Grass roots gather to support, oppose Minn. marriage amendment
A fifth Lutheran synod in Minnesota has voted to oppose a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
The St. Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America passed the resolution at its annual assembly Saturday in Burnsville.
On the opposite side of the metro area, in New Hope, members of the Heritage Foundation and the Family Research Council spoke to about 30 amendment supporters, including Diane Schreder.
"I stand for marriage the way God intended it in Genesis 1 ... The erosion of freedom is very evident all around us," Schreder said. "And so I love the Heritage Foundation. I love the Family Research. I get all these -- you know, I get emails. I like to get that point of view. I don't think that it's biased. I think the left is biased."
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Members of the two conservative Washington, D.C.-based groups were in town as part of their national Values Bus Tour.
In New Hope, members of both groups told the gathering that Minnesota needs to send a strong message of support for traditional marriage. They asked supporters of the constitutional amendment to help turn out the vote for the November ballot.
Bob Morrison of the Family Research Council said he came to thank and support local leaders of the pro-amendment campaign.
"And also try to share how important Minnesota is to the nation in this respect. The whole country is going to be watching the presidential election, obviously, election for Congress, sure. But this marriage initiative in Minnesota -- the marriage protection -- will garner national and international attention."
