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California’s Legalization of Gay Marriage
By Marc | June 18, 2008
Yesterday, California began issuing marriage licenses to all couples, regardless of sexual orientation, by order from their supreme court.
Although the people voted against it, the court ruled in favor, and it wasn’t even close to unanimous. Julie made a comment that it’s like they forgot they were put there to serve the people, not bulldoze them.
Contrary to the stereotype of your common Midwestern Christian, we aren’t all foaming at the mouth, spitting about hell and eternal punishment, brandishing our 6-foot crosses, crusading onward to “that modern day Sodom”, and condemning the heathens. (Actually, I don’t know if that’s the stereotype, but it sure was mine before I followed Christ.)
As for me, I’m not in the least bit surprised, but it still makes me sad.
Being from the Midwest (and just being me), I have my own stereotypes about southern Californians. Whether true or not, I can’t deny those stereotypes exist. Probably 10% of that comes from the news, 20% from movies and television, 50% from impressions made by Hollywood culture, and the remaining 20 from my own experiences living there.
While in the Navy, I was stationed on a ship home ported in San Diego. A common theme surfaced almost everywhere I went: Self. Not all people were totally consumed with themselves, but quite a higher percentage than are here.
That’s also not to say that there aren’t people in Nebraska who care so much about their image and personal gain to a fault. It happens almost everywhere. But it just seemed that in southern California, far more were into what they could gain to make themselves feel better, regardless of if someone else suffered.
Also, with gossip media reporting almost daily about the giant soap opera of Hollywood, the cult of self is not a silly notion. This person had an affair; star A married star B two days after a divorce from star C; star M and N fell in “love” on set, married for two weeks, and are getting divorced; stars F, L, B, H, and Q are all going through rehab or are being treated for “exhaustion”; star Z is having a hissy fit with his director; star V read a magazine article, so that gives her the authority to dictate everyone’s choices; star P died of a heroin overdose.
So, whether or not the reports are correct or indicative of ALL Hollywood denizens, they leave an impression about the entire entertainment culture, then about California, then to the world about America. So, I am not surprised at all about this happening. It was just a matter of time. The stereotype is “whatever, as long as it feels good”.
I can’t say that the entire state of California is a pit of sin and depravity. There are a lot of good decent people there. I also can’t make a blanket judgement about the character of every homosexual. And personally I can’t say what effect this lifting of the ban on gay marriages will have on anything outside of that state. Same-sex marriages are illegal in Nebraska (although the wording of the law is screwy), so I’m not sure how things will go in California because I am not directly affected by it.
But, I do know what the Bible says about it. And regardless of whatever my personal feelings are, I have a fair grasp on God’s opinion about gay marriage. I follow God. I’ll leave it at that.
Topics: In the News, Life and Living |
