Evangelical Leaders Vow To Defy Laws On Abortion And Gay Marriage

Conservative Christians have hinted they are willing to break the law in order to stand against abortion and same-sex marriage.

A full-page "Declaration of Dependence", modelled on the United States Declaration of Independence, was published in the New York Times on Sunday, funded by a number of prominent evangelical Christians. The document, already signed by tens of thousands people, is a publicity stunt in the build up to the US Presidential elections in November. It warns that signatories will ignore the law if it threatens their "right to exercise our Christians beliefs".

The statement entitled "Declaration of Dependence upon God and his Holy Bible" describes gay marriage as a "sexual perversion" and highlights "certain unalienable rights" which it says "no government has the right to take... away".

It goes on to say the signatories "respectfully reserve the right to refuse any mandate by the government" that would contravene their beliefs such as support for abortion or gay marriage.

"We also oppose same-sex marriage, polygamy, bestiality and all other forms of sexual perversion prohibited by scripture," the statement says.

It concludes with a promise to live "in accordance with our Christian faith and choose to obey God rather than man".

"We are asking for one million signatures," said Karen Conrad, director of marketing for Andrew Wommack Ministries in Colarado, which paid for the advert.

According to the campaign's website, $500,000 has already been pledged by supporters.

The original signatories to the declaration include David Barton, founder of WallBuilders of Aledo, James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, Jerry Boykin, vice president of the Family Research Council, Creflo Dollar and the prominent televangelist Kenneth Copeland.

Dobson and Copeland are both members of Donald Trump's evangelical advisory board.

In a video message promoting the campaign, Andrew Wommack claims he was "divinely inspired" to write the declaration and warned: "Satan is fighting for the heart and soul of this nation."