Religious Coalition for Marriage

You might want to check out the Religious Coalition for Marriage to get the full text. The letter signed to date by fifty-one national religious leaders may not be unprecedented, but it is remarkable in its reach. The initiative has received considerable attention in the general media, but it deserves more.

Here are some of the people asking you to focus your attention on the need for a federal constitutional amendment on marriage: Archbishop Chaput of Denver, Cardinal Egan of New York, Cardinal George of Chicago, Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore, Cardinal Mahoney of Los Angeles, Cardinal McCarrick of Washington, Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin, Archbishop Naumann of Kansas City, Bishop Gomez of San Antonio, Bishop Nienstedt of New Ulm, Minnesota, Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix, Cardinal O’Malley of Boston, Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia, Bishop Yanta of Amarillo, Texas, Archbishop John Myers of Newark. I wonder if there has ever been such an array of Catholic episcopal support for an initiative not officially sponsored by the national bishops conference.

Then there is Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Church, and an impressive list of Protestant leaders: Charles Colson, James Dobson, Timothy George, Ted Haggard, Jack Hayford, James Kennedy, Gerald Kieschnick, Richard Land, Paige Patterson, Eugene Rivers, Rick Warren. (But I think Warren would sign a cocktail napkin if asked)

Add to that Jewish leaders of considerable influence such as Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Rabbi David Novak, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, and Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb.

Together they say:

Long concerned with rates of divorce, out-of-wedlock births, and absentee
fathers, we have recently watched with extreme alarm the growing trend of some
courts to make marriage something it is not: an elastic concept able to
accommodate almost any individual preference. This does not so much modify or
even weaken marriage as abolish it. The danger this betokens for family life and
a general condition of social justice and ordered liberty is hard to
overestimate.

Therefore we take the unprecedented stand of uniting to call for a
constitutional amendment to establish a uniform national definition of marriage
as the exclusive union of one man and one woman. We are convinced that this is
the only measure that will adequately protect marriage from those who would
circumvent the legislative process and force a redefinition of marriage on our
whole society. We encourage all citizens of good will across the country to step
forward boldly and exercise their right to work through our constitutionally
established democratic procedures to amend the Constitution to include a
national definition of marriage. We hereby announce our support for S.J. Res.1,
the Marriage Protection Amendment.]

May God bless all marriages and all those who labor to protect the
sanctity and promote the goodness of marriage throughout this nation.