Votes Aren't There To Redefine Marriage In Illinois!

Thankfully the votes needed to redefine marriage in Illinois fell woefully short in the current session of the General Assembly, but there is still yet much work to do to secure the institution against further attack.

There was much confusion among pastors in the state over the issue, some claiming that the fight for gay marriage was tantamount to the denial of "civil rights" which in our opinion is a horribly wrong and bad argument. Peoria was not exempt from confusion with some pastoral groups standing to affirm the right of gays to marry.
 

The Peoria Association Of Pastors STANDS For Traditional Values

Although Illinois currently acknowledges civil unions, we are proud to say that we are a part of and in support of those Pastoral leaders around the state who have arisen to lobby against the redefinition of marriage in the state.  The Peoria Association Of Pastor's Statement on Gay Marriage can be found HERE. As long as this issue continues we will continue to advocate our position and address the arguments of the homosexual right on all basis upon which that argument is delivered.

Here is an email from one of the chief advocates for traditional marriage in the state, the director of National Organization For Marriage (NOM) Mr. Brian Brown: 

Washington, DC — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today celebrated the failure of legislation to come to a vote late this evening in Illinois seeking to redefine marriage, thus preserving marriage in the state as the union of one man and one woman. The bill's House sponsor, Rep. Greg Harris, announced this evening that he did not have the votes to pass the measure and would not bring the legislation to a vote. Assuming this is the case, the bill is thus dead until the fall when the Legislature reconvenes for a veto session. 

"This effort to redefine marriage in Illinois was one of the most fiercely contested legislative battles in the country this year," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "This is a great victory for our allies and supporters, as well as Illinois families who have worked tirelessly with us to preserve marriage in Illinois. We are gratified that our collective hard work has paid off in this stunning victory."  

Illinois is a heavily Democratic state and has been widely considered by the gay marriage lobby as virtually certain to redefine marriage. Backers of the legislation have frequently claimed, falsely, that they had the votes in hand to pass the legislation (SB 10). President Obama had urged his former colleagues to vote to redefine marriage, and it was a top priority of both Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Pat Quinn. It even was supported by a former Republican Chairman who was forced to resign from his post for advocating a position contrary to Republican principles.others throughout the state, we did what nobody in the intelligentsia thought was possible. This is a huge victory at a pivotal time, and totally undercuts the lie that somehow same-sex marriage is inevitable."  

NOM spent well over $125,000 on grassroots activities to defeat the bill, but praised others in the coalition for securing the victory.  

"So much for the inevitability of gay marriage," said Brian Brown. "With a coalition that included strong support from the African American community as well as so many  

"Our thanks go out to champions such as the African American Clergy Coalition; Rev. James Meeks and Bishop Lance Davis; the Illinois Conference of Catholic Bishops and their director Bob Gilligan; the Illinois Family Institute and their director David Smith; the Illinois Family PAC and their director, Paul Caprio; and the Coalition of African American Pastors and their chairman, Rev. Bill Owens. Everyone pitched in everything they had to stop this ill-conceived legislation. We at NOM are honored to have been part of the coalition effort."  

NOM also announced that it would form a state PAC to support Democrats and Republicans who supported marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and would oppose legislators, especially Republicans, who abandoned the true definition of marriage.  

"We intend to continue to work with our coalition allies including Pastor Meeks, Bishop Davis and the other amazing leaders in the African American community who boldly stood for the truth about marriage," Brown said. "And those Republicans who betrayed principle will soon learn that their political careers are headed for the same dustbin that met former GOP Chair Pat Brady when he betrayed the cause of marriage."
 

This should not be construed as a mark against "gay people". As an association we abhor civil injustice in jobs, housing, education and all sorts of social injustice, and we stand ready to assist all men and women, gay or straight, in securing fundamental rights and protecting their loved ones, however, marriage is a foundational principle within society between one man and one woman and cannot be compromised.

We are glad to encourage any pastor and any congregation willing to stand in defense of traditional values to stand along with this association of pastors and churches. Thank you.

Pastor Harvey Burnett
Exec. Director