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Divisive Question

Divisive Question
On November 4, 2008, Californians passed Proposition 8, defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. Yet rather than settling the issue, after the election, opposition to the initiative roared angrily across the state and nation. Opponents to Proposition 8 continue the fight in the courts, in the Legislature (with the recent passage of SB 54), and in grassroots and media campaigns to influence minds and hearts as opponents gear up for a possible return to the ballot in 2010 or 2012. 
Thus far, 30 states have written protections for traditional marriage into their state constitutions, while half a dozen other states now have legalized homosexual marriage – all by judicial or legislative fiat. Two states – Washington and Maine – will address the issue on ballots next month, and federal legislators have introduced legislation to overturn the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which upholds states' rights to ban same-sex marriages and defines marriage as only between a man and a woman under federal law.
California’s Proposition 8 passed a year ago 52.3 percent to 47.7 percent. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that, while Americans still oppose same-sex marriage 53 percent to 39 percent, a clear majority – 57 percent – agrees with allowing gays and lesbians to enter legal agreements like domestic partnerships and civil unions.
Post Prop 8’s passage, the debate continues to rage. The activist gay community is staunchly divided on when to return to the ballot.  One side favors biding their time until 2012 when they are convinced they can win at the ballot box, and the other side favors utilizing anti-Proposition 8 venom to push for a ballot measure in 2010 – even if they believe they will lose. The Pew Forum discovered a deep division nationally between those who favor pushing hard to legalize same-sex marriage at the earliest time frame (45 percent) and those who believe in exercising caution so as not to provoke more anti-homosexual sentiment (42 percent). Those in the first camp – favoring a hard push for legalizing – have declined from 51 percent in 2006. 
The poll, conducted mid-August with 4,013 adults, found 49 percent of Americans believe homosexual behavior is morally wrong, only 9 percent say it is not morally wrong, and 35 percent claim it is not a moral issue. Those who see homosexual behavior as morally wrong are much less likely to favor homosexual marriage and civil unions. Only 11 percent of those who say homosexual behavior is morally wrong favor same-sex marriage, while 70 percent of those with no moral objection to homosexual behavior do.  These moral views also differed markedly according to religious affiliation and attendance at worship services.
The morality of the issue relates to the subject of truth and the “cosmic battle” currently raging in the world – opposition between God’s truth claims and the lies of the world. Those familiar with Focus on the Family’s powerful Truth Project, a systematic study of biblical worldview, see in the struggle over homosexual marriage the truth claims not of God – but of humanism. California Family Council recognizes the imperative nature of assuring that Californians understand what they believe and how it corresponds with the truth of God’s Word. If you haven’t yet attended a Truth Project training event, maybe it’s time you did. 
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