The Supreme Court's Mind Made Up on Gay Marriage?
WASHINGTON -- Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear cases that will likely determine whether same-sex marriage will become a legal nationwide.
The justices have rolled four cases together that will allow them to decide two questions: must states recognize other states' gay marriages, and does the Constitution require states to allow same-sex marriage?
Some believe the justices have already decided to create that right before hearing the case. But others say the matter is far from decided.
On Wednesday, a panel discussion at the Family Research Council was swimming upstream against conventional thought on the issue.
That is, it's a foregone conclusion that the Supreme Court justices will rule homosexuals have as much of a right to same-sex marriage as heterosexuals do to traditional marriage.
But these panelists pointed out there's evidence the justices won't rubber stamp gay marriage.
"When the lawyers walk into that courtroom on Tuesday morning, they're going to be walking into a situation where there are three-and-a-half justices who've said 'no constitutional right to same-sex marriage' and no justices who've said there is a constitutional right," former Supreme Court Clerk Gene Schaerr said.
One of the more interesting propositions brought up at Wednesday's panel discussion is that maybe the Christians of the world owe it to the homosexuals to point out that their lifestyle is intrinsically wrong.
"Faith actually teaches nothing about hatred toward gays and lesbians; in fact, the opposite. But it also says the behavior is damaging and harmful to your eternal salvation. That's the faith teaching," John-Henry Westen, editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews, said.
"But they also know from the empirical evidence that the behavior is damaging to your body as well," he added.
Westen argued that Christians need to say to gays, "We love you enough to tell you this is harmful. In fact, we'll even take the hater and bigot label so that we can tell you this because we care about you."
