Many people want to know why we need to pass a law stating the obvious: that marriage involves a man and a woman. I guess it's a sign of the times when we have to pass a law that states the obvious, because the obvious isn't so obvious anymore.
Same sex marriage is coming if a court ruling in Vermont is upheld. In January the Vermont Supreme Court heard arguments in Baker v. Vermont. This was a case brought by two lesbian couples and one homosexual couple. The court is expected to rule in favor of gay marriage. If that is the case, many expect gay couples to flock to Vermont to get "married" and then return to their home states demanding that their marriage license be legally recognized.
A few years ago, pro-family groups feared such an event would take place in Hawaii. That did not happen. Instead, Hawaii (along with other states) passed a defense of marriage act which effectively bans same sex marriages. Although there is a national Defense of Marriage Act, many states do not have such a statute on the books.
That essentially is why we need to pass a law stating the obvious. Marriage involves a man and a woman. An 1884 Supreme Court decision called marriage "the sure foundation of all that is stable and noble in our civilization."
It is not for courts, politicians, or even legislatures to alter or redefine. It's troubling that a legislature even has to pass a law to state the obvious. But that is what needs to be done. In a society that has lost its way, marriage has come to mean more than what God ordained. That's essentially why we need the law.
I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.