So, voting happens on Tuesday. Should be a hoot.
Anyway, here in California there's this item on the ballot known as
Proposition 8, which is essentially a measure that would add a line saying that marriage is between one man and one woman to our state constitution. It's fiercely contested, and is the most funded campaign (over $25 million on each side) in the US, second only to the presidential election.
Evangelical Christians, including Focus on the Family and Rick Warren, and other social conservatives in the state have been adamant in their support for the measure, while a smattering of others, including Google and Steven Spielberg, have been taking very public stances against the measure. Chuck Colson went so far as to say that if Proposition 8 does not pass (and thus same-sex marriage remains valid here in California) it will be a modern day Armageddon.
I will be voting against Proposition 8 for a number of reasons.
The primary reason that I will be voting against Prop 8 is because I believe very firmly in the separation of Church and State. I think that the only strong church is one which is free from the whims of our government, and I'm willing to accept that this sometimes will mean that our state will become more secularized. This, however, does not mean that our Church must compromise in any way, unless we see fit. The addition of this line, however, would be the institution of religious principles in an otherwise civil document.
Put another way,
I find no compelling argument for Proposition 8 outside of the Judeo-Christian religious tradition. I've heard the argument that every major society has held that marriage is between a man and a woman for 5,000 years, which is at least a little suspect. It's true in that I don't know of any source endorsing same-sex marriage over the span of human history, it's hardly true that the notion of marriage between one man and one woman is found throughout that time. For Christians, the Old Testament is filled with example after example of a godly man marrying multiple wives--in fact, this was often a sign of his godliness, as godliness led to prosperity and polygamy was a sure sign of prosperity. It seems to me that the New Testament's introduction of a man being married to but one wife (in Paul's description of a deacon, I believe) is more of a following culture thing than a moral revelation thing.
I certainly could be wrong.
I sat in my pastor's office this past Monday and for an hour and a half we discussed and debated these fourteen words and why they should or should not be added to our constitution. I respect and like my pastor very much, and though we still do not agree on this issue, those feelings have not changed. During the course of conversation, I made a comment to him that I did not understand at the time, but which I somehow still believed to be true. I said that there were Christians on both sides of this issue, and that I thought that those on both sides were right, both were following the will of God.
It was only days later that I kinda started to figure out maybe how that could actually be.
Maybe God cares more about the "why" when we vote than the "what." Maybe God hears my pastor's heart for holiness and redemption in his vote for Proposition 8 (as well as the heart of the rest of the church staff, the rest of the church, most of my friends, and even my girlfriend) but also hears my heart for compassion and justice (and justice in the sense that it is required that you view someone as an equal before you can act justly in relation to them) in my vote against Proposition 8, and God blesses both efforts. I'm reminded of that part in the Bible where Samuel is looking for a new king to anoint after Saul basically blows it. God tells Samuel, "
People look at the outside appearance, but I look at the heart." (1 Sam. 16.7, good old Bible Gateway always comes to the rescue)
Maybe this is just what I tell myself so I can sleep at night knowing that I'm standing [what feels like] completely alone within my branch of the faith basically trying to destroy the most basic, time-tested foundation of all of civilization just for some "sinners." Or as one prominent minister out here put it, I'm throwing away 5 000 years of human tradition for just 2% of the population.
I guess I'm just doing what I feel like Jesus would have...standing up for the marginalized in our society. And I know that those of my creed on the opposite side feel the same about their stance, that they are indeed doing what Jesus would have done...standing up for moral truth and righteousness in a wicked generation.On a slightly unrelated note, I love bluegrass music, and I have no idea why. I just do.
Peace, love, and joy.
