Proposition 8 is about religious freedom. The recent federal court decision against the 2008 ballot initiative is a win not only for gay men and lesbians. It’s also a victory for the free exercise of faith in this country.
Thousands of clergy from different traditions welcome the day when we can officiate marriages for our gay and lesbian
parishioners. In the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association, these unions will have full denominational backing.
Many states, like California, prohibit religious leaders from performing marriages that our traditions regard as legitimate and holy. This is a clear violation of the First Amendment. By denying us this right, the government prevents us from exercising our religious freedom.
Those who argue otherwise use a tortured logic. They suggest that equal marriage somehow infringes upon their liberties. Not so. No law would demand that a religious group perform marriages against its will. Equal marriage simply allows religious groups that whole-heartedly endorse those unions to do so.
Will Prop. 8 be defeated by the Supreme Court? For the sake of religion in this country, it’s in my prayers.
If Californians continually vote for issues and they are continually vetoed by the courts, then the primary question is are we truly a democratic state?
Sincerely,
Jim DeHart
In the year 1875, most Californians would have considered homosexuality to be a form of perversion. In 2012 California, homosexuality is a broadly accepted lifestyle.
The current gay marriage debate reflects efforts to realign our laws to better correspond to the attitudes of our time. This is not an issue of religious freedom. Its part of our legal system's ongoing evolution.