redefining marriage as a union of "two persons" have such a revolutionary effect?  Bishop Henry said there are two reasons:

First, marriage is Western society's most fundamental institution. As such, it is embedded throughout our law, child-rearing practices and culture in general. When marriage is redefined, other social institutions are likewise transformed.

Second, when male-female marriage and same-sex “marriage” become equal in the eyes of the law, treating them differently becomes discrimination. In Canada, "privileging" male-female marriage in any way is now a violation of human rights.

According to  Bishop Henry, "Canadians who believe in the historic definition of marriage, who believe that children need a mother and father, are now the legal equivalent of racists."

Today, Canada is combing through its laws and institutions to remove evidence of “heterosexist” discrimination. Terms such as “husband” and “wife” are now forbidden

 

 

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