Iowa Marriage Pledge Drops Reference To Slavery

By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) An Iowa-based conservative Christian organization has removed controversial language about slavery from a pledge to uphold traditional marriage that the group has asked GOP candidates to sign.

The Family Leader's "Marriage Vow" originally included language in its preamble that implied that black children had better family conditions during slavery than today.

"Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA's first African-American president," the statement read, according to Fox News.

In a statement released to Fox and other news outlets, Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader, said reaction to the language prompted its removal.

"After careful deliberation and wise insight and input from valued colleagues we deeply respect, we agree that the statement referencing children born into slavery can be misconstrued, and such misconstruction can detract from the core message of the Marriage Vow: that ALL of us must work to strengthen and support families and marriages between one woman and one man," he said.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., signed the pledge, but campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart told Politico that the candidate was signing the "candidate vow" and "in no uncertain terms, Congresswoman Bachmann believes that slavery was horrible."

Former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., was "pleased" to sign the pledge and agreed with the removal of the slavery language, campaign spokeswoman Virginia Davis told CNN.

Comments

[anthonyNtx]

09:05 PM on 07/18/2011

I'm beginning to think this woman has a problem with black people. All America ignores African Americans (except the one in the white house). Yet she makes these derogatory statements about African Americans at least once a week.

[Ramon Noches]

10:05 PM on 07/14/2011

Did Bachman sign before the refined marriage pledge dropped the slavery statement? Has her husband also recanted his advice about prayers turning gays to straight? There are so many weird comments coming from the TP folks it is very scary for me, probably for you, many American voters, and the world community. Let us hope the shock effect of such troublesome rhetoric awakens a nation-wide common sense rebellion against these folks

[Mundane Egg]

11:22 AM on 07/14/2011

Further more showing a divide from ultra conservative beliefs and real America and the still racial undertones that are so very evident.

[Greg Shatto]

05:28 AM on 07/14/2011

If conservative Christians are so concerned about children living with mom and dad, why do they have both a higher teen pregnancy rate and higher divorce rate than non Christians? Sounds like they have their work cut out for themselves before they go judging same sex parents. Hypocrites!!!!

[kingalbert]

09:52 PM on 07/13/2011

I thought Sarah Palin was the worse of the worst.Here comes the witch Bachmann.Why is it that all them whackos,nutjobs extremists, idiots,incompetent females liars members of the repubs party...?It is sickening...

[ohslimgoody]

09:00 PM on 07/13/2011

I was taught that the child was taken from the parents especially the fair skin ones (wink) and taken to there daddys oops Masa house. These repubs just don't quit do they.

[rsttho557949]

08:39 PM on 07/13/2011

Sad but true is the fact that a black child DURING slavery had a better chance of being raised by his two biological parents in the same hut/ shack/tent than in an apartment in the United States...with a Black president in the White House! They should have left that fact in. I would bet that if the Black slaves during the Civil War era saw how many Black families are so deep in dysfunction, they might have all committed suicide! The dream if those slaves was not to see their progeny be associated with do much family disunity and confusion. They must be turning in their graves knowing that their progeny makes up 14% of the population but is associated with more than 50%?of the homicides and violent crimes in America. I say, keep that reminder in concerning Black America.

[kingalbert]

09:55 PM on 07/13/2011

Anything more Mr racist biggot.The KKK is no longer in order.Keep your horse chit with you.

[bettyandmike]

10:19 PM on 07/13/2011

And the rest of society, especially the part of our culture that has turned its collective back on the children of slavery, are we not partly responsible for those figures you quote?

How many times have you gone looking into the poorer parts of town, looking for a young black male to hire for your establishment? How many times have you crowded in front of someone in a line or said something about 'those people'?

Look to yourself first to see if maybe your own actions contribute to the 'disfunction' about which you write, along with the rest of our modern society. As well should we all, instead of pointing fingers, say, What can I do to help?

[rsttho557949]

03:36 PM on 07/14/2011

You appear to be a kind spirit.

In my opinion, one of the ways to help is to come out of denial and speak the truth. The problem in the American family- especially the Black family is the attitude of the father. There are many great Black American fathers who stay in the family and raise their children to respect God, their parents, themselves and have respect for this country. In my opinion, the Black man in this county has been seduced from his natural role as hunter, gathers, protector and provider.He has been lured away from the teachings of the Bible, Jesus by alcohol, drugs, fantasy and every conceivable form of immorality. His progeny are involved in 50% of the violent crimes and homicides. The jails have a disportionate number of Black incarcerated. Help? I say by start addressing what is the REAL cause of this social problem.

[caprawalie]

06:09 PM on 07/13/2011

The logical program for that conservative christian organization would have been to organize a charitable organization for a system of slavery in this day and age for black children to be born into slavery so that they could have a better life! Was Michelle Bachman a member?

[gregory57]

06:07 PM on 07/13/2011

Bachman, The Flake, gets misty eyed for the good old days. Of slavery.

[nabsentia23]

05:31 PM on 07/13/2011

You know what the sad thing is...

On Yahoo!, although most disagreed with this paragraph - a sizable number actually thought it was true. They actually believed that most slaves were raised by their parents when historical documents show otherwise.

Not even the most militant, black nationalists/separtists would believe this nonsense and they can be just as moralistic as Family Leader.

[chey06akili]

02:35 PM on 07/13/2011

All religious zealots are scary to me,no matter what denomination they are.Keep them out of office,least they try to impose their narrow minded thinking on us all.

[stape45]

11:51 AM on 07/13/2011

Cause-and-Effect was obviously not taken into consideration, back then or now.

[kadellagroove]

02:41 AM on 07/14/2011

yes. fanned not only for your comment but also because of that hot rat you have pictured there.

[sweetlilthing]

08:47 AM on 07/13/2011

I'm confused. If God wanted only Man/Woman marriages why would he paraded animals in front of Adam to choose a wife from?
“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam ..." Genesis 2:18-25

[DLB70]

10:42 AM on 07/13/2011

You are taking scripture out of context; it reads:

Genesis 2: 18-24

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam [fn] no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs [fn] and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib [fn] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, [fn]' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. [NIV translation]

[wmu7013601]

04:04 AM on 07/13/2011

Republican politics as usual, play to the fundamentalist Christians to get their vote and then go cheat on their spouses. Gotta love American politicians. Hell they don't even keep their Oath of Office "to protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic", they don't even follow it anymore. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

[stape45]

11:42 AM on 07/13/2011

It's probably funny to the GOP, how people still buy into, and support the hypocrisy.

[ChaCubed]

02:05 AM on 07/13/2011

No surprise here: typical Christeapublican thing to do. "Ooooo, "Black babies were better off when they were slaves!" Oooo, that's great! Óoo, good stuff! This will really whip up our base and annoy the liberals!"

That's it kids, that's all they think. Their thought process is reptilian.