Faith
Family
Fairness
A
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l i a n c
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Expressing our Faith, Choosing our Families, Calling for Fairness
Talking
Points
While each member of FFFA comes from their own respective faith tradition and spiritual belief, we are united in our common desire to affirm that all who are created are holy and loved, to support love and faithfulness in all relationships as a sign of God's love in our midst, and to create a society that promotes the rights and well-being of all of God's children.
Through a series of conversations among a team of thoughtful leaders, clergy and lay leaders, FFFA have developed a series of 'talking points' regarding the proposed amendment to ban domestic partnerships, civil unions and gay marriage.
As
People of Faith:
1. We each value our own sacred texts as a source of faith and practice
for our daily lives. They guide our relationships and foster mutual respect
for one another. These texts compel us to repair the world by pursuing
justice and peace among all people.
2. We are committed to upholding the inherent humanity and equality of
all people as beloved children of God, created and declared good by God.
3. We seek to protect, nurture and strengthen ALL families by supporting
loving, committed, monogamous relationships.
4. We value:
a. The distinction between civil law and religious
practice.
b. Equal protection of all people under the State
Constitution.
c. The diversity of religious perspectives of
people of faith.
Therefore as People of Faith:
WE OPPOSE ANY AMENDMENT TO THE MINNESOTA CONSTITUTION THAT WOULD LIMIT
CIVIL RIGHTS AND ENSHRINE DISCRIMINATION IN OUR STATE CONSTITUTION.
In Matters of Faith:
All people
are fully human and equally deserving of all rights under the Constitution
regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Using a few disputed passages from sacred texts to condemn an entire group of people denies the greater universal principles of equality and justice in those sacred texts.
To prohibit the recognition of same-gender relationships is to establish one religious perspective among the many that exist in Minnesota. This is a violation of the constitutional separation of Church and State.
Many faith communities already support and encourage healthy, loving, monogamous relationships regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
It is immoral to use
GLBT people as scapegoats for the ills of our society and as a distraction
from the many real challenges our families face.
In Matters of Society:
We believe in a politics of hope and love instead of fear and division.
Attempts to narrowly and exclusively define marriage distract from the truly urgent issues in our State, such as equitable solutions to poverty, homelessness, sustainability, and the welfare and education of our children. Our faith communities care deeply about the health and welfare of present and future Minnesotans.
The spirit of Minnesota's
Constitution is to seek the common good for all people and expand the
rights of all residents regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national
origin, sex, marital status, disability, status with regard to public
assistance, sexual orientation, and age*. The proposed amendment violates
this established ideal by enshrining discrimination in Minnesota's Constitution.
*quoted from the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
In Matters of Human
Dignity:
All people deserve to be treated equally and with justice under the law.
Marriage is a powerful expression of love and devotion in our society. Legal recognition of these commitments should not be denied based solely on the gender identity or sexual orientation of the couple.
Limiting the rights of GLBT individuals, couples and/or their children is an assault on their well-being. This unfair treatment brings real harm to all in Minnesota.
Faith Family Fairness Alliance ~ PO Box 6285, Minneapolis, MN 55406 ~ site questions: fffawebguy <at> yahoo.com