Friday, October 24, 2008

"In the news ..."

Here's a peek into the kind of "point-counterpoint" going on in California over Proposition 8 -- the effort to eliminate same-sex marriage.

Entitled "Local church, political leaders voice their support for Prop. 8" it's a report on a press conference in Whittier held by clergy-supporting-8. Here are a couple of their arguments:

"If God desired the government to rule the world, he should have created it first," Pastor Ray Telles of Hope of Glory Christian Fellowship said.

Hmmm ... now there's a compelling argument for theocracy over democracy!

Pastor Ed Smith of Zoe Christian Fellowship: "It violates my civil rights," Smith said of same-sex marriage. "I cannot change my skin color. I could change, if I decided to, my sexual preference and behavior."

Even if you give him the "gay people can change if they want to" argument (which I do NOT!) I still don't "get" how my marriage violates his civil rights!

But let's here it for the reporter, who -- in an effort to be actually "fair and balanced" included some other voices in her piece:

Some area Christians say they do not support Prop. 8's definition of marriage, however. The Rev. Bruce Gray of St. Matthias Episcopal Church said many of the faithful are stepping out against the measure. Gray said he believes fear of change drives the effort against same-sex marriage.

"Many people are afraid of the changes happening in our society," he said. "Literally, the economy, jobs leaving our communities, homes becoming unstable."

The Rev. Susan Russell of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena said her church has been blessing same-sex unions for 16 years. "We believe that the important thing about a marriage are the values that make up a marriage, not the gender of the people involved."

Russell said she supports the right of everyone to speak their mind about the issue, but hopes to see Prop. 8 defeated in November.

"What they should absolutely have the right to exercise is their faith," Russell said. "What the First Amendment does not do is give them the right to write their faith into our Constitution, and that's what Proposition 8 is about."

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If you've got a minute, email Airan Scruby and thank her for her efforts to get both sides into her story. Would be other reporters will go and do likewise!

(On the schedule today is a planning meeting for the November 1st event at St. John's Cathedral, a press conference with local rabbis against 8 and then we're getting ready for Fr. Geoff to go on the local Fox News station tonight at 10:30, opposite the San Diego pastor orchestrating the Quallcom Stadium gig I blogged about last week. That's what a "day off" looks like during election season!)

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