October 27, 2006 08:32 AM UTC

As Traditional Values Hang in the Balance New Jersey Courts Open the Gates to Same-Sex Marriage

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• by: lysanzia

-by Lys Anzia

James Dobson from the right-wing Colorado Springs Christian group, Focus on the Family, is on the defensive today as the latest ruling on same-sex marriage comes in loud and clear. The battleground are the new gay marriage rulings that have just come in from the state of New Jersey.

Wednesday Oct. 25, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided in a strong vote to give state lawmakers six months to come up with legislation that will give gay couples the right to marry or gain the rights of marriage under the state?s jurisdiction.

?Nothing less than the future of the American family hangs in the balance if we allow one-man, one-woman marriage to be redefined out of existence,? said Dobson in a press release sent out today.

This news did not bode well on Wednesday for the members of other right-wing Christian churches in Colorado. Groups like James Dobson?s Focus on the Family, Summit Ministries, and Colorado branches of Lou Sheldon?s Traditional Values Coalition and Pat Robertson?s Christian Coalition are pushing hard before the election through radio, magazine and email campaigns.

Traditional Values Coalition?s ?Be Involved ? Make a Difference? mega vote sign up campaign uses the internet to encourage members to write letters backing the ?We the People Act.?  Sponsored by Republican Ron Paul of Texas, the bill is surprising in its wish to pass legislation that would give Congress the authority to prevent federal courts from even hearing cases on same-sex marriage.  

The hope is that by using the votes of congregations along with other conservative Coloradans a change in the words of the Colorado constitution can happen. This change in the state?s Bill of Rights is more and more a hotly debated topic as the election nears.

In spite of this, in the face of an increasing fight most Coloradans are becoming weary of the politics and religion surrounding the issues.

?The president takes his oath of office to protect the Constitution, not an ideology or creed. I find it amazing I have to remind alleged conservatives of this basic fact,? says Time magazine columnist Andrew Sullivan in his Oct. 23 blog entry for ?The Deep Dish.?

?It?s clear Amendment 43 is trying to change the Bill of Rights of the constitution in Colorado,? says campaign manager Lisa Moreno from the Say No to 43 Campaign. ?None of it matters because sanctions against gays are already in place inside the state legislature and this attempt to change the constitution is completely unnecessary.? 

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-Sources for this article include CBSTV4 Denver, OnePlace.com, MSNBC, Colorado Springs Gazette, Rocky Mt. News, CNN, Focus on the Family magazine, Associated Press

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