Veritas Rex

Marriage - a Stimulus AND a Health Plan

The Best Wishes Series

 

Excerpt from a 4-part series:  God's Design for Marriage

at  Focus on the Family

Why Marriage Matters for Adults
Is marriage an old-fashioned, outmoded institution? Is it merely a piece of paper, having no real impact on our lives?  By Glenn T. Stanton

Researchers are finding that marriage has a much greater impact in our lives than many have assumed. This is especially true in the area of adult health and well-being. Sociologist Linda Waite and researcher Maggie Gallagher explain, "The evidence from four decades of research is surprisingly clear: a good marriage is both men's and women's best bet for living a long and healthy life."1   Men and women who are in their first marriages, on average, enjoy significantly higher levels of physical and mental health than those who are either single, divorced or living together. The research on this is very strong.

Leading social scientist, James Q. Wilson, explains:

"Married people are happier than unmarried ones of the same age, not only in the United States, but in at least seventeen other countries where similar inquiries have been made. And there seems to be good reasons for that happiness. People who are married not only have higher incomes and enjoy greater emotional support, they tend to be healthier. Married people live longer than unmarried ones, not only in the United States but abroad."2

Read more...

Best Wishes from Veritas Rex!

 

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan McCann

Mazal tov!

The Indiana Family Institute is proud to announce the wedding of our key blogger, Ryan McCann, on Saturday, June 27th. 

We send the happy couple our most heartfelt pro-family congratulations!  We were  present to witness the beautiful ceremony and the couple’s strong commitment to their faith and to each other.  We stand alongside in support and prayer for a lifetime of service to family and community through the ever-deepening roots of the marital bond.

During the McCann holiday, Veritas Rex will be hosing a “reception” of sorts – the “Best Wishes Series”.  Think of it like filling out their guest book or making one of those videos at the reception with your comments to the happy couple.  Some old blogs, some new...some new guests, too.

The McCanns would appreciate the gift of great blogging and conversation.  We’ll post the blogs -- you be sure to weigh in, too, with your best wishes.

Anti-Christian Bias and the Federal Hate Crimes Bill

Coral Ridge ministries has a great video up on youtube explaining the dangers of the Federal Hate Crimes bill.  Check it out:

FOTF Supports Miss California in her Stand for Marriage

Dr. Dobson had Miss California on his program recently to support her as liberals attempt to pull every skeleton out of her closet in response to her nationwide support of marriage.  Ann Coulter makes a great point in her recent column.  "Christians aren't people who believe they are without sin; they're people who know they're sinners and are awestruck by God's grace in sending his only Son to take the punishment they deserve."

People are trying to demonize Carrie because of the mistakes of her past.  It seems to me this is solely motivated by the good she is attempting to do in the present.  
 

House Speaker Bauer Oversees Session Chaos

As Wednesday came and passed without a budget, we have to ask, “What is going on in the Indiana House of Representatives?”  I have to say that as I have worked with legislators this session on pro- family issues, they have consistently told me that this session has been the most frustrating of their career.  Whether it’s protecting marriage, protecting the safety of women and the lives of the unborn, education reform, tax reform or simply doing their constitutional duty of putting together a budget, their efforts have been thwarted by one man.  House Speaker Pat Bauer.  

Speaker Bauer has made it abundantly clear that no pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-family issues will see the light of day as long as he is Speaker.  He personally saw to it that Indiana’s Marriage Protection Amendment, authored by Representatives David Cheatham (D) and Eric Turner (R) never even received a hearing, even though it had been passed overwhelmingly when he was Minority Leader. 

After a promising start to pro-life SB 89, a patient safety bill aimed at protecting women from reckless abortion doctors, Speaker Bauer stabbed the Democrat author of the bill, pro-life champion Rep. David Cheatham, in the back by reneging on his promise to appoint Rep. Cheatham to the conference committee, dooming the bill to failure. 

For those of us who care about pro-family, pro-life issues and just plain old good public policy, Speaker Bauer has seen to it that this session has been a disappointment.  We’ll see what the special session brings, but it is unlikely that pro-family issues will be addressed.  Meanwhile, same-sex marriage is on the march while Indiana sticks out like a sore thumb, as 30 other states have already adopted constitutional amendments to protect marriage, over 10,000 unborn children are killed each year in our state, and women remain unprotected from the recklessness of the abortion industry. 

Parent-Child Relationship Tied to Religious Attendance and Family Structure

Want to have a quality relationship with your child?  Fight for your marriage and worship the Lord regularly.  Hmmm....I feel like I've read that advice in a book somewhere...(*smile*)

Here are the details of the study. 

Beauty Pageant Contestant Takes a Stand for Marriage

Thank you Miss California!

Speaker Bauer Turns A Deaf Ear To Iowa Warning

Below is the press release Rep. Eric Turner, the IN House author of the Marriage Amendment, put out regarding Iowa's Supreme Court decision redefining marriage. 

Rep. Turner is right on the money when he says:

"Speaker Bauer has said many times Indiana's statute is sufficient to protect the sanctity of marriage," Rep. Turner said. "If he believes in that sanctity, he needs to take the Defense of Marriage Amendment seriously."

There is overwhelming support for the Marriage Amendment within the Indiana House of Representatives.  There are many within Speaker Bauer's own caucus who support the Marriage Amendment, including co-author Rep. Dave Cheatham.  It's a shame that one man is holding back so many pro-marriage, pro-family, pro-life, pro-education, pro-limited government, pro-tax reform, etc. measures this year.

STATEHOUSE (April 3, 2009) - What happened in Iowa today is a perfect example of why Indiana needs the Defense of Marriage Amendment in the state constitution, Rep. Eric Turner (R-Marion) said.

The Iowa Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling today finding that the state's same-sex-marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of homosexual couples. Iowa now joins Massachusetts and Connecticut in permitting same-sex marriage.

"Indiana has a statute prohibiting same-sex marriage, but as we can see from Iowa's example, it is not safe," Rep. Turner said. "This decision comes from the Midwest, the country's heartland. It didn't come from one of the liberal coasts. The assault on family values is moving inland."

Vermont homosexual activists prove civil unions not enough

Some of my moderate friends have argued in the past that something like Vermont civil unions would be a good compromise for Indiana.  We don't redefine marriage, yet we give proponents of alternative sexual lifestyles additional benefits.  Homosexual activists in Vermont prove this proposed "compromise" to be naive.  What started out as a compromise of civil unions has become a stepping stone to same-sex marriage.

What my moderate friends do not fully appreciate is that the fight over marriage is not really a fight over legal rights, its a fight over self esteem.  If God is either nonexistent, irrelevant or a figurehead made of our own preferences, then who do we turn to for ultimate approval?  Big Brother. It is incredibly naive to believe that these radicals will stop until they have forced their view of sexuality upon every last citizen.  Allowing civil unions is not compromise, it's surrender.

More on Iowa Marriage Redefinition

From Citzenlink:

Iowa Supreme Court Strikes Down Marriage Law

Seven judges in Iowa have changed the definition of marriage for the entire state by voting unanimously to ignore the state’s Defense of Marriage Act. Six homosexual couples had sued in December 2005, demanding marriage licenses. The court agreed today, thus ignoring the Legislature and a majority of Iowans.

“The Iowa marriage law was simple, settled and overwhelmingly supported by Iowans," said Douglas Napier, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. "There was simply no legitimate reason for the court to redefine marriage."

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst at Focus on the Family Action, said the ruling took his breath away.

"The justices brazenly asserted that their role was not only to redefine marriage, but also to legislate whatever new social agenda they favored, 'free from the influences' of a society resistant to such change," he said. "Such an admission is breathtaking in its arrogance and scope."

Tony Perkins, president of FRC Action, called on Iowa to join the 30 states that have amended their constitutions to protect marriage.

"We need to remember that the marriage-amendment movement has been many times more successful than the same-sex 'marriage' movement," he said. "We urge Iowans to contact their legislators and urge them to move quickly to pass a constitutional amendment protecting marriage.

"We hope the Legislature will heed the powerful swell of statewide support for an amendment and reclaim from the High Court its rightful place as the state's policy-making body."

In Vermont, marriage advocates remained hopeful after the House failed to get the votes needed to override a promised veto of same-sex "marriage" legislation.
Gov. James Douglas has pledged to veto S. 115, which passed the House with a 95-52 vote and had already cleared the Senate in a 26-4 vote. One hundred House votes were needed to push the legislation through.