> Brothers+ > In most of the world (as here) there are defacto if not dejure 2 marriage services. One is the Registry City Hall one and the other is the ecclesiastical blessing of vows. In a place where there is no State Church (unlike Scandinavia or the UK) we are stuck with the State acting as the effective guardian of records with all this implies. Your parishioner has an interesting point. 300 yrs ago when we comprised 30% of the population in the 13 colonies (and the majority in some) was one thing. Today when we are maybe 700,000 (Including ECUSA and the 53 Continuing jurisdictions) active adults quite another. For example,I have friends in San Francisco who are 'gay' who want the protection of same sex/registered cohabitation (as they call it in Iceland-I wonder how long the words are) but are not interestedi n sacramental marriage perse . The Senate should spend its time on other more pressing issues, like universal health care, getting out of Iraq and protecting what is left of our civil rights/liberties. The 'anti gay marriage' thing is a non starter and like the ERA will waste billions of dollars and hours of time and in the end in fact achieve or accomplish nothing but provide grist for the mills of people like Wildemon Et.Al. Better to let sleeping dogs lie. Blessings. GDVW+ > In a recent conversation an elderly, alert, devout > churchman was arguing that there seems little reason > why clergy would follow the state's rules in regard to > marriage. He was arguing that the Church should > witness marriage covenants, but that we have little in > common with the state in this regard and should > consider whether we really want to be agents of the > state. > > What do you think? > > Charles+ > > --- "bishopray.anglican@..." > <bishopray.anglican@...> wrote: > >> >> >> ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- >> >> >> ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- >> : From: "AFA ActionAlert" <afapetition@...> >> To: Rita Laracuente <ritalaracuente@...> >> Subject: U.S. Senate To Vote On Homosexual Marriage >> June 6 >> Date: Sun, 14 May 2006 14:00:00 -0500 >> >> Donald E. Wildmon >> Founder and Chairman >> May 15, 2006U.S. Senate To Vote On Homosexual >> Marriage June 6The most important vote in the Senate >> this year! The future of our children is at >> stake.<snip> > the U.S. Senate will vote on the constitutional > amendment defining marriage as the union of one man > and one woman. >> > > -- > To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: > faithandlife-unsubscribe@... > > ----------------------------------------- Catholic Financial Services Send and Receive all online Payments And Donations No Merchant Account Required! https://www.catholicfs.org/