Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who first received national attention when he flouted a court decision ordering him to remove a Ten Commandment monument he installed in the state supreme court rotunda, is now calling on his state’s governor to defy a federal judge’s ruling which found Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional.
In a letter today [PDF] to Gov. Robert Bentley, a staunch supporter of the marriage ban, Moore cites a passage from the Gospel of Mark and notes that “the laws of this state have always recognized the biblical admonition stated by our Lord” regarding marriage. He urged the governor to “stop judicial tyranny” and essentially ignore the court’s decision.
It comes as no surprise that Moore, who founded a Religious Right group called the Foundation for Moral Law, has taken such a dogmatic stance on gay rights. Moore has gone so far as to claim that marriage equality is a Satanic plot to destroy America and likened homosexuality to bestiality.
Moore previously admonished “oppressive” judges who rule in favor of marriage equality for “warping the law,” arguing that a constitutional convention may be necessary to add an amendment banning same-sex marriage to the U.S. Constitution.
He also said that marriage equality is literally the work of the Devil, alleging that it is leading to divine wrath in the form of economic and societal suffering. “God must be sad about this,” he said, referring to the “evils” of gay rights and legal abortion.
Moore even warned anti-gay conspiracy theorist Dave Daubenmire that gay rights are really “about the destruction of an institution upon which this nation is based, and when you destroy the institutions upon which the nation is founded, you’re going to suffer for it”
“If you deny that rights come from God, then there is no moral basis for society,” and without that understanding, according to Moore, then society will face “bestiality, homosexuality, sodomy [and] incest.”
Moore said in another interview: “What is happening when a president of the United States can get up and say we need to redefine marriage? You know, when they do that they are attempting to destroy the very foundation on which this country was built.”
“They are approving same-sex marriage, fortunately not the United States government yet but they are trying to get that established across our country, that you could marry somebody of the same sex,” he said. “Our government is doing a lot that is to destroy this country and it is against the people. Unless we wake up and speak out...we’re going to lose our country.”
During an address to an Iowa rally opposing a State Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality, Moore drew a comparison to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown: “We’ve got a moral crisis in America. We see the things that are happening in Japan and across the nation, but right here we’ve got a moral meltdown.”
“Today the foundation is being shaken by radical judges, liberal politicians and some in the highest office of our land who would redefine marriage and in doing so would destroy the family as we know it,” he said. “No society is prepared to deal with the problems arising out of same-sex marriages: child abuse, adoption, divorce, foster care, alimony, and the list could go on and on. And what stops these judges from next saying that three can be similarly situated as two?”
He also used a speech at the Alabama Cattleman’s Association to denounce marriage equality, claiming that if marriage equality becomes law, then “we no longer have a Constitution.” Ruling in favor of same-sex marriage advocates, Moore told one Alabama news program, “makes the court illegitimate.”
Moore even criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down laws banning “sodomy,” alleging that it is based on “illogical reasoning.” He wrote in a 2006 column for the anti-gay outlet WorldNetDaily that court decisions promoting the “homosexual agenda” will “undermine the will of the people and open the door for even more deviant moral relationships.”
“Same-sex marriage and sodomy are, simply stated, a slippery slope to polygamy and incestuous relationships,” he wrote. “The foundation of the fabric of our nation is being shaken, and only those who would restore our moral foundation deserve our vote on Tuesday.”
Despite the acceptance of the homosexual agenda by leadership in both political parties, the overwhelming voice of the people of our country is against sodomy, same-sex marriage, and special rights for homosexuals. In 1992, the people of Colorado passed an amendment to their state constitution that denied special rights to homosexuals. The U.S. Supreme Court struck it down in 1996 in the egregious Romer v. Evans, but the ruling could not quell the will of the people. To date, 20 states have approved amendments to their constitutions defining marriage to be solely between a man and a woman, all of which have been passed by sizable majorities of the people. Eight more states are due to vote on such amendments this November, and the results are expected to be similarly overwhelming.
The importance of marriage to society and the dangers inherent in a homosexual lifestyle can hardly be overstated. Marriage is the building block of society and the basis for social and economic stability. Marriage between a man and a woman is an ordinance of God, but sodomy was deemed an abomination by the Creator, whose plan for mankind and succeeding generations was clearly stated in Holy Scripture. His design for our lives was recognized by men and women for centuries in practice and in law.
Activist decisions in the name of “tolerance” by judges and executives of both state and federal government should not be tolerated by the people. Such decisions undermine the will of the people and open the door for even more deviant moral relationships. Same-sex marriage and sodomy are, simply stated, a slippery slope to polygamy and incestuous relationships.
It is time for leadership of both parties in Congress to take action to prevent the further destruction of our morality. “It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. … Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?” Those words stated by George Washington were true in 1796 when he gave his Farewell Address, and they are true today. The foundation of the fabric of our nation is being shaken, and only those who would restore our moral foundation deserve our vote on Tuesday.
