my fellow blogger petrea over at pasadena daily photo, tipped me off to a huge rally happening yesterday in opposition to the recently passed proposition 8 (details on the proposition can be found here). to me, it is fascinating that people protest a democratic decision that has already been made, but when political decisions happen about human rights, people need to speak out. for those who are interested, pasadena's voting public did not vote in favor of prop 8.
the homosexuality debate was not decided on november 4th, and yesterday's protest did not solve the issue either. regardless of your stance (and i'm continually shaping and reshaping my opinion), it seems that dialog is the most important thing to do. eliminating constitutional rights in california seems to do more harm than good - at least in my humble opinion. i attend a school and a church that are both "officially" opposed to practicing homosexual lifestyles, yet healthy creative debates are happening between the members of both organizations. it's small, but i like that.
for those interested in getting a taste of two contrasting theologicial positions on the issue (and more specifically from a mennonite church perspective), this book co-authored by one of my former professors is a fantastic place to start.
12 comments:
I too am in favor of dialog. I wish I could have gone to the rally but I have been down with the flu! Thanks for the photo and your thoughts.
"ironic is a tricky word" I'm not sure I understand it in the context of this protest. I admit it, I can be thick. Is the book at the library? I'd like to be a fly on the wall when these debates get going in your classrooms. Is there a great deal of debate or creationism as well?
ya, and to make matters worse I'm not sure if it has a reverse side.
But my understanding is that God's followers have been handing out hate instead of love on this issue for a long time.
Ben, it was good to see you there. I like the way you write about this issue. You know me (not religious). But I've done my fair share of learning about God and the Bible, and if there's one thing I came away with it's this: God is Love. But I came away with more than one thing: We're all God's children. So I appreciate your openness to listen.
But of course in America we separate church and state.
What did you think of the Pastor from the Episcopal church? I thought she was a great speaker.
Another thing I've grown to understand - the Bible, and religion in general is full of shades of gray. Anyone who says it's black and white is fooling themselves.
The All Saints pastor is great. I've heard her speak before at a few random events. She is much more liberal than anyone I've ever had as a pastor or minister, but I appreciate that perspective. Very embracing, and showcasing God's love.
Very interesting, Ben. You've studied it much more than I have, obviously. And you know I'm a liberal so I like a liberal point of view. But I wouldn't be a person I admire if I didn't try to hear the other side, too.
But it does seem there are so many gray areas, even ambiguous ones. It's one reason why that book is endlessly interesting, and has merited so much study.
Well, yes, god is love.
But, I don't wanna limit god's response to us only to our idea of love. God is complex & deep. One certainly can start understanding God beginning with love -his most important characteristic no doubt.
Too often when we describe who/what God is, we sound too much like political spinners, picking & choosing what we want to emphasize. And, insufficient to even begin to face the full range of who God is.
I think it's important that all angles of an issue be examined besides our own warm pet views. For the unexamined life may not be much worth living.
My simple non-complex God/Goddess/person/Etc. says: My Love Is Like The Sun, It Shines On Every Person/Creature/Etc. regardless of Race, Color, Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation and any other category drawing breath, not covered in the above statement.
Plus, I demand equality for all God's creatures.
Well said Pascal Jim!
The American Heritage Dictionary’s usage panel found it unacceptable to use the word ironic to describe mere unfortunate coincidences or surprising disappointments that “suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly.”
Interesting!
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