It’s the season for the influx of “Christians” attempting to drum up support for a marriage amendment here in NC. A bill, Senate Bill 13 (SB13), was submitted by the usual wingnuts this session (see my post, North Carolina’s constitution is under attack – 2007 edition).

This bill has died three times before in committee, but they are trying again. The amendment, which would surely pass if it made it to a floor vote and onto the ballot, would bar gays and lesbians from marrying and would be as restrictive as some of the other horrors that have passed. The language of the bill.

Marriage is the union of one man and one woman at one time. This is the only marriage that shall be recognized as valid in this State. The uniting of two persons of the same sex or the uniting of more than two persons of any sex in a marriage, civil union, domestic partnership, or other similar relationship within or outside of this State shall not be valid or recognized in this State. This Constitution shall not be construed to require that marital status or the rights, privileges, benefits, or other legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon unmarried individuals or groups.”

Look at the flier being distributed for a “marriage rally” that will be held on March 6 in Raleigh — after the flip.

Return America is an organization led by anti-gay pastor Ron Baity of Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem.  He said this about gay folks.

“They say we have bad attitudes and are mean-spirited, and yet some of the most militant, ill-willed people in America belong to the homosexual movement,” the pastor says. “Since they cannot produce, they recruit — they go after my children and grandchildren, and your children and grandchildren.”

He’s turned up on the Blend before,  because he travels around trying to get city councils and county boards to pass resolutions supporting a marriage amendment.

Last year, Baity was successful on one front  — the Thomasville, NC City Council approved an anti-gay marriage resolution 5-1. Visit Matt Hill Comer‘s blog for more on that; he attended the meeting and met Baity. When it was Baity’s turn to bleat at the hearing, this is what he had to say:

This Constitutional amendment that we’re talking about this evening is necessary to give the people of North Carolina an opportunity to decide on marriage. Every major issue in our country – prayer, the bible? prayer at ball games, Roe v. Wade – all of those issues have been settled and ruled upon by the Judiciary.

We believe that it’s time that the people of this country have the opportunity to make the final decision? We are asking the state of North Carolina to allow the people of this state the opportunity to decide what marriage is and we don’t think that’s asking too much.

We think that the judiciary has made too many of these decisions for too long and that its time that the General Assembly to allow the people of the state of North Carolina to make that decision. I’m amazed how often it is said we have hate speech. That is not what we have. The truth of the matter is the Lord Jesus Christ said marriage was between one man and one woman?

You can’t make anything else out of that. God had an urban renewal program for Sodom and Gomorrah because they were caught up in that, but that’s not the issue here this evening. The issue this evening is to allow the people of North Carolina the freedom to vote on what marriage really is and what it consists of? We believe it is time the legislators of the state of North Carolina allow the people of North Carolina the opportunity to decide what marriage is. Thank you.

How much time do you think Baity spends working with the poor and sick in his county through his ministry? Based on the Return America site’s mission, I see more of an emphasis on bible-thumping like this:

We  believe God gives life and society should do everything possible to protect this unalienable right.  We oppose abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia and the harvesting of embryonic stem cells.

…We are opposed to the use of public funds to promote homosexuality as an acceptable life-style-whether in the classroom or in state policy.  We are opposed to pornography in any form.  We are opposed to gambling.

From his newsletter (click to enlarge):

I wonder if the turnout will be as lame as the last marriage rally held in Raleigh, supporters of which boasted 10,000 people would show up, and they only managed to bus in a small group of true believers.

Fortunately, people of faith are standing up and calling out these perverted efforts to use religion to justify institutionalizing discrimination.

The Rev. Jimmy Creech, executive director of Faith In America, today said religion-based bigotry is driving the efforts to organize the rally.

“The churches are being used to organize support for legalizing discrimination:  brazen religion-based bigotry, pure and simple,” Creech said. ” Prejudice and fear are the organizing principles, not reason and justice.”

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EqualityNC will hold a 2007 legislative reception on March 14 featuring out lesbian State Senator Julia Boseman and other allies in the lege who are working to kill this awful bill again.