Proposition 8 and You

The passage of Proposition 8 in California has created quite a firestorm in the homosexual community. You may recall that Proposition 8 is an amendment that declares that marriage is between a man and a woman. It overrode a ruling by the California Supreme Court that recognized same-sex marriage as a fundamental right. The amendment passed 52.2% to 47.8%. This passage has resulted in demonstrations in the streets by those who lost the vote. There is an account of a grandmother who was protesting the protestors which indicates that she was attacked by the protestors (here). Governor Schwarzenegger is encouraging the State Supreme Court to try and find it unconstitutional so that it can be reversed.

I received an email from a man who pastors a church in California, and he wrote the following about his daughter's experience at school.

"Our oldest daughter (14 years old) got bombarded by her Drama teacher and the rest of her drama class as she bore the minority voice with 2 other Christians for the biblical stance when the opinionated teacher made a day of debate on this issue (instead of drama instruction). She's very sweet spirited but will stand up for her faith in a very liberal public high school. We praised her for not putting her light under a bushel even when someone in class threatened to punch anyone who supports Prop 8. Her faith and convictions are being strengthened in this crucible."

He went on to write, "In our community, an artistic director for a theater in Sacramento for 25 years was forced to quit because he donated $1,000 to the Yes on 8 campaign. Protesters are targeting Saddleback, Mormons, Catholics and evangelical churches this weekend. The fervor is growing. Gay Rights groups are planning for a ballot initiative in 2010 to overturn Prop 8. Governator Schwarzenegger & Mayor Newsom are urging opponents to fight on."

These "protests" are not isolated to California but have also appeared in Michigan: "Last Sunday, a band of about 30 gays stormed Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan. Some were well-dressed so they could blend in with the church-goers and wreak havoc inside the church by pulling fire alarms, throwing fliers at churchgoers, yelling at parishioners and storming the pulpit while holding up a large rainbow colored flag that read, "IT'S OKAY TO BE GAY! BASH BACK!" Others dressed in black and pink remained outside beating on buckets, shouting "Jesus was a homo" on a megaphone and carrying an upside-down pink cross."

Catholic League president Bill Donohue addressed this issue, "The real story here is the refusal of the mainstream media to cover what is surely one of the most disturbing events of 2008. If an organized group of gay bashers stormed a gay church, there is not a single sentient person in the United State who wouldn't know about it." [lansingstatejournal.com, thecronline.com]

I wish it were possible to have a rational conversation with those pushing the same-sex marriage agenda. I would like to pursue the dialogue something like this. "Since the beginning of time, marriage has been understood to be between a man and a woman. One of the purposes of marriage is to reproduce (obviously there is a whole lot more to marriage than this one purpose, but so as not to confuse the discussion let us just stay with this one issue). Biologically, it is impossible for same-sex individuals to reproduce, which cannot be solved by calling for 'equality' or passing an amendment."

"But if you want to redefine marriage, where does that redefinition end -- same-sex? What about polygamy (multiple spouses), incest (marriage between children and/or parents, or relatives), children getting married, marriage between a human and an animal (bestiality), etc., etc. It becomes impossible to draw any line anywhere because someone is going to be left out and feel that their rights are being trampled. The point is, if marriage is redefined to cover all possible combinations of relationships, marriage loses its meaning and purpose altogether."

As parents, it is important that you prepare your child/ren for this discussion which undoubtedly they will be involved in, if not already. How should they respond in school when challenged by a teacher or other adult? How should they respond when challenged by other students? Have you talked about the reasons for maintaining marriage defined as between a man and a woman? Have you prepared them to answer the charge of being a bigot or hate-monger?

This also raises some interesting questions for us as a church. How are we going to respond. Suppose we have individuals show up to do what took place in the Michigan church? How do we deal with that?

No, we don't hate an individual who is caught in the homosexual lifestyle. To shout "hate" is designed to put an individual on defense. It is our desire to let individuals know that we do not hate them, in fact, we love them enough to tell them the truth. Same-sex, or any other type of arrangement called marriage that is not between a man and a woman will fail. Marriage is designed to be between a man and a woman so that when they are united together, the two become one. Man and woman are created differently, not only biologically, but emotionally and many other ways so that when they are brought together they form one bond. This is like two different pieces of a puzzle that are able to be joined because they mate together properly in many different ways. Two pieces that are the same can never form one bond as designed in traditional marriage. The point is it is impossible to build a strong marriage, home and family on a defective foundation.

To tell an individual that redefining marriage won't work isn't hate, it is the most loving thing you can do. It would be like taking the keys of a friend who is drunk and who is trying to drive and telling them that they can't do it, it won't work. They will hurt themselves and others around them. That is not hate, that is love. To tell individuals that anything else other than marriage which is designed to be between a man and a woman will not yield the true unity that it was designed to produce, is not hate - it is real love, especially when they are shouting in your face with the veins in their neck bulging.

May God give us the grace to be prepared to respond lovingly, with care and compassion, but with the Truth!