Another wedding last night ... a clergy colleague married his long time partner in a lovely, backyard garden ceremony surrounded by friends, family, neighbors and an abundance of love, laughter, twinkle lights and arguably the best cake in the history of weddings.Watching this garden wedding unfold last night brought to mind this commercial -- being frequently aired here in California -- and asking the poignant question: What if you couldn't marry the person you loved?
Thankfully, last night there were no obstacles to the vows that were said, the celebration that was celebrated, the "happily ever after" we all gathered to support. But we've got our work cut out for us keeping it that way as the religious right mobilizes to take away the rights all Californians now have to marriage from some Californians ... the gay ones.
And so I was happy that Jessica Garrison from the L.A. Times found me on Friday to talk about the fight over Proposition 8 here in California. It not only gave me a chance to get my own thoughts on record, but to turn her onto the CA Faith for Equality video I posted here earlier this week giving voice to interfaith religious leaders in FAVOR of marriage equality.
It's going to be a busy fall!
From the feature in today's L.A Times:
Susan Russell, a priest at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, a liberal congregation that has long supported the rights of gays and lesbians to marry, said "fair-minded Californians" should be concerned about some of the tactics and arguments of faith leaders on the other side.
"I will defend to my last breath the right of any of those folks to exercise their religion as they believe they are called to do it," she added. "But I'll resist to my last breath, vote, e-mail and blog their right to inflict their religious beliefs on the Constitution of the state of California."
Russell said that the idea that the court's decision infringed on religious liberty was a "red herring." Divorce is legal in California, she said, but that doesn't mean that Roman Catholic priests have to perform marriages for people who have been divorced.
It's going to be a busy fall!
From the feature in today's L.A Times:
Susan Russell, a priest at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, a liberal congregation that has long supported the rights of gays and lesbians to marry, said "fair-minded Californians" should be concerned about some of the tactics and arguments of faith leaders on the other side.
"I will defend to my last breath the right of any of those folks to exercise their religion as they believe they are called to do it," she added. "But I'll resist to my last breath, vote, e-mail and blog their right to inflict their religious beliefs on the Constitution of the state of California."
Russell said that the idea that the court's decision infringed on religious liberty was a "red herring." Divorce is legal in California, she said, but that doesn't mean that Roman Catholic priests have to perform marriages for people who have been divorced.
1 comment:
I posted that video last week and then soon after posted the one you had up the other day.
As someone who values justice and mercy and who can marry who she pleases... but who will not rest until everyone can do so, I will keep posting.
Many readers of my blog are more secular and sadly they often lump all people of faith into one great big fundie gay-hating pile.
So I have my own "inch-at-a-time" work on my hands.
These posts and videos and the presence of people like you and so many others, with whom I am honored to be in blogging community with will hopefully bring about all kinds of change.
Thank you for this and for your own personal witness.
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