Wednesday, January 21, 2009

History

I watched the Inauguration yesterday on television. And as unhappy as I have been about the passage of Proposition 8 in California, Proposition 102 in Arizona, Amendment 2 in Florida, and Arkansas Initiative 1, I was happy to see that our country has finally been able to elect a President who is not 100% Caucasian.

I was also deeply disappointed in Obama's choice for the invocation at the Inauguration. Pastor Rick Warren is not someone that deserves mainstream credibility. He has compared gay people with pedophiles and participants in bestiality and incest. It is not a secret that women working for his Saddleback Church are not allowed to be in supervisory roles, because, according to HIS interpretation of the Bible, women are to submit to men. Not to mention Rick Warren's "AIDS Minsitry" is based upon abstinence rather than scientifically proven safer sex practices. Adult human beings are sexual beings, and preaching abstinence is not a real effective strategy for combating sexually transmitted illnesses. That is the reality. Rick Warren is patently anti reproductive rights and anti stem cell research.

I listened to his "prayer". It was NOT a non-sectarian prayer at all, in fact, it seemed to me to be more of a mini sermon. There are ways for Christians to be inclusive of other spiritual traditions in a prayer. Rick Warren's was not one of them.

Yes, Pastor Rick, there are people in this country who are not Bible Thumping Baptists. Yes, Pastor Rick, there are people in this country who are not Christian. Yes, Pastor Rick, there are actually people who do not believe in God at all, or question what it is they actually do believe. We are all here, we are all part of this rich EVOLVING tapestry that is society in the United States of America. Not all of us desire joining your "Hitler Youth" type movement for "Christ". My guess is, if Jesus Christ came back today, you might be surprised at His reaction. Pastor Rick, you are an anti-gay bigot. Not sure how you are on the non Caucasian races, but your homophobia speaks volumes about your commitment to Christ's teachings, ergo "Love One Another as I have Loved You". Dude, you fall WAAAAAYYY short on that one. Actions speak volumes. And do not get me started on your "embrace" of the Jews. Dominionist actions and attitudes never seem to end well. Read the history books and you will know what I am talking about.

I honestly hope that Obama does put his money where his mouth is regarding being a "fierce advocate for Gay and Lesbian rights". Quite simply, marriage rights are civil rights. And since 4 states voted to remove rights from a class of people, I am quite nervous that my marriage may be next. I am a mostly Caucasian woman married to an Amerasian man. Are mixed race marriages next? If the racial purists and Aryan Nations types had their way, my marriage would be next. That thought makes me quite ill.

As long as there are peaceful protests at Saddleback Church of their stance on civil rights, my family and I will be there. Civil rights are NON NEGOTIABLE.

3 comments:

Jonathan said...

I still can't believe Warren was even invited in the first place. Not my only issue with Obama but a significant one. (If DUers see the blog post I'm working on, I'll likely be called both a Freeper and a CRAAAAZY socialist, haha.)

LibertarianMatt said...

That's OK. My vehement dissent against Prop 8 and the right wing religious zealots that control the Republican Party has me linked with Obama supporters and Democrats, even though I DID NOT vote for him. I'm not a Democrat either.

A Course in Miracles FromOutoftheBlue said...

Hello TDOW, I did not hear the Rick Warren prayer. Actually, I didn't want to and I was as surprised as anyone re Obama's choice here. I saw Warren on TED and knew then that he was not the kind of guy I'd want to listen to on a regular basis. Fortunately for TED (ted.com), Warren was followed by a scientist who provided balance and put both talks in perspective. I followed a post from DU to this blog. I wasn't able to reply there, but you asked about A Course In Miracles. I write and develop a site about ACIM. I have studied the Course for over 20 years. You can ask me anything about it. The language is Christian in style; the people involved in its coming to print were Jewish and one agnostic; and the concepts are considered Eastern, much like Hinduism. You probably have read the introduction about a universal experience (a universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is necessary). Essentially it says that if you are drawn to its path, the Course is for you.
I'm at fromoutoftheblue.com
- there are also 2 blog posts on Obama there. You might like them.