Homosexual rights initiative in Alaska

The following March 19 letter from Anchorage archbishop Roger Schwietz, whose leadership helped put parental notification on the 2010 ballot and pass it, appeared in the archdiocese paper the Catholic Anchor.

Two television ads for the No on Proposition 5 ads explain the difficulties Prop 5 will entail. Opponents have asked the TV stations to pull the ads. See the links below.

My Dear People:

[Proposition 5 (in the municipality of Anchorage April 3 election) ] is an initiative that is being promoted as a measure that will end perceived discrimination against persons who self-identify as “homosexual,” “bisexual,” or “transgender….” 

Neither federal nor state of Alaska anti-discrimination laws have ever divided persons into classes based on “sexual orientation” or “trans-gender identity,” as Proposition 5 seeks to do here. Yet there have been other states and cities that have implemented laws similar to Proposition 5. The effect of these laws has been to seriously infringe on the free exercise of religion, freedom of association, and freedom of expression. Our Catholic Anchor website outlines some examples and gives further information at www.catholicanchor.org.

Proposition 5 … sweeps with a broad brush, and would usher in a new era of intolerance in Anchorage, all done in the name of “ending discrimination.”

I invite the Catholic faithful of Anchorage, and all those who cherish our religious liberty, to exercise their right to vote; to look carefully into the dangers of this Proposition 5 Initiative; and, if you see the dangers in this bad legislation as I do, to join me in opposing Proposition 5.

Sincerely yours in Christ and Mary,

Roger L. Schwietz, OMI
Archbishop of Anchorage

Click here
for Catholic Achor webpage containing link to entire story

Steve’s Gym ad, Click here.

Daycare center ad, Click here.

READER COMMENTS

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 2:24 AM By Diane B
It seems ironic that by meeting demands for “rights” for gays, transgenders and bisexual, we Catholics must arm ourselves for the discrimination that we will receive from remaining faithful to our church’s teaching, and voicing our objections to this type of lifestyle.

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 3:12 AM By Juanita Young
It’s about time the church in Alaska finally took some action….it’s long over due….

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 4:38 AM By Dan
Simple and to the point. That’s what Catholic laity need now: arguments to counter the very strong prevaling cultural revolution brought on first by the pill, and now dominant in academia and the media.

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 5:07 AM By Phil Malham
In regards to the homosexual agenda, I blame the Church. With the onset of Vatican 2 the Church has lost most of it previous power especially on issues like this one and the defination of marriage. As Vatican 2 gained movement, what is right and wrong has shifted to tolerance rather than doing and living what the Bible states. Even in our Churches, the body of Christ has moved from view ( i.e. center altar/stage to somewhere off to the left out of sight. I hope and pray the the Church returns to it’s former self and it’s members remmember that we are there for the word of Christ,……….. not to feel good in our sins

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 5:53 AM By Abeca Christian
Archbishop Roger Schwietz God bless you for being a God fearing gentleman of God! He knows the real truth, that discrimination begins when these evil props come into place! Not only do they ignore the natural law but they discriminate and impose on those of faith and common decency! This is special treatment to a particular sexual appetite and are not fair nor right!

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 6:02 AM By JMJ
These people are getting bolder and bolder as they are following the father of all lies, the evil one as he knows that his time on this planet is almost over. It is sad to see so many Catholics falling for his lies, not knowing or caring about what God will do in His days of revenge that will come down upon us far too soon (or is it not soon enough?). GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED!! +JMJ+

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 7:06 AM By Dave N.
Three observations. First, I’m not sure what this has to do with California, except for the fact that we’ve had similar laws here since the 1980s and the sky hasn’t fallen as of yet. Second, the archdiocese’s website reference to local business owners–I guess they want to protect restaurants?— “Whether its a meal you are serving….” is a little disturbing. The language makes it sounds like the archbishop wants to protect restaurants’ rights to refuse service to gay people simply on that basis alone. Seems like a move that comes across as very Jim Crow-esque and won’t do anything for the credibility of their campaign. Finally, the daycare center ad confuses transvestite and transgender, which again doesn’t do anything to help their credibility even if they have a valid point. I’m assuming the archdiocese is funneling money to the ADF for all this, which is also probably a mistake given their botched handling of the Prop 8 case here in California.

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 8:46 AM By Jeff
I think you missed the whole point Dave; The letter denounced any attempt to “advance disrespect or unjust discrimination against people of homosexual orientation” but stated that there is “an essential distinction between unjust discrimination, which is the arbitrary violation of human rights, and the necessary limitations on the exercise of our rights when it is required to protect the justice that is due to others, and the common good.”

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 9:37 AM By Marie
Bishop Schwietz is incredible. He is unafraid of the “politically correct” who seek to ruin our country. He also openly and virogously supported Alaska’s parental notification initiative which was approved by the voters in Alaska. It has already reduced the teen abortion rate in Alaska by 20%. Can that happen here?

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 11:24 AM By Mark from PA
People do have the right to freedom of expression, freedom of speech. So they have the right to have ads such as those shown. They have the right to make fun of, make jokes about, criticize, condemn and belittle gay people if they wish. But I think they should leave the religious freedom aspect out of it. In my opinion religious freedom doesn’t give people the right to do these things but freedom of speech does.

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 11:53 AM By Abeca Christian
Phil Malham I appreciate and admire what you posted. God bless you! The only thing is, the church is not the only one to hold accountable but remember that the outside influences are much too powerful and the church is run by humans, imperfect ones.

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 12:21 PM By MacDonald
@ Dave N. 7:06 AM — the only link I can think of between Alaska and California is Russia, which brought the Orthodox Faith to the people of both areas way back when. That’s why we have “Fort Ross” (originally Крепость Россъ) here in Northern California, with its Orthodox Chapel.

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 12:28 PM By Catherine
“First, I am not sure what this has to do with California” How about the *Universal* One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church! “I am the good shepherd; and I know mine and mine know me. John 10:14

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 4:29 PM By Dana
Dave, by “the sky hasn’t fallen as of yet.” do you mean that California hasn’t actually attained Sodom & Gomorrah status yet? To use the Bell curve analogy, by the time the average person starts seeing a trend it is already well beyond being avant garde and has already taken root in the basic structure of society. It no longer shocks. People become inured to whatever was unacceptable to them before. Just ask yourself, if you’re old enough, ‘would I have accepted the idea of two men getting married, with the blessing of the Mayor & Gov. of New York even ten years ago?” “Would I EVER have believed an American president would be forcing the Catholic Church to buy insurance that includes abortion?” Then you have the audacity to blame the archdiocese for the failure of Proposition 8. You’re not grounded enough to survive the coming tsunami against Mother Church. All of us need to know what sin is and NAME it! We need to know who the enemy is and CALL him out! We need to support our bishops, our brothers & sisters in Christ and most especially our Church! It’s gone beyond naysayers and doomsday prophets…it’s time to dig in and support what we believe. Know your faith, pray & fast. We know the war is already won, but we must fight the battle that is ours in our time. Battles are not won by finger pointing and shilly shallying. Read Dan &Abeca’s posts again. You and Phil are accusers.

Posted Thursday, March 29, 2012 8:10 PM By JLS
The Archbishop is taking a stand where he can. That is what generals and princes do; they choose their battles and battle fields as best they can.

Posted Friday, March 30, 2012 5:16 AM By Juergensen
The sodomites won’t stop until they get the Supreme Court to grant them “equal rights” to our boys under the “equal protection” clause of the Constitution. And the sodomites are not far from achieving this. After all, if the Supreme Court was able to find a “right” to abortion and a “right” to sodomy in the Constitution, it can find anything in there.

Posted Friday, March 30, 2012 10:37 AM By Mark from PA
Dave, in the bishop’s letter, he states that people have a right to free association. It seems that he would feel that people do have a right to refuse to serve gay people in a restaurant and they also have the right to refuse to hire a gay person. When one says “unjust discrimination” who decides what is unjust, the person being discriminated against or the person discriminating?

Posted Friday, March 30, 2012 2:19 PM By k
Mark from PA, I think you are wrongly attributing evil to the bishop.