in Vermont!

Richard Hollerman

Tuesday (two days ago) was another dark day in the United States of America.  Dark days are becoming increasingly common.  On Tuesday, Vermont became the first state in the nation to legalize sodomite “marriages” by means of legislative vote.  The Governor’s veto was overrun by a solid majority in the legislature—with the Senate voting 23 to 5 in favor of homosexuality and the House voting 100 to 49 in favor.  This constituted more than the 2/3 majority that was needed to change the state law.

This victory of sexual immorality in this New England state came through various means.  Craig Benson, who opposed the measure, stated that the sodomites outspent the opponents 20 to 1.  The homosexual members of the House took the floor and “described their own personal love stories,” according to published reports (Fort Worth Star-Telegram).  One deceitful tactic used by the sodomites was to couch the issue in terms of “civil rights” on par with the “rights” granted to people without respect to color, nationality, and gender. 

Vermont has been in the vanguard of liberal causes, with the state passing the revolutionary “same sex” law in the year 2000.  Since that time, there has been a growing acceptance of this immoral relationship and lifestyle that made it more easily accepted by the majority.

There are now four states that have such same-sex marriage laws on the books—Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, and now Vermont.  Sodomite “marriage” laws are pending in other states: New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and New Jersey.  Interestingly, all of these but Iowa are in the Northeast, and Iowa was won not by a vote of the legislature but by the Iowa Supreme Court.  This shows that many of the immoral decisions in this country have come not from the common populace but by judicial tyranny. 

In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the bipartisan “The Defense of Marriage Act” which defines marriage as the union of a male and female.  George Bush continued with his endorsement of this law.  The law stipulates that states do not need to recognize “marriages” of sodomites that occur in other states.  This would mean that two men “married” in Vermont or Massachusetts would not be married in other non-sodomite states.  With the growing number of states that do recognize such unions, there is the growing threat that The Defense of Marriage Act might be overthrown, particularly if the Supreme Court recognizes this as a civil rights issue.  Furthermore, President Obama is an outspoken supporter of sodomite causes, thus this will further encourage the immoral forces in the nation.

Vermont is far from the proverbial Bible Belt.  Little religion remains in this liberal state and that which does continue is mostly liberal, compromising, and traditional.  Without a population grounded in the morality of the Bible and God’s absolute standard, there is little to keep the forces of immorality at bay.  Scripture warns, “By the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil” (Proverbs 16:6).  If a solid and healthy fear of God has been eroded through decades of liberal theology and powerless religion, it is understandable that more and more immorality will come to be accepted as natural, acceptable, and normal.

Those in other states should not look upon the degeneracy of many in Vermont and like states with hypocritical condemnation.  The county as a whole is rampant in premarital fornication, adultery within marriage, and adultery through remarriage.  It has become so common that few families are untouched.  God not only warns against homosexuality, but He also condemns fornication and adultery, and he warns that those who commit any of these sexual sins “will not inherit the kingdom of God” but will suffer in the eternal “lake of fire” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Hebrews 13:4; Revelation 21:8).

What can the Christian do?  We can pray for God to intervene to defeat the power of immoral evil and promote His way of holiness (James 5:16b).  We can share the truth about God’s wholesome sexual instructions with others (Ephesians 5:3-11).  We can emphasize the blessing of love in a legitimate male-female marriage (Hebrews 13:4).  We can make sure that the body of Christ stands for sexual holiness in the midst of a very dark world (Ephesians 4:17-24).  Let’s make sure that we do not swallow the shallow and deceptive arguments of pro-sodomite proponents.  Now is the time to allow our light to shine brightly so that others will see a difference in the way we live and the relationships we enjoy.