What are supporters of Prop 8 so afraid of?
On Sunday afternoon, I put up a "No on 8" sign in my front yard. I intentionally placed it more than 15 feet inside my property line so that no one could get to it just walking by -- they would have to come well onto my property to get to it. Hpwever, within 24 hours it was gone, and a neighbor about a block away had the same thing happen. By now there are hundreds of such stories -- it is obvious that there is an organized effort to make sure that "No on 8" signs do not remain in place very long. And this is in S.F. Bay Area suburbs -- not in Modesto!
This suggests several things that are quite disturbing:
1. Those stealing the sign have little or no ethics -- regardless of the great likelihood they are from conservative religious groups.
2. They must be very uncertain, even desperate, with regard to the chances of winning at the polls, as other people's opposition seems threatening to them.
3. They have little or no respect for other people's rights of free speech or for the process of democracy and free elections. (Yet they oppose "socialism," right?)
4. They seem to regard their own understanding of "God's law" or "God's will" as overriding any civil laws or responsibilities. This is known as "theocracy."
5. Many of the church groups supporting the gay marriage ban are in support of "theocracy," which even though they may deny it, undermines democracy.
6. Many of them are quite outspoken about their claim that the U.S. is a "Christian nation" and therefore only Christians should be elected as leaders.
7. Some of the same people have demonstrated a belief that they are above the law (and the stealing of opposing campaign signs is just one example).
8. Certain religious groups have very restrictive and "proprietary" doctrines about marriage (calling it a sacrament of the church, etc.) negating others' views.
9. Thus far they are only saying gays should not have the right to marry -- but they also beliwve that Jews and Muslims are less entitled to God's blessings.
10. Why are they so opposed to other citizens desiring to have legitimate and secure marriage relationships, instead of simply living together as many do now?
For years, gays have been condemned by the religious right for being "promiscuous" (a stereotype, of ciurse, as not all are). but now when some gays desire to be in committed relationships, they are also condemned for that. Where is the sense of fairness and honesty in that? Or is it really just an outpouring of hate of a group that does not share their religious beliefs?
I have suggested that those removing the signs are afraid of something. I think it's fear that those they disagree with will continue to be recognized as having equal tights under the law -- of having FULL citizenship without meeting the requirements of a "moral watchdog" group -- self-appointed as usual, of course.
But I think those planning to vote for Prop 8 should be afraid of something far more dangerous than equal rights for tax-paying homosexuals. They should be afraid of the very leaders of the churches supporting this constitutional amendment that is itself clearly unconstitutional under the equal rights protection clause of the U.S. constitution -- or do they plan to gut that from the federal bill of rights as well?
The avowed intent of some religious leaders to establish a "theocracy" of "Godly rule" under the watchful eye of conservative religious leaders is probably the most dangerous threat to our freedoms that have been proposed in a long, long time. One person, one vote -- but a Bible verse overturns them all? Is that the kind of democracy we are willing to settle for?
I don't think so, and I don't think the majority of you are willing to let that happen either. We need to firmly reject this attempt to strip one group of constitutional rights. The age-old question is still very appropriate. Who will be next?
This suggests several things that are quite disturbing:
1. Those stealing the sign have little or no ethics -- regardless of the great likelihood they are from conservative religious groups.
2. They must be very uncertain, even desperate, with regard to the chances of winning at the polls, as other people's opposition seems threatening to them.
3. They have little or no respect for other people's rights of free speech or for the process of democracy and free elections. (Yet they oppose "socialism," right?)
4. They seem to regard their own understanding of "God's law" or "God's will" as overriding any civil laws or responsibilities. This is known as "theocracy."
5. Many of the church groups supporting the gay marriage ban are in support of "theocracy," which even though they may deny it, undermines democracy.
6. Many of them are quite outspoken about their claim that the U.S. is a "Christian nation" and therefore only Christians should be elected as leaders.
7. Some of the same people have demonstrated a belief that they are above the law (and the stealing of opposing campaign signs is just one example).
8. Certain religious groups have very restrictive and "proprietary" doctrines about marriage (calling it a sacrament of the church, etc.) negating others' views.
9. Thus far they are only saying gays should not have the right to marry -- but they also beliwve that Jews and Muslims are less entitled to God's blessings.
10. Why are they so opposed to other citizens desiring to have legitimate and secure marriage relationships, instead of simply living together as many do now?
For years, gays have been condemned by the religious right for being "promiscuous" (a stereotype, of ciurse, as not all are). but now when some gays desire to be in committed relationships, they are also condemned for that. Where is the sense of fairness and honesty in that? Or is it really just an outpouring of hate of a group that does not share their religious beliefs?
I have suggested that those removing the signs are afraid of something. I think it's fear that those they disagree with will continue to be recognized as having equal tights under the law -- of having FULL citizenship without meeting the requirements of a "moral watchdog" group -- self-appointed as usual, of course.
But I think those planning to vote for Prop 8 should be afraid of something far more dangerous than equal rights for tax-paying homosexuals. They should be afraid of the very leaders of the churches supporting this constitutional amendment that is itself clearly unconstitutional under the equal rights protection clause of the U.S. constitution -- or do they plan to gut that from the federal bill of rights as well?
The avowed intent of some religious leaders to establish a "theocracy" of "Godly rule" under the watchful eye of conservative religious leaders is probably the most dangerous threat to our freedoms that have been proposed in a long, long time. One person, one vote -- but a Bible verse overturns them all? Is that the kind of democracy we are willing to settle for?
I don't think so, and I don't think the majority of you are willing to let that happen either. We need to firmly reject this attempt to strip one group of constitutional rights. The age-old question is still very appropriate. Who will be next?
posted by Rev. Rick Mitchell, PhD at 7:16 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home