Dear Friend,
Please excuse me for not putting your name at the top, as I am sending this e-mail to many different people. I am sending you this e-mail, or else it is being forwarded to you in hopes that you will do something very simple to help our city. Ogden is currently embroiled in a very intense fight over a “nondiscrimination ordinance” that would include homosexuals and transgendered people. Last Tuesday, the city council held a work session at which over 30 people stood up and urged the city council to pass this ordinance. I was the only person to speak against it.
In opposing this ordinance, I brought out the fact that this ordinance will silence those who believe that the homosexual lifestyle is immoral. The ordinance specifically forbids any sort of “harassment” in the workplace. Harassment is not defined of course, and we know that homosexuals will consider it harassment if a Christian says that their lifestyle is sin.
The ordinance that has been proposed by our city council also requires landlords to rent to openly homosexual people, without regard for the landowner’s religious convictions. Of course, the homosexuals want to force us to act as if this is not a moral choice at all, as if homosexuality is a “discovery” and not a choice. That is the basis for this ordinance, and that is the reason why it must be rejected.
In response, I wrote a guest commentary which our local paper, the Standard-Examiner, was kind enough to print. You can read it here. http://www.standard.net/topics/opinion/2011/02/07/ordinance-would-create-thought-police
Many cities have already passed a nondiscrimination ordinance, including Salt Lake City. As far as I know, no city has rejected a similar ordinance. That is why it is so important for us to stop this before it turns into a tidal wave that sweeps the country. The proponents of this ordinance have made it very clear that they want to get it passed in cities first, so that they can make the case for it on the state level. If we do not stop it, it will become state law.
That is the background, now this is what you can do. Throughout the process, homosexuals and their allies have inundated our city council with e-mails from all across the country, trying to pressure them to pass this ordinance. Even though the majority of these e-mails are coming from people who live outside of our state, yet these e-mails are still very influential.
We can do the same thing. If you would take a moment to write one short paragraph (it doesn’t need to be more than 2-3 sentences in length) to our city council, and e-mail to every member of the Ogden City Council, it is possible that we could let them know that we have a voice as well. Of course, if you live or work in Ogden, please say so.
The following links are for all 7 members of the Council.
mailto:bartblair@ogdencity.com
mailto:brandon@ogdenmunicipalward2.com
mailto:neilgarner@ogdencity.com
mailto:dougstephens@ogdencity.com
mailto:susievanhooser@ogdencity.com
mailto:caitlingochnour@ogdencity.com
If you can, I would ask you to write the e-mail in your own words. But if you prefer, I am including a sample e-mail here, which you can simply cut and paste.
Dear Council Member:
The nondiscrimination ordinance that is being proposed for Ogden City will violate the rights of Christians and others who have moral objections to the homosexual lifestyle. We believe that homosexuality is sin, and our right to declare this conviction must be protected. Our United States Constitution protects our rights to speak our minds freely and to share our convictions when it comes to moral choices. It would be wrong to pass an ordinance that infringes on our rights of free expression, or that imposes a lifestyle on us that we find objectionable. Please vote against this ordinance, or else include wording that protects our rights to speak our minds.
As you write your letter, please be respectful in your tone. If the vote were held today, the ordinance would pass. Several key members of our city council believe that homosexuality should be an accepted lifestyle, and would be highly offended by the use of any sort of terms that they would consider “bigoted,” including the term “queer.”
If you have some like-minded friends who you think would be willing to help us (please don’t just forward this to everyone in your contact list), then we would be grateful if you would send them this e-mail and ask them to help us.
May the Lord bless this effort to the praise of the glory of His grace.
Blessings!
Dave Mallinak
Pastor
You Think Too Much! 