David Brownlow -- The Separation of Marriage and State

THE SEPARATION OF MARRIAGE AND STATE

By David Brownlow
March 22, 2004
NewsWithViews.com

Living in Oregon, we have come to expect every kind of strange behavior from the people with whom we share this beautiful state. But the spectacle of 500 homosexuals waiting in the rain for a shot at a county issued �marriage� license, took even the most hardened among us by surprise.

My wife and I went down to the county courthouse to voice our disapproval at the complete mockery that was being made of traditional marriage. After standing in front of the bizarre scene for a few minutes, I found myself at a total loss for words. All I could do was shake my head wondering, "Lord, has it really come down to this?"

The defiant looks on the faces of those standing in line said just about all that needed to be said. It was obvious that anything we could possibly have added to the debate was at least a couple of decades too late. It was also obvious that what we were witnessing was not a random event, but rather part of a well planned, well coordinated attack on the very foundations of our society.

After we left the courthouse freak show, I became curious as to just what type of marriage license had been issued to my wife and I in Texas 23 years ago - and how that same type of license could possibly be issued to men whose only desire is to sodomize other men.

Black's Law Dictionary defines "license" as "the permission by competent authority to do an act which, without such permission would be illegal� permission to do a particular thing, to exercise a certain privilege."

Upon studying our Texas marriage license, the problem became immediately clear - the state of Texas owns the license! As such, the government authorities can define the terms of the license any way they want.

The license says:

You (a government licensed authority) are hereby authorized to join In the Holy Union of Matrimony (Yours Truly and the lovely Mrs.) In Accordance With The Laws Of The State of Texas

The license was authorized by the Harris County Circuit Court and signed by the County Clerk. Our (government-licensed) pastor also signed the license after he conducted the marriage ceremony (in his government-licensed church!). I never even gave a thought to check if we were married "in accordance with the laws" of Texas.

It is not clear on the license exactly where the County Clerk got the authority to issue the license - or what the clerk would have done if I had refused to sign up for their program. Of course, at the time all I wanted to do was to get married, so I dutifully signed the license and paid the money. It would seem that I gave the state all the authority it needed to regulate my marriage!

There is a temptation to place blame for the perversion of marriage on the county commissioners, the mayors, the judges or whichever other misguided government official is issuing these bogus marriage licenses. But the government officials are not really the problem.

This problem is that the church has ignored the very clear mandate of God's word.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Genesis 2:24

That doesn't say anything about begging the state for permission.

Traditional marriage was doomed the moment we agreed to give up our God given right to �become one flesh,� in exchange for the government licensed bribery that comes in the form of marriage tax breaks, health care benefits, retirement benefits and inheritance rights. Why should we be surprised if the government decides to change the terms of the contracts we have freely entered into?

The only surprising thing is why it took so long for this final attack on traditional marriage to begin.

There are many who want the government to solve the marriage problem with new laws or new Constitutional amendments - the very government that caused the problem in the first place!

Sure, there are going to be some temporary victories. There will be a few people kicked out of office and there will be some court actions that may slow the sodomy train down a little. But as long as we continue to grant the state authority to regulate our inalienable rights, we will be right back in the middle of this mess in no time. It is inevitable.

The way to prevent homosexuals from getting government-issued marriage licenses is to get the government out of the marriage licensing business altogether. Marriage should be the exclusive domain of the church.

It is time for the separation of marriage and state!

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Dave Brownlow, an engineer, has been designing and selling industrial automation control systems since 1979. He lives in Clackamas OR with his wife Suzanne and their four children. Active in the pro-life movement and conservative politics for over 20 years, David ran for US Congress in the 3rd District of Oregon in 2002 on the Constitution Party ticket. He has announced his plans to run again in 2004. His Web-Site www.davebrownlow.com E-Mail: dave@davebrownlow.com

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"Traditional marriage was doomed the moment we agreed to give up our God given right to "become one flesh," in exchange for the government licensed bribery that comes in the form of marriage tax breaks..."