The Future is Now: Preserving Values for a Better Tomorrow

Attorney David Gibbs III

President and Chief Legal Counsel,

National Center for Life and Liberty

www.ncll.org

I. Introduction: Greetings from the USA

• 3500 people coming out to support traditional marriage

• Cayman churches are taking a Christian worldview stand to protect the future

• When taking a stand: RIGHT STAND. RIGHT WAY. RIGHT SPIRIT.

II. The (Re)definition of Marriage

A. Generally

1. Nations have historically defined marriage and they still do

2. The question is not whether there will be a line that defines marriage. The question is where that line will be drawn.

B. Caymans

•        As stated by the Premier, the 2009 Cayman Constitution defined marriage as between a man and a woman

•           In 2010, the Marriage Act further refined the definition between a man and a woman

• In 2015, a month after the ECtHR Oliari¹ ruling, lawmakers in Cayman Islands passed a motion reaffirming the nation’s ban on gay marriage² and its definition of marriage as between one man and one woman³

• In 2016, ECtHR ruled that countries which reserve marriage to a man and a woman are not discriminating or violating the European Convention on Human Rights. Chapin and Carpenter v. France⁴
  ** The definition of marriage in Cayman is consistent with Genesis Chapter 1.

C. Law Always Creates a Standard

1. Groups of people cannot marry in Cayman. Farm animals cannot marry. Children cannot be given in marriage. Closer relatives cannot marry. Pedophiles cannot marry their under-age victims.

2. The law lays down a standard of what is recognized as marriage and what is not

D. Why Does It Matter?

1. Future generations will look at which is being done now in Cayman

2. Educational Standards will be written to what is done now

3. Same sex marriage is an untested experiment- children growing up with a false sense of what is right and natural

4. God will judge a nation that abandons His principles

5. Homosexual community’s forcing of their viewpoint conflicts with religious freedom. No “live and let live” anymore— cake bakers, florists, marriage license clerks, etc.

        E. What our message IS:

1. A message of order—not of hate. Anarchy results when there is no order to law or society relationships

2. A call for a standard based on morality—what is right and wrong—because every society must have some standard for what is right and wrong.

3. Encouragement for Cayman to continue their standard of morality—because it’s based on the Bible and on common law, both of which support only man/woman marriage

4. Traditional Marriage is better than same-sex marriage. Why?

        In the Bible, God ordains the one and condemns the other

        Same sex marriages cannot naturally produce children

        Women and men have distinct genders and roles by design

        A confusing standard is emerging around the world

       

• Same sex couples whether sexually involved or not can always protect their rights by contract or agreement

F. Modern America and the Global Redefinition of Marriage: Historic timeline of the acceptance and legalization of same sex marriage globally and in the United States

III. The Way Forward

            A. The battle for the future will be fought in the following arenas

1. The Media

2. The Law/Politics

3. Business

4. Education/Schools

5. Churches

B. LGBT Rights will continue to collide with religious liberty

1. Make homosexual/transgender an immutable characteristic and force the ideology that denying them rights based on that characteristic is a denial of their basic human rights

2. Fight to obtain special legal protection based on that characteristic

3. Marginalize and punish those who disagree with their lifestyle

4. There is arrogance in a government that ignores the will of the people

            C. What Churches can do:

1. Know what they believe and why

2. Reduce beliefs to coherent, written statements

• Statement of Faith position on marriage and sexuality (**see NCLL Sample below)

• Religious employment criteria—ministerial job descriptions

• Facility use policy

• Marriage/wedding policy

• Code of conduct for staff members

3. Consistently uphold those beliefs

4. Educate children in the truths of scripture

5. Pastors need to stay involved

6. Speak and present the truth in love—we aren’t opposed to anyone, but we do believe God’s standards are best

7. Pray

8. Vote

**Statement of Faith Position on Marriage and Sexuality

(NCLL sample)

We believe that the term marriage has only one legitimate meaning, and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, covenantal union as delineated by Scripture. Marriage ceremonies performed in any facility owned, leased, or rented by this church will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one man with one woman as their genders were determined at birth. Whenever there is a conflict between the church’s position and any new legal standard for marriage, the church’s statement of faith, doctrines, and biblical positions will govern. (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:22–23; Mark 10:6–9; 1 Cor. 7:1–9)

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage as defined above. We believe that any other type of sexual activity, identity, or expression that lies outside of this definition of marriage, including those that are becoming more accepted in the culture and the courts, are contradictory to God’s natural design and purpose for sexual activity. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5; Lev. 18:1–30; Rom. 1: 26–29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9–10; 1 Thess. 4:1–8; Heb. 13:4)

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two-distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God and the rejection of one's biological gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Footnotes