skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Love, Faith, and Marriage Equality: Mixed Views in Indiana

play audio
Play

Friday, February 14, 2014   

INDIANAPOLIS – Arguments of morality and belief are at the forefront of the debate in Indiana over same-sex marriage.

The Rev. Melody Merida, chairwoman of the Interfaith Coalition on Non-discrimination, says each religious group has its own interpretation of the Bible, and in her view, the recent attempts to ban same-sex marriage run counter to an overwhelming message of love in the scripture.

"HJR-3 feels the exact opposite of what love would do,” she says. “It's treating our neighbor in a way that we would not wish to be treated.

“So as a matter of faith, not in spite of our faith, but because of our faith, we have to stand up and say, 'This is wrong.'"

On Thursday, the Indiana Senate failed to reinsert a provision in House Joint Resolution 3 – a second sentence that would have banned civil unions and other types of legal status similar to marriage in the state.

That means the amendment will not be on the ballot this November, and the earliest such a measure could be on the ballot is 2016.

Others cite a biblical view of marriage they claim condemns same-sex unions.

But Rev. Kate Waynick with the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis says that isn't what most people are experiencing in a culture that has started to accept these relationships.

"I see people who have been in loving, faithful, monogamous partnerships for decades,” she stresses. “They have raised healthy, well-adjusted children. And they contribute in very positive ways to the lives of their communities."

Merida says she hopes Indiana residents have seen how the marriage equality debate has become hurtful and divisive for some families.

"Think for your own family and whether or not you'd want strangers in some part of the state who've never met you, to vote on the validity, the value, and the sanctity of your family,” she says. “And that's not who are as Hoosiers.

“It's not a part of our culture to say, 'We have the right to decide who gets what, based on who they are.'"





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …

Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …


The California Department of Conservation is holding a public meeting online on Sept. 24, to update the public on its progress in plugging abandoned oil wells. (Alizada Studios/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package…

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

The American Heart Association said caregivers often experience personal and spiritual growth, discovering their own resilience, competence and capacity for sacrifice as they help a friend or loved one. (Justlight/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Self-Care Awareness Month and the American Heart Association in Missouri is urging caregivers to take some much-needed time for themselve…

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021