Know Your Enemy. Conservative Religious Leaders call for a 40 Day FAST to take away California's Same Sex Marriage Rights

Okay, just when I think that the world is getting more on track, I'm reminded once again that the forces AGAINST equality are (how do I put this?) NUTS!

So in the LA Times yesterday, there was an article about how there was a 1000 person conference call two days ago (on Wednesday June 24) where

more than 1,000 ministers, most from evangelical congregations, discussed tactics for passing a fall ballot initiative that would amend California's Constitution to ban gay marriage.

The strategy session, which included input from lawyers and political consultants, was the opening of what conservative religious leaders hope will become a massive Christian outpouring of support for the proposed amendment.

The effort will include a 40-day fasting period leading up to election day, along with 100 days of prayer. On the weekend before the election, Garlow told the ministers, the goal would be to fill Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and other amphitheaters with people praying for a ban on gay marriage.

So... they're going to PRAY for 100 days, to psych everyone up to go vote.

And, they're going to FAST (that's no food) for the last 40 days before the vote???

It's like they're going on hunger strike.

Okay, I actually have fasted (no food, just water) for 11 days in a row, and let me tell you, after 40 days, not one person would be ABLE to get to the polls. I guess they'll all have to vote absentee...

And the weekend before the election, they're going to bus in thousands of these emaciated hunger strikers (Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego holds 70, 561 people!)


to rally and pray for enough voters to hate gay people enough so they can pass their amendment to the California Constitution to ban two people of the same sex who love each other from being recognized as a family by the state.

Jesus.

I mean, really. I thought the whole point of the "What Would Jesus Do?" Evangelicalism was to think about making the world a better and more equal and loving place. Wasn't THAT what Jesus tried to do?

Well, at the risk of jumping on the bandwagon of those who think God is only on their side, Would anyone worth praying to want hate and prejudice to be their rallying cry?

Oh, there I go - forgetting all about how many people keep killing each other in the name of their Gods.

Maybe this is a step forward in its own way. I mean, wouldn't it be great if every time the extreme folks got upset they simply fasted and prayed themselves silly? Iraq would be a much safer place...

Then again, I wonder what obesity rates are among this group of "Christians?" Have you seen the documentary "Super Size Me?" Will they really all decline food for 40 days?

I hope so.

Fasting is painful and debilitating, and maybe once they've started, about an hour into it - once they've missed their dinners - they'll realize - "Hey, you know, there are more important things for me to get worked up about. What the heck do I care if two guys get married in someone else's church or mosque or synagogue or courthouse? It doesn't affect me or my marriage one bit. Hand me that Krispy Kreme, wouldja?"


Now I've been struggling to understand how anyone could think my marriage affects their marriage. I mean, really, if YOUR marriage is threatened by someone else's relationship, you've got some MAJOR problems between you and your spouse.

However, with this fasting thing, I think maybe I finally see a glimmer of logic to the other side's argument. Ready for it?

If my Gay marriage makes someone else so upset that they fast for 40 days to rally voters against it and they get sick and they can't work anymore, and they get fired (cause they're doing it to themselves), and then their wife kicks them out and asks for a divorce because the guy's a bum who's more concerned with making front page headlines for his anti-gay-marriage-hunger-strike than with taking care of his own family... maybe my marriage DID harm theirs.

hmmm.


However, don't lose heart or hope. The close-minded do not own God. Also from the article:

Opponents of the amendment were quick to downplay the significance of Wednesday's call to arms.
"There are certainly thousands of people of faith who are supportive of the freedom to marry," said Kerry Chaplin, the organizing director for California Faith for Equality, a coalition of more than 2,000 faith leaders and congregations supporting same-sex marriage.

Hey! There's a coalition of more than 2,000 clergy who support OUR rights. That's good to know. (And yup, our coalition outnumbers theirs...)

So, check out these great organizations organizing and leading efforts to keep same sex marriage legal in California and defeat this initiative.

Equality California

and

Equality for All

and

California Faith for Equality (which has some great links on their website to other organizations joining the fight for civil rights!)

I guess we can chalk this up to "It's good to know your enemy."

But let's not forget about our friends.


Oh, and if this Gay and God stuff touches your heart, here's a fabulous YA book you've got to read:

The God Box
by Alex Sanchez

...which is awesome. Click on the book image above to go to the summary of "The God Box" and check it out!

Namaste,

Lee