New York Caves In

A Gay Couple Celebrating in NY's West Village

Last night in a stunning and dramatic victory for Gay rights advocates; the New York State Legislature in a narrow 33-29 victory legalized Gay marriage.  New York, with this passage becomes the 6th and largest state to do so; paving the way for other states to follow. This is a severe blow for us in the cultural war.  Once again we are reminded that we are living in a rapidly declining civilization.

What makes this particularly distressing is the fact that this happened in a mostly Republican controlled state senate.  Once again political expediency triumphed over fundamental morality. According to reports it is believed that the 4 Republicans who defected on this issue defected only after it was guaranteed that certain religious groups would be exempt from the law.  On the surface this might seem as a win win for both sides, but make no mistake about it, this is bad news for Christians and other faiths.  Just take for example Massachusetts.  When Massachusetts passed a similar law almost immediately Catholic Charities left the state because they were forced to allow adoption to Gay parents.  This capitulation is eerily similar to what Bart Stupak and his 6 cohorts did in passing Obamacare.  They also caved once they were guaranteed ceremonial abortion protections. 

This is a huge victory for secular progressives.  I believe that this is only the beginning; with this victory the progressives will become more emboldened and will seek to root out any form of traditional morality.  What's next bestiality rights? incest rights? polygamy rights? the list goes on and on.

On the plus side our bishops stood tall and unified in their opposition.  Particularly New York City Archbishop Timothy Dolan issued a scathing criticism of this unprecedented government intrusion as he stated,

"But, really, shouldn’t we be more upset – and worried – about this perilous presumption of the state to re-invent the very definition of an undeniable truth – one man, one woman, united in lifelong love and fidelity, hoping for children – that has served as the very cornerstone of civilization and culture from the start?

"Last time I consulted an atlas, it is clear we are living in New York, in the United States of America – not in China or North Korea. In those countries, government presumes daily to “redefine” rights, relationships, values, and natural law. There, communiqués from the government can dictate the size of families, who lives and who dies, and what the very definition of “family” and “marriage” means."

In a similar vein Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio also issued a forceful reprimand as he stated:

"Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature have deconstructed the single most important institution in human history. Republicans and Democrats alike succumbed to powerful political elites and have passed legislation that will undermine our families and as a consequence, our society.


With this vote, Governor Cuomo has opened a new front in the culture wars that are tearing at the fabric of our nation. At a time when so many New Yorkers are struggling to stay in their homes and find jobs, we should be working together to solve these problems. However, the politicians have curried favor with wealthy donors who are proponents of a divisive agenda in order to advance their own careers and futures."

This is a major setback.  It is my prayer that other states do not follow suit. Now more than ever we need to protect and safeguard this fundamental building block of society because if we don't the consequences will be dire indeed.

Photo Credit:  Reuters/ Jessica Rinaldi