(Heb 13:4 NKJV) Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled;
but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
The proposition 8 is now at a critical stage,
with a good chance that Gays will get married sooner rather than latter
as even the state defendants, conservative Politicians and judges have
voiced out support for gay marriages.
The stay on Judge Walker’s decision to
allow gay marriages will only harm gay couples who have been denied this
basic civil right and all its associated benefits. It is ironic that
whilst we deny gays the right to marry, the mega church pastors of the
Christian Right are breaking their marriage vows including Pastor Benny
Hinn, Suzanne Hinn, Paula White, Randy White, and Zachery Tims.
The key players for Prop 8 are as follows:-
a)
The plaintiffs –
City of San Francisco asking the court to deny the stay of Judge Walkers
ruling to allow gay marriage, and for the gay marriage to resume
immediately.
b)
The proponents –
protectmarriage.com asking for the stay and appealing to the 9th
circuit but could not show why they themselves will suffer irreparable
or substantial injury. They cannot show that they will be harmed by Gays
getting married. Legally for the Federal courts, they may not having a
legal standing to repeal since they were not the defendants who has
decided to fully support the decision of judge walker.
c)
The “State Defendants”
– California’s Governor and Attorney General opposing any stay. By
refusing to appeal, the terminator may have terminated "proponents".
They have also asked for gay marriage to resume immediately.
The stay of the judgment to allow gay marriage
will be in place until 18 Aug 2010 to allow the opportunity for the
proponents to appeal to the 9th
circuit to maintain the stay. As Judge Walker’s ruling was so detailed
and based on the findings of facts, if the appeals do end up in the
Supreme Court a year or two down the road, the chances of appealing his
decision is not great and if the court rules in favor of Judge walker,
overnight, gay marriage will be legal in America, not just in
California. Therefore, If California doesn’t get gay marriages
immediately, two years down the road, perhaps America will and all the
constitutional amendments and voter referendum in the states ballots to
ban gay marriages will be overturned. Praise the Lord.
Fighting an uphill battle with no real facts
other than a conservative ideology and grossly false rhetoric,
the Christian Right is launching an all
out offence as a last push to stop gay marriage. One word characterize
the Christian Right in America which we in Singapore so eagerly follow,
that is the worship of self, exalting themselves to be given special
rights to hate, to discriminate, to restrict the secular space of
others, and to deny others basic human rights. Their arguments boils
down to gays cannot get married because we the majority says so. Even
the existing 18,000 gay marriages we want to annul and destroy, and call
this protecting marriage.
For example, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) in the States
has insisted that it is their Civil Right to determine the basic human
rights of others which they themselves enjoy but want to keep it to
themselves. The wishes of the majority according to the Christian Right
override the protection of the minority (just because they were the
majority in the states). Yet, Christian organizations such as "Open
Doors" would argue against religious persecution of Christians in other
countries even though it was the will of the majority in those
non-christian countries.
As their champion Rev Pat Robertson continues its
round of outrageous and unfounded allegations based on fear and
rhetoric, this time saying that the Gay “sub-culture” is 20 times more
abusive, aren’t Christians so gullible as to be led like a sheep to
believe whatever they have been told. This is the danger Singapore faces
with mega church pastors having a cult like and zealous following.
Where
are honesty, integrity, and truth? Has our self righteousness thrown out
all morality that we rationalize our goodness in comparison to the
“sinful” gays?.
The downfall of Christianity comes in the witness dock in the
Proposition 8 trial when they were asked to justify the allegations made
against gays. Apart from being mere assertions, they could not prove
with empirical facts. Under cross examinations, they could not give a
good reason for their allegations and shown to be propagating lies. The
downfall comes not because the church has fallen in size or strength,
but when we lose our righteousness, morality and reputation.
As the Christian Right is insisting on appeal right up to the Supreme
Court, each time they go through the lengthy court proceedings for the
next two years, they will be putting Christianity on witness docks not
to talk about the Gospel Good News but about why we lie, cheat and steal
in order to deny gays the basic human rights including marriage. The
witness dock can be a very lonely place as we are cross examined and
have to provide clear empirical facts for our reasons. It is hard to
defend a lie and will make a mockery of the Christian faith. Our
unrighteousness will be revealed openly in the court of law repeated
over and over again for the next two years. We can't run away from the
"finding of facts" concluded by Judge Walker.
Biblical Christians are to be so upright and good in their character
that when others come to harm us, we return their hatred with love. In
Proposition 8, we become the people that caused great harm and even
insisting on the special right to hate and discriminate, with no
redemption after being found guilty as a Christian community in the
secular court of law. We cannot even fulfill the basic standards of
decency and goodness let alone proclaiming the good news through our
Christian witness.
Unlike Christ, who welcomes all, the Christian Right cares very little
for the humanity of "the other". Gays don't even exist in their opinion
and if they had their wish, they would not only ban gay marriage but
gays themselves and have laws such as proposed in Uganda for the death
penalty. The argument of causing harm to straight marriages and to
children are just rethoric and fear mongering. They are going to loose
Proposition 8 because that is their basic motivation and this is ungodly
and evil.
As pronounced by Judge Walker, there is no “gay
marriage” just “marriage” where all are welcome irrespective of race,
gender, and sexual orientation.
The arguments by the Christian Right were
just a red herring to be used as a wedge issue to gain leverage,
following, and to energize the Christian base as a political movement to
conquer the nations and the mountains secular world. We lost our soul in
trying to take over America even trampling over the weakest and using
them to achieve our agenda and purpose and put a Christian label on it.
But they had their angels protecting them, and we should be aware as
well for we may be fighting God Himself if we were not careful.
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