"Pink" Politicians are "in"
A commentary by
Paul Kieffer
Pastor of United Church of God congregations in Germany
The major political parties in Germany are traditionally identified
by color. Conservatives are black, socialists red, liberals yellow and
environmentalists green. Now a new color has arrived on the political
scene: pink.
Pink is the color now associated with the gay rights movement.
In contrast to the other colors already mentioned, "pink" politicians
do not represent a single party. Instead, they are found in influential
positions in all of Germany's main parties, including those parties that
use the term "Christian" in their names.
It is quite a media
event when a politician confesses to being pink. The latest example,
made public only two weeks ago, is Guido Westerwelle, chairman of the
liberal Free Democratic Party. According to surveys, Westerwelle's party
is likely to become a junior partner in a new government when the next
national election is held in 2006. If the election results validate current
surveys, Westerwelle would then become Germany's foreign minister — the
Federal Republic's first professing homosexual foreign minister.
Politicians
in Germany openly court the gay vote. The "Christopher
Street Day" parade in July each year in Cologne attracts nearly
a million spectators, including a number of well-known politicians. This
year's parade featured Berlin's mayor Klaus Woworeit as grand master,
a homosexual who announced his sexual preference in a speech at a party
convention with the words "I'm gay, and it's good that way!"
Just
a couple of days after announcing his sexual preference, Guido Westerwelle
voiced support for giving gay civil unions full marital status and expanding
adoption rights for gay couples. "If the choice is
between having a child grow up in a protected, loving environment or
in an orphanage, then the decision should be made in favor of the protected
environment" was the explanation Westerwelle offered for his position.
The situation in Germany is no different than in other Western countries.
The gay rights movement is slowly but surely redefining "marriage" and "family" in
a society that rejects absolute standards of moral behaviour.
This hardly
seems what those delegates to the United Nations General Assembly had
in mind on December 10, 1948 when they adopted the UN "Universal
Declaration of Human Rights." Article 16 of that declaration states
that "men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race,
nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family." The
same article declares that "the family is the natural and fundamental
group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the
State."
Can there be any doubt that those delegates more than 50
years ago wanted to protect the natural marriage union and family,
comprised of a husband, wife and children? Similarly, the men who voted
for Germany's constitution in May 1949 could not have imagined that their
country's highest court would need to decide 53 years later whether a
homosexual partnership fulfills the meaning of Article 6 of that constitution: "Marriage
and family enjoy the special protection of the state."
Today's society
is rapidly redefining marriage and family, the basic building block
of any community, in a manner never intended by those who used these
terms in establishing basic civil rights for any number of nations.
Is
the definition of marriage and the family subject to democratic whim
and changing majorities? Or is there a standard set for all time that
we can use in defining these key relationships? The Bible offers the
same definition of marriage that the founders of the United Nations and
the original crafters of modern Germany’s constitution had
in mind (Genesis 2:18-24, Matthew 19:4-5). The Apostle Paul clearly states
that homosexuality is not an acceptable alternative life style (Romans
1:24-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
 Be
sure to read our free booklet The
Ten Commandments! It provides
in-depth biblical insight into a divine standard that defines interpersonal
relationships in terms of godly love. That standard never changes,
nor is it dependent on what a majority of people may think. Request your
free copy today.
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