Supporters of a ballot measure which
would ban gay marriage in North Carolina are taking their message to
the pulpit on Sunday.
Vote for Marriage NC, the largest group
working for passage of Amendment One, is calling on church leaders to
preach in support of the amendment on Sunday and encourage
congregants to vote early starting Monday during North Carolina's
early-voting period.
If approved on May 8, Amendment One
would bar the state from recognizing the relationships of gay and
lesbian couples with marriage, civil unions and possibly domestic
partnerships.
Supporters of the amendment are also
asking churches to show a video in favor of the measure during church
services.
The seven-minute video features several
prominent religious leaders, including Dr. Mark Harris of the First
Baptist Church in Charlotte, Dr. Patrick Wooden of the Upper Room
Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, and Dr. Mark H. Creech, executive
director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina. Also
featured in the video is Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the
North Carolina Values Coalition.
Wooden, who is African-American,
brushed aside the notion that the amendment is discriminatory,
arguing that marriage by its nature is discriminatory.
“The truth is marriage does
discriminate. And the only way we can make marriage a
non-discriminatory institution is that we take all of the limits
off,” he said.
Wooden also rejected comparisons to the
Civil Rights Movement.
“We've never seen homosexual only
water fountains. Homosexual only entry doors. There's no signs that
say if you are homosexual go to the back. Homosexuals thrive in the
country. They do well in this country. And I'm not opposed to that.
But when it comes to the institution of marriage, I submit to
Biblical authority.” (The video is embedded in the right panel of
this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Wooden has previously faced criticism
for saying sodomy
is only wrong for gay men, gay
men shove cellphones, baseball bats and gerbils up their anuses,
and gay
men need butt plugs to control their bowels.