The Manhattan Declaration

The secular "progressives" are pounding away with their 16-inch guns, trying to sink a movement that has been energized by "The Manhattan Declaration." If you've never heard of it, the Manhattan Declaration is a written statement by representatives of various Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical Christian churches.

"We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians" says the Declaration, "who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them."

What are these "fundamental truths about justice and the common good? They are:

• The sanctity of life
• The dignity of marriage as a union of a man and a woman
• The rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Today these beliefs are under attack by a small, but powerful cabal of leftist politicians who are promulgating laws that violate them. These threats include:

• Healthcare "reform" laws that might seek to compel Catholic-affiliated hospitals to perform abortions if they wish to receive public payments for medical procedures
• Laws, or worse than that, judicial fiats, that legalize gay marriage
• Secular education curricula that countermand the religious beliefs taught by Evangelical Christians in their homes

The Manhattan Declaration draws a religious line in the sand as did the Declaration of Independence did politically 233 years ago. 

To the secular humanists, this is like flashing the crucifix to Dracula. "This declaration simply perpetuates the fallacy that equality and religious liberty are incompatible, and that every step toward fairness for the lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender community is another burden on religious people." So harrumphed an organization called the Human Rights Campaign.

Well, I've got news for the Human Rights Campaign. You may think that my religious beliefs are "fallacy," but I sure as hell don't.  And if what you call "equality" requires that a small, Catholic college in North Carolina pay for abortions, which the Obama administration has said it must, than they your idea of equality is incompatible with Catholic belief. And if you think it's fair for Catholic, Orthodox or Evangelical people to be silenced as you you create a mythical "protected class" called "GLBT" then you've just gotten a wake-up call from the Manhattan Declaration.

The irony is that groups like the Human Rights Campaign have no problem bending over backwards making sure that terrorists have copies of the Koran in their prison cells, God is vanquished from our public schools once and for all, and the part of Santa Claus each year is played by Father Christmas. But let traditional orthodoxy try and assert its First Amendment rights and immediately it is tarred as insensitive, homophobic, and misogynist. 

So, what does the Manhattan Declaration say about those of us who hold traditional Christian beliefs and values? Like Peter Finch's character Howard Beale in the film classic Network, it says we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any more.

Just thought you might like to know.