The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flon's church community is putting its voice behind an effort to preserve the traditional definition of marriage in Canada. In conjunction with similar gatherings being organized across the nation, they've planned a rally in support of the idea that marriage should consist only of a man and a woman. The event is scheduled for this Sunday on the steps of Flin Flon City Hall beginning at 3 p.m. "This is a national issue right now and we want to do our part in our community to hold marriage up," said head organizer Brian Gold, pastor of the Flin Flon Pentecostal Assembly. "Whether people are married or not, it's still a cause that is important. It's just something worth talking about and supporting." He said he hoped to have seven or eight local churches involved in the event. Although the rally will include prayers and Scripture readings, Pastor Gold said the event will be open to anyone, regardless of their religious beliefs. See 'Traditional' P.# Con't from P.# Pastor Doug Smith of the Flin Flon Alliance Church, another organizer, stressed that the rally, which will last no longer than an hour, will not be "anti-homosexual." "It's not against anybody. It's for the traditional definition of marriage," he said. In June, Prime Minister Jean Chrtien announced legislation to make same-sex marriages legal, while at the same time permitting churches and other religious groups to "sanctify marriage as they see it." Last month, Chrtien vowed not to let religious objections change his view on the controversial issue, saying members of Parliament will vote on a same-sex marriage bill when it is introduced into the House of Commons in 2004. More than 300 gatherings in support of traditional marriages are planned for this Sunday across Canada, most of them in front of MP offices. Organizers will use a rally program put out by the Web site Sanctityofmarriage.ca Pastor Smith encouraged people interested in this subject to log on to the site. In a related note, CBC has reported that a poll conducted last year found that 45 per cent of Canadians would vote "Yes" in a referendum to change the definition of marriage from a union of a man and a woman to one that could include a same-sex couple.
