Wednesday, July 28, 2004

A Flawed Understanding of Missouri's Amendment 2

Doug Gray, campaign manger with the Constitutional Defense League for No on Amendment 2, has a naive and flawed understanding of Amendment 2, as does the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri. These groups oppose the amendment because, as they say, it perpetuates discrimination.

But many of our laws are discriminatory, in that they discriminate actions that are immoral such as, murder, burglary, assault, robbery, etc. To discriminate is to discern, distinguish or differentiate ideas or actions. One has no right to engage or promote those things which contradict the natural law.
"Regardless of someone's position on gay marriage, the statute clearly says there is no gay marriage in state," Gray said. "It's all about the Constitution and whether we want to put discriminatory laws in the Constitution. There is a radical agenda by a few to take an issue like gay marriage and drive a wedge between people to get people out to vote."

St. Louis Archbishop Raymond L. Burke has written a column published on the Archdiocese of St. Louis website stating that it was a person's duty to vote and urging people to vote 'yes' on Amendment 2.

"By marriage, a man and a woman promise faithful and enduring love, giving to each other, exclusively and for life, the right to the conjugal act by which married love is blessed with its highest fruit, the conception of a child," Burke states. "Marriage is not an institution which was established by our society or culture. Rather, it is inherent to our human nature and is found in all societies and cultures."

Burke sites the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and church teachings to urge people to safeguard the sanctity of marriage by voting in favor of Amendment 2.

Gray believes this argument is naive.
There is a naive argument here, but it is not Archbishop Burke's.
Source.

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