For many gays in Singapore the news of the legalization of Gay
marriage in New York appears only a small step, separated by 15,334
km away. Yet, New York has been the spark of the gay rights movement
made famous by Stonewall.Whilst some Christian sites such as
Christian Post continued their relentless attacks, the near silence
of Christian Social justice groups such as Sojourners is deafening.
The Gay marriage in New York is such a big gain that Sojourners dare
not even make a neutral comments vary that the Christian Right and
Catholic Bishops would went their anger at them and cut off support.
So much for progressive Christianity of Brian Mclaren. We see
articles of the Afgan and West Bank conflict at least 9,000 km
away, yet a profound social justice victory right in their own city
of New York is not mention. This is not what Jesus would have done,
but I guess they have put up the poster of Gandhi and not Jesus.
The opposition against gays seems to come from an unholy triad -
Evangelicals, Jews, and Catholics. For the Catholics Bishops,
blaiming gays would be a good way of distracting from the churches
dismal record of sexual abuse of minors. The Evangelicals seems
to suffer a memory lost with regards to the Catholic Church worship
of Mary, the Saints and the Pope, when they should be exalting
Christ alone. Salvation it seems is by the sacraments rather than by
faith in the grace of God through Christ. All this matters little
beneath their disdain for gays whom they fear not because of
"traditional" marriage which has been destroyed by openly
heterosexual couples but because it would deconstruct their
religious faith.
(Judg 8:30 NKJV) Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring,
for he had many wives.
(1 Ki 11:3 NKJV) And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and
three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.
(1 Ki 11:4 NKJV) For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives
turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to
the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.
If we fear the "traditional" breakdown of marriage between one man
and one woman, we should take comfort from the bible where the men
had many wives. We can't see the Christian Right holding placards
against the Muslim community whose religion actually allows them to
have upto 4 wives. Nothing can be more traitional than Solomon who
had 700 wives. He was certaintly very "strong"! Many of the
marriage were inter-racial and inter-religion - which were only
fully legal since 1967 due to opposition from "traditional" marriage
advocates.
Perhaps the abuse of marriage by openly heterosexuals is so blatant
including those sitting on the church pews, that gays must be
blamed. The harder we attempt the blame others, after a long while,
the blame will come back to us and we be labelled as hypocrites.
(1 Sam 18:3 NKJV) Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because
he loved him as his own soul.
(1 Sam 18:4 NKJV) And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and
gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and
his belt.
The blibical story of Jonathan and David, exchanging their clothing
and weapons as if exchanging the traditional marriage vows must have
have too much for the male dominated "traditional" marriage
advocates where the women were supposed to stay at home and be good
house wives and not considered as equals. Saul was so against this
relationship because David was his enemy and a threat to the throne.
Yet, God blessed their relationship, and David became king and Jesus
was descended from David.
Gays have no place in traditional marriage for some Christians not
because it was immoral, but because a gay marriage is on equal
footing whilst the men dominates over the women in a
"traditional" marriage. That was why traditionally they could have
many women.
There was no such One man and
One woman covenant in the
bible, other than instituted by Paul (who never married) because of
pagan religious worship where the good Christian men were having sex
with other men and women out of religious faith worship so that they
could be possessed by demons in the frenzy if the religious inspired
sex orgies in front of the giant statue of the deities. Strictly,
the Christian Right should insist that marriage applies under the
context of the same religion. There should not be an inter-religious
marriage even of the same race! It's not about marriage between one
man and one woman, but of the same and preferably Christian faith.
Gay marriage effectively undermines a religious structure, starting
from God to the Mary/Pope, the Pope to the male Priests, the male
Priests to the men, the men to the women/children, and lastly the
women to the slaves. The Catholics priests must be so jealous that
the gay men could marry whilst they can only have sex secretly.
The Christian Right and the Catholics Bishops are so vary of the domino effect and the profound
victory for gay rights that they are trying hard to dampen it with
bogus polls and threats to penalize the Republican Senators who had
voted for gay marriage. The USD 2 million peldge by the anti-gay
group NOM to reverse the gay marriage law is a special ploy to
leverage on the fears of many for fund raising as they would well
have known that the law is nearly impossible to be repealed.
Once New York legalise gay marriage, the prospect for
California to resume gay marriage is much sooner rather than later
as no judge in California would want to go against this
historical shift of momentum. The anti-gay opponents were already
desperate even before the New York news and had even tried to
disqualify the retired presiding judge.
When both New York and California, the two largest states having gay
marriage, it means legalization from the East to the West. The
unescapable circle is complete. With
increasing support from the Republicans, the general surge of
support of people attending gay marriages, the large shift in
support by young people would mean a fatal blow to the anti-gay
crusaders.
The New York bill was passed with bi-partisan political support, and
as the general support rises well 55%, the same argument used by the
Christian Right that it was the will of the majority that gays should not
have any rights will be used back against them. We are looking at a
major shift with thunder and lighting storms moving in. The support
by the Republicans can only increase as the public opinion changes
rapidly.
President Obama's position on gay marriage is evolving fearing the
reaction of his African American supporters making him less supportive
of gay marriage than key Republicans such as Dick Cheney, Laura Bush
and Ken Mehlman. The barrier to the acceptance of gays by African
Americans is that they have inherited the culture of male dominated
tribal from deep dark Africa. If they can't let go of gays, they
cannot fully embrace their own freedom.
As the opinion polls for gay marriage will surge well above 55% by
2012, we should "let the poeple decide". Its above love
and not about religion. It's about the rights of people to love and
not about about special religious rights to restrict the basic
rights of others. We may worship dead idols, but gays are only
seeking to love other gays (not dead ones, nor underage etc as
claimed by the Christian Right).
Let the circle be unbroken, let it get bigger to include the GLBT
tribe. It is an unbroken circle to connect us with God,
for surely they are part of God's wonderful and unique creation.
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