Since the people of California voted to reaffirm the sanctity of traditional marriage between a man and a woman on November 4, 2008, places of worship have been targeted by opponents of Proposition 8 with demonstrations and, in some cases, vandalism. People of faith have been intimidated for simply exercising their democratic rights. These are not actions that are worthy of the democratic ideals of our nation. The end of a free and fair election should not be the beginning of a hostile response in America.
Every now and again, I stumble across a breathtaking example of hypocrisy and hubris so stunning that it leaves me (temporarily) speechless...and rendering me speechless is no mean feat. Still, this missive from the Mormon Church's High Priesthood is stunning in it's complete dismissal of the reality of their investment in hatred and divisiveness that was their support of California's Proposition 8. Their message, which boiled down to it's essence, is "You lost. Deal with it. Shut up and sit down; you're second-class citizens now" would seem to run completely counter to the teachings of Jesus Christ, but then the Mormon Church has never really been about those teachings, have they? No, they're all about ideology, empire, and control...and in the case of Prop 8, they proved what they're capable of what they throw their considerable weight and resources behind a cause...even if that cause is hatred and discrimination.
What would Jesus do? Well, I remember enough of my Lutheran upbringing to believe that He'd be kicking ass and taking names. MORONS!! IDIOTS!! LOSERS! THIS...IS...NOT...WHAT...I...DIED...FOR!!
As you might imagine, the role of Mormons in passing Prop 8 has not gone unnoticed, and the rising anger being directed against the Church is truly something to behold. Then again, who can blame those who were just turned into second-class citizens by a 51% majority of California voters for being pissed off?
[W]hen you take away someone's civil rights, people do not take real kindly to that. You should have expected that there would be trouble. Don't you pay PR people big bucks to advise you on this stuff? From my reading of the proposition, your actions in promoting Yes on Proposition 8 FORCIBLY DIVORCED 18,000 couples. Not only that, people I know who had planned to get married in California now cannot do so. And you expect those people to just roll over and play dead? Dream on.
I can't pretend to know what the future holds, but what I do know is that there's now a whole lot of very pissed-off people in California...and, indeed, nationwide. These are good people who really want nothing more than to have the same access to the American dream that heterosexuals do. The Mormon Church and those who donated to and worked on behalf of the campaign to pass Prop 8 have no idea of the fury that's about to (deservedly) be unleashed upon them. Boycotts and protests directed against them will probably be only the beginning. Sow the wind...reap the whirlwind, eh?
Whether or not you happened to be comfortable with the idea of homosexuality or same-sex marriage, no American should have the right or the ability to deny basic civil rights to a class of people simply because they happen to disapprove of their lifestyle. There is no "Gay Agenda". No one is trying to forcibly recruit and convert our children. All most of these folks want is to be left alone to live their lives as they see fit, and to enjoy the same rights and benefits that accrue to any other Americans. What amazes me is that so many seem to think that they have the perfect right to deny basic civil rights to other Americans. Apparently, we learned exactly nothing from the Civil Rights Era.
Y'all just wait; this fight is only just beginning....
