Religious groups of various faiths yesterday voiced their strong opposition to legislation allowing for same-sex marriage and family diversity, saying that same-sex marriage might lead to the eventual destruction of human society.
“Legalizing same-sex marriage is a reverse tide in the international movement for sexual liberation, it is not progressive, rather, it is a downward step that will lead to the collapse of civilizations,” Unification Church Taiwan vice president Paul Chang (張全鋒) told a press conference hosted by the Alliance of Religious Groups for the Love of Families Taiwan at the Legislative Yuan.
“Legalizing same-sex marriage is legalizing adultery, incest and group sex,” he said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
He said the gay rights movement seeks to create more homosexuals through group sex.
“We must understand how dangerous it is, because once such legislation is passed, our children will be taught at school that it is OK to be gay, which will lead to very serious consequences for our society,” he said.
Whether looking for an Eastern or Western perspective, marriage should for a union between a man and a woman, Chang said.
“From our traditional perspective, it is in line with the heavenly way for a man and a woman to get married,” Chang said. “From the Christian perspective, God has created men and women, and blessed their union.”
Chang also spoke against allowing gay couples to adopt children, saying that children raised in same-sex families are more likely to become criminals or victims of sexual violence.
Chen Chih-hung (陳志宏), a Taiwan Lutheran Church bishop, said that marriage between a man and woman is the best system, and that legalizing same-sex marriage would encourage more people to become homosexuals, which would destroy the marriage system.
“If, one day, after the bill to legalize same-sex marriage is passed, if your child or grandchild tells you that he or she is homosexual, and thus your family lineage would stop right there, can you accept it?” Chen asked.
He also said that Taiwan already has a large number of people with AIDS.
“Would you like to see more people being infected with AIDS due to same-sex marriage? Would you like to see the birthrate continues to decline due to same-sex marriage?” he said.
Buddhist master Shih Ching-yao (釋淨耀) said the religious leaders were speaking out because they “feel it is our responsibility to stand up for family values and the stability of our society.”
“The family is the basis of social stability. How will we able to maintain social stability if people of the same sex could form a family?” Shih said.
He said it is also the duty of a family to produce children.
“People should not sacrifice this important moral value just because they want to enjoy sex,” he said.
“Many Western countries have legalized same-sex marriage, but no Asian country has done so,” Shih said. “I hope that Taiwan will learn from countries upholding the right values, not from those who follow bad values.”
‘HIDDEN GEM’: The city earned plaudits for its low crime rate, world-class healthcare system, cheap cost of living and easy public transportation Taipei has been named the 10th best city in the world for quality of living in an annual survey by the editors of Monocle, a UK-based global affairs and lifestyle magazine. The survey, which is to be published in the magazine’s July/August issue, selected the world’s top 25 cities based on factors including cost of living, retail, hospitality, culture and access to green spaces, as well as feedback from Monocle correspondents. Taipei’s 10th place finish was one place down from a year earlier. The survey ranked Copenhagen as the world’s best city, with Zurich, Lisbon, Helsinki and Stockholm rounding out the top five.
GLOBAL STRATEGY: Indo-Pacific alliances need reinforcement to prevent Chinese occupation of Taiwan, which would threaten Japan, Hawaii and Australia, Pompeo said The US should officially recognize Taiwan as a free, independent nation and establish official diplomatic ties, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo told an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington on Friday. Every US president since Harry Truman has considered Taiwan’s existence to be of utmost importance to US national security, Pompeo said. Taiwan is a principal US partner in technology and economic matters, and if China were to capture Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain, it would severely hamper the US economy, Pompeo said. Should China occupy Taiwan, it would severely weaken US influence in the Indo-Pacific region and its surrounding areas,
NO COMORBIDITIES: The girl died of encephalitis, the sixth COVID-19-related death of the disease this year and 19th death of a child from the virus, the center said The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 52,213 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases and 171 deaths from the virus, including a four-year-old girl, who had been diagnosed with encephalitis, and a 19-year-old man, who had underlying health conditions. “The caseloads are usually higher on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but they [yesterday] fell 7.3 percent from the day before,” Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said. Chuang, who is the CECC’s spokesman, said that most cities and counties reported a drop in new cases, and the CECC expects fewer than 50,000 new cases today. The center said that 150 of
LIMIT: The CECC has capped the number of weekly arrivals to 25,000, which critics said has limited the number of available flights and caused ticket prices to soar The government is not likely to raise the cap on the number of inbound travelers before the end of this month, despite the apparent effect on the number of inbound flights, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday last week eased quarantine rules for inbound travelers, who must undergo three days of home quarantine upon arrival and spend another four days in self-initiated disease prevention. It also capped the number of inbound travelers to 25,000 per week. The weekly limit has drawn criticism that it has limited the number of flights