Christian activists applaud San Diego City Council for supporting traditional ma

Christian activists applaud San Diego City Council for supporting traditional marriage

San Diego City Council members have declined to approve a court brief supporting same-sex "marriages." But a local Christian activist says he expects pro-homosexual forces to push the council members to continue efforts to redefine marriage.

The brief had been endorsed by the cities of Los Angeles, San Jose, Long Beach, Berkeley, and Oakland, and asks the California Supreme Court to overturn a prohibition on same-sex marriages. The effort was spearheaded by openly homosexual Councilwoman Toni Atkins, who said homosexuals should have civil rights equal with their heterosexual counterparts.

"[D]omestic partnership ... does not fulfill the state's obligation to equal protection," read Atkins' proposal. "Not only is domestic partnership an inferior institution because it provides fewer rights and obligation than marriage in a variety of ways, it is also inferior in that it does not carry with it the societal imprimatur of approval and support for a couple's commitment to each other that is associated with marriage."

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the council's 4-4 tie vote last Tuesday essentially killed the measure -- for now. In fact, the newspaper says council members agreed to bring the proposal up for review again on September 18.

James Lambert was one of about 40 Christian activists who appeared at the September 4 council meeting when the issue was considered. He says while the turnout was good, many churches do not want to take a public stand on the issue. "They're pretty timid about defending the traditional family, which is shocking in my opinion," he shares. "The fact that more Christians aren't stepping forward is alarming to me."

Believers around the nation should be concerned -- and informed -- about what is going on in the debate regarding same-sex marriage, says Lambert. "It's very important that Christians join together and realize that the family unit is the core of any society," he argues, "and for that to be cheapened by opening it up to any kind of sexual innuendo, to me, is wrong because, you know, what's next?"

In March 2000, California voters approved Proposition 22, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman only.