I have entered a bill to end Michigan's public official’s role in performing marriage ceremonies. When the door was opened to government involvement in marriage, like any other area where government "gets its nose under the tent,” you then submit to government distortions of marriage through regulations. If this legislation becomes law it will protect our public officials from having to perform same sex marriages and put the marriage licensing business back in the position of being in the realm of the churches and religious leaders. This only affects the licensing components related to performing the ceremonies themselves. As the government got into the licensing of marriages, it left behind what God intended and became an institution to be changed and adjusted as the secular powers saw fit.

I, like so many of you, stand wholeheartedly and unequivocally for traditional marriage and feel it should never have been opened by legislation to be within the Federal realm of authority. The proper role of regulation in the area of marriage, if at all, should have remained with the states. The Supreme Court, in this decision on marriage will be redefining marriage to being a contract between individuals and their government, and that will simply be a changing definition based on the needs and whims of government. Regardless of which way the Supreme Court decides, from here forward marriage will be whatever our Supreme Court decides. The contract that had been in place was between the man and wife on one side and God and His Holy word on the other side of the contract. I stand absolutely and completely behind the idea that marriage is between one man and one woman. This U. S. Supreme Court decision will potentially throw out thousands of years of Judeo Christian history and will be used as a massive hammer from the progressive movement over many areas of religious liberty and freedom of expression, within churches, within commerce and throughout society in general. It is one more step in the tearing down of the Judeo Christian foundation of our country.

The bill would still require a signed affidavit with two witnesses of the ceremony officiated by a religious leader, but it would no longer have the state sponsoring the unions and it would close the door to forcing our public officials to partake in the memorializing of the ceremonies.