Unholy Union: Why The Government Must Never Promote Theology

[Adsos Letter]

Source:
Wall of Separation
Dec 27, 2012
by Rob Boston
https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/unholy-union-why-the-government-must-never-promote-theology

Voters in three states – Maine, Maryland and Washington – approved marriage equality at the ballot box last month. Speculation now holds that Illinois may soon join the growing list of jurisdictions that allow same-sex marriage.

The Illinois legislature is scheduled to take up the matter next year. In preparation for the debate, more than 250 members of the clergy recently issued an open letter endorsing marriage equality.

...

Not surprisingly, the state’s leading Religious Right group is not impressed.

Laurie Higgins of the Illinois Family Institute, a group that is so strident in its anti-gay rhetoric that it has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, asserted that the letter “is signed quite obviously by faith leaders who have adopted radical, ahistorical, heretical theological views.”

[cbayer]

1. Stating the obvious in this article, but worth stating again.

[pinto]

2. Geez. Essentially Higgins wants the IL legislature to buy into their religious accusation - "heresy"

No state legislature would comply with an implied demand to enforce a certain theology, I would hope. I like the closing statements -

If Illinois approves marriage equality, no house of worship will be required to recognize same-sex unions or perform them. No member of the clergy will be fined or sanctioned for criticizing gays from the pulpit. No individual fundamentalist will be compelled to change what he or she believes.

The only thing that will change is that the state of Illinois will have made it clear that it has no power to base public policy on theology. The only thing remarkable about this is that it’s almost the year 2013, and some people still find the notion controversial

.