My own comments on Rights and Religion.

I am a Christian, and I have my own views.

There is a grim reality about the entire situation that is created by Prop 8 that most people don't even see. Fortunately for me, I am no longer angered by the whole ordeal. Mostly it's just because I don't usually get very angry over anything. A lack of blinding passion allows one to see most clearly.

Very few times before this has our government passed legislation on marriage that favors one religion over another. You may think to yourself that Prop 8 is favoring of religion in general and not one church over another, but you would be wrong. There are churches in this country, legitimate groups of faithful people, who believe that homosexual marriage is an appropriate and sacred thing. Now that heterosexual marriage is the only one recognized under the law, these churches have been discriminated against by the law.

Are we really ready for this kind of legal precedent?

What will happen if (or when) people decide that marriage must legally be "only until death do you part". You may think that won't affect anybody, but there happens to be a church of sigificant following who believes in marriage "for time and all eternity". If Prop 8 is allowed to stand, then no legal action will be able to stop a majority vote in favor of a time limit on marriage.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

When the definition of marriage is decided by majority vote, it will be the majority relgion that gets to enforce its will upon others. Then matters of faith become matters of law, and the idea of 'freedom of religion' will change to 'freedom of the biggest church'.

Is this the future you want to live in?
Are we really ready to force our neighbors to do as we dictate?

It's fine if you're on the winning side, but that could be said of quite a few nations of the past. Jews don't forget Egypt, or Nazi Germany. We as Christians would do well to remember Rome.

We are taught to "do unto others". We are taught to "love our neighbors". How can we stand by and allow ourselves to rule over the faiths of others? How would you react if a law was passed restricting your marriage? What would you do?

To every Christian who voted for Proposition 8 in California, or for something similar in another place, I say this to you:

We have given in to temptation. What we thought would give us strength and protection has created a great weakness and vulnerability, and the safety of our freedom to worship is in danger.
We have unjustly wielded power over our fellow man. Regardless of what we think about them and what they do, they are our neighbors. We have not shown them the love that our Savior taught us.
We must give up this unjust power.
We must ask our neighbors for forgiveness.

We must ask our God for forgiveness.