Christians Against Proposition 8

Though I am opposed to Proposition 8, it bothers me to see antiMormon, antiCatholic and antiEvangelical signs among the protests that have occurred since the passage of the ballot measure. Many Christians from each denomination have quietly opposed this measure against gay marriage. Though the more conservative elements from each denomination have dominated the religious dialogue, there have been more progressive Christian voices who have fought for gay rights and gay marriage. I worry that in their anger over the support of Proposition 8 by Mormon, Catholic and Evangelical churches, it may create a prejudice among gay rights supporters against all Christians. The Christian community is more politically diverse than the Religious Right let on and many progressive Christians, among them Mormons, Catholics and Evangelicals, are struggling within their denominations to fight to change attitudes.

Barbara Young, a prominent Mormon, is against Propostion 8 for its discrimination against gays and lesbians. St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco had been marshalling opposition against Proposition 8, mainly through individuals working at phone banks. St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco, which chose lesbian priests to lead it two decades ago and gave up its membershilp in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, had fragmented efforts to make a liberal opposition. In a Roman Catholic Church in Fresno, a priest went out of the closet and decried Proposition 8 in the pulpit in early October, causing controversy in his parish. The Reverand Geoffrey Farrow said, “How is marriage protected by intimidating gay and lesbian people into loveless and lonely lives? I am morally compelled to vote no on Proposition 8…. I know these words of truth will cost me dearly. But to withhold them… I would become an accomplice to a moral evil that strips gay and lesbian people not only of their civil rights, but of their human dignity as well.”

Prominent Seventh Day Adventists like Julius Nam (Associate Professor of Religion Loma Linda University), Lawrence T. Geraty (President Emeritus, La Sierra University), and Gary Chartier (Associate Professor of Law and Business Ethics, La Sierra University) have gone against their Seventh-day Adventist Church State Council’s public support of California Proposition 8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ANZiOK0o0). The Episcopal Bishops of California issued a statement in opposition of Proposition 8 (http://www.diocal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=303&Item...).

In the October 31, 2008 edition of the San Jose Mercury News, the Council of Churches of Santa Clara County (http://www.councilofchurches-scc.org/marriage) had an advertisement against Proposition 8 and it was sponsored by the following churches:

Almaden Hills United Methodist Church, San Jose
Alum Rock United Methodist Church, San Jose
Campbell United Church of Christ Council
Campbell United Methodist Church
Celebration of Faith Church, San Jose
Center for Spiritual Living, San Jose
College Heights United Church of Christ, San Mateo
First Congregational Church of Palo Alto (UCC), Peace and Justice Task Force
First Congregational Church of San Jose, United Church of Christ
First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto
First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto
First Christian Church, San Jose
First Unitarian Church of San Jose
Grace Baptist Church, San Jose
Holy Redeemer Church, San Jose
Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church of San Jose
Metropolitan Community Church of San Jose
Morgan Hill United Methodist Church
New Community of Faith, San Jose (UCC and American Baptist)
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Santa Clara
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, San Jose
St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Sunnyvale
Stone Church of Willow Glen (Presbyterian), San Jose
Trinity Episcopal Church, San Jose
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Board
St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Social Justice/Outread Committee, Cupertino

Within the Crossleft community Laura M have voiced their disappointment at the passage of Proposition 8 (http://www.crossleft.org/node/6638). Other posts in support of gay rights within the church community could be found in http://www.crossleft.org/node/6493 and http://www.crossleft.org/node/6457.

I hope there are more protests against a ban on gay marriages. But I think the protests shouldn't focus against the institution of the Mormon or the Catholic or the Evangelical church that supports Proposition 8. It should focus instead on getting progressive Mormons, Catholics and Evangelicals to speak out and try to persuade their more moderate parishioners of the injustice of Proposition 8. The more lukewarm or neutral Mormons, Catholics and Evangelicals will more likely listen to their fellow churchgoers than from protesters from the outside. For gay marriage supporters, that means finding some way to contact progressive Mormons, Catholics and Evangelicals and listening to their advice on what kind of arguments would work best to persuade moderate churchgoers to go against Proposition 8. I think social change comes from pressure both inside and outside the system.

As Barbara Young and Reverand Geoffrey Farrow are showing, there are Mormons, Catholics, Evangelicals, and other Christians who support gay marriage and are willing to stand up for it. In the pews of Mormon, Catholic, and Evangelical churches are parishioners who are either gay or support gay rights yet are quiet about it out of fear of their more conservative churchgoers and clergy. Supporters of gay marriage need to read out to these people within these churches and encourage them to stand up and talk.