Ruth Institute Blog

(July 21, 2010) We’ve already podcasted Dr J’s talk from this rally, “It Takes a lot of Faith to Believe in Same-Sex Marriage.”  She also recorded two of the other speakers.  Bishop Harry Jackson and Pastor Derek McCoy both discussed the importance of the vote in the defense of traditional marriage.

To date, 31 states have voted to define marriage as occurring between one man and one woman.  Maine overturned same-sex marriage by People’s Veto, and all the states that have enacted same-sex marriage have done so through the courts (Vermont used its legislature as well).

Bishop Harry Jackson

Pastor Derek McCoy

by Matthew J. Franck

The latest decision from our judicial overlords on same-sex marriage spells trouble for republican constitutionalism and the institution of marriage.

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was grounded on a fear of judges run amok. This past Thursday, federal district court judge Joseph Tauro of Boston justified this fear when he struck down section 3 of the act in two separate cases, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management and Massachusetts v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In the Gill case, Judge Tauro held that the law unjustly denied various federal benefits to spouses in same-sex marriages contracted under Massachusetts law, contrary to the equal protection principle. Meanwhile, in the HHS case, Tauro ruled that the state itself was the victim of an unconstitutional intrusion by the federal government on its reserved powers under the Tenth Amendment. Read more…

Regarding their July 13 Argentines for the Children demonstration before the Argentinian Congress was to vote on traditional marriage: “The demonstration gathered 60000 people in a very cold day. Some others estimation spoke about 130000, but we think the first one is the correct one. It was plenty of families, young people and old, all claiming for a family with a mum and a dad and the rights of the children to have them. Read more…

The titles of certain posts just write themselves.  Phrases like the one in the title are catnip to people like me who salivate at the opportunity to poke at the pet peeves of lefties and feminists everywhere.

It comes from an article in which a “reluctant housewife” discovers that she and her husband quickly grew tired of trying to jam the square peg of feminism into the round hole that is human nature.  Instead of dividing household duties in a feminist approved (read foolish) manner, they gave up and divided those duties up according to the dictates of human nature.

I used to feel guilty that my marriage seemed so normal. When I got married, I imagined my marriage would be different. I wanted to bust up traditions. Reinvent what marriage meant. I was determined not to let my marriage resemble the traditional roles of my parents’ relationship. So, two months after I said “I do”, when I found myself unemployed and picking up my husband’s socks off the floor, I started to cry. When Dave came home and found me sobbing on the couch, I threw my apron at him. “You make dinner!” He made hot dogs and mac and cheese from a box. Breaking down traditions didn’t taste as good as I thought it would. Read more…

by Chris Ross

Americans are confused about the true nature of marriage “because we live in an era of big government,” said Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, an economist who studies love and marriage and the founder of The Ruth Institute.

“Big government did not create marriage,” said Morse, who recently spoke to students at The King’s College in New York City, as part of the school’s Distinguished Visitors Series. “Government does not create marriage. Marriage is a natural reality that preexists the state.” Read more…

Well, traditional marriage advocates tried, and we’ll keep trying. Just as the pro-same sex marriage proponents aren’t going to give up, neither will we.

Charlie Butts – OneNewsNow -

As expected, the final vote was 11 to 2, and Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs for Liberty Counsel, says, “It’s very unfortunate that they would choose to brazenly circumvent the will of the people in order to push something on Washington, D.C. that the people reject – and that is counterfeit same-sex marriage.”

The city’s Election Board refused to put the issue on a future ballot to allow the people to decide. Congress now has 30 days to review and take action to override the vote, but Barber feels the liberal tone of Washington precludes that happening. However, he believes that the public could still send a message.

Continue reading: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=815838

Who are we kidding, people? Can anyone really argue that the trend toward cohabiting vs. marrying and single parenthood vs. natural two-parent biological parenthood is a good thing? What are those crazy Brits thinking? (And I’m half British, by the way.) Just like it’s a no brainer that food straight from the ground is far better for you than processed, hormone-injected, insecticide soaked food from the supermarket, marriage should be left the way nature intended. Do we really need to debate this?

Carolyn Moynihan

A report about families from Britain says forget about marriage; another report from the United States says save it. They can’t both be right.

One of the remarkable things about research on the family is that studies can start from the same data and reach quite contradictory conclusions. This makes family research a bit like climate change studies, with probably some doctoring of the evidence here and there. On the other hand, while climate data is invisible to most of us and the weather we experience is thoroughly confusing, what is happening to families is out there on the street for all to see. Read more…

GLENN ADAMS and DAVID CRARY- Associated Press Writers

Big victory for traditional marriage in Maine

PORTLAND, Maine- Voters in Maine have rejected an effort by lawmakers there to impose homosexual “marriage” in that state.

Gay marriage has now lost in every single state – 31 in all – in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gay-rights activists had hoped to buck that trend in Maine – known for its liberal-minded electorate – and mounted an energetic, well-financed campaign. With 87 percent of the precincts reporting, proponents of traditional marriage had 53 percent of the votes. Read more…

Charlie Butts – OneNewsNow -

A school counselor in Maine could be in trouble for holding traditional views on marriage.

Donald Mendell is the subject of a complaint filed with the state Board of Social Worker Licensure. That took place after he told a co-worker of his support for traditional marriage. Austin R. Nimocks is senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), which is representing Mendell. Read more…