Time is running out to register for this exclusive event for Pastors: 

The Protect My Ministry Tour 

“A 14 city seminar tour for Pastors & Headmasters to enjoy some great food and fellowship in a first class setting and learn how to legally protect your church and or Christian school in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision redefining marriage…”

REGISTER HERE: for one of 14 seminars on this tour:

Wednesday, September 30- Pensacola
Wednesday, September 30- Panama City
Thursday, October 1- Tallahassee
Monday, October 5- Jacksonville
Monday, October 5- Orlando
Tuesday, October 6- Tampa
Tuesday, October 6- Clearwater
Tuesday, October 6- Bradenton
Wednesday, October 7- Fort Myers
Wednesday, October 7- Naples
Thursday, October 8- Palm Beach
Thursday, October 8- Fort Lauderdale
Friday, October 9- Miami  
Wednesday, October 21- The Villages

• What changes need be made to your church by-laws?
• Should pastors still sign marriage certificates?
• Am you at risk if a same sex couple asks me to marry them?
• Are church mercy ministries that receive public funding at risk?
• How do you properly call a meeting to officially and legally amend official church documents
• Do you have to rent out your church building to any couple who wants to get married?

Attorney John Stemberger for the past ten years has addressed and given counsel to pastors and churches around the country on IRS non profit regulations and policies and legal changes regarding marriage, family and religious liberty issues.

Sign up today and enjoy food and fellowship in a comfortable atmosphere with other senior pastors and Christian school headmasters and obtain resources to learn the best practices to protect your church from legal attack by sexual orientation and gender identity ordinances and have many other questions answered.  Numerous handouts and resources will be available.Due to limited space and enormous demand for this material and resources, only one pastor per church or one school representative will be allowed to register for this event.  Register online HERE:

This event is being co sponsored by Family Research Council and Vision America.

The post Pastors: Time is Running Out to Register For Protect My Ministry Tour appeared first on FFV.

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

Join us for the “God’s Design For Marriage” morning service in Titusville, Florida, on Sunday, September 13, 2015, from 9AM-2PM.

The event will be held at Trinity Community Church, 6750 S. Washington Avenue, Titusville, FL 32780.

The special speaker will be John Stemberger, President and General Counsel of the Florida Family Policy Council.

The event is free. Seating is limited, so please arrive early to guarantee a seat.

Directions:

Register

The post Titusville: God's Design For Marriage Service appeared first on FFV.

This has to be the “biggest lie.”

When it comes to same-sex unions, I often hear people in the world say, “live and let live” or, “if two guys get married it doesn’t affect you or anyone else….”  You’ve probably heard the same thing, and you may have even heard it from friends and co-workers – maybe even in your church community.

But unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.

Now that the dust is beginning to settle, we can see more clearly exactly how the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to redefine marriage is going to affect so many other aspects of our lives – starting with our churches.

This change in the definition of marriage has dire consequences to religious liberty, and will eventually impact all of us, both directly and indirectly.

Your gift today will help us work to protect religious liberty for you, your family and others.

Who is at greatest risk and will be under attack soon, if not already:  

• Churches meeting in public facilities or school auditoriums
• Christian schools seeking accreditation
• Faith-based non-profits which provide critical community services supplemented by government grants
• Faith-based child care agencies (adoption and foster care)
• Public/private charity partnerships – working in the areas human trafficking, emergency disaster recovery, soup kitchens, hospitals, etc.
• A vast variety of businesses which provide wedding related goods or services

If thinking same-sex marriage would not have consequences, is the “biggest lie”…

This is the most significant statement of truth:

“My people perish for lack of knowledge.”

Hosea 4:6

While much of what happens is out of our control, spreading truth and knowledge is one thing that is within our control, and we must take a leadership role in educating people of faith and Christian leaders NOW. 

We are already working to protect religious liberty here in Florida, and we went straight to a large group of pastors in Central Florida to speak truth and help to equip them for the attack!

Just last week I spoke twice at the Florida Renewal Conference, to over 575 pastors and ministry leaders from all over the state of Florida.  The topic of my lecture was a:

Church Protection Checklist: There are specific bylaw provisions, and policies & procedures, which church leadership must have in place for a church to be legally protected if they come under an attack by gay-rights activists.  If these critical policies and documents are not in place at that time, the pastor and church could find themselves with serious legal exposure after an extensive legal battle, paying out immense fines and possibly losing the church tax exempt status.

If you are a pastor, or ministry leader, and would like more information on how to protect your church as we enter this turbulent time in our country’s history, please email a request for resources to INFO@FLfamily.org.  (Your contact information is confidential and will not be shared.) 

Click HERE to connect to our Pastors Resources Page to view this important document and others.

I know, we all want to think it can’t happen to us, to you, or to your church…but examples are popping up all over the country. It is only a matter of time until you read in your local newspaper that this is happening to a church near you, in your own community!

• In New Jersey, state officials attempted to revoke the tax-exempt status of a worship pavilion owned by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of the United Methodist Church after they declined a request to hold a same-sex “civil union” ceremony there.

• In New York City, the school board – denying equal access to public property – has been trying for nearly two decades to block churches from meeting for worship services in their public school buildings on Sundays.

• In New Orleans, a church group providing free food to people who had lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina was ordered to stop its ministry because the group also offered a voluntary prayer service and Bible study.

Even the four U.S. Supreme Court Justices, who dissented with the majority in the same-sex unions’ case, expressed grave concerns which they warned us about with stark words…

“…the majority’s decision short-circuits that process, with potentially ruinous consequences for religious liberty.”  – Justice Clarence Thomas

“Today’s decision…will also have other important consequences.  It will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy.  … [They] will be exploited by those who are determined to stamp out every vestige of dissent.”  – Justice Samuel Alito

“Unfortunately, people of faith can take no comfort in the treatment they receive from the majority today.”         – Chief Justice John Roberts

Friday, June 26th, 2015 will always be to me the day that America turned one of the saddest corners in her over 200 year history.

America will never be the same again, because the floodgates that held back attacks on religious liberty have been busted wide open.

But it is also true…that how bad the damage is over time, will be partially up to us and what we do to stop and limit its destruction now. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is on our watch.              

This is our time.

We have been entrusted a great heritage, which values religious freedom, and it is our responsibility to protect it for future generations – as much as is within our power.

Would you please do 3 things today?

• Please forward this e-mail to your pastor and church leadership.

• Please pray for your church, your church leadership, and our country.

• And then, please give a gift, as generous as you can, to support the efforts of Florida Family Policy Council as we work to protect religious freedom in Florida.

I hope you will join me taking action today, to protect our religious liberty tomorrow.

Thank you for standing with us,

Sincerely,

John Stemberger
President
Florida Family Policy Council

PS:  Please know how much I appreciate you standing with us by communicating to your pastor and church leadership; praying for your church, its leadership, and our country; and giving a gift (if you are able to) today. This is a hill we are willing to die on and we will never give up. But we can’t do this without you. Thank you!

The post The Biggest Lie: Same-Sex Unions Don’t Affect You appeared first on FFV.

Marriage privatization would devastate society.

By John Stemberger
Published on July 5, 2015, Stream.org.

At first glance, it sounds nice to say we should “get government out of the marriage business.” Marriage, as far as the state is concerned, would be merely a private relationship contract, with no reference to the lasting features of natural marriage between a man and woman, and its connection to the bearing and raising of children.

Many libertarians, including Rand Paul, and now even some conservatives, claim that this will solve the same-sex marriage controversy. Few understand the logical implications of their argument. There are at least seven reasons why “marriage privatization,” if really achieved, would profoundly harm citizens and society.

(1) Private “relationship contracts” would immediately legitimize and permit polygamy, group marriages, incest and other aberrant relationships.

Anthropologist Stanley Kurtz notes that even if marriage is “privatized,” government “still has to decide what sort of private unions merit benefits … under this privatization scheme.” We would end up with the “same quarrels over social recognition that we got before privatization.” Government will have to deal with polygamous, polyamorous, and incestuous relationships also attempting to obtain contracts under the new scheme as well as attempts by heterosexual acquaintances to make “marriages of convenience” to obtain things such as spousal medical insurance. Legitimizing these aberrant relationships would only further dilute the meaning of natural marriage as a norm in society.

(2) It would increase the sexual exploitation of children through human sex-trafficking.

Marriage laws that currently regulate the age at which a person can be married protect children from sex-slavery and even from desperate parents from certain impoverished countries who may seek to exploit or manipulate minor children into “arranged” marriages for financial gain. News in London now reports 15 and 16 year old girls are being duped into “marrying” ISIS operatives and are running away from home. This would be easy in the U.S. if marriage were a private contract.

(3) It would overburden courts and side-step legal protections for children and abandoned spouses, replacing them with court ordered damages, penalties and state-coerced action.

If a legislature repealed marriage statutes and did nothing to define or regulate the creation and or dissolution of marriages, then by default, parties would be left only with legal contracts to address child custody, visitation, alimony and property rights. If the parties breached these private contracts, litigation would ensue regarding the intent, interpretation, and enforcement of those agreements — many of which would likely be drafted by non-lawyers with vague and confusing terms. Courts would issue penalties, damages and would have to order private parties to enforce contracts, often with draconian results. Real-life economic and practical hardships would befall untold thousands of single mothers were men to abandon their families – or even take forcible physical custody of small children — where no such contract was in place.

The creation of plural marriage and group marriage contracts would create the legal equivalent of the “Wild-Wild-West.” These “prenuptial-like” marriage contracts would also further undermine the idea of marriage as a lasting, life-long covenant. Instead of keeping government out of the marriage business, this move would do just the opposite. The great irony of marriage privatization is that it would only increase the state’s involvement in the lives of its citizens.

(4) It ignores what’s best for children.

Arguments to privatize marriage, whether made by scholars or politicians, tend to ignore what is best for children. Economist Jennifer Roback Morse, who has strong libertarian credentials, argues that marriage privatization would come “at the expense of children,” and “is a concept developed by adults that will benefit only adults.”

In the common law, whenever children are involved in divorce, custody disputes, adoption or dependency proceedings, the legal standard has always been is the best interest of children involved. With the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex unions, “adult desires” have been allowed to trump what’s best for children. Dissolving marriage law would have the same effect. When men divorce the mothers of their children without these private agreements, single mothers would be left with no laws to protect or support their children.

(5) It would create more social maladies, broken families, and human suffering.

Throughout history, marriage has always been regulated in some way. In small and cohesive societies, this was usually done through strong social mores and religious institutions. In larger, more diverse and modern societies, marriage has also been regulated through law and public policy. This is part of what separates civil societies from more primitive ones. For this reason, completely privatizing marriage could be a sociological disaster.

Today’s inner cities are “Exhibit A” to the poverty, crime, fatherlessness and devastation that emerges when marriage and family structures are weak, fragmented or nonexistent. This measured collapse in inner cities would move even faster into every area of communities if marriage is legally abolished and reduced to private contracts.

(6) It would cost taxpayer’s big-time.

Maggie Gallagher has called marriage privatization a “fantasy” since “there is scarcely a dollar that state and federal government spends on social programs that is not driven in large part by family fragmentation: crime, poverty, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, school failure, mental and physical health problems.” A study by the Institute for American Values concluded that the cost to U.S. taxpayers from family fragmentation as a result of divorce and unwed childbearing was $112 billion annually.

Sadly, the political left in America feeds on divorce, broken families, and unwed childbearing. Strong marriages and families help break the grip of an ever-growing administrative state, freeing her citizens from poverty to reach their fullest economic potential as creators of wealth rather than being chronic recipients of distributed wealth.

(7) It would grow government.

Government has a compelling interest in defining, regulating, and promoting marriage because of the self-governance it creates when children are socialized in this environment. At the most basic level, marriages — and the families they create — produce social order in homes, neighborhoods, states and nations. Marriage channels masculine energy in socially productive ways, protects women, and increases almost every category of human flourishing. Research is clear that a married biological mother and father is objectively the optimal context for rearing children. Marriage benefits not just those in the relationships, but the businesses, economies, and communities around them. Marriages, and the families that flow from them, tend to produce more productive citizens who create wealth and contribute to society.

The failure of marriages and families has caused the rapid expansion of the welfare state, dramatic tax increases, and has helped increase the national debt. Jennifer Roback Morse argues that “it is simply not possible to have a minimum government and a society with no social or legal norms about family structure, sexual behavior, and childrearing. The state will have to provide support for people with loose or nonexistent ties to their families. The state will have to sanction truly destructive behavior, as always. The destructive behavior will be more common because the culture of impartiality destroys the informal system of enforcing social norms. … A free society needs marriage.”

Marriage is not merely a private, religious institution; it is also a public institution deserving of public recognition and protection, quite apart from any religious or theological argument. Marriage serves not only people of faith but also the common good of society. “Family is built on marriage,” argues Princeton’s Robert George, “and government — the state — has a profound interest in the integrity and well-being of marriage, and to write it off as if it were purely a religiously significant action and not an institution and action that has a profound public significance, would be a terrible mistake.”

Removing the legal recognition of marriage would devastate not just marriage and family, but civil society as a whole.

John Stemberger is an Orlando Attorney who is President of the Florida Family Policy Council. 

© 2015 The Stream. All Rights Reserved.

PDF: Seven Reasons Why Getting Government Out of the Marriage Business Won’t Work

Link to Original Article Published July 5, 2015 on Stream.org: https://stream.org/seven-reasons-getting-government-marriage-business-wont-work/

The post Seven Reasons Why “Getting Government Out of the Marriage Business” Won’t Work appeared first on FFV.

No more than 48 hours after the U.S. Supreme Court redefined marriage for all 50 states, there are already calls to revoke the tax-exempt letters –and maybe even the tax exempt statuses for churches. Check out this opinion piece from a Time Magazine columnist.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage makes it clearer than ever that the government shouldn’t be subsidizing religion and non-profits…It’s time to abolish, or greatly diminish, their tax-exempt statuses.” -Mark Oppenheimer, Time Magazine

We are fully prepared to fight this and other threats and we hope you will stand with us today.

Churches provide untold benefits to our community. They feed our hungry, care for our sick, and give hope to the weary—some have even founded and operate hospitals caring for the sick. And now, because many churches believe in marriage between a man and a woman, they face losing their tax-deductible status.

I have been invited to speak on this critical issue next Thursday, July 9th, at the Florida Renewal conference to about 700 pastors here in Orlando. For registration information for your pastor or church leader, click HERE:

Sadly, the confusion will continue.

Since the Supreme Court just redefined marriage once, to include same-sex marriage, where does it stop? Since the court has removed the gender requirement for marriage there is really no end to the madness. Specifically, how do we deal with polygamy? Right after the decision, a man in Montana, who was inspired by the Court’s ruling, applied for a marriage license to marry a second wife, (while married) and is fully prepared to sue his state for that “right” if he is denied.

This is only the beginning of the rough waters ahead that we need to prepare for.

As we take time this weekend to observe and celebrate the 4th of July holiday, I have to think that our founding fathers, those 56 signers of our Declaration of Independence, never intended for our country and culture to be in the condition it is today.

I believe if they were alive today, our founding fathers would be grieving, if not just furious, over the fact that 5 lawyers as a majority of the US Supreme Court (originally designed to be the weakest branch of government) would take it upon themselves to devalue and force a radical redefinition of marriage upon all 50 states, denying states’ rights and opening up the flood gates to “lawful” religious persecution, mainly against Christians.

It’s time to pray— and it’s a time to stand.

For this 4th of July, please pray for our country, and for our elected officials and those in power, to have the courage and wisdom to be guided by God’s principles rather than mans.

And please help us stand on behalf of churches, ministries and people of faith by making a donation HERE today to help us preserve religious liberty.

The government should not be allowed to punish Christians for holding to their biblical beliefs about marriage.

Thank you for standing with us,

John Stemberger                                                                                                                                 President, Florida Family Policy Council

The post It’s Time to Pray–and Its Time to Stand appeared first on FFV.

URGENT UPDATE

With the Supreme Court’s decision, your gift to protect family and freedom is more crucial now than ever!

BREAKING NEWS – the U.S. Supreme Court has made its decision regarding marriage.

In a 5-4 decision, a misguided majority of the Court says that same-sex marriage is somehow now a fundamental “right.”

What will happen as a result of this ruling makes your support today, more important than ever.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED:

Earlier today, in a 103 page legal decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is now a “right.” Two homosexuals will now be afforded the same benefits of a marriage, and this in turn opens the floodgates for attacks on religious liberty for those who disagree.

Today’s redefinition of marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court not only affects the institution of marriage and states’ rights, it also represents a frontal assault on religious liberty and free speech. When a new right is created out of thin air then the question soon arises: What happens when that new right conflicts with other rights, like right to free speech, freedom of religion and freedom of association?

Core First Amendment rights that Americans for centuries have bled and died for are being trampled. Our morally declining society, together with judicial activism in our courts, is opening the flood gates for legal attacks and discrimination against U.S. citizens who hold those rights dear.

WHO IS AFFECTED:

Courthouses and its employees, pastors and churches, faith-based non-profit organizations, business owners and employees with deeply held religious convictions and values… and this is just the beginning.

Courthouses and their employees across the nation will immediately prepare for the changes, with those employees being forced to facilitate same-sex marriages or potentially lose their job – even if this violates the conscience or religious convictions of those courthouse employees.

Pastors and churches will be the most vulnerable as questions will begin to emerge as to whether or not their churches are considered a public accommodation and therefore subject to being regulated by employment and housing policies.

Parents will have no say in what their children are taught about marriage in public schools–with no notice and no opt-out option.

Faith-based non-profit and relief organizations will be vulnerable. Even the Solicitor General of the U.S. Supreme Court said in his oral argument before the court admitted that religious non-profits would “have an issue” if homosexual marriage becomes a fundamental right.

Businesses will be vulnerable. Declining from performing wedding related services for homosexual couples becomes “discrimination” as so-called “non-discrimination ordinances” ramp up to effectively punish those who disagree with same-sex marriage. Those who hold religious convictions which had been protected just yesterday, now become targets for lawful religious persecution under deceptively called “non-discrimination” ordinances or laws.

Religious liberty is the cornerstone of our culture and protecting it right here in Florida is now a top priority.

Will you stand with us and protect religious liberty with a gift today?

THE BACKGROUND:

Today the highest court of this land ignored the rule of law and the will of the people in over 38 states. Though countless millions of U.S. voters have defined marriage as between a man and a woman through legitimate democratic process, five judges in one decision today have disenfranchised them.

While various lawsuits were being filed throughout the country in recent years by same-sex couples, rather than LEAD by example, uphold current laws and follow the Constitution, the Supreme Court chose to FOLLOW lower court justices down the path of judicial activism.

Sadly, the court deliberately ignored the plain meaning and legal history behind the Constitution, foolishly disregarded what is self-evident in biology, logic and the collective wisdom of human history.

MY OPINION:

The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court today was an illegitimate act of raw judicial power, judicial activism and arrogance.

In dissent of the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “But for those who believe in a government of laws, not of men, the majority’s approach is deeply disheartening.” … “The majority’s decision is an act of will, not legal judgement. The right it announces has no basis in the Constitution or this Court’s precedent.”

Dissenting, Justice Scalia wrote, “The opinion is couched in a style that is as pretentious as its content is egotistic.” And, “The stuff contained in today’s opinion has to diminish this Court’s reputation for clear thinking and sober analysis.”

Addressing the decision today and the future impact, Justice Alito writes, “Today’s decision usurps the constitutional right of the people to decide whether to keep or alter the traditional understanding of marriage. The decision will also have other important consequences.”

The bottom line, is that the decision by the majority is extremely disappointing, but we are called to be faithful and stand for what is right, regardless of the circumstance.

ANOTHER HISTORIC MISTAKE:

Regardless of how it appears, today’s decision is not the final word on marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court has been wrong before, as in the case of Dred Scott when the court attempted to declare that black people were not persons.

The Court was also wrong in Roe vs. Wade when it effectively declared that unborn children were not persons.

Once again, the Court is wrong today in its attempt to force all 50 states and all U.S. citizens to legally declare that marriage is something other than the union of one man and one woman.

Marriage, and the children and families created by them, are not merely a legal or political constructs. These institutions help define the human experience and are necessary to the building of a civilization governed by ordered liberty.

While the majority of five justices were in favor of same-sex marriage, the four dissenting justices felt so strongly against the issue that they each went on the record writing their own dissenting opinion.

I will be providing a comprehensive in-depth analysis of the decision, and the specific direct and indirect repercussions we can expect here in Florida as a result of it. Please watch for this important email from me early next week.

WHAT WE DO NOW:

What do we do now? We double down on our efforts to rebuild a culture of marriage, we educate Floridians and protect our religious liberty through the legislative process, and we educate Florida voters where candidates stand on the issue of religious liberty for the benefit of future laws. We will never concede and we will never give up.

Whether it takes decades or generations, we will rebuild a culture of marriage. Basic social order in society depends on the thriving of marriage and family structures. It may even get worse in the short-term before it gets better, but in order for this civil society to continue and to thrive, it must value marriage of one man and one woman.
Stand strong in defense of marriage and religious freedom with your online gift now.

Americans of faith, yes, that means you, me, our families, friends, and fellow church members must brace ourselves and prepare for the inevitable: The further attack of our once precious, constitutionally guaranteed religious liberty and our fight to maintain it.

As sexual freedom increasingly trumps religious freedom, you and I and everyone who believes in God’s definition of marriage must expect to be targeted.

Those who oppose our biblical view of marriage will now try to silence us on this and other matters of religious conscience.

It’s already beginning. That’s why we need your help now.

This ruling isn’t a surprise. With the attacks of religious liberty on the rise, your Florida Family Policy Council staff and board of directors have been praying and hoping for the best, but realized the need to be prepared for the worst.

We have already met for an extensive and comprehensive 2 ½ day strategy session, brainstorming, examining our organization’s strengths and weaknesses, discussing strategy and opportunities, getting counsel from authorities on strengthening marriage and on how to reach the next generation. And out of this intense prayerful work and planning retreat, came a comprehensive strategy and campaign to rebuild a culture of marriage in Florida and beyond which we will be announcing soon. Right now, we are in the process of securing the funding needed to launch the campaign. We must consider the cost and launch the aspects of the campaign we have funding for. Our initial goal is $200,000 for the first two years of the campaign.

Homosexual rights activists love to accuse marriage advocates of being “on the wrong side of history.”

However, the reality of what marriage is, will never be on the wrong side of history.

The little boy in the inner city who longs to have a father in his life– that longing, will never be on the wrong side of history.

The little girl with two dads who wishes she had a mother to help her understand the changes in her body – that wish, will never be in the wrong side of history.

The unique and complimentary design and beauty of a man and a woman’s body will never be on the wrong side of history.

The teachings and books of every major world religion will never be on the wrong side of history.

Natural marriage celebrates true diversity and gender inclusivity when the two great parts of humanity come together and life springs forth and the next generation is born.

These truths will never be on the wrong side of history.

And that’s why I’m asking you to once again stand with Florida Family Policy Council, our staff, volunteers and network of churches statewide with a gift today.

When you give, you’ll be investing – directly in rebuilding our culture, protecting our religious liberty, and in the next generation – in the most fundamental fight for rights since Roe vs. Wade. After Roe vs. Wade, we fought for life. Now we fight for the right to live our lives, according to our faith and deeply held religious convictions.

This is the same liberty which even our Founding Fathers thought was so important that they sought to protect this liberty for all time.

Will you stand with Americans of faith all across Florida and this great nation for a future where your children and grandchildren are free to live their lives and run their businesses according to their faith?

I pray your answer will be an enthusiastic “Yes!”

Sincerely,

John Stemberger                                                                                                                 President, Florida Family Policy Council

PS: THANK YOU for your time to read this important email, for your prayers, and for your gift of support today.

May I ask you for one more thing? Once you have made your gift or mailed it in, would you please forward this email using the forwarding and sharing tools above to your friends and family who share our values and treasure religious freedom as we do?

Gifts can be made safely and securely HERE or mailed to:

Florida Family Policy Council, 4853 S. Orange Ave, Ste.C, Orlando, FL 32806

Thanks so much, once again!

PDF Link: With the Supreme Court’s decision, your gift to protect family and freedom is more crucial now than ever!

The post With the Supreme Court’s decision, your gift to protect family and freedom is more crucial now than ever! appeared first on FFV.

   June 26, 2015

BREAKING NEWS:

U.S. Supreme Court Forces a Redefinition of Marriage in All 50 States  

                                                    Ruling is devastating, but not the end.

(Orlando, FL) In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on marriage, Florida Family Policy Council President John Stemberger issued the following statement:

“This sad day in history will forever reflect the that highest court of our land ignored the rule of law and the will of 51 million people in over 38 states in an illegitimate act of raw judicial power and arrogance.

Though countless millions of U.S. voters have defined marriage as between a man and a woman through the legitimate democratic process, a handful of judges in one decision today have disenfranchised them.  The court deliberately ignored the plain meaning and legal history behind the Constitution and foolishly disregarded what is self-evident in biology, logic and the collective wisdom of human history.

Regardless of how it appears, today’s decision is not the final word on marriage.  The U.S. Supreme Court has been wrong before, as in the case of Dred Scott when the court attempted to declare that black people were not persons. The court was also wrong in Roe vs. Wade when it effectively declared that unborn children were not persons.  Once again, the court is wrong today in its attempt to force all 50 states and all U.S. citizens to legally declare that marriage is something other than the union of one man and one woman.

Marriage, and the children and families created by them, is not merely a legal or political issue.  These institutions are matters which define the human experience and are necessary to the building of a civil society.

Today’s ‘redefinition of marriage’ by the U.S. Supreme Court not only affects the institution of marriage and states’ rights, it also represents a frontal assault on religious liberty and free speech.

Core First Amendment rights that Americans for centuries have bled and died for are being trampled in just a matter of years and is now beginning to occur on a regular basis.  Our morally declining society together with judicial activism in our courts, is opening the flood gates for legal attacks and discrimination against U.S. citizens who hold those rights dear.  Pastors and churches, Christians and those of other conservative faiths, non-profits, grant recipients, religious schools, businesses providing wedding services, and clerks of courts will become the next targets for attack as a result of the decision today.  The weapons used in these attacks are deceptively called ‘non-discrimination ordinances’.

Our response to this is that we double down on our efforts to rebuild a culture of marriage.  We will never concede and we will never give up.  Whether it takes decades or multiple generations, we will rebuild a culture of marriage.  It may even get worse in the short-term before it gets better, but in order for this civil society to flourish once again, we must have a clear understanding of what marriage is and why it is important to our culture, society and social order.

We have only to watch the evening news to see the results of the breakdown of marriage and the family unit in our society.  The tragic riots and mass illegal behavior that took place recently in Baltimore and other U.S. cities are examples of the consequences in a society when marriage and family structures break down or fail to form.

Homosexual rights activists love to accuse people who believe in marriage as being “on the wrong side of history”.  However, the reality of what marriage is, will never be on the wrong side of history.

The little boy in the inner city who longs to have a father in his life– that longing, will never be on the wrong side of history.

The little girl with two dads who wishes she had a mother to help her understand the changes in her body— that wish, will never be in the wrong side of history.

The unique and complimentary design and beauty of a man and a woman’s body will never be on the wrong side of history.

The teachings and books of every major world religion will never be on the wrong side of history.

Natural marriage celebrates true diversity and gender inclusively when the two great parts of humanity come together and life springs forth and the next generation is born.  These truths will never be on the wrong side of history.

In the midst of this moral and legal madness we still should still have great hope for the future.  Our country has recovered before from times of social, legal and political division and I believe we can again.  After the Civil War, the civil rights movement, and other times, our country returned to its foundational principles of human dignity deeply rooted in the Christian tradition.  Even in the case of Roe vs. Wade, while the loss of human life has been absolutely devastating, the good news is that America is turning back to her roots, finding her way home as it were, and is more “pro-life” today than it has been in recent decades.  Americans and Floridians have corrected their course before, and we will do it again.”

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PDF Link: BREAKING NEWS-US Supreme Court Ruling Redefines Marriage

The post BREAKING NEWS: US Supreme Court Forces Redefinition of Marriage in All 50 States appeared first on FFV.

Here is a sample of the comments on the Kelly File Facebook page after the interview:

The political leadership of the LGBT movement wants to convince the world that the debate over conscience rights and religious freedom is a debate between those who hate gay people and those who don’t. In reality, its a debate between those who hate freedom and those who don’t.

(This contentby Joseph Backholm originally appeared on the Family Policy Institute of Washington blog.)

The post LGBT Community Defends Arlene’s Flowers appeared first on FFV.

There are several developments that have taken place just in the last several days before, during, and after the holidays regarding the attack on Florida’s marriage laws. I want to update you on this matter because there are almost daily developments that have occurred.

Tuesday, December, 23, 2015
State Attorney Jeff Ashton announced he will not prosecute Clerks of Courts who violate the law and marry same-sex couples. As a result of that announcement, Osceola County Clerk of Court Armando Ramirez announced he would start issuing same-sex marriage licenses in direct violation of the law starting at midnight, Tuesday, January 6, 2015. With assurance from the State Attorney that he would not be prosecuted, this was all that Ramirez needed to openly defy the law.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014
It was big news on this day as our own Florida Family Action announced the filing of lawsuits against Orange County Mayor Buddy Dyer, Osceola County Clerk of Court Armando Ramirez and Circuit Court Judge Robert LaBlanc. The two lawsuits were basically asking the court to require these elected officials to obey the law in Florida and not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples or oversee same-sex marriage ceremonies.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014
The next day Liberal Democrat and Orange County Circuit Court Judge Tim Shae (who was elected and not appointed by the Governor) issued a ruling that the Orlando Clerk of Court Tiffany Moore Russell was being ordered to start issuing same-sex marriage licenses. The Orlando Sentinel reported that Moore Russell was coordinating with gay-rights activists behind the scenes and actually filed a petition, not with a random judge picked on a rotating basis, but she asked the most liberal judge in Orange County for “clarity” regarding what to do. This is in spite of the fact that lawyers with the respected law firm of Greenburg Traurig, representing the state Association of Clerks, issued a legal opinion advising that clerks should not issue samesex licenses. Apparently that clarity was not good enough for her.

Thursday, January 1, 2015
Federal Circuit Court Judge Robert Hinkle of Tallahassee (another liberal judge) issued a confusing order which indicated that his prior ruling only applied to Washington County, and then only to the two persons who were plaintiff’s in that case. In reading the slippery decision it almost appears he just let a couple of liberal law clerks do their double speak magic because of how it says opposite things. After saying it only applies to the two persons in Washington County, the ruling then goes on to encourage clerks of the court to violate the law, because if they did not, they would be sued by folks (like us) trying to enforce the law. The Associated Press along with virtually every other news agency misunderstood the decision and headlines and articles everywhere read that Hinkle “cleared the way for all 67 County Clerks to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.” No one has mentioned the clear legal fact, including the courts own ruling, that Judge Hinkle has no jurisdiction to rule anything unconstitutional in a binding way outside of the Northern District of Florida.

Friday, January 2, 2015
Circuit Court Judge Leticia Marquis issued an order dismissing one of the two lawsuits by Florida Family Action-this one against the Osceola County Clerk, based primarily on a misreading of Judge Hinkle’s ruling. It was reported on this day that following a statewide conference call, all county clerks in the state of Florida “announced” they will follow Judge Robert Hinkle’s New Year’s Day ruling and will begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples starting Tuesday morning, January 6, 2015. This report may not be accurate and there may be some clerks that push back on this.

Saturday, January 3, 2015
The Miami Herald reports that down in Miami-Dade County homosexual activists have also petitioned for the stay on that state case to be lifted immediately. That hearing is scheduled for today Monday January 5, 2015. It appears the plan here is for Miami to beat the January 6th deadline so they can have a major media event by saying they were the very first to be married and “make history.”

Answering other questions:

Can anything else be done at this point?
Not much. Our lawyers with Liberty Counsel have asked the judge’s office assigned to the Orange County lawsuit for an emergency hearing, so it is possible, but unlikely that any judge at this point would have the courage to do the right thing and rule in our favor to uphold the law. The peer pressure within the bar and judicial circles is quite heavy and few judges have the backbone to do what is legally and morally right on these issues. As C.S. Lewis said, “We make men without chests, and expect from them virtue and enterprise.”

What about the United States Supreme Court?
Currently there is a conflict between at least two federal circuits. The Sixth Circuit (Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio) has affirmed natural marriage and the state’s rights to define marriage. The Fourth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Circuits have all found some new right to same-sex marriage that never existed before in the law. This conflict provides the basis for an automatic appeal to the US Supreme Court. (SCOTUS) The court however does not need to hear the case and may deny the appeal or just choose not to rule in a case as they have done recently. There appears to be a four to four conservative – liberal split in the SCOTUS. The swing vote is Justice Kennedy.

What does Justice Kennedy believe?
While it is not clear where Kennedy will come down on this issue, in Windsor, the last major SCOTUS marriage case, he used very hostile and frankly offensive language to describe people who have a traditional or natural view of marriage. But he also took a state’s rights position in that case, so it is possible that he could give the SCOTUS a majority vote for upholding Florida’s marriage law. A state’s rights decision would immediately reinvigorate the authority of Florida’s Marriage Amendment. On the other hand, it is also possible Kennedy could find a new right to marry under the Equal Protection Clause, which would result in a Roe vs Wade-like marriage decision, which would block any further changes in the law for decades to come.

If SCOTUS did come out with a state’s rights ruling then this would create a further confused patchwork of case law and precedent with three categories, legitimate marriages, same sex marriages which are now in question because of the new decision under the newly authoritative marriage amendment and then same sex couples who want to be married and now cannot. But this is precisely the type of confusion the left wants.

So what will end up happening this Tuesday, January 6th?
Apart from an unexpected legal miracle, it appears that county clerks in all 67 Florida counties will begin to issue same-sex marriage licenses on this date. We do know that the clerks in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, meanwhile, have joined clerks in Baker, Clay, and Duval counties in discontinuing all courthouse wedding ceremonies – rather than allow “gay” couples to use that service for their weddings. In other words, the clerks will take the first step of issuing the license forms but they will not conduct courthouse ceremonies solemnizing those same-sex marriages (or any other marriages) in order to respect the rights of conscience of those clerks and their employees from having to officiate over these very controversial same-sex unions.

Final Thoughts and Perspective:

It is one thing for a governmental body to produce bad policy. But when government produces a bad policy using an illegitimate process, it just undermines the legitimacy of the government all the more-in this case the legitimacy of the courts. Out of the 35 states that have currently enacted same-sex marriages, only 11 have done it with a legitimate process of either a popular vote or a legislative enactment from duly elected officials. The other 24 states, and soon Florida, will have used an illegitimate process of courts which have overstepped their bounds with judges who have acted outside the proper scope of a judge.

Finally, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and other pro-gay politicians around the state are pandering to these activists and planning mass “gay” marriage ceremonies on Tuesday. But there is a major legal problem. Florida’s marriage law requires a -three-day waiting period before the marriage license can be made final. This waiting period can be waived only if the couple provides certification of a four-hour marriage education course. Also hardship waivers can be given, but only to out-of-state applicants and not to Florida residents. Query how many homosexual couples are really going to do four hours of marital preparation and how many officials marrying them are really going to follow the law and require documentation of this in order to be married on the same day at the license is issued. This all underscores the lawlessness and disrespect for the rule of law from the President of the United States, to federal judges, to state attorneys, to local politicians. And that is frankly outrageous.

Also on Tuesday, Governor Rick Scott will be inaugurated in Tallahassee as Florida’s 45th Governor. I am a Co-Chair of the Governor’s Inaugural Prayer Breakfast and will be attending Governor Scott’s swearing-in ceremony. It will be interesting to see how the media even covers the Governor’s solemn events with all the media frenzy of these same-sex marriages going down across the state.

For those looking for some perspective on all this I would redirect you to an editorial piece I wrote a couple years ago entitled “A Perspective on Winning and Losing Elections.” It has some timeless perspective. Thank you again for your faithfulness and know that we will never give up on this issue. Like with the abortion issue, when Roe v Wade was decided in 1973, it may take us 40 years or more to turn the tide, but we will continue to work to have the culture first, and then the state, define, protect and promote marriage and family. We will continue after this ordeal is over with the start of a long term strategy and a plan to rebuild a culture of marriage in Florida and beyond. More on that later.

Peace,
John Stemberger

The post Special Report: Update on the Attack on Florida’s Marriage Laws appeared first on FFV.

1. Q- The 2008 FL Marriage Amendment was passed and became law to prevent judges from overturning the definition of marriage.How can they now do this? A- Judges are “ruling” or rendering opinion that the Florida Marriage Amendment is somehow now unconstitutional under the federal constitution. Only the US Constitution can trump and overrule a state constitutional provision.  This is why ultimately a Federal Marriage Amendment is needed.  Unfortunately, it is unlikely this will happen anytime in the near future given the make-up of the U.S. Congress and the general public.

2. Q- What happened with the Federal Court decision recently that changed everything pointing to this January 6th date for issuing same sex marriage (SSM) licenses? A- The federal court case by Judge Robert Hinkle, Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee was appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.  The 11th Circuit affirmed Judge Hinkle’s ruling finding the marriage amendment suddenly unconstitutional under the US Constitution.  The quick decision by this court ended the stay and Hinkle ruled that some* SSM licenses can be issued after January 5, 2015.

3. Q- How can a court in Atlanta, Georgia affect us here in Florida? A- The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is the location of the federal appeals court which has jurisdiction for cases filed in states within the 11th Circuit namely, Florida, Georgia and Alabama. The court over the 11th Circuit in Atlanta is the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

4. Q- What is the legal argument being used by homosexual activists & judges to strike down state marriage amendments? A- We believe it is a wrong legal position, but they argue laws which define marriage and preclude same sex unions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution which should overrule a state constitutional amendment.

5. Q- What’s wrong with this argument? A- The correct legal and constitutional position is that marriage is a state’s rights issue and each state should have the ability to define marriage as a matter of public policy in that state.  The Equal Protection arguments are completely without any merit as courts are simply creating rights out of thin air, twisting the history and meaning of the constitution like Play Dough.  This is classic textbook judicial activism where judges are seeking to be social change agents and legislating from the bench instead of objectively interpreting the law.

6. Q- Will the Supreme Court of the United States rule on this issue and is there any chance this federal case in Tallahassee could be reversed? A- Yes.Currently there are two federal appeals courts which are in conflict with each other which triggers an automatic appeal to the SCOTUS.  The Court however is still not obligated to issue a ruling.  We should know sometime in 2015 if the SCOTUS will take up and decide the conflicting jurisdictions.  If the SCOTUS did uphold state’s rights then this would immediately reinvigorate the enforceability of Florida’s Marriage Amendment.

7. Q- Where is the US Supreme Court on marriage? A- Of its nine members, most court observers believe there is a 4-4 spilt between state’s rights advocates and those who want to create a new right to SSM. The swing vote is Kennedy.

8. Q- What does Justice Kennedy believe? A- In the last major SCOTUS marriage case of Windsor vs US, Kennedy used very hostile and frankly offensive language to describe people who have a traditional or natural view of marriage.  But he also has taken a strong state’s rights position in other recent cases so it is possible the SCOTUS could now have a majority of justices voting for state’s rights.  It is also possible, but now seems less likely, that Kennedy could find a new right to marry creating a “Roe vs Wade-like” marriage decision controlling the issue for decades into the future.

9. Q- Will every Florida Clerk of the Court in all 67 counties start issuing marriage licenses come January 6, 2015? A- No.  Apparently only the Clerk in Washington County might* be able to issue SSM licenses.  The State Clerk’s Association issued a legal opinion stating that if other County Clerks (other than Washington County) issued SSM licenses they could be subject to arrest, fines and imprisonment and advised them not to.  The ACLU disagrees and argues that no one is going to arrest a Clerk of Court.  Some clerks may still try and defy the law and run the risk.

* NOTE:  Recently, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi appealed to Justice Clarence Thomas on the SCOTUS for an extension of the stay to halt the issuing of marriage licenses until an appeal to the Supreme Court can be made.  If the SCOTUS grants that stay, then even Washington County, FL will not be able to issue same sex marriage licenses on January 6, 2015.  Hopefully the high court will grant this stay, otherwise there will be a confused legal patchwork in Florida with new “same-sex” marriages, legitimate natural marriages and if the SCOTUS rules for state’s rights, same sex couples in the future who will want to, but be unable to obtain licenses anymore because of Florida’s Marriage Amendment being reaffirmed as constitutional.

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