Maryland Church State Relations

The ACLU filed a lawsuit in Maryland to strike down a homosexual marriage ban, and judge M. Brooke Murdock ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, killing the ban. (Judge M. Brooke Murdock was named president of the Women's Law Center of Maryland, a Towson group that advocates for equality of the sexes, in 1995. She was appointed to the Circuit Court in 1997 by Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D), and elected in 1998 to a full 15-year term).

In response to this, members of the Maryland House of Delegates drafted H.B. 48 and introduced it into the House of Delegates on January 11th, 2006. It has been in the Judiciary Committee, but this week the bill was killed in committee. For more background on this, the Family Research Council had a news release on February 2nd, 2006. These events are transpiring very quickly, and much of it is not being noticed by the general public.

The bill is entitled the "Defense of Marriage Act" and simply states that marriage is defined as between one man and one woman, and any other relationship that confers the benefits of marriage but is not between one man and one woman is not valid in the state of Maryland. The purpose of this bill is to have the people of Maryland vote on the issue in November, 2006 in the General Election. If passed by the people, the bill would become State Law. This means that same sex unions also would not be recognized in the State of Maryland. It is hard to fathom why anyone, Democrat or Republican, would object to having marriage between one man and one woman put into state law. Except, for one thing. There are very vocal people in the gay and lesbian community who would not want this to happen. The bill, if acted on favorably by the state legislature, would put traditional marriage up for a vote of the general public in November. Traditional thinking people, Democrat or Republican, would not object to this. Therefore, political maneuvering by the few is preventing even a possible yes vote by the majority in the fall of 2006.

The Senate version with similar wording is S.B. 690. (This is a PDF document. You may download the free PDF reader by going to the sermons page and follow the instructions there. It was introduced on February 3rd, 2006.

The Bible is clear about being subject to higher powers, but nowhere does it say we need to roll over and play dead. When the institution of marriage itself, endorsed by God in the Garden of Eden at creation, is directly attacked by judges, politicians, or anyone else, Christians have a moral right and duty to make their views known. If the silent majority remains silent then it deserves whatever happens. The Bible does not support the idea of making signs and marching on the capital, but we should not be deaf to the situation either. The primary goal of the Christian is to further the gospel of Jesus Christ and take it to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. We are to be careful about getting involved in side issues that take up our time and energy. But, the least we can do as Christians is make our views known to our elected officials, especially on an issue as basic as marriage.

However, there are very vocal and active groups who do not want either version of these bills to pass. And, there are politicians who support them. Let the people decide the issue in an election. The issue should not be decided in some back room in a closed session! Contact your legislator, both in the House and the Senate. Let them know how you feel. Individuals who make their opinions known can do wonders!

Background information can be found by using the following listed sites:

• Call House Speaker Michael Busch, (D), District 30, Anne Arundel County, at (410) 841-3800 or (301) 858-3800 and ask him where he stands on H.B. 48. Write him at Speaker Michael Busch, H-101 State House, Annapolis, MD, 21401. Voice your concern (politely) and tell him you support H.B. 48.

• General information about the Maryland General Assembly can be found at http://www.mlis.state.md.us/.

• To find out the status of a bill, go to http://www.mlis.state.md.us/#bill. This site currently states that H.B. 48 received an unfavorable report from the Judiciary Committee on 2/3/06. Indications are that House Speaker Michael Busch had everything to do with this "unfavorable report".

• To find out who your legislators are using your street address go to http://mdelect.net.

• To contact your legislator via email go to http://www.mlis.state.md.us/cgi-win/mail32.exe  (You will be required to give your name, home address, and phone number.)

• Call the House Judiciary Committee and tell them (politely) how you feel and ask about any updates to the bill. Phone numbers are (410) 946-5350 or 5510, or (301) 970-5350 or 5510.

The legal ramifications of these efforts are quite staggering. But, something else is involved here as well. If efforts fail to make the legal definition of marriage one man and one woman, the next step will be to teach open homosexual agendas in our public schools. Imagine your tax dollars being used to teach your children something that you are completely against....

One final note. These bills may be altered prior to their final passage. The most likely change will be putting wording in the bill to allow for civil unions. This means that Sam and Dave can have legal status in Maryland which is the same as marriage, or Sue and Sally can have the same legal status.

Note. This page was updated Friday, February 10th, 2006.

Note. The following update was posted on Thursday, February 23rd, 2006:

Note. Another bill has been introduced into the House of Delegates, House Bill 1393 - Valid Marriages. This bill has not been assigned a hearing date. Senate Bill 690 - Valid Marriages is sponsored by Senator Larry Haines. This bill would provide the opportunity for Marylanders to vote to protect marriage by defining it as between a man and a woman. The language used removes the restrictions on civil unions and leaves the authority to the General Assembly. Senate Bill 690 is going to be heard before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Wednesday, March 1st at 1 p.m. Voice your support prior to that date.

Note. As of April 1st, 2006, all bills have failed. It looks like there will be no law related to the protection of marriage in this session of the general assembly.

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