Christian Values Legislating Human Emotion

The Illinois Family Institute (IFI) turned in petitions earlier this month to place an advisory referendum on Illinois' November ballot declaring marriage between one man and one woman and banning civil unions and all forms of domestic partnership. The IFI claims to represent Christian Illinois, and yet their spokesman has called gay and lesbian families an infection.

Christian values were so simple 2,000 years ago.

• worship of God: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
• fidelity in marriage: Whom God has joined together let no man put asunder.
• renunciation of worldly goods: Gather not your riches up upon this earth, for there your heart will be also.
• renunciation of violence: If a man strike you on one cheek, turn the other cheek.
• forgiveness of sins: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
• unconditional love: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Now a few misguided people want to regulate human emotion and legislate who people will fall in love with whom. They hope to replace unconditional love with legalized discrimination in the form of an unfair referendum. Groups have submitted over 60,000 signed petitions with 345,199 signatures total. How many of those signatures are legitimate? Inquiring minds want to know -- and will (hopefully) get their answer.

Fair Illinois, a group of concerned citizens has been organizing the volunteer effort to verify all 345,199 signatures and object to those that are invalid. Group members believe a large percentage of the signatures collected do not comply with Illinois elections law and can keep this referendum off the November ballot.

They need a massive number of volunteers between now and mid-June to analyze every line of each petition. They are setting up new volunteer hours at the DuPage County Elections Office (421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton). The first shifts will be this Friday (the 26th) from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. People can volunteer by calling (773) 724-0071 or emailing fairillinois@yahoo.com.

Forgive us our trespasses -- a very appropriate Christian value right about now.