FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 26, 2015

Eleven years ago in 2004, Ohioans worked to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. The amendment passed by nearly 62% with 3,329,335 Ohioans voting to support traditional marriage, defining it as between one man and one woman. Today, five unelected judges overturned all that. The court in its decision turned on over 2,000 years of tradition that a family is made up of a man, a woman, and children. And now, with the court's redefinition of marriage it is anyone's guess as to where we are heading into the moral unknown and what the new definition of marriage will be.

The supporters of homosexual marriage accomplished their desired goal through the courts, something they could not accomplish through the ballot box of democracy, because the majority of Americans believe that a marriage is between one man and one woman. The radical Left has once again used the courts to advance their agenda, leaving many to question "where do states' rights begin and end?"

As recently as 2013, thirty-two states had marriage laws that define marriage as between one man and one woman. And then, in just a few short years, through the courts, the radical homosexual lobby began to challenge those laws one by one, and the courts began to overturn existing state law. Today's decision affected the remaining states which included Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas, states that still maintained that a marriage was between one man and one woman. Today the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision struck down all the remaining state laws, including Ohio's.

What this means going forward is that people of religious conviction will have their rights challenged and suppressed as a result of this new ruling. The Ohio Christian Alliance is committed to protecting religious liberty for individuals, churches, institutions and organizations that hold to a biblical world view. Their religious rights and conscience must be protected, as the U.S. Constitution guarantees religious freedom. OCA is prepared to work with members of the Ohio Legislature and the U.S. Congress to address these new challenges with newly drafted legislation that will protect these fundamental religious freedoms.

The four dissenting justices' opinions were foretelling in a warning in their statements. What troubles lie ahead for religious institutions and individuals in light of this newly crafted marriage law by the Court?

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Contact Chris Long 330-887-1922