One of the great moral and political debates of 2004 concerns gay marriage and whether it would destroy the sanctity of marriage. However, some might say that as far as sacredness and marriage go, the sanctity as already been damaged -- by heterosexuals, including many Christians.

The true threat may very well be the rise of adultery, co-habitation and the mocking of marriage by some in society, particularly celebrities.

"Especially in light of today's immorality and sexual promiscuity, the attitude of sanctity toward marriage has indeed been damaged," said the Rev. Steve Struikmans, pastor of Rancho Community Church in Temecula. "However, that doesn't mean that marriage between a man and woman in not sacred. It's just that we are headed down a slippery slope."

For the Rev. Greg Sidders, senior pastor of Sunridge Community Church in Temecula, it's not necessarily gay marriage that is the concern, but the fact that so many heterosexual Christians are having difficulties in their own marriages.

"Of course, I am concerned about how the definition of marriage is changing in our culture, but frankly so many Christian marriages are in need of a repair in my own church that I spend very little time thinking about how to fix our culture," Sidders said. "At Sunridge, our philosophy has always been to try to fix what is wrong with us instead of discussing what is wrong with others, and enough is wrong with us to keep us plenty busy."

When it comes to marriage, Sidders believes that homosexuals are not the primary concern. Rather, Christians themselves need to focus on making their own marriages work.

"I will be teaching a series on marriage right after Easter, and, frankly, the issue of gay marriage isn't even on my radar screen," Sidders said. "What I want to do is help people make their own marriage healthy, which, in the long run, is the best way to uphold the sanctity of marriage in our culture."

Holy matrimony is traditionally a solemn vow made to each other under the eyes of God. All one has to do is look at marriage vows: "'Til death do us part." Yet, how many people are ignoring that commitment and why?

According to a report by Robert Hughes, former professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, for every two marriages that occurred in the 1990s, there was one divorce and in 2000, there were 4.7 divorces for every 1,000 people.

For Struikmans, the true danger is that many such marriages include those with children.

"Because of easy divorce and no sense of commitment, so many children are growing up hurt, scarred and struggling without the proper models to help them face life's conflicts and resolve intimate relationships," Struikmans said. "Yes, divorce is rampant, couples are co-habitating and we have prominent people in the entertainment field who are mocking key values that shape our culture and nation."

State and federal laws could be at fault. For example, while divorce at one time was very difficult to get, governments have worked hard to make divorce easy.

James Q. Wilson, a UCLA political science professor, cites the decline in people believing marriage is even necessary. "Marriage was once a sacrament, then it became a contract and now it is an arrangement," he said. "Once, religion provided that sacrament, then the law enforced the contract, and now, personal preferences define the arrangement. So that the support for marriage, which is readily evident in all public opinion polls, is a different kind of support, from what once existed."

Thus, an argument could be made by faith leaders that divorce may be a bigger threat to children than homosexual marriage.

"Far more children are damaged by heterosexual divorce than by homosexual marriage," Sidders said.

Perhaps the greatest threat to a marriage is adultery. Whereas divorce is not in the Ten Commandments, adultery is forbidden.

"Adultery is tearing marriages apart," Struikmans said. "And with the rise in premarital and extramarital sex comes abortion, unstable relationships, a lack of trust and divorce."

A legal system that has become permissive with such behavior has played a role, perhaps. Some states do still have adultery laws. For example, Virginia fined a man $250 for committing adultery in 2003. However, few states enforce such laws.

"Although Virginia's punishment for adultery is quite minor, its decision to enforce its criminal adultery law is quite remarkable," said Joanna Grossman, associate professor of law at Hofstra University, in a commentary from Findlaw's Writ. "Other states are actively working to remove their criminal adultery laws from the books. The District of Columbia, for example, has enacted a law to eliminate 'outdated crimes,' including adultery."

Sidders would bristle at the assertions that Christians have no right to battle gay marriage.

"It's not wrong for those who believe in the traditional definition of marriage to try to influence public policy," Sidders said. "We have as much right to do that as do those who are fighting for a redefinition of marriage. But we must do so from a position of humility rather than superiority, because our own track record is nothing to brag about. There are very few sins as serious in God's eyes as self-righteousness."

For Struikmans, the decline of morality where marriage and homosexuality is concerned carries extreme consequences.

"I believe that the further the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman is degraded and homosexuality is normalized, the more clearly we will see the destruction of our society," he said. "No wonder terrorists hate America with such a passion. They see our society as a garbage pit ready to take the world with us."

When it comes to preserving marriage, the faith leaders said a good first step is preservation of one's own marriage.

"The best way I know to uphold the sanctity of marriage is to pay very close attention to the health of my own marriage, and, as a pastor, to help those who want their marriage to be what God intends it to be," Sidders said. "The way I am trying to uphold the sanctity of marriage in our society is to help the couples in my church to be fully committed to doing those few things God commands husbands and wives to do."