Pam’s House Blend today reports an exchange between Indiana Republican Rep. Mike Pence and one of her readers who wrote Pence, his representative, about same-sex marriage. Go to Pam’s site for her take on this offensive diatribe. And if you have your own experiences, please, contact me.
Here’s the text of Pence’s letter:
Dear Kyle:
Thank you for contacting me regarding traditional marriage. It was a pleasure to hear your thoughts regarding this sacred institution.In the wake of ominous decisions by activist courts and recent actions by state governments, the need to defend the institution of traditional marriage is more apparent than ever. Like millions of Americans, I firmly believe that the sacred institution of marriage is between one man and one woman and that married couples form the backbone of our society.
The traditional two-parent family is the nucleus of our civilization. Harvard sociologist Pitirim Sorokin found that throughout history, societal collapse was always brought about by the deterioration of marriage and family. Sociologists tell us that children raised by married parents experience lower rates of premarital childbearing, illicit drug use, arrests, health, emotional and behavioral problems, school dropout rates and poverty. Moreover, a five-year study released in 1998 found that continuously married husbands and wives experience significantly better emotional health and less depression than people of other marital status.
This debate is not about discrimination. I believe that if someone chooses another lifestyle than I have chosen, that is their right in a free society. But tolerance does not require that we permit our courts to redefine an institution upon which our society is built. Congress should oppose any effort to put gay and lesbian relationships on an equal legal status with heterosexual marriage.
Marriage was ordained by God, instituted among men; it is the glue that binds the American family, and the safest harbor in which to raise children. That is why it is so important to put in that most sacred of documents an affirmation of the foundation of our society – traditional marriage.
Again, thank you for contacting me. It is an honor to serve in the United States House of Representatives and have the benefit of your advice. If you would like more information on this or any other issue, please visit my website at http://mikepence.house.gov.
Warmest regards,
Mike Pence
Well folks, no surprise, but yet another example of how our elected representatives forgot about the separation of Church and State. And I, for one, am sick and tired of our elected representatives quoting or referring to “scripture.”
Leave the bibles outside the State’s House.