An amazing op-ed in Kentucky from a Pentecostalist lays out the extraordinary double standards on marriage from the Christian right:
Even in the conservative Christian community, divorce is rampant. As the only lawyer in my church (a very conservative Pentecostal congregation), I frequently receive telephone calls from fellow church members requesting assistance on child custody matters, property division and other divorce-related questions.
I have fielded so many questions about divorce that I am sometimes surprised when I encounter middle-aged congregants who have not been previously married. The gay community could not treat their marriage vows any worse than many Christians treat their own.
What matters, in other words, is what virtues marriage contains, not what people it excludes. Jesus was not interested in drawing bright lines about groups of people and barring them from full inclusion in society. He was interested in how all of us live our lives. It’s the content of our lives, not the label society places on us that matters. But the current Christian right is far more concerned about keeping gay people out than in the true meaning of marriage. The op-ed continues:
In the days, weeks and months to come, we can expect to hear many conservative commentators decry the continuing decay of our culture. In the debate that follows – and as accusations of intolerance and immorality fly between left and right – remember that Christians and conservatives long ago met the real enemy of the sacred institution of marriage – and we are that enemy.
Ouch.
EMAIL OF THE DAY: “First, a little about me. 30, media professional, married with a young son, Brooklynite, registered Democrat, long-time TNR subscriber, pro-Iraq war, great fan or yours.
Now that we’ve established the basics, here’s my plight. I am horrified by my own party, and have been for quite some time. Al Sharpton as our moral arbiter? Check. Continued obeisance to the failed domestic and foreign policies of a bygone age? Check. Failure to learn the lessons of history? Check. Movement away from the Party’s few voices of reason (read: Lieberman)? Check.
So I guess we’ve settled it: can’t stick with this mangy dog. Which leads me to the other guys…
Abandonment of fiscal sanity? Check. Hateful, close-minded bedfellows? Check. Unchecked rapacity? Check. And that’s just Cheney. Bush, by all accounts, is the least curious-intellectually, or otherwise-President in modern history. Guess they’re out, too.
So what is a reasonable, patriotic, inclusive, urban professional to do? My peers are closet socialists who want to present Bush’s head to Kofi Annan as a peace offering. On the other hand, I’m not ready to make my peace with a party that still counts on the religious right to mobilize the vote. It’s as if I’m caught in vortex, between the two parties, but seemingly light-years from either. My secret fear, of course, is that I and my ilk do not represent an underserved silent majority, but we, in fact, are just a tiny, sane minority standing between the radical fringes on either side. Sadly, I do not see the situation improving anytime soon. Any words of encouragement for a man without a party?” – from a beleaguered reader. You read my mind, sir. Too depressing for words.
The Dish 