Bishop Harry Jackson was on “The Michelangelo Signorile Show” last week where he discussed discussed a possible split among the Religious Right on the issue of civil unions between those see them an inevitable and those who will continue to fight them:
“My concern about John McCain stepping up and being articulate about the marriage amendments is more about protecting the definition of marriage as one man and one woman as cultural guardrails…The reason I say I will work with civil unions, etc. — that may not have been my original position, but I think it’s a reality. We have had laws in New Jersey, all over the country. The reality is gay civil unions are going to be the law of the land all over the country…You may call it movement [on my part.] I call myself a realist…I think this would be a split issue [on the Christian right], a lot of people would disagree with me. But I think we’re embroiled in a battle that’s unfolding.”
If you are confused by Jackson’s seeming moderation and realism on this issue, rest assured that he is as vehemently opposed to marriage equality as ever, as he spells out in his latest column:
The problem with redefining marriage is that it is more than a civil rights issue concerning how gay people are treated. It has the potentially unintended effect of hastening the decline of traditional heterosexual marriage. It also may blur the lines of morality and sexual behavior for centuries to come. Studies have shown that in the nations that have legalized same sex marriage or other forms of “faux” marriage, the change has devalued the institution of marriage as a whole. This devaluation has resulted in heterosexuals waiting longer to marry, increases in single parent households, and an overall alienation of many children from their birth fathers.
Let me explain these findings in a different way. Once we redefine marriage, we automatically redefine the family. After the family is redefined, we must redefine how kids are educated and trained in our “brave new world” … These negatives of same sex marriage are not the only alarming trends. As an African-American preacher, I am convinced that traditional marriage in the black community is on the verge of becoming extinct.
