Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Jun. 21st, 2006 11:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdThings are really pretty quiet. Given that this is a Wednesday and that the previous Monday and Friday editions got skipped with the start of school, this is really a very small number of articles. I imagine - well, more, I just hope - that the summer will be light before the grueling haul coming in the leadup to this fall's election campaign. Strangely, there has been no push to go at the House in preparation for their utterly pointless vote on the anti-marriage Federal amendment.
And now, today's news.
Reuters: New US church leader says homosexuality no sin; included here as a contrast for a Focus on the Family article below;
Focus on the Family pushes Sen. Brownback's effort to keep Bush administration limits on embryonic stem-cell research; includes ACTION ITEM to oppose Federal bill overturning the Bush administration's stem-cell-line limits;
FotF claim: NEA withdraws GBLT unions comment after the Traditional Values Coalition complains;
More graduation-speech hijinks; Focus on the Family says a valedictorian's speech was "edited" by the administration; when she reverted to her original draft (with what the school described as proselytizing), the high school pulled the microphone;
Here's the AP's version with the "proselytizing" description;
Meanwhile, Focus on the Family is freaked out by the Episcopalian Church's presiding bishop saying being gay isn't a sin;
FotF's Boundless magazine condemns the X-Men series as twisting good values into bad by applying them to queers;
Focus on the Family pushes an older (2004) article by an "ex-gay" religious convert, "demystifying" gay issues;
Faith and Freedom Network unidles, condemns Washington State Supreme Court for not issuing a DOMA ruling; says now they don't expect one until after the November elections; promises to help their readers "make constructive changes in the makeup of the Washington Supreme Court" in the upcoming elections;
Focus on the Family's "True U." pushes "Intelligent Design" by "clarif[ying] terms";
Concerned Women for America President Wendy Wright named "one of the 100 Most Powerful Women" in DC;
CWA cheers anti-marriage amendment progress in two states;
CWA condemns new group formed by ex-ex-gay people who say that the whole ex-gay thing is a crock;
CWA supports Virginia anti-marriage, anti-civil-unions amendment which would ban any form of any right granted by state law to married couples to be extended to queer couples;
Family Research Council ACTION ITEM to demand Pennsylvania anti-marriage amendment also ban Civil Unions and domestic partnerships;
American Family Association ACTION ITEM against the National Education Association for reported GBLT marriage rights support;
Phyllis Schlafly attacks Supreme Court Justice Roberts for not being doctrinaire enough, says he should be dictating a "strong message" instead of building consensus and unanimity on the Court;
AFA: Harry Potter "objectionable," "occult"; supports "Christian mom"'s effort to ban it from schools in Georgia;
FoxNews: Pentagon lists homosexuality as a mental disorder;
Canada Family Action Coalition: "Justice Minister caves to homosexual whiners," says teaching lesbian and gay couples are equivalent to heterosexual couples is a lie and "should be illegal."
----- 1 -----
New US church leader says homosexuality no sin
Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:30pm ET
Reuters
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-06-19T193318Z_01_N19347151_RTRUKOC_0_US-RELIGION-EPISCOPALS-BISHOP.xml&src=rss&rpc=22
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Newly elected leader of the U.S. Episcopal Church Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said on Monday she believed homosexuality was no sin and homosexuals were created by God to love people of the same gender.
Jefferts Schori, bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, was elected on Sunday as the first woman leader of the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church. the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. She will formally take office later this year.
Interviewed on CNN, Jefferts Schori was asked if it was a sin to be homosexual.
"I don't believe so. I believe that God creates us with different gifts. Each one of us comes into this world with a different collection of things that challenge us and things that give us joy and allow us to bless the world around us," she said.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Brownback Wants Senate to Debate Bioethics Before Stem-Cell Vote
Kansas senator says it's criminal to divert funds from successful research.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
June 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0040979.cfm
U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback said Tuesday he plans to call for a floor debate on bioethics when the chamber takes up H.R. 810, an embryonic stem-cell research bill that life advocates oppose.
At a news conference, Brownback, R-Kan., said he opposes the bill that would rescind the policy President Bush put in place in August 2001. The policy limits the use of embryonic stem-cells to lines in existence before 2001.
[...]
TAKE ACTION:
Please contact your U.S. senators and ask them to oppose H.R. 810 and S. 471 — the so-called Castle-Specter stem-cell research bill.
The bill would throw off the restraints President Bush placed on human embryo research in 2001.
If you are a CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber, click on the blue "Take Action" button in the e-mail to be automatically logged in to our Action Center. Otherwise, click on this link.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Teachers Union Removes Endorsement of Gay Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
June 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040978.cfm
The National Education Association (NEA) has pulled a resolution in support of gay marriage after it was highlighted by a pro-family group.
The national teachers union posted the following on its Web site:
"The Association believes that legal rights and responsibilities with regard to medical decisions, taxes, inheritance, adoption, legal immigration, domestic partnerships and civil unions and/or marriage belong to all these diverse groups and individuals."
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
Graduate Silenced for Referencing God
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
June 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040976.cfm
A valedictory given by a Las Vegas high school senior was interrupted when school officials turned off her microphone as she referenced her faith, The Associated Press reported.
Brittney McComb, a student at Foothills High School, submitted the speech she intended to present to the school district beforehand, but it was returned heavily edited — something that upset the straight-A student.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Religious speech cut from graduation ceremony
By The Associated Press
06.19.06
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=17034
LAS VEGAS — The Clark County School District and free-speech advocates are defending school officials' decision to cut short a high school valedictorian's commencement speech, saying the speech would have amounted to school-sponsored proselytizing.
Officials and a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union said on June 16 that administrators followed federal law when they cut the microphone on Foothill High School valedictorian Brittany McComb as she began deviating from a preapproved speech and reading from a version that mentioned God and contained biblical references.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
June 20, 2006
Episcopal Leader: Homosexuality Not a Sin
by Pete Winn and
Jessica Headley,
CitizenLink staff
New presiding bishop thinks being gay is "a gift" from God.
American Episcopalians have sent a message to the rest of the world — one Bible-believing evangelicals still in the denomination hoped they would never hear.
Over the weekend, the general convention of the Episcopal Church — the American branch of the Worldwide Anglican Communion — chose as its new presiding bishop a woman who says she doesn't think there is anything wrong with homosexual behavior.
[...]
For conservative and traditional Episcopalians, the selection was bad news, according to The Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner, one of the church's top theologians.
"Schori's actions . . . fly in the face of what the rest of the Anglican Communion has asked of the Episcopal Church — and she needs to explain herself," Radner said.
[...]
Outside the Episcopal Church, meanwhile, Christians who minister to homosexuals said they are appalled that the leader of a major Christian denomination would mislead people about what Scripture says about homosexuality.
Melissa Fryrear, gender issues analyst at Focus on the Family, said homosexuality is clearly not the "gift" Schori thinks it is.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
The HomoseXual Agenda
by Matt Kaufman
Boundless
A Magazine of Focus on the Family
Online as of June 21, 2006
http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001285.cfm
[...]
Though I was an old Marvel Comics fan (we're talking '60s and '70s), I never really got into X-Men: The series hit its stride about the time I was shifting to other interests. But I always understood the characters' appeal, which has translated well to the movies. Besides featuring a variety of cool powers and interesting personalities, X-Men was built on themes of alienation and prejudice which were easy to relate to for many people, especially teenagers.
The message — the need for acceptance of people's differences — was powerful, important and, by and large, morally positive. But it's also one that can get twisted into a morally distorted form. And our culture just so happens to be susceptible to that sort of distortion.
[...]
Again, though, even such a positive message as this can be distorted — and has been.
Case in point: Homosexuals have embraced X-Men as a metaphor for their experience, seeing themselves as persecuted victims of a society driven by no more than fear, ignorance or bigotry. And it's fair to say they've had some encouragement from a number of people involved in the comics and movies — especially the latter.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Book Demystifies Gay Issues
by Trish Amason, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
May 24, 2004
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0032148.cfm
Focus on the Family's Mike Haley hopes to shed light on the political, social and personal confusion surrounding homosexuality with '101 Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality.'
Homosexual couples now can be legally married in the United States, just the latest culture-war victory for gay activists who have succeeded over the last several decades in winning wide-ranging cultural acceptance of their lifestyle. How should the church, and individual Christians, respond not only to the gay activist agenda — but also the gay neighbor across the street or the gay coworker in the next cubicle?
Mike Haley, manager of the gender issues department at Focus on the Family, has written a book that addresses these issues — and a whole lot more. "101 Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality," due out later this month, tackles everything from "Do homosexuals choose to be gay?" to how best to handle it when family members "come out."
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Washington Supreme Court Continues To Stall
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/06/washington-supreme-court-continues-to.html
Like many of you, I continue to check the weekly listing of Washington Supreme Court rulings, still looking for the ruling on marriage - specifically the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage between one man and one woman.
The Court has been deliberating this issue for more than a year and a half, even though Washington law requires a ruling within a year after the Court has heard a case. However, as with many aspects of our political life, there are ways around the rules. And therein is the problem.
The Washington Supreme Court has politicized itself while stalling on this ruling.
So we wait.
[...]
Three seats are open this next election. There are two alternatives you should know about. We cannot directly endorse candidates on this website, however, we will be giving you some helpful, educational information regarding Supreme Court candidates in the coming weeks.
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
A Form of ID: Defining Science and Faith
part 2 of 4 by David J. Hill
TrueU
A student-aimed publication of Focus on the Family
http://www.trueu.org/dorms/stulounge/A000000496.cfm
Using the same words doesn't always result in communication. That's because, though we may be using the same vocabulary, sometimes we are using different dictionaries. David Hill clarifies terms within the Intelligent Design debate so that further discussion can be more fruitful.
Defining the Debate
In part one of this series, I described the Pennsylvania court case about intelligent design (ID) in the classroom. I also described two rather bold assertions:
* Darwinist's [sic] have faith.
* Science and faith have been integrated for thousands of years.
But how can these assertions be true? Isn't Darwinism completely based on factual evidence? Haven't science and religion taken completely separate pathways in human history?
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
CWA’s President Wendy Wright Named One of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington
Concerned Women for America
6/20/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10979/MEDIA/misc/index.htm
Washington, D.C. − Concerned Women for America’s (CWA’s) President Wendy Wright has been named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women by WASHINGTONIAN magazine. The list includes accomplished women from all walks of Washington life who are described as “women who lead and lobby, educate and enlighten, look for cures and pathways to a better world.”
Mrs. Beverly LaHaye, founder and chairman of CWA, said, “Wendy is a passionate woman of God whose servant heart is an inspiration to many. CWA is blessed to have such a talented, experienced leader who uses her gifts to invest in others. Her dedication to pro-family issues has made a difference in Washington, D.C., and around the world. I am proud of Wendy’s accomplishments and am thrilled she has been acknowledged for her hard work.”
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Marriage Amendments Make Progress in the States
Kylan Lamont
Concerned Women for America
June 19, 2005
http://www.cwalac.org/article_340.shtml
While the Marriage Protection Amendment’s recent failure in the U.S. Senate seemed disappointing, tremendous things are happening for traditional values in the states.
On June 6, Alabama became the 20th state to pass a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman. Alabamians voted 81 percent in favor of their state marriage amendment. The vote, the highest approval rating of any marriage amendment thus far, was a huge victory for traditional values.
On June 7, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment, 137 to 60, to ban homosexual marriage and civil unions. If the amendment continues with its success, it will be on the November 2007 ballot.
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Foe of ‘Ex-Gay’ Ministries Launches New Group
Concerned Women for America
6/16/2006
By Sarah Kuziomko
Denies that homosexuals can change.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10963/CFI/family/index.htm
In yet another frontal attack on “ex-gay” ministries, a well-known homosexual activist held a press conference at the National Press Club last week to launch a new organization that he has dubbed “Truth Wins Out.”
Wayne Besen, who insists that people are born “gay” and cannot overcome homosexual desires, staged his event on the same day (June 7) that the U.S. Senate was voting on the Marriage Protection Amendment.
Joined by five other men who claim to have undergone “ex-gay” counseling and who say they reverted to homosexuality, Besen assailed the “right-wing” and Christian ministries in particular.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Think Passage of the Virginia Marriage Amendment is a Shoo-In?
Concerned Women for America
6/19/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=10931&department=FIELD&categoryid=family
Do you think passage of the Virginia Marriage Amendment is a shoo-in? Read this:
A May 22 Gallop Poll reported that Americans Still Oppose Gay Marriage, but only half favor a constitutional amendment to bar it. The on-line article by Lydia Saad reported:
"The close party-line vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a heterosexual-only institution strongly reflects public opinion on the issue. Americans split about evenly in their reactions to such an amendment, with most Republicans in favor and a majority of Democrats opposed. More generally, about three in five Americans oppose making gay marriages legally valid."
[...]
Proposed Amendment
If approved by the voters, this proposed amendment will become part of the Constitution of Virginia. The proposed amendment adds a definition of marriage as the "union between one man and one woman" to the Constitution's Bill of Rights and prohibits Virginia and its counties, cities, and towns from creating or recognizing any legal status by any name which is comparable to marriage.
Marriage in the Commonwealth creates specific legal rights, benefits, and obligations for a man and a woman. There are other legal rights, benefits, and obligations which will continue to be available to unmarried persons, including the naming of an agent to make end-of-life decisions by an Advance Medical Directive (Code of Virginia § 54.1-2981), protections afforded under Domestic Violence laws (Code of Virginia § 18.2-57.2), ownership of real property as joint tenants with or without a right of survivorship (Code of Virginia § 55-20.1), or disposition of property by will (Code of Virginia § 64.1-46).
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Please call or email your Pennsylvania state senator asking him/her to support the original House passed version of the Marriage Amendment.
Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Amendment may allow future civil unions
Family Research Council
June 19, 2006 - Monday
Pennsylvania (more on this state)
Forward to a Friend!
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=AL06F03&f=PG03I03
After passing the State House by more than a 2-to-1 margin, the PA Marriage Protection Amendment (HB 2381) was amended, and thereby weakened, by a 9-5 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The changes make the original amendment ineffectual even if ratified.
The PA Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a Marriage Protection Amendment, but with an amendment by Erie Sen. Jane Earll which removed important language. The changes allow a future court or legislature to create civil unions or other counterfeits to marriage. The Earll amendment passed with a vote of 9-5. The final vote out of committee was 13-1 with a lone protest vote by Sen. Jane Orie, a strong supporter of marriage protection who spoke in favor of the original bill.
The Amendment must protect marriage. It must include protections against the creation of civil unions as has happened in Vermont and Connecticut. A civil union is exactly the same thing as same-sex marriage-only the name is different, and the impact would be the same. Civil union is just another name for marriage and a backdoor approach to legalize and elevate government recognition of same-sex partnerships to the status of marriage, thus devaluing the institution of marriage.
But it can be fixed! Your state senator needs to hear from you ASAP!
The State Senate will debate and vote on the Marriage Protection Amendment Tuesday or Wednesday, June 20 or 21. The Senate by a floor vote can fix the damage done by the Judiciary Committee and restore the original language of the Amendment as passed by the House.
Call or email your state senator. See a listing of state senators.
When you call or email, ask your senator to vote to restore the Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Amendment-HB 2381-to the language of the House-passed version, and then vote for its final passage.
Thank you for your help in defending traditional marriage in Pennsylvania.
Additional Resources
Contact your Pennsylvania state senator!
----- 16 -----
National Education Association Set to Endorse Homosexual Marriage
Teacher's union begins plans to promote homosexual marriage in public schools
American Family Association
ACTION ALERT
June 19, 2006
http://www.afa.net/neaendorses.asp
The National Education Association is set to endorse homosexual marriage at their convention coming up in Orlando June 29 through July 6.
The new NEA proposal essentially says schools should support and actively promote homosexual marriage and other forms of marriage (two men and one woman, three women, two women and three men, etc.) in their local schools.
The new proposal, expected to pass overwhelmingly, is found under the B-8 Diversity paragraph:
The Association... believes in the importance of observances, programs and curricula that accurately portray and recognize the roles, contributions, cultures, and history of these diverse groups and individuals.
The Association believes that legal rights and responsibilities with regard to medical decisions, taxes, inheritance, adoption, legal immigration, domestic partnerships, and civil unions and/or marriage belong to all these diverse groups and individuals.
Translated, that means the NEA will promote homosexual marriage in every avenue they have available, including textbooks, to all children at all age levels and without the permission or knowledge of parents. Their plans will include every public school in America.
Take Action
First, please forward this to all parents with children in public schools. They need to be aware of the plans the NEA has to indoctrinate their children with their pro-homosexual, homosexual marriage agenda.
Click here to send your email to your NEA state affiliate.
Please forward this to public school teachers you know so they can be aware of the NEA's plans. In fact, their membership dues will be used to help implement the new NEA plan.
AFA encourages teachers who do not approve of their dues going to the NEA to find an alternative teacher's group to help them retain their benefits. Teachers might want to give the CEAI home page a look http://www.ceai.org/index.htm or find another alternative in their state.
----- 17 -----
After Recent Ruling, Schlafly Questions Justice Roberts' Conservatism
By Chad Groening
American Family Association
June 20, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/6/afa/202006e.asp
(AgapePress) - Pro-family activist Phyllis Schlafly of Eagle Forum believes United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has been more interested in bipartisanship and consensus than in taking a strong conservative stand. One of his latest rulings, she notes, was particularly disappointing.
Schlafly says she had hoped the appointments of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito would help put the Supreme Court back on a conservative course. However, she says Roberts did not take a strong stance on the Solomon Amendment, which forbids colleges and universities that receive federal funding to deny military recruiters access to their campuses.
Conservatives were hoping for a Thomas or a Scalia among Bush's recent appointments to the high court bench, Schlafly asserts, and she would have liked to see a strong pro-military stance here, issuing from an unequivocally conservative jurist. But clearly, she observes, "Justice Roberts is not that." And apparently, the pro-family activist adds, "in this case pertaining to the Solomon Amendment, he thought consensus and unanimity more important than staking out a strong message."
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Potter's Objectionable, Occultic Content Spurs Georgia Mom to Action
By Jim Brown
American Family Association
June 20, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/6/afa/202006c.asp
(AgapePress) - A Christian mom in Georgia is calling on the state board of education to remove Harry Potter books from her children's schools. It doesn't make sense, she says, to take the Bible out of schools, but allow the occult in.
The popular series of books by J.K. Rowling have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and spawned four movies, with a fifth scheduled for release next year and a sixth in pre-production. But Laura Mallory of Loganville is looking past the worldwide attraction of the books, focusing on the local scene instead. The former missionary is appealing last month's decision by the Gwinnett County School Board to keep the popular children's books on school library shelves. Mallory says among other things, the books promote "evil themes, witchcraft, and demonic activity."
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Pentagon Document Classifies Homosexuality as Mental Disorder
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C200200%2C00.html
WASHINGTON — A Pentagon document classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder, decades after mental health experts abandoned that position.
The document outlines retirement or other discharge policies for service members with physical disabilities, and in a section on defects lists homosexuality alongside mental retardation and personality disorders.
Critics said the reference underscores the Pentagon's failing policies on gays, and adds to a culture that has created uncertainty and insecurity around the treatment of homosexual service members, leading to anti-gay harassment.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
Justice Minister caves to homosexual whiners
Canada Family Action Coalition
June 21, 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/sexuality/justice-minister.htm
In an atrocious cave-in to homosexual activists the BC Attorney General caters to the whims and agenda of homosexuals to indoctrinate children.
Teaching children that homosexual behavior is equivalent to heterosexual acts is a lie - it is misleading, deceptive and should be illegal in a public school.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Education or pushing a lifestyle?
Focus on the Family Canada
June 21, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/education/stories/062106.html
The B.C. government is promising parents input into shaping a new social-justice course that includes “respectful” teachings about homosexuality – but not as much input as a married same-sex couple will have, the Vancouver Sun reported Friday.
A signed contract between Peter and Murray Corren and the Ministry of Education, obtained by the Sun, grants the couple an unprecedented role in not only developing the Grade 12-level course, but also in revising the entire public school curriculum to better reflect the contributions to society of non-heterosexuals.
The agreement is part of a settlement of a complaint filed by the Correns with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. As Murray, an elementary school teacher in Port Coquitlam, told the Sun in December 2004, they alleged that the “omission and suppression of queer issues” in the school curriculum amounted to “systemic discrimination.”
[...]
[Editor's note: The emailed version of this included a TAKE ACTION, reproduced below; this was not included in the web site version]
Take Action> Get involved with the education system
Changes like the ones happening in B.C.’s education system are the result of years of pushing by activist groups and individuals. It is important that parents and concerned citizens do their part in shaping the vital education system.
Action suggestions:
Contact Minister of Education Shirley Bond, Attorney-General Wally Oppal or your local MLA to express your concerns about this agreement. Summer is a good time to meet with your MLA as they will be back in their constituency. Remind them that parents, not special interest groups, have ultimate responsibility for the education of their children and there should be no restrictions on parents who wish to exempt their children from any teaching on sexual orientation.
* Get involved with the public consultation process for these curriculum changes. Contact the Ministry of Education and explain that you would like to provide feedback on the curriculum changes.
* Join a planning or advisory council.
* Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers explaining how you feel about the agreement.
[More at URL]
And now, today's news.
Reuters: New US church leader says homosexuality no sin; included here as a contrast for a Focus on the Family article below;
Focus on the Family pushes Sen. Brownback's effort to keep Bush administration limits on embryonic stem-cell research; includes ACTION ITEM to oppose Federal bill overturning the Bush administration's stem-cell-line limits;
FotF claim: NEA withdraws GBLT unions comment after the Traditional Values Coalition complains;
More graduation-speech hijinks; Focus on the Family says a valedictorian's speech was "edited" by the administration; when she reverted to her original draft (with what the school described as proselytizing), the high school pulled the microphone;
Here's the AP's version with the "proselytizing" description;
Meanwhile, Focus on the Family is freaked out by the Episcopalian Church's presiding bishop saying being gay isn't a sin;
FotF's Boundless magazine condemns the X-Men series as twisting good values into bad by applying them to queers;
Focus on the Family pushes an older (2004) article by an "ex-gay" religious convert, "demystifying" gay issues;
Faith and Freedom Network unidles, condemns Washington State Supreme Court for not issuing a DOMA ruling; says now they don't expect one until after the November elections; promises to help their readers "make constructive changes in the makeup of the Washington Supreme Court" in the upcoming elections;
Focus on the Family's "True U." pushes "Intelligent Design" by "clarif[ying] terms";
Concerned Women for America President Wendy Wright named "one of the 100 Most Powerful Women" in DC;
CWA cheers anti-marriage amendment progress in two states;
CWA condemns new group formed by ex-ex-gay people who say that the whole ex-gay thing is a crock;
CWA supports Virginia anti-marriage, anti-civil-unions amendment which would ban any form of any right granted by state law to married couples to be extended to queer couples;
Family Research Council ACTION ITEM to demand Pennsylvania anti-marriage amendment also ban Civil Unions and domestic partnerships;
American Family Association ACTION ITEM against the National Education Association for reported GBLT marriage rights support;
Phyllis Schlafly attacks Supreme Court Justice Roberts for not being doctrinaire enough, says he should be dictating a "strong message" instead of building consensus and unanimity on the Court;
AFA: Harry Potter "objectionable," "occult"; supports "Christian mom"'s effort to ban it from schools in Georgia;
FoxNews: Pentagon lists homosexuality as a mental disorder;
Canada Family Action Coalition: "Justice Minister caves to homosexual whiners," says teaching lesbian and gay couples are equivalent to heterosexual couples is a lie and "should be illegal."
----- 1 -----
New US church leader says homosexuality no sin
Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:30pm ET
Reuters
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-06-19T193318Z_01_N19347151_RTRUKOC_0_US-RELIGION-EPISCOPALS-BISHOP.xml&src=rss&rpc=22
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Newly elected leader of the U.S. Episcopal Church Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said on Monday she believed homosexuality was no sin and homosexuals were created by God to love people of the same gender.
Jefferts Schori, bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, was elected on Sunday as the first woman leader of the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church. the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. She will formally take office later this year.
Interviewed on CNN, Jefferts Schori was asked if it was a sin to be homosexual.
"I don't believe so. I believe that God creates us with different gifts. Each one of us comes into this world with a different collection of things that challenge us and things that give us joy and allow us to bless the world around us," she said.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Brownback Wants Senate to Debate Bioethics Before Stem-Cell Vote
Kansas senator says it's criminal to divert funds from successful research.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
June 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0040979.cfm
U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback said Tuesday he plans to call for a floor debate on bioethics when the chamber takes up H.R. 810, an embryonic stem-cell research bill that life advocates oppose.
At a news conference, Brownback, R-Kan., said he opposes the bill that would rescind the policy President Bush put in place in August 2001. The policy limits the use of embryonic stem-cells to lines in existence before 2001.
[...]
TAKE ACTION:
Please contact your U.S. senators and ask them to oppose H.R. 810 and S. 471 — the so-called Castle-Specter stem-cell research bill.
The bill would throw off the restraints President Bush placed on human embryo research in 2001.
If you are a CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber, click on the blue "Take Action" button in the e-mail to be automatically logged in to our Action Center. Otherwise, click on this link.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Teachers Union Removes Endorsement of Gay Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
June 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040978.cfm
The National Education Association (NEA) has pulled a resolution in support of gay marriage after it was highlighted by a pro-family group.
The national teachers union posted the following on its Web site:
"The Association believes that legal rights and responsibilities with regard to medical decisions, taxes, inheritance, adoption, legal immigration, domestic partnerships and civil unions and/or marriage belong to all these diverse groups and individuals."
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
Graduate Silenced for Referencing God
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
June 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040976.cfm
A valedictory given by a Las Vegas high school senior was interrupted when school officials turned off her microphone as she referenced her faith, The Associated Press reported.
Brittney McComb, a student at Foothills High School, submitted the speech she intended to present to the school district beforehand, but it was returned heavily edited — something that upset the straight-A student.
[More at URL]
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Religious speech cut from graduation ceremony
By The Associated Press
06.19.06
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=17034
LAS VEGAS — The Clark County School District and free-speech advocates are defending school officials' decision to cut short a high school valedictorian's commencement speech, saying the speech would have amounted to school-sponsored proselytizing.
Officials and a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union said on June 16 that administrators followed federal law when they cut the microphone on Foothill High School valedictorian Brittany McComb as she began deviating from a preapproved speech and reading from a version that mentioned God and contained biblical references.
[More at URL]
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June 20, 2006
Episcopal Leader: Homosexuality Not a Sin
by Pete Winn and
Jessica Headley,
CitizenLink staff
New presiding bishop thinks being gay is "a gift" from God.
American Episcopalians have sent a message to the rest of the world — one Bible-believing evangelicals still in the denomination hoped they would never hear.
Over the weekend, the general convention of the Episcopal Church — the American branch of the Worldwide Anglican Communion — chose as its new presiding bishop a woman who says she doesn't think there is anything wrong with homosexual behavior.
[...]
For conservative and traditional Episcopalians, the selection was bad news, according to The Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner, one of the church's top theologians.
"Schori's actions . . . fly in the face of what the rest of the Anglican Communion has asked of the Episcopal Church — and she needs to explain herself," Radner said.
[...]
Outside the Episcopal Church, meanwhile, Christians who minister to homosexuals said they are appalled that the leader of a major Christian denomination would mislead people about what Scripture says about homosexuality.
Melissa Fryrear, gender issues analyst at Focus on the Family, said homosexuality is clearly not the "gift" Schori thinks it is.
[More at URL]
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The HomoseXual Agenda
by Matt Kaufman
Boundless
A Magazine of Focus on the Family
Online as of June 21, 2006
http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001285.cfm
[...]
Though I was an old Marvel Comics fan (we're talking '60s and '70s), I never really got into X-Men: The series hit its stride about the time I was shifting to other interests. But I always understood the characters' appeal, which has translated well to the movies. Besides featuring a variety of cool powers and interesting personalities, X-Men was built on themes of alienation and prejudice which were easy to relate to for many people, especially teenagers.
The message — the need for acceptance of people's differences — was powerful, important and, by and large, morally positive. But it's also one that can get twisted into a morally distorted form. And our culture just so happens to be susceptible to that sort of distortion.
[...]
Again, though, even such a positive message as this can be distorted — and has been.
Case in point: Homosexuals have embraced X-Men as a metaphor for their experience, seeing themselves as persecuted victims of a society driven by no more than fear, ignorance or bigotry. And it's fair to say they've had some encouragement from a number of people involved in the comics and movies — especially the latter.
[More at URL]
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Book Demystifies Gay Issues
by Trish Amason, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
May 24, 2004
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0032148.cfm
Focus on the Family's Mike Haley hopes to shed light on the political, social and personal confusion surrounding homosexuality with '101 Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality.'
Homosexual couples now can be legally married in the United States, just the latest culture-war victory for gay activists who have succeeded over the last several decades in winning wide-ranging cultural acceptance of their lifestyle. How should the church, and individual Christians, respond not only to the gay activist agenda — but also the gay neighbor across the street or the gay coworker in the next cubicle?
Mike Haley, manager of the gender issues department at Focus on the Family, has written a book that addresses these issues — and a whole lot more. "101 Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality," due out later this month, tackles everything from "Do homosexuals choose to be gay?" to how best to handle it when family members "come out."
[More at URL]
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Washington Supreme Court Continues To Stall
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/06/washington-supreme-court-continues-to.html
Like many of you, I continue to check the weekly listing of Washington Supreme Court rulings, still looking for the ruling on marriage - specifically the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage between one man and one woman.
The Court has been deliberating this issue for more than a year and a half, even though Washington law requires a ruling within a year after the Court has heard a case. However, as with many aspects of our political life, there are ways around the rules. And therein is the problem.
The Washington Supreme Court has politicized itself while stalling on this ruling.
So we wait.
[...]
Three seats are open this next election. There are two alternatives you should know about. We cannot directly endorse candidates on this website, however, we will be giving you some helpful, educational information regarding Supreme Court candidates in the coming weeks.
[More at URL]
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A Form of ID: Defining Science and Faith
part 2 of 4 by David J. Hill
TrueU
A student-aimed publication of Focus on the Family
http://www.trueu.org/dorms/stulounge/A000000496.cfm
Using the same words doesn't always result in communication. That's because, though we may be using the same vocabulary, sometimes we are using different dictionaries. David Hill clarifies terms within the Intelligent Design debate so that further discussion can be more fruitful.
Defining the Debate
In part one of this series, I described the Pennsylvania court case about intelligent design (ID) in the classroom. I also described two rather bold assertions:
* Darwinist's [sic] have faith.
* Science and faith have been integrated for thousands of years.
But how can these assertions be true? Isn't Darwinism completely based on factual evidence? Haven't science and religion taken completely separate pathways in human history?
[More at URL]
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CWA’s President Wendy Wright Named One of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington
Concerned Women for America
6/20/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10979/MEDIA/misc/index.htm
Washington, D.C. − Concerned Women for America’s (CWA’s) President Wendy Wright has been named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women by WASHINGTONIAN magazine. The list includes accomplished women from all walks of Washington life who are described as “women who lead and lobby, educate and enlighten, look for cures and pathways to a better world.”
Mrs. Beverly LaHaye, founder and chairman of CWA, said, “Wendy is a passionate woman of God whose servant heart is an inspiration to many. CWA is blessed to have such a talented, experienced leader who uses her gifts to invest in others. Her dedication to pro-family issues has made a difference in Washington, D.C., and around the world. I am proud of Wendy’s accomplishments and am thrilled she has been acknowledged for her hard work.”
[More at URL]
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Marriage Amendments Make Progress in the States
Kylan Lamont
Concerned Women for America
June 19, 2005
http://www.cwalac.org/article_340.shtml
While the Marriage Protection Amendment’s recent failure in the U.S. Senate seemed disappointing, tremendous things are happening for traditional values in the states.
On June 6, Alabama became the 20th state to pass a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman. Alabamians voted 81 percent in favor of their state marriage amendment. The vote, the highest approval rating of any marriage amendment thus far, was a huge victory for traditional values.
On June 7, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment, 137 to 60, to ban homosexual marriage and civil unions. If the amendment continues with its success, it will be on the November 2007 ballot.
[More at URL]
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Foe of ‘Ex-Gay’ Ministries Launches New Group
Concerned Women for America
6/16/2006
By Sarah Kuziomko
Denies that homosexuals can change.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10963/CFI/family/index.htm
In yet another frontal attack on “ex-gay” ministries, a well-known homosexual activist held a press conference at the National Press Club last week to launch a new organization that he has dubbed “Truth Wins Out.”
Wayne Besen, who insists that people are born “gay” and cannot overcome homosexual desires, staged his event on the same day (June 7) that the U.S. Senate was voting on the Marriage Protection Amendment.
Joined by five other men who claim to have undergone “ex-gay” counseling and who say they reverted to homosexuality, Besen assailed the “right-wing” and Christian ministries in particular.
[More at URL]
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Think Passage of the Virginia Marriage Amendment is a Shoo-In?
Concerned Women for America
6/19/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=10931&department=FIELD&categoryid=family
Do you think passage of the Virginia Marriage Amendment is a shoo-in? Read this:
A May 22 Gallop Poll reported that Americans Still Oppose Gay Marriage, but only half favor a constitutional amendment to bar it. The on-line article by Lydia Saad reported:
"The close party-line vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a heterosexual-only institution strongly reflects public opinion on the issue. Americans split about evenly in their reactions to such an amendment, with most Republicans in favor and a majority of Democrats opposed. More generally, about three in five Americans oppose making gay marriages legally valid."
[...]
Proposed Amendment
If approved by the voters, this proposed amendment will become part of the Constitution of Virginia. The proposed amendment adds a definition of marriage as the "union between one man and one woman" to the Constitution's Bill of Rights and prohibits Virginia and its counties, cities, and towns from creating or recognizing any legal status by any name which is comparable to marriage.
Marriage in the Commonwealth creates specific legal rights, benefits, and obligations for a man and a woman. There are other legal rights, benefits, and obligations which will continue to be available to unmarried persons, including the naming of an agent to make end-of-life decisions by an Advance Medical Directive (Code of Virginia § 54.1-2981), protections afforded under Domestic Violence laws (Code of Virginia § 18.2-57.2), ownership of real property as joint tenants with or without a right of survivorship (Code of Virginia § 55-20.1), or disposition of property by will (Code of Virginia § 64.1-46).
[More at URL]
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Please call or email your Pennsylvania state senator asking him/her to support the original House passed version of the Marriage Amendment.
Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Amendment may allow future civil unions
Family Research Council
June 19, 2006 - Monday
Pennsylvania (more on this state)
Forward to a Friend!
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=AL06F03&f=PG03I03
After passing the State House by more than a 2-to-1 margin, the PA Marriage Protection Amendment (HB 2381) was amended, and thereby weakened, by a 9-5 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The changes make the original amendment ineffectual even if ratified.
The PA Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a Marriage Protection Amendment, but with an amendment by Erie Sen. Jane Earll which removed important language. The changes allow a future court or legislature to create civil unions or other counterfeits to marriage. The Earll amendment passed with a vote of 9-5. The final vote out of committee was 13-1 with a lone protest vote by Sen. Jane Orie, a strong supporter of marriage protection who spoke in favor of the original bill.
The Amendment must protect marriage. It must include protections against the creation of civil unions as has happened in Vermont and Connecticut. A civil union is exactly the same thing as same-sex marriage-only the name is different, and the impact would be the same. Civil union is just another name for marriage and a backdoor approach to legalize and elevate government recognition of same-sex partnerships to the status of marriage, thus devaluing the institution of marriage.
But it can be fixed! Your state senator needs to hear from you ASAP!
The State Senate will debate and vote on the Marriage Protection Amendment Tuesday or Wednesday, June 20 or 21. The Senate by a floor vote can fix the damage done by the Judiciary Committee and restore the original language of the Amendment as passed by the House.
Call or email your state senator. See a listing of state senators.
When you call or email, ask your senator to vote to restore the Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Amendment-HB 2381-to the language of the House-passed version, and then vote for its final passage.
Thank you for your help in defending traditional marriage in Pennsylvania.
Additional Resources
Contact your Pennsylvania state senator!
----- 16 -----
National Education Association Set to Endorse Homosexual Marriage
Teacher's union begins plans to promote homosexual marriage in public schools
American Family Association
ACTION ALERT
June 19, 2006
http://www.afa.net/neaendorses.asp
The National Education Association is set to endorse homosexual marriage at their convention coming up in Orlando June 29 through July 6.
The new NEA proposal essentially says schools should support and actively promote homosexual marriage and other forms of marriage (two men and one woman, three women, two women and three men, etc.) in their local schools.
The new proposal, expected to pass overwhelmingly, is found under the B-8 Diversity paragraph:
The Association... believes in the importance of observances, programs and curricula that accurately portray and recognize the roles, contributions, cultures, and history of these diverse groups and individuals.
The Association believes that legal rights and responsibilities with regard to medical decisions, taxes, inheritance, adoption, legal immigration, domestic partnerships, and civil unions and/or marriage belong to all these diverse groups and individuals.
Translated, that means the NEA will promote homosexual marriage in every avenue they have available, including textbooks, to all children at all age levels and without the permission or knowledge of parents. Their plans will include every public school in America.
Take Action
First, please forward this to all parents with children in public schools. They need to be aware of the plans the NEA has to indoctrinate their children with their pro-homosexual, homosexual marriage agenda.
Click here to send your email to your NEA state affiliate.
Please forward this to public school teachers you know so they can be aware of the NEA's plans. In fact, their membership dues will be used to help implement the new NEA plan.
AFA encourages teachers who do not approve of their dues going to the NEA to find an alternative teacher's group to help them retain their benefits. Teachers might want to give the CEAI home page a look http://www.ceai.org/index.htm or find another alternative in their state.
----- 17 -----
After Recent Ruling, Schlafly Questions Justice Roberts' Conservatism
By Chad Groening
American Family Association
June 20, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/6/afa/202006e.asp
(AgapePress) - Pro-family activist Phyllis Schlafly of Eagle Forum believes United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has been more interested in bipartisanship and consensus than in taking a strong conservative stand. One of his latest rulings, she notes, was particularly disappointing.
Schlafly says she had hoped the appointments of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito would help put the Supreme Court back on a conservative course. However, she says Roberts did not take a strong stance on the Solomon Amendment, which forbids colleges and universities that receive federal funding to deny military recruiters access to their campuses.
Conservatives were hoping for a Thomas or a Scalia among Bush's recent appointments to the high court bench, Schlafly asserts, and she would have liked to see a strong pro-military stance here, issuing from an unequivocally conservative jurist. But clearly, she observes, "Justice Roberts is not that." And apparently, the pro-family activist adds, "in this case pertaining to the Solomon Amendment, he thought consensus and unanimity more important than staking out a strong message."
[More at URL]
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Potter's Objectionable, Occultic Content Spurs Georgia Mom to Action
By Jim Brown
American Family Association
June 20, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/6/afa/202006c.asp
(AgapePress) - A Christian mom in Georgia is calling on the state board of education to remove Harry Potter books from her children's schools. It doesn't make sense, she says, to take the Bible out of schools, but allow the occult in.
The popular series of books by J.K. Rowling have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and spawned four movies, with a fifth scheduled for release next year and a sixth in pre-production. But Laura Mallory of Loganville is looking past the worldwide attraction of the books, focusing on the local scene instead. The former missionary is appealing last month's decision by the Gwinnett County School Board to keep the popular children's books on school library shelves. Mallory says among other things, the books promote "evil themes, witchcraft, and demonic activity."
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Pentagon Document Classifies Homosexuality as Mental Disorder
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C200200%2C00.html
WASHINGTON — A Pentagon document classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder, decades after mental health experts abandoned that position.
The document outlines retirement or other discharge policies for service members with physical disabilities, and in a section on defects lists homosexuality alongside mental retardation and personality disorders.
Critics said the reference underscores the Pentagon's failing policies on gays, and adds to a culture that has created uncertainty and insecurity around the treatment of homosexual service members, leading to anti-gay harassment.
[More at URL]
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Justice Minister caves to homosexual whiners
Canada Family Action Coalition
June 21, 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/sexuality/justice-minister.htm
In an atrocious cave-in to homosexual activists the BC Attorney General caters to the whims and agenda of homosexuals to indoctrinate children.
Teaching children that homosexual behavior is equivalent to heterosexual acts is a lie - it is misleading, deceptive and should be illegal in a public school.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Education or pushing a lifestyle?
Focus on the Family Canada
June 21, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/education/stories/062106.html
The B.C. government is promising parents input into shaping a new social-justice course that includes “respectful” teachings about homosexuality – but not as much input as a married same-sex couple will have, the Vancouver Sun reported Friday.
A signed contract between Peter and Murray Corren and the Ministry of Education, obtained by the Sun, grants the couple an unprecedented role in not only developing the Grade 12-level course, but also in revising the entire public school curriculum to better reflect the contributions to society of non-heterosexuals.
The agreement is part of a settlement of a complaint filed by the Correns with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. As Murray, an elementary school teacher in Port Coquitlam, told the Sun in December 2004, they alleged that the “omission and suppression of queer issues” in the school curriculum amounted to “systemic discrimination.”
[...]
[Editor's note: The emailed version of this included a TAKE ACTION, reproduced below; this was not included in the web site version]
Take Action> Get involved with the education system
Changes like the ones happening in B.C.’s education system are the result of years of pushing by activist groups and individuals. It is important that parents and concerned citizens do their part in shaping the vital education system.
Action suggestions:
Contact Minister of Education Shirley Bond, Attorney-General Wally Oppal or your local MLA to express your concerns about this agreement. Summer is a good time to meet with your MLA as they will be back in their constituency. Remind them that parents, not special interest groups, have ultimate responsibility for the education of their children and there should be no restrictions on parents who wish to exempt their children from any teaching on sexual orientation.
* Get involved with the public consultation process for these curriculum changes. Contact the Ministry of Education and explain that you would like to provide feedback on the curriculum changes.
* Join a planning or advisory council.
* Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers explaining how you feel about the agreement.
[More at URL]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-06-22 03:26 pm (UTC)The student had appropriate venues for appeal. She didn't take them; instead, she engaged in civil disobedience, and she must accept the consequences of her actions. Focus frequently forgets that we live in a Republic, and that there are appropriate avenues to take on both sides.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-22 05:01 pm (UTC)Jesus wept, the contempt she has for the freedom of speech extends even to loathing the men who agree with her.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-23 06:15 pm (UTC)It's pretty much a clear case of triumphalism to me. When they say they want a court full of Scalias, they want anither Scalia, someone who doesn't just agree with them but shows the contempt they feel regarding opponents and enjoys rubbing their power into the faces of others who disagree.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-22 05:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-22 07:29 pm (UTC)Church conservatives in the US responded by saying it wasn't enough, and are still threatening to break away. They are also seeking oversight by another bishop other than Jefferts Schori--apparently they could affiliate with the Archbishop of Canterbury instead, allowing them to ignore her dictates without causing a schism. (Reminder: don't ever give an inch of ground to the religious right, because they'll just ask for more.) The moratorium is an unbinding resolution, though, and it's suspected that liberal dioceses will ignore it.
Here's the link to the NPR piece: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5501788
Here's an article from the Episcopal Church about the resolution: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_76324_ENG_HTM.htm