Gay Marriage Ban Declared Unconstitutional

A US judge just ruled that the 1996 “Defense of Marriage act” was “unconstitutional”:

Judge declares US gay-marriage ban is unconstitutional

July 8, 2010 06:55 PM

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

A federal district court judge in Boston today struck down the 1996 federal law that defines marriage as a union exclusively between a man and a woman.

Judge Joseph L. Tauro ruled that the federal Defense of Marriage law violates the Constitutional right of married same-sex couples to equal protection under the law and upends the federal government’s long history of allowing states to set their own marriage laws.

“This court has determined that it is clearly within the authority of the Commonwealth to recognize same-sex marriages among its residents, and to afford those individuals in same-sex marriages any benefits, rights, and privileges to which they are entitled by virtue of their marital status,” Tauro wrote. “The federal government, by enacting and enforcing DOMA, plainly encroaches upon the firmly entrenched province of the state.” For more see http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/07/judge_declares_3.html

And while all the so-called “Founding Fathers” of the USA believed that they should get morality (and to a degree laws, etc.) from the Bible, a judge apparently has decided that the writers of the US Constitution meant something different than they could have possibly meant. And that Congress and President Clinton erred in 1996 by making that the law.

It is of curious note that a court in Europe recently ruled that bans on homosexual marriage were not in violation of the constitution. LCG reported:

Europe Protecting Morals. “The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France has ruled that European countries currently prohibiting same-sex marriage are not violating the human rights of their citizens. In a 4-3 ruling, the court ruled against a lawsuit filed by two Austrian men who were denied permission to marry in 2002 by Austrian officials.” Although the court ruling does allow individual nations to support same-sex partnerships, it also clearly states that such support does not require such partnerships to be granted all the same rights and privileges of traditional marriages (Catholic News Agency, June 29, 2010). Although elements throughout Europe appear to be “casting off restraint” and moving away from Judeo-Christian values, the Vatican and even some of the courts are moving to uphold and maintain some of these traditional values. As time moves forward and many Israelite-descended nations, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand move further away from their traditional value base, this could create tension with a Europe that is working to maintain some of these same values. Bible prophecy reveals that at the time of the end, many of the descended nations of Israel will be taken into captivity by a European beast power (Deuteronomy 28:64-68; Amos 4:2; Amos 5:2-3). Could disagreement over traditional values be one of the dividing points that help create more animosity between the beast and these nations?

And while the Europeans are not know to be more moralistic than Americans, it is interesting that all of them have not yet gone as far as the USA judge has.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments? This article quotes what Jesus actually said about them (His words are in red).
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Was the Commandment to Love the Only Command? Some have stated that John’s writings teach this, but is that what the Bible really says?
The Ten Commandments and the Early Church Did Jesus and the Early Church keep the ten commandments? What order were they in? Here are quotes from the Bible and early writings.Prophecies of Barack Obama? Eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This article includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests? This is the longest and most complete article on this page on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”, based up an early 20th century writing.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?