CONSTITUTION Coalition to pursue marriage amendment

The group is already on record opposing same-sex marriage.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A broad coalition of religious leaders is appealing for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage nationwide as "the exclusive union of one man and one woman."
The 50 founders of the Religious Coalition for Marriage this week urged citizen action to support an amendment that is scheduled for a June vote in the U.S. Senate. They said this is the only way to protect marriage from those who would "circumvent the legislative process and force a redefinition" upon the whole of society.
The groups represented were already on the record as opposing same-sex marriage but had not shown a united political front on the issue.
Endorsers included seven Roman Catholic cardinals; top officials from the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, National Association of Evangelicals, Southern Baptist Convention and Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations; the two major Eastern Orthodox hierarchs; one of the Mormon Church's 12 apostles; prominent black and Hispanic Protestants and evangelical personalities Charles Colson, James Dobson, D. James Kennedy and Rick Warren, among others.
The mainline Protestant supporters represented evangelical caucuses, not denominational leadership. Muslims and liberal Jews were notably missing.
The coalition said "the world's great monotheistic religious traditions" and "impeccable social science research" agree that when marriage is "radically redefined" or is "no longer the boundary of sexual activity," the result is damage to individuals, family life and social justice.
The coalition was organized by the Alliance for Marriage, a group of clergy and secular figures that has long lobbied for such an amendment.
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