1 Sam 17:47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

On Tuesday 7 Feb 2012, 10 am, the US 9th Circuit of Appeals found that Proposition 8, which limited marriage to one man and one woman violated the US constitution. The victory is here.

 Judge Stephen Reinhardt who wrote the majority opinion said that Prop 8 violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment because it "serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples."    

The ruling was quickly criticised by Christian Post as an act of judicial activism but the facts were that Prop 8's arguments were found to be entirely irrational and added to the unique Californian circumstance where :-

a. Gay marriage was an existing right of a minority which could not be simply taken away by the majority simply because of the animosity of some

b. There is already a domestic partnership giving gay couples all the rights that the supporters of Prop 8 said were causing harm yet could not give any rational evidence why it harms the state. Hence, Proposition 8 serves no legitimate purpose.

It finally came to an argument what is the significance of the term "marriage" which many straight christians have already dishonered by having divorces without any gay influence. The court concluded that there was much meaning in the term "marriage" which would otherwise made the gay minority a second class citizen if denied.  Marriage meant something tangible far greater affirmation than just partnerships. The judges wrote:-

"Had Marilyn Monroe's film been called ‘How to Register a Domestic Partnership with a Millionaire,' it would not have conveyed the same meaning as did her famous movie, even though the underlying drama for same-sex couples is no different,"

 There was a precedence for the decision in the Romer v Evans, a Colorado case where the Supreme court ruled unconstitutional the taking away of an existing right enjoyed by the GLBT community.

It would be great if proponents of Proposition 8 do decide to appeal to the US Supreme Court because their chances of winning a rational argument is not high, and the public opinion has turned to support gay marriage. But alas, the arguments of the 9th circuit being so narrowly applicable only to California where gay marriage was first granted and then eliminated means that there is no broad application. It's the most difficult set of arguments to be overturned rationally and nationally.

The people of Faith supporting Prop 8 should bail out of sinking ship because the Christian support for Prop 8 gives a perception that Christianity is irrational, hypocritical, and determined to cause unprovoked harm. It is the yeast of hypocrisy when marriage between straight couples in the church has been so overtly abused which will harm the entire church body and makes it unclean and unholy.

Some Christians are adamant that we have no right to judge the likely Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney as a non Christian for being a Mormon. This is again a folly, for the fact is that Mormonism is the worship of the angel Moroni rather than Jesus Christ. And secondly, Romney himself made it an issue by appealing to the conservatives that he was a "Conservative Christian" and playing the religion card by being virulently anti-gay to gain support to overcome the negative opinion on his mormon faith. He has himself raised the bar of judgement and scrutiny where he will be likewise judged and found not only to be a non Christian but a  faith opposing christianity.

The christian conservatives in America is even willing to sell their souls by ignoring the obvious and vote for Mitt Romney for he is one of the few candidates likely to win against President Obama. Who is the greater heretic - a faith known to worship an angel lifted high up in Salt Lake City and for marriage between one man and many women, or Obama's kind and gentle Christianity where love and social justice is the primary consideration.

However, gays are weak and a small minority easily bashed up without any conscience nor reprecussions. The bible calls us to not let any issue be a cause for the entire church to be in sin for unrighteousness and unholiness will enter until we could not see what is right or wrong, and the Holy Spirit of God no longer dwells. We are quenching the Holy Spirit of God in our crusade against gays yet not realise it. And when the Holy Spirit is gone like in Israel where they had 400 of years without revelation until Christ came, the presence and power of God departs.

The Christian Post in Singapore lamented during the 377A debate in 2008 that "Homosexuality shows Singapore needs revival". But our anti-gay Christian aggenda shows that it is the church that needs a revival and not Singapore.   We have had a charismatic and evangelical revival for the last 30 years and now is a time for a new revival within the church to be more gracious and to repent of the harm we had caused before there could be a greater revival within Singapore and to the rest of Asia where Singapore is the Antioch and the HQ of the missions societies.

The victory is here for the GLBT community to attain basic rights and dignity but where will it leave the church?