[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[EXTENSIO]
[Pages 3352-3353]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 16, 2016

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great nation. 
They provide important insight from across the political spectrum that 
sheds a light on the concerns of our younger constituents. Giving voice 
to their priorities will hopefully instill a better sense of the 
importance of being an active participant in the political process. 
Many of the students have written short essays on a variety of topics 
and I am pleased to share them with my House colleagues.
  Connor Cerda attends Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. The 
essay topic is: Select an important event that has occurred in the past 
year and explain how that event has changed/shaped our country.

       On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that state level 
     bans on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. It also ruled 
     that the denial of same-sex marriage licenses and the refusal 
     to preform same-sex marriages was no longer allowed. This has 
     been a very controversial topic for decades and through this 
     ruling, it truly showed where America as a country is 
     heading.
       In the eyes of Christians and pastors around the U.S., this 
     ruling spat in God's face and in the founding fathers' faces 
     of this great nation. They founded this nation on the 
     teachings of the Bible, but every generation since has fallen 
     away. The Bible specifically describes marriage as the unity 
     of man and woman and that is what it was intended to be for 
     all of eternity. Christians, by no means, hate homosexuals or 
     those who practice same-sex marriage; but rather, Christians 
     hate the practice of it. It breaks the hearts of Christ 
     followers to see people fall into this sin and false illusion 
     that this practice is okay. As for pastors, this ruling is 
     even more troubling to them. They are now under pressure from 
     the public to perform these marriage ceremonies and recognize 
     these same-sex couples even though it goes against all that 
     they stand for and believe in. However, those who refuse 
     often face harsh public criticism. On a religious standpoint, 
     this ruling has affected the relationship between church and 
     state. Although separate, it is hard to trust a government to 
     protect one's religious rights if they make decisions that 
     directly oppose what this country was so proudly founded upon 
     and what people strongly believe in.
       This nation was founded on strong and bold principles that 
     not many countries share. The fact that the U.S. is changing 
     these principles is disturbing. And for what benefit? There 
     is no clear reason or purpose to pass this ruling besides it 
     was what a group of people wanted and the U.S. government 
     gave in. There is no positive outcome or benefit that has 
     been reaped from this ruling. It is scary to think about what 
     other principles this nation is willing to sacrifice. If 
     anything, it created a gap between the citizens of this 
     nation and the country as a whole. A certain level of trust 
     was lost that will be extremely hard to gain back. It also 
     creates a messed up view from the perspectives of other 
     countries. They look at the U.S. and see a screwed up society 
     that believes marrying the same sex is okay and a given right 
     to people. This country is socially going down hill through 
     the decisions made by the government and the people and this 
     ruling was just another step towards this fall.

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