God Save America

Cross-posted from Christian Viewpoint

Last night I emailed Focus on the Family to get to the truth of all the stories circulating on the internet that they are endorsing the Colorado bill, Senate Bill 166, that promotes same sex unions. Most of the reports were very negative against Dr Dobson and Focus on the Family.

I have here the response to my email and I am reassured the bill that Dr Dobson and Focus on the Family is endorsing has nothing to do with same sex unions. There is another bill that does address same sex unions and Dr Dobson and Focus on the Family are 100% against it.

Please read their response and listen to today’s Focus on the Family broadcast and hear for yourself the truth at: http://www.family.org/fmedia/broadcast/a0039537.cfm.

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Thank you for contacting Focus on the Family, Walt.

We appreciate your contacting us with your questions. As you may be aware, there has been a significant amount of confusion and misinformation recently regarding Focus on the Family’s position on benefits legislation in Colorado. This situation was escalated by the headline of a Denver Post editorial (February 6, 2006) which inaccurately summarized our ministry’s perspective. We’re pleased to have this opportunity to set the record straight.

Focus on the Family does support the Reciprocal Beneficiary Agreement (Senate Bill 166) proposed by Colorado state Senator Shawn Mitchell. However, SB166 is NOT a “pro-gay” bill, as some have contended – it is designed to allow benefits on the basis of legitimate need, not sexual expression. The reason we have voiced support for SB166 is that it is a fair and just *alternative* to a highly discriminatory Domestic Partnerships Act being proposed in the Colorado Legislature.

The domestic partnerships proposal – which we strongly oppose – is designed to give special rights to homosexuals by providing benefits associated with marriage. It is discriminatory because it limits benefits *only* to homosexuals. Conversely, the Reciprocal Beneficiary Agreement (SB166) would allow any two adults who are ineligible for marriage to access benefits already available by powers of attorney and other contracts. This would aid many family members who are living at or near the poverty level – for example, two elderly siblings living together, or a parent and an adult handicapped child. It has nothing to do with sexual relationships.

Providing benefits solely on the basis of sexual behavior is a deliberate attempt to bestow special status on homosexuals. As we have often stated in the past, we remain in opposition to any legislation of this nature. We believe that homosexuals should *not* be treated *unfairly* under the law, but, at the same time, we stand firmly against granting same-sex couples the status of marriage.

Before closing, you may wish to tune-in to the Focus on the Family daily program today for a discussion of this matter. To listen online, you may click on the following link to our Web site: http://www.family.org/fmedia/broadcast/a0039537.cfm. Once there, you may click the link, "Listen Now." If this is not possible for you, we would be pleased to offer you a complimentary compact disc or cassette of this program. If you would like to receive a copy, please reply to this message with your full name and mailing address along with your request; we will be pleased to send it to you via postal mail.

We hope this response has been helpful in clarifying our position. Thanks again for getting in touch with us. God bless you!

Rick O’Shea
Focus on the Family

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One Comment to “Dr Dobson Clears the Air on the Marriage Debate”

1. Andrew Longman, on February 22nd, 2006 at 6:22 pm, said:
   

   Dear God Save America,

   The statement placed on your website by Focus on the Family regarding SB 166 is misleading and hides many things that concerned Christians would be very concerned with. For example, is your readership aware that SB 166 will:

   * Force employers to put homosexual partners of employees
   onto their health insurance plans
   if those employers take on ANY partners? They have to take ALL
   if they take ANY. Huge numbers
   of homosexuals with AIDS & etc
   will thereby be able to force
   employers to pay for their treatment at massive cost.

   * Cause gay civil unions from
   Vermont to be legally recognized
   with partner benefits in Colorado?

   Focus is playing a word game.
   They say “its not our intention
   to support” but then in reality
   the bill creates thousands of
   homosexual legalized partnerships
   in an insitution parallel to
   marriage.

   It violates a simple principle:
   Marriage should be exclusive. In
   law there should be NO parallel
   insitution.

   Focus thinks it is enough to say
   “we haven’t changed our position”
   and “we would never support gay
   marriage-like bills” yet the facts
   and outcome, not the intentions
   and the semantics, are 100% anti-family.

   For details please see the complete Focus position and my complete response at:
   andrewlongman.com

   Additionally, you may listen to
   a dialog with Bob Enyart and I
   on kgov.com, today’s radio show
   will post there sometime soon.
   It was a lively and thoughtful
   discussion which exposes the different between moral positions and moral-legislative compromises.

   If you evaluate all the facts
   and agree with my position that
   marriage should not have ANY
   parallel marriage-like insitutions
   created for “non-heterosexuals”, then please call, fax, and email
   FOF and tell them you are totally
   against SB 166.

   In Jesus Christ,
   Andrew Longman

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