A Christian group in Virginia will fast and pray for 40 days to protest the state's overturning of the voter-approved Marriage Amendment.
The Family Foundation announced in an April 10 blog post that from August 27 to October 5, they will have "40 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Repentance for Marriage."
The non-profit organization supports the 2006 Marriage Amendment, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Virginia overturned the legislation in February.
The Family Foundation lamented the decision as evidence of a culture that continues to forsake biblical principles.
"Our state and nation are mired in a morass of confusion and post-modern thinking that does not believe in absolutes nor that any truth can even be known," they wrote on their blog.
"Nowhere is this more evident than in the current debate raging about what constitutes marriage."
The non-partisan group also described the elements of U.S. culture that drive it further away from God.
"Pagan philosophies, a secular humanist education establishment and an entertainment industry that is absolutely determined in pushing the envelope on decency and morality have all combined to turn this great land into a country that our forefathers could not even begin to recognize," they wrote.
However, in an April 25 blog post, The Family Foundation stated that despite media reports, they are not proposing a hunger strike.
"The word 'fast' does not translate to 'hunger strike,'" they wrote.
"Sometimes Christians do indeed fast completely—without food—for a brief period of time, like 24 hours, as an act of humility in seeking a deeper relationship with God.
"More often, fast means giving up something like a food item—let's say our addiction to Diet Coke for example—for a longer period of time. Again, it's the idea of humility and sacrifice."
The group asks pastors and other Christians to join with them during their time of prayer and fasting.
The Marriage Amendment will go before the 4<sup>th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on May 11.
