Why I'm Voting NO on 8

This past week I've witnessed, experienced and talked through half a dozen encounters, some verbally abusive and borderline violent in our neighborhood regarding Proposition 8. (See my last blog, Blogging Towards Sunday October 26th for more theologically reflective thoughts on that).

I'm voting NO on the proposition, which has come as a shock to a few people as I am both an unashamed follower of Jesus and a protestant pastor.

Here's why I'm voting NO:

1. I believe, theologically, philisophically, and politically that we each and all are created "good" in the image of God, are created equal, and should be neighborly loved as God loves us and as we oftentimes love ourselves.

2. I believe in the separation of church and state. There is a reason our founders and framers began the amendments to our Constitution with this precision [link]. I follow Jesus as teacher, prophet and Lord. Yet I don't want our government to try to legislate a particular interpretation of what that may or may not mean, in particular in a way that could become something like a legalistic Christian version of the worst of Sharia law. "Government should not endorse, promote or subsidize religious views - and particular religious views should not be the determining factor in public-policy decision making." I don't want the government telling me how to transmit my faith-philisophical & worldview values and perspectives to my children. The flip of ensuring that I'm protected that way, means that I have to ensure that no one is treated that way.

3. Some would say that I'm a laxist in my faith, a heretic in my interpretation of the Christian Scriptures and doomed to hell for my non-fundamentalist faith practice. This is a big discussion. I would assert that I do believe and assert the authority of Christian Scripture, which I read and interpret essentially through the lens of who Jesus was, what he taught, did and how he lived. For me the fundamentals in faith, of following Jesus come down to the Sermon on the Mount, living out the Beatitudes, Loving God with all of who I am, and loving my neighbors in the same way, a radical affirmation of the inherent beauty of dignity of all creation, the universal brokeness of the human condition and tendency to life-denying judgment, and the call to love the least and little in a christ-ic way.

4. There are a lot of things said, repeated and proliferated that are diabolical twistings of the truth in order to scare people and motivate radical de-humanizing polarization through fear: Equality under the law and the right to marriage will not result in:

a. the restriction of the rights of religious communities. I already decline to marry people, and have the right to do so at my own discertion (which isn't racially, or orientiationally biased). The government won't force any religious community or clergy-type-person to perform weddings that they don't want to. Besides who would want to have someone officiate over your wedding that doesn't approve?

b. the state will not mandate and force public schools to advocate, legislate or dictate same-sex marriage to our children. This is ludicrous. My children attend a school where possibly half of the teachers are gay or lesbian. It is the more openly loving and deeply respecting learning community I have ever encountered and experienced, for the kids and the families.

c. there are some ridiculously silly fundamentalist, quasi-facist, propoganda being distributed these days that evoke the Judeo-Christian and claim to represent it with unquestionable authority and unassailable deniability. I received in the mail yesterday a letter addressed to protest clergy asserting that there is a direct link and connection between Same-Sex Unions and Child Sacrifice. (Bad Bible study by the folks at the Judeo-ChristianView: the Canaanites didn't do child sacrifices to Moloch because they were gay. They did so because that was the twisted god that they worshipped). [Here's their letter which also ties this into support of Barack Obama]. This is just one example of fundamentalist perspectives that claim to take the high moral ground, possess authoritative moral practices and definitive interpretations of the Jewish/Christian Scriptures - which have always been know to profess a unique faith with different perspectives and approaches to faith praxis. It's just not true. And it's not good Bible reading.

d. that legalizing same-sex unions will destroy traditional marriage (in particular in a Christian sense). This is ironic, the tradition of marriage in the Bible begins with polygamy, and historically inaccurate. Marraige was highy legislated and encouraged in medeival Europe by the royalty because it created a new way to tax subjects (maybe this would solve our current budget problems!?). I have yet to encounter troubles in my marriage because of gay and lesbian couples that are in our family, in our relational communities or in my neighborhood. Ther 50% failure rate of "traditional hetero-sexual" marriages in the USA has nothing to do with the presence of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. It's called human nature, selfishness and our brokeness. I think for myself, that I'd rather focus on the log in my own eye rather than upon the splinter in another's eye.

5. I read yesterday on a neighborhood discussion board that we are being fooled when we equate equality of marriage today with the legal/religious/sociological battles for equality in terms of inter-racial dating/marriage in the past. I would disagree. How is it different. Rights are rights.

Of course I'm subjective and biased (we all are). Here's some links (trying to be fair and balanced) if you want to think some more about the issue.

"A Line in the Sand for Same-Sex Marriage Foes" [NYTimes]
Conservative Christians lead Prop. 8 Push (with good Bible Explanation Table) [SFGate]
No on Prop 8 Site
Yes on Prop 8 Site
Covenant Network [Presbyterian Christian Association Against Prop 8]
James Dobson's Focus on the Family and various broadcasts / print documents Supporting Prop 8

How are you going to vote? Why? What are your motivations for doing so? What do you hope your vote will help our nation/state move towards?