The Weapon of “Popular Opinion”, and Why Those of Faith Might Want to Reconsider Marriage Equality (Re-Post)

by gradycarter

Somehow I deleted this post, and I was very disappointed because it had gotten lot of traffic and inspired some great conversations for me, but  I decided to do my best to just repost it, as this is still how I feel…

This message is to my friends who are members of “the/a” church. Today the supreme court is ruling on Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage (as it was legal in California for a short time). Proposition 8 was controversial for multiple reasons, but a big part of why it was controversial was that churches (the mormon church in particular) poured in millions of dollars in a campaign for proposition 8 (to ban gay marriage). As this ruling is happening I would like to challenge my friends of a church, or any religious community, to think about the implications of saying no to same-sex marriage.

Proposition 8 was voted on by the people, hence “Popular Opinion” would allow or deny citizen’s rights, and the “body of Christ” / members of the church communities have been leading the charge in that popular opinion legislating process. Here is the potential problem with that – Christianity, and religion in general is becoming less and less popular, and those who are against it are becoming louder and more strategic… Do you see the connection? If the church is saying that popular opinion should legislate citizen’s rights there is a hazard for the church upon the horizon as they are losing their favor in the public perception battle.

This is not a threat, as I’ve spent much of my life in Christian organizations, and I’m hoping that the church will grow and only become a better version of itself. I’m really just asking the question, will approaching issues like same-sex marriage with the weapon of popular opinion (which since Prop 8 was passed has completely flipped) a very good idea when that weapon will likely soon be used against you/the church? I’m not saying that you have to be ok with people being gay, you don’t (no one can make you), but as far as the law is concerned are you sure that you want to actively restrict the rights of others because of your own opinions/taste? Just something to think about.

I will just leave you with this chart: