Does God's law simply contain rules for the righteous to follow to insure their place in the Kingdom? Or has the Creator given wisdom that can benefit all who follow, whether they worship God or not? Marriage is assumed in the fifth commandment as the basis of the family. Honoring father and mother is said to provide the only security for the health and well-being of society. The seventh commandment also protects the marriage vow. No other topic is featured twice in the Ten Commandments. Why is marriage so important?

Marriage has been described often and rightly as "the foundation of society." It's about the kids. Kids need a father and a mother. According to a lifelong marriage scholar, David Blankenhorn, all empirical studies agree that children do best in a home with a loving father and mother. This explains why marriage as a social institution transcends religion, culture and history. It is universal. We tinker with it at our peril.

The California Supreme Court has ratified a shift in attitude toward marriage. No longer is it primarily "a pro-child social institution." Instead, it has been reduced to a private right. If the fundamental value is now personal choice in finding emotional and sexual fulfillment, there is no logical basis to restrict marriage either by age or number of parties. Indeed, there are scholars who advocate legislating the sexual revolution as the new moral (or immoral) norm. In this view, the state has no legitimate basis for imposing any morality on personal relations.

This is confusing to Adventists who value the separation of church and state and personal liberty. Although we strongly believe in marriage, many question whether we should legislate morality. Yet we are faced with the reality that either morality or immorality will prevail, and we all get to decide the outcome. Can a Christian condone the state endorsing immorality?

In Ellen White's day, there was vigorous discussion among church leaders about whether members should exercise the right to vote. Church leaders and Ellen White agreed that members should vote, and she declared: "In our favored land, every voter has some voice in determining what laws shall control the nation. Should not that influence and that vote be cast on the side of temperance and virtue?"

ProtectMarriage.com is the website for information on this important topic. There are also opportunities to volunteer time and money to support this effort. We will also provide more information, analysis and talking points at www.churchstate.org.