Prop. 8 Is The New Roe v. Wade

A rare bonus post for a single day. Two for the price of none! What a bargain!

I'm not really in the mood to really dive into this topic, nor is the week before Christmas the ideal time, in my opinion. This is merely an observation I've made in the wake of President-elect Barack Obama's decision to have Pastor Rick Warren offer a prayer at the Presidential inauguration next month.

The backlash I'm seeing in the local news outlets here in California about the single issue of Proposition 8 completely defining a person reminds me of how conservatives have been known to look at those in favor of legalized abortion. It basically doesn't matter what your body of work shows, it matters how you stand on a single political flash point.

Rick Warren has been embraced by Christians and non Christians for his book The Purpose Driven Life. Pastor Warren has risen to national prominence as a beacon of information and human compassion. The presidential summit held at Warren's church in Orange County was unprecedented, and applauded by both ends of the political spectrum. For one evening, no one seemed too concerned with the separation of church and state, and despite the stereotype of evangelical Christians being overwhelmingly Republican, it was anything but a home field advantage for John McCain.

The left now has it's own equivalent to Roe v. Wade. This is the litmus test which will be used to determine whether someone is loving, or hateful. Conservatives have used the abortion topic similarly. Regarding Proposition 8, I find it unfortunate that people perceive this as hateful. It's too bad that the body of Rick Warren's life is so easily and quickly dismissed because of his stance for the traditional and biblical definition of marriage. There are people in my own life with whom I disagree, and who likewise disagree with me. However, they must also know that I do not define them or base my affection for them on how they vote or who they fall in love with.

I wish in my heart people would not judge or discriminate against others for any single ideology. We don't have to agree on things. We do, however, have to coexist. Agree with me, or Rick Warren, or Barack Obama, or the butcher at the grocery store...or not. We all have redeeming qualities which should not be disqualified because of a single issue, no matter how closely to home it may hit.

Wow, looks like I dived in after all.