The Vote That Could Change America

February 2000

Dear Friends,

As you read this letter, a drama is being played out in California that has serious implications for the institution of the family, not only in the Golden State but throughout the nation. On March 7, voters will go to the polls to consider Proposition 22*, known as the Protection of Marriage Initiative. If this pro-family measure passes, it will add these fourteen crucial words to the California Family Code*: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."1

This electoral decision is monumental in scope. A "yes" vote by the citizens of our most populous state would affirm the validity of the traditional family as designed by God at the dawn of human existence. But if Proposition 22 fails, the unraveling of that time-honored institution would accelerate. Homosexual marriages that might become legal in other states would be binding in California as well. The initiative is critical right now because a few weeks ago, the liberal Supreme Court of Vermont directed the state legislature to either allow homosexuals to "marry," or to establish some form of domestic partnership that would create a quasi-marital relationship.2 It was a major victory for gays and lesbian activists because it represents the first big domino to fall. They have lost previous efforts to redefine marriage at the voting booths in Maine,3 Hawaii4 and Alaska,5 demonstrating that the majority of the people in those states oppose their agenda. But as is so often the case, a handful of unelected, leftist judges have imposed their will on the culture. Now by defeating the Protection of Marriage Initiative in California, activists would achieve one of their greatest victories in an era of unprecedented gains.

Who would have believed even a decade ago that leaders in dozens of countries around the world would be moving toward so-called "homosexual marriage" and other objectives that had almost no support at the outset. Indeed, the president of the United States is personally committed to that radical agenda.6 Bill Clinton meets regularly with activists, speaking at their fund-raising events and promising vigorous support for their goals.7 On the print edition of this letter I have shown a picture of the president at a meeting last December 16, during which he pledged himself again to the principle of homosexuals in the military.

Clinton said during this event, "I ask you to stay with me and to make a good effort. I think we’ve got a much better chance to pass (pro-gay and lesbian legislation) in 2000, and I hope you will help me with that." Then he added, "I have said many times, I wish we could have done more [to promote the homosexual agenda,] but I’m glad we did what we did."8 Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a national leader who was this supportive of the traditional family and the moral principles that undergird it?

In keeping with his pledge, the president is expected to do everything he can to help his activist friends defeat Proposition 22 in the closing days before March 7. He will not be the only prominent Democrat to enter the fray. California’s attorney general took it upon himself to change the name of the referendum from the Definition of Marriage Initiative, which was signed by 700,000 citizens who placed it on the ballot.9 Instead he called it "The Limit on Marriages Initiative."10 That revision will hurt its chances of passage, because Americans don’t like to be "limited" in any way. California’s governor, Gray Davis, and a majority of state representatives are also committed to the gay agenda. They have crammed through radical bills in the past few months that wouldn’t have had a chance four years ago. Sheila Kuehl, an openly lesbian assemblywoman in California, described herself as "euphoric" over what is happening to her movement. She said about the governor, "[His] action in signing [recent pro-homosexual] bills moved me beyond words. The importance of these laws to many thousands of people can’t be underestimated."11 This comment illustrates the zeal and momentum that the pro-family community in California is facing as the election approaches on March 7.

Furthermore, we have just learned that homosexual activists in the Golden State are planning to capitalize on their victory if they are successful in defeating the Protection of Marriage Initiative. They have begun circulating petitions to get a constitutional amendment on the November 2000 ballot that would formally legalize same-sex marriage.12 Clearly, those with whom we disagree are committed to their cause. The question is, are we as dedicated to ours?

Quite literally, the institution of the family is hanging in the balance. If homosexuals are permitted to marry, then the entire legal basis for the family will be undermined. For example, if marriages between two men or two women are recognized by the state, then why not three men or four women, or perhaps four men and two women? Once the traditional family is jettisoned, who knows what California’s liberal court system will decide is "constitutional"? Marriage would mean anything—or, more likely, nothing at all. What is at stake here is nothing less than the future of the family—the basic unit of society on which everything of value rests.

Can you imagine the chaos that would occur if the institution of marriage finally collapses or becomes ineffectual in various nations of the world? Everything of value would quickly unravel, beginning with the welfare of the younger generation. The family is the greatest vehicle ever invented for the care, nurturance and spiritual development of children. When boys and girls are raised in unstable settings and then shuffled from pillar to post, serious behavioral problems begin to appear. Furthermore, history confirms that the stability of society itself crumbles. Cultures that have allowed their families to disintegrate have quickly deteriorated or passed from the world scene.13 These are the implications of the upcoming election in California and the other places where the civil war of values rages.

Returning to the situation in California, activists are reportedly spending upwards of $10 million on an advertising campaign designed to confuse the issue and influence the people.14 Misleading television ads are permeating the media in these closing days before the election. The question remains, what will be the response from the pro-family community? I’m almost afraid to ask. My concern is that conservative pastors and their constituencies in California will sit out this landmark battle. Will Christians abandon the family at its time of greatest peril? Recent history is not encouraging. More than 126 million people who were eligible to vote in the general election of 1998 stayed at home, and many of them were Christians.15 That is disgraceful. It permitted those in favor of abortion, gambling, homosexuality and other liberal causes to win the day. Without a concerted effort, the traditional family will continue to decline.

May I ask our readers in all 50 states to be in prayer about the outcome in California? Toward that end, we are suggesting that a day of fasting and prayer be held on Sunday, March 5, specifically for the Protection of Marriage Initiative. If you live in the Golden State, ask your pastor to consider emphasizing the election and its importance to the family. Then on election day, our California friends must get every eligible conservative voter to the polls. That is the only way to achieve victory in a state where the media will throw its powerful influence to the other side.

We must also pray for those who have brought this issue before the public. They are being attacked viciously by homosexual activists, who have a history of vilifying those who oppose their agenda. That has already occurred with regard to Sen. Pete Knight. Shortly after he sponsored this initiative, his son announced that he was a homosexual. The movement then attacked Knight personally, claiming that his action was motivated by shame over the disclosure of his son’s sexual orientation.16 This is the kind of personal assault that can be expected against anyone speaking out in favor of traditional marriage. Please stand with those pastors, legislators and other leaders in California who are certain to be held up in scorn in the days ahead.

A related issue in cities across the nation focuses on the trend for corporations to provide medical and other benefits to co-habitating homosexuals.17 But in this instance, we have some good news to report. You may have read recently about the merger between two of the largest companies in the oil industry, Exxon and Mobil. At the time of the merger, Mobil had a policy of extending benefits to unmarried "domestic partners" of employees, while Exxon did not. However, after the companies merged to form Exxon-Mobil, they announced that they would not grant benefits to partners of unmarried new hires. Exxon-Mobil spokesman Tom Cirigliano clarified that, "The Exxon-Mobil policy provides benefits to spouses in legally recognized marriages."18

Naturally, this decision drew fire from the homosexual community. The gay rights organization the Human Rights Campaign issued an angry press release stating that the policy treated gay and lesbian workers "unfairly and unequally."19 Exxon-Mobil has also been criticized by gay rights activists for its decision not to include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination policy.20 I’d encourage you to contact Exxon-Mobil and express your support for their decision not to cave in to pressure from gay rights groups, even when so many other corporations are doing so. You can write to: L.R. Raymond, CEO, Exxon-Mobil Corporation, 5959 Las Colinas Boulevard, Irving, TX, 75039-2298. The phone number is (972) 444-1000, and the fax number is (972) 444-1348. You can also phone their public relations department at (972) 444-1107 or fax them at (972) 444-1138.

Before closing, I’d like to provide one additional piece of information that doesn’t relate to homosexual activism, but is nonetheless an encouraging example of why Christians need to speak out when our cherished values and beliefs are attacked. Early last year, the ACLU filed lawsuits against a number of counties in Kentucky and Ohio that had allowed the posting of the Ten Commandments on public buildings. While anti-religion lawsuits from the ACLU are certainly nothing new, this time Christians and conservative citizens rose to respond.

The controversy began when the ACLU sued to remove four granite copies of the Ten Commandments from in front of school buildings in Adams County, Ohio. Rather than turn a blind eye to the situation, a group called Adams County for the Ten Commandments began offering blue and white yard signs—each printed with the Ten Commandments—for a donation of $2 each. Thousands of the signs began showing up in yards throughout Adams County. The movement quickly spread from southern Ohio to northern Kentucky, where citizens had heard about the signs and began asking about them. Judy Sears, owner of the Sonshine Christian Bookstore in Corbin, Kentucky, said, "As a Christian majority, we have let people walk all over us and we haven’t spoken up.... it’s time for us to take [the country] back for God."21

Indeed, a recent press release from the Family Research Council indicates that 74 percent of Americans believe the posting of the Ten Commandments in a school is a good idea.22 I’m pleased to report that this endeavor has been tremendously successful thus far. In fact, the Ohio legislature passed a resolution of "support, understanding and sympathy" for the Adams County School District’s fight against the ACLU.23 What’s more, the movement is beginning to sweep far beyond the geographical area where the controversy first started. The Associated Press reports that those famous blue and white signs have now been spotted in 24 states and four foreign countries.24 Also, the Cincinnati Inquirer related that on November 17 of last year, students nationwide wore t-shirts displaying the Ten Commandments to show their faith and protest the nineteenth anniversary of the Stone vs. Graham Supreme Court ruling, which outlawed the reading of the Ten Commandments in Kentucky schools.25

I hope you can see the correlation between the debate over the Ten Commandments to the ongoing controversy over gay rights. Both of these issues have come to the forefront not because the majority of the American public is in favor of granting special rights to homosexuals or abolishing the Ten Commandments, but because a small group of activists among the radical left is so adept at imposing their misguided agenda on the entire nation. If men and women of faith would take a stand in defense of the Judeo-Christian values upon which our country was forged, the tide would begin to turn. The good people in Kentucky and Ohio have already caught a refreshing glimpse of what can happen when people like you and me are willing to engage the culture, rather than turn a blind eye to the distressing events taking place all around us.

May I ask, as you are praying about these issues before us, that you remember the staff of Focus on the Family? We’re doing everything we can to help counter the misinformation being disseminated by those on the radical left. That brings criticism and sometimes vicious attacks by those with whom we disagree. Nevertheless, we will continue to share the facts with our friends, so that you, in turn, can take a stand within your own circle of influence. Above all, we remain resolute in our efforts to fulfill this ministry’s mission by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who so desperately need to hear it. Many of our ideological opponents are searching for meaning in all the wrong places. It’s up to us to speak the truth in love before a watching world, in obedience to the admonition of Peter: "Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (I Peter 2:12, RSV).

With that, I’ll bring this month’s letter to a close. May God’s richest blessings surround you and your loved ones in the coming days as you endeavor to impact the world around you for the sake of His Kingdom.

Sincerely,

James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
President

P.S. We have now evaluated our year-end finances and believe we’re going to be okay, despite some earlier concerns. Thank you so much for your sacrificial gifts, and for continuing to stand with us month by month. We could not continue without your support!

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