Mars Hill Forum #114: “Is Homosexual Rights Legislation Good for Maine?” May 4, 2006, Augusta, Maine, Guest: State Representative Sean Faircloth

Outline Used by John Rankin

Introduction

  1. A negative can only be argued with integrity if it is based on a prior positive – the goal is to be proactive, not reactive.
  2. Definition of terms: a) Homosexual, GLBT, pansexual; c) Nature of rights: unalienable versus alienable (might makes right).

Main issue to address: How do we build trust in society?

  1. Give and it shall be given, versus take before you are taken.
  2. How do we treat those who disagree with us?
  3. Biblical nature of liberty and the power for dissent in a free society.
  4. The biblical Genesis versus the Babylonian genesis.
  5. Source for unalienable rights + definition of marriage.
  6. Diversity in service to Unity: a) man and woman in marriage; b) the Trinity.
  7. Homosexuality = anti-diversity: a fundamental rejection of the other sex in the foundational intimate relationship: a) roots in broken trust – Harvard Divinity School experiences; b) Abraham and Hagar on forward …

Reactive nature of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Right Act:

  1.  “An Act … to provide injunctive relief against discrimination …” (p. 1);
  2. “to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to compensation, terms,conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin …” (p. 5).
  3. “Nothing … shall be interpreted to require any employer (et al.) … to grant preferential treatment to any individual or to any group because of the race, color, religion, sex, or national origin of such individual or group on account of an imbalance which may exist with respect to the total number or percentage of persons of any race, color, religion, sex, or national origin employed by any employer (et al.) …” (p. 7).

Balkanization of civil rights

  1. 1987 Bowen v. Gilliard ruling of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals states that homosexuality is “an unidentifiable group or class of individuals whose identity is defined in subjective and unapparent characteristics such as innate desires, drives and thoughts.”
  2. Class warfare, not unalienable rights.
  3. Title VII says no to preferential treatment, but that is where we are headed, not only with “Affirmative Action” but with pansexuality …

The subversion of unalienable rights in the Goodridge decision

  1. Same-sex marriage as a “fundamental” and “basic civil right,” on par with being “unalienable.”
  2. Conflict with religious liberty.
  3. Proactive Agenda which is deeper than legalisms of the law:

Resolution on Human Sexuality and Civil Rights:

  1. All persons hold the unalienable rights to life, liberty and property, and therefore they hold equal dignity and protection under due process of law;
  2. The historic family unit, rooted heterosexual faith monogamous marriage and the raising of children is the basic institution in society; and
  3. There are those persons, whether by choice, circumstance or the brokenness of adversity, who are unable to participate fully or partly as members of the historic family unit;

Therefore, we affirm:

  1. Marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman;
  2. No punitive laws shall exist to restrict the private association of consenting adults – whether heterosexual or homosexual; and
  3. All persons shall accept accountability for the public consequences of their private associations and actions, and they shall in no way deprive others of life, liberty or property.

Rewrite of State and U.S. Constitution and Statutes …

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