Political Activism in American Churches

I think that churches have the right to support anything that they believe is consonant with their faith. On the other hand, I think that it is unconscionable that the churches have a tax exempt status.

In other words, once the churches get into politics, IMO they should be obliged to pay to support the government.

I think that churches have the right to support anything that they believe is consonant with their faith. On the other hand, I think that it is unconscionable that the churches have a tax exempt status.

In other words, once the churches get into politics, IMO they should be obliged to pay to support the government.

Illinois gay marriage debate heats up, Senate convenes
(John O'Connor, The Associated Press, January 2, 2013)

A gay TV star campaigned for legalizing same-sex marriage in Illinois and more than 1,000 leaders of various religious faiths signed a letter opposing it as the debate intensified over a proposal that could get its first test before a Senate committee Wednesday night.

During an appearance Wednesday in Chicago, Jesse Tyler Ferguson of the Emmy-winning series "Modern Family" announced his support for making Illinois the 10th state to legalize gay marriage, an idea riding momentum from several events including public encouragement from President Barack Obama.

But a day after influential Cardinal Francis George of Chicago denounced the idea as going against the "natural order" of traditional marriage, a letter from 1,700 state religious leaders was sent to every Illinois lawmaker deriding claims that the proposal wouldn't interfere with religious freedom.

"The real peril: If marriage is redefined in civil law, individuals and religious organizations _ regardless of deeply held beliefs _ will be compelled to treat same-sex unions as the equivalent of marriage in their lives, ministries and operations," said the letter, penned by leaders of Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Mormon, Anglican, and Islamic faiths.

Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat, told The Associated Press Monday she has enough votes to move the measure, which would remove from state law a prohibition on marriage between two people of the same sex, but didn't know when she would call it. She did not immediately return a phone call Wednesday.

She and Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, the House sponsor, say their legislation would not affect any religious beliefs and religious organizations would not have to recognize or consecrate gay marriage.

Ferguson, a gay man who portrays a gay parent on the ABC comedy, said he would begin a "Bow Tie Lobby Day" _ symbolizing tying the knot _ Thursday in Springfield.

"I'm looking forward to raising a family ... and having our kids grow up in an equal America," Ferguson said at a news conference with his fiance and Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon.

Ferguson said Obama's stance in favor of "marriage equality" has "moved me to take more action."

However, the idea of religious fervor in politics is usually scary (the crusades, sharia law, etc.). My parents grew up in the Germany of the 1920's and 1930's. They remember priests declaring in sunday sermons that only the Nazi party could really help Germany.

Illinois Gay Marriage Supporters Look To Next Session After Facing Multiple Setbacks
(By JOHN O'CONNOR and SARA BURNETT, The Associated Press, 01/04/13)

With a vote to legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois looking less likely to happen in the next few days, supporters of marriage equality are looking ahead to the following legislative session as their next best hope.

A Senate committee voted 8-5 late Thursday in favor of a bill that would allow gay marriage. But with key supporters absent, Senate Democrats delayed a full floor vote. The Senate then canceled its Friday schedule, and President John Cullerton said lawmakers are unlikely to return to Springfield before the session ends Jan. 9. New lawmakers will be sworn in that day.

Sen. Heather Steans, the bill's sponsor, said it was a matter of "when, not if" the measure will pass. She said people across Illinois and state lawmakers are changing their minds every day and supporting gay marriage.

"This is never going to be an easy one, but it's only going to get easier," Steans said.

Cullerton said it might be weeks before the bill gets a full Senate vote. His spokeswoman conceded that "the bill needs work," and even Steans suggested working with recalcitrant Republicans to get a bipartisan agreement.

"What's important when we reconvene is that we work to protect and strengthen all Illinois families, and that's what this legislation does," Cullerton said in a statement released by a coalition of supporters.

Hopes were high for a productive end to the 97th General Assembly, with legislation not only on gay marriage but on assault-weapons restrictions and a solution to the $96 billion hole in state retirement-benefit accounts.

Gun curbs advanced, and a pension fix has been proposed in the House, which isn't scheduled to return to Springfield until Sunday, giving Gov. Pat Quinn reason to stay optimistic that his top priority will still get attention.

Democrats hold a 35-24 majority in the Senate, but party members outside Chicago don't always toe the line. Not all are on board with extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, and some key supporters did not attend Thursday's session.

Hoping to ride momentum from the November elections and public encouragement from President Barack Obama, backers were jolted by the postponement.

A gay actor who stars in a popular TV comedy campaigned for the measure in Illinois while religious leaders – including 1,700 clergy, from Catholic to Muslim – united in writing to exhort lawmakers to oppose it.

Ralph Rivera, a lobbyist for the Illinois Family Institute, told lawmakers the bill was "an attack on our particular religious beliefs" and that it would force churches and other religious institutions to allow their facilities to be used for same-sex marriages.

Steans said that wouldn't be the case, and that she planned to work with Republicans to address some of those concerns.

Supporters said they pressed the matter in the waning days of the General Assembly's session to take advantage of soaring support in the state and nationally. And lame-duck lawmakers theoretically have more freedom to vote without fear of voter backlash.

Even though Democrats will claim a 40-19 advantage in the new session, newcomers will bring more diverse views in a state where southern Illinoisans live closer to Birmingham, Ala., than to Chicago.

The plan comes just 18 months after Illinois recognized civil unions.

If Illinois approves gay marriage, it would become the 10th state in the nation to do so.