Printed on 1/12/12
Representative, House District 49
11/7/03
The family is the most essential institution of a civilized society. Historically, the family existed long before civil government or any other form of human culture. Any nation which has ever flourished had at its core the family unit gluing the day-to-day details of life into a harmonious system.
This is no accident of random social experiment. Our Creator established the family as the cornerstone of human society. We know of His intentional design through His revealed Word in the Bible. We also see the intentional design of the family through the universal effectiveness of its function.
The traditional family of one man and one woman, bonded together in marriage, with the direct responsibility to raise their children, has contributed more for civilization than anything civil government has ever done.
For example, courts and prisons cannot create domestic tranquility, but a healthy family can. Prisons punish and isolate the most dangerous. Healthy families maintain stability and train future generations to live peaceful and productive lives.
Government educational systems are not as effective at accomplishing what a conscientious mother and father can do to insure the moral and academic excellence of their children. Our state government has spent more on education than any other category for generations, yet we are still trying to determine how to make that system work well. The current theme, "no child left behind," is a laudable public goal, but one that almost automatically occurs when the parents are actively involved in the education of their children.
Civil government cannot make or enforce enough laws to replicate the role of the family. I have seen first-hand that the legislature will never be able to mandate a responsible citizenry. In stark contrast, a solid family is the first, best step toward building and maintaining that responsibility at all levels. In the public arena the very best that can be done is to always encourage and promote the health of the traditional family.
Yet some in our culture want to try to redefine marriage, and thus undercut civilization's most effective means of promoting peace, harmony and prosperity. Their attempt to dilute the one man, one woman traditional marriage to any combination of any gender is not accepting a broader, fuller meaning of marriage; it is to miss the very point of marriage and attempt to supplant it with an inferior imitation. Including anything more than the traditional family in the definition of marriage would reduce the legal aspect of marriage to just another set of contracts and all aspects of family law would require similar modifications.
Ultimately we would not really redefine marriage, we would simply put our nation's laws in contradiction to the realities of human society.
Of all times in history, now is the most important time to stand up and defend that which is best. The traditional family is essential for any culture to flourish, and today's rapidly changing society is in desperate need of the stability and good influence of healthy families. This is what we should promote. This is what we should encourage. To embrace a counterfeit is to dangerously tempt a significant deterioration of our culture.
Recently several other nations have changed their laws to include unions which are not one man, one woman families. Some U.S. states are also considering the concept. Even though 36 states and the U.S. Congress have passed defense of marriage acts, which only recognize marriage between one man and one woman, the legal status of marriage will be in jeopardy until this matter is clearly defined in the U.S. Constitution.
I am proud to say that our representative in Congress, Marilyn Musgrave, understood that when she introduced the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA). She has courageously taken the lead in this matter, which I believe will be a major issue in our nation for the next several years.
When I first ran for public office I pledged to defend the interests of families. Because of the significant effect the Federal Marriage Amendment will have on this important subject, I intend to do what I can to promote the FMA at the state level.
For the Colorado legislature to ratify the Federal Marriage Amendment, Congress must first pass it by a two-thirds majority in both houses. I intend to introduce a joint resolution to urge our Congressional delegation to support the FMA and thus begin what I trust will be a careful and deliberate consideration of the Federal Marriage Amendment at the state level.
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The Federal Marriage Amendment
by Kevin LundbergRepresentative, House District 49
11/7/03
The family is the most essential institution of a civilized society. Historically, the family existed long before civil government or any other form of human culture. Any nation which has ever flourished had at its core the family unit gluing the day-to-day details of life into a harmonious system.
This is no accident of random social experiment. Our Creator established the family as the cornerstone of human society. We know of His intentional design through His revealed Word in the Bible. We also see the intentional design of the family through the universal effectiveness of its function.
The traditional family of one man and one woman, bonded together in marriage, with the direct responsibility to raise their children, has contributed more for civilization than anything civil government has ever done.
For example, courts and prisons cannot create domestic tranquility, but a healthy family can. Prisons punish and isolate the most dangerous. Healthy families maintain stability and train future generations to live peaceful and productive lives.
Government educational systems are not as effective at accomplishing what a conscientious mother and father can do to insure the moral and academic excellence of their children. Our state government has spent more on education than any other category for generations, yet we are still trying to determine how to make that system work well. The current theme, "no child left behind," is a laudable public goal, but one that almost automatically occurs when the parents are actively involved in the education of their children.
Civil government cannot make or enforce enough laws to replicate the role of the family. I have seen first-hand that the legislature will never be able to mandate a responsible citizenry. In stark contrast, a solid family is the first, best step toward building and maintaining that responsibility at all levels. In the public arena the very best that can be done is to always encourage and promote the health of the traditional family.
Yet some in our culture want to try to redefine marriage, and thus undercut civilization's most effective means of promoting peace, harmony and prosperity. Their attempt to dilute the one man, one woman traditional marriage to any combination of any gender is not accepting a broader, fuller meaning of marriage; it is to miss the very point of marriage and attempt to supplant it with an inferior imitation. Including anything more than the traditional family in the definition of marriage would reduce the legal aspect of marriage to just another set of contracts and all aspects of family law would require similar modifications.
Ultimately we would not really redefine marriage, we would simply put our nation's laws in contradiction to the realities of human society.
Of all times in history, now is the most important time to stand up and defend that which is best. The traditional family is essential for any culture to flourish, and today's rapidly changing society is in desperate need of the stability and good influence of healthy families. This is what we should promote. This is what we should encourage. To embrace a counterfeit is to dangerously tempt a significant deterioration of our culture.
Recently several other nations have changed their laws to include unions which are not one man, one woman families. Some U.S. states are also considering the concept. Even though 36 states and the U.S. Congress have passed defense of marriage acts, which only recognize marriage between one man and one woman, the legal status of marriage will be in jeopardy until this matter is clearly defined in the U.S. Constitution.
I am proud to say that our representative in Congress, Marilyn Musgrave, understood that when she introduced the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA). She has courageously taken the lead in this matter, which I believe will be a major issue in our nation for the next several years.
When I first ran for public office I pledged to defend the interests of families. Because of the significant effect the Federal Marriage Amendment will have on this important subject, I intend to do what I can to promote the FMA at the state level.
For the Colorado legislature to ratify the Federal Marriage Amendment, Congress must first pass it by a two-thirds majority in both houses. I intend to introduce a joint resolution to urge our Congressional delegation to support the FMA and thus begin what I trust will be a careful and deliberate consideration of the Federal Marriage Amendment at the state level.
< Back to Federal Marriage Amendment
