Defense of Marriage Act at the center of controversy
Last week, both the North Carolina State Senate and House of Representatives approved an amendment to the state's constitution that would define marriage as between one man and one woman only.
North Carolina voters themselves will make the final decision during the May 2012 election.
Yet there has been a disturbing trend across the Tar Heel State - pro-gay threats and outright violence.
From The Western Side Of The State...
As reported by The Christian Post, Rev. Keith Ogden, senior pastor of Hill Street Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C., is being targeted by proponents of gay marriage for his public stance against the homosexual act.
Rev. Ogden states that he's received a number of angry phone messages accusing him of "hating gays", a charge he said was "so untrue."
In addition to the accusatory phone calls, there was also a pro-gay sign taped to the marquee of his church.
To The Eastern Side...
Late last month, Wilmington's Seagate Community Chapel (SCC) was vandalized for a second time in as many weeks.
Pastor David Heuring had the chapel's marquee message "God loves gays, but hates a perverted lifestyle." Since then, SCC has sustained $10,000 worth of damages due to the vandalization.
As reported by Wilmington's WECT;
"Dozens of people peacefully protested a message on the church's sign that read "God loves gays, but hates a perverted lifestyle.Pastor Heuring invited the protestors to use church property after Wilmington Police told them they could not continue protesting without a permit. The protest ended, but the controversy didn't.Later that day, someone attacked the church's sign. Pieces are missing, but Pastor Heuring holds firm that no one at the peaceful protest could be responsible. He said the same goes for whoever smashed the windows.'The people I met at that protest,' said Heuring, 'couldn't have done this.'"
To The Center Of The State...
In what some have defined as fear-mongering, a number of pro-gay city and county leaders have signed a letter that was e-mailed to every member of North Carolina's General Assembly.
A section of the letter said that the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act could possibly cost the state much needed jobs;
"This legislation represents a threat to North Carolina’s ability to recruit the diverse workforce needed to compete in a global economy..."
North Carolina currently has one of the nation's highest unemployment rates, currently at 10.1%
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