|
Gay and Straight Alliance Remarks |
|
Policy on use of information on League website Speech by Michael S. Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, 70 Sewall Street, Augusta, ME 04330, 207-622-7634, www.cclmaine.org, email@cclmaine.org, to the student body of the North Yarmouth Academy on Tuesday, February 17, 2004 at a forum sponsored by the “Gay and Straight Alliance.” Patricia Peard also appeared representing the Maine Civil Liberties Union. She defended homosexual “marriage.”
As Director of the CCL of Maine, I’ve had the honor of speaking to governors, state senators, and business leaders, but no honor is greater than the honor I have now, the honor of speaking with you, the next generation.
Let me tell you why we have such a high opinion of you. The CCL is a Christian organization, one based on Christian principles. One of the most important Christian principles is that man was created in the image of God. Christianity teaches that we exist not because of chance, or evolution - not because we developed out of what scientists call “the primordial ooze”, but because God has called us into existence. And this is a very important point. Each of us here today was created by God. Because you are God’s creation, He loves you, much as a painter loves a picture he has painted, or a poet a poem he has written - but infinitely more. A painting or poem may last a few years, and then is gone. Each of you however, has an immortal soul.
But I didn’t come here today to preach to you. I came to talk to you about how we can know if a rule is right or wrong. I spend a lot of time in Augusta at the Capitol Building listening to people talk about rules. What we’re doing here is not much different from what happens there. We want good rules for Maine, laws that are fair, laws that keep our society happy and safe. When we see a bad law, one that will hurt the people of Maine, we to try to stop it.
But rules go far beyond government. We see them everywhere, at home, at school, whenever we interact with our fellow citizens – rules for driving, for example. We drive in the right lane, not the left. We fasten our safety belts. We turn our signal light on when we want to change lanes. These rules exist, not because the person who makes the rules is “intolerant” or “unfair”, but because rules are needed for our safety.
Such rules exist in nature as the laws of physics and chemistry. Many of you know these laws by name. They never change. When you drop a ball, it will fall to the ground, not a hundred times, or a thousand, but always. There is no flexibility, no loophole in these laws. Similar laws exist for plants and animals, and they always act according to these laws. For example, you will never see a potato get up and walk around in search of food; the same as you will never see a dog sink its paws deep into a pile of dirt in search of nourishment. The nature of the potato and the dog determine how they will act. This is the law of nature, or better yet, Natural Law.
But man is different. He has the power of reason. God gave each of us a mind to help us decide what is right and wrong. Many problems are not so simple. We may think we know the answer to a problem only to find out later, we were wrong. No one can take a test and get a “100” every time. That is why we must study each question carefully, until we are certain we know the correct answer.
Now, we’re here today to study the question of same sex marriage. Is it right, or is it wrong? I’m going to admit to you something. Many people – including adults - don’t understand the question of same sex marriage. They are sincere in what they believe, but they are sincerely wrong. They use emotional words like “fairness” and “tolerance” to make their arguments sound right. Such words may make us feel left out if we don’t agree. But words and slogans have to do more than sound right. They have to make sense. Remember, we must test every idea by reason and common sense, not by emotion. And that doesn’t mean we are being “unfair” if we disagree. In fact, if you stand up for the truth, you are the one who is being fair.
So where do we begin? First, let me ask you this question: Is there any one here who was not produced by a man and woman? If so, you should raise your hand, because you have made history. I think – no I know – all of us were made by a man and woman. Man and woman together produce the next generation.
This is true for all places and all times. It cannot be changed, because it’s part of the natural law we discussed before. Isn’t it true that without it, humanity ceases to exist? Do you see the importance of that? There is nothing more important to the survival of mankind. And mankind honors this important fact by something called ‘marriage.’ In all cultures, marriage is a special institution, one that is honored above all the rest. In all cultures, it is always a day of big celebration. The families attend, a great banquet is prepared, and there is joyous music and dancing.
For many of you, that day will be the happiest day in your life, the day you are married. And what will be the second happiest day? When your child is born, when the doctor puts your child in your arms. That was the happiest day in your mom and dad’s life, when they cradled you in their arms. That was their happiest day – and it will be until they leave this earth. That is marriage. Never forget that.
Marriage is the honor society pays to these happy events. It doesn’t mean that others who can’t do this, are to be despised. Far from it! It means simply that those that do, receive a special honor called marriage.
Now we come back to the subject of our discussion, same sex marriages. As we said we’re here to discuss rules. Has any society, before today, put same sex marriage into place? Yes, there are societies which have done so. We don’t have time to list them here. All we will say is that those societies no longer exist. For them, same sex marriages proved a very bad idea indeed. Societies that honored marriage and the family have continued to exist. China, the world’s oldest civilization, is the best example of this. In no civilization is the family more important than China.
Now what happens when someone leads a life that goes against common sense and natural law, which we talked about earlier – and leads a life of promiscuity, for example? Their lives are not so happy. Their lives are often shortened by disease and other forms of unhappiness. AIDs is one form of this. We look at the terrible problem of AIDs in Africa, where nine million African children will soon be left without parents. Perhaps you know of someone in this country who has died from AIDs, someone who didn’t live out the long life God had planned for them. This applies to any behavior that harms our bodies, whether promiscuity, drug use, or alcoholism. Those behaviors that go against Natural Law and common sense, often bring fearful consequences. There is no disputing that. We can see this with our own eyes.
And that’s why I came here today, not to be “judgmental” or “intolerant”, but to share God’s plan for you, so you will have a happy life. "Fairness" and "tolerance" are important, but they are only words, and action speaks louder than words. We must always act in a way that shows our love for one another. We must refrain from actions that harm our fellow man. This means being faithful -- one man and one woman must remain faithful to each other for life. This means being pure – we must keep sex where it belongs, in marriage only, and not outside of it. And above all this means being honorable – we must treat our wife or husband as he or she deserves, since they are created in the image of God.
In short, we are asking you – despite the influence of the media and fashionable trends - to uphold something very special, a gift from God called “marriage.” It will not be easy for you. It will involve intelligence and sound reasoning. It will also involve hard work, difficult choices, and a great deal of sacrifice. We all know that it is easier to grow a patch of weeds and thistles than it is to grow a bed of strawberries. But young people - listen to one who has been there: the strawberries are worth the price. And you are wise enough, strong enough, and good enough to make the right choice.
In closing, I would ask that Almighty God give His blessing on everyone here today, and that he will defend each of you, and give His Divine Guidance in the coming days, and throughout the rest of your lives. Thank you.
|