Religious people in California- What have you learned from Prop 8 passing?

Question

I was talking with my sister in law the other day and she was saying that she thought it was awesome to see the unity across denominations.
So did you learn anything from prop 8?

Answer 1

I have long been saying that the liberals have the ACLU, and we (the conservatives) have nothing. If we unite as people of faith, we can manage to give the ACLU a run for their money and stop having to give in to them all the time. This taught me that churches are willing to stand together and put up a great fight. The ACLU may finally have some competition.

Answer 2

I learned that the so called "progressive" people in this country are only open minded and tolerant when it comes to their side. Prop 8 did not take away any rights from anybody. People need to read up on current California law before they say Prop 8 promotes racism and bigotry. As per Cal. Fam. Code §297.5 "civil unions" or "domestic partnerships" enjoy the exact same rights and responsibilities as married couples. The only thing the four judges did in May was to change the definition of marriage. This did not add any rights to gay couples. Please do your research before you accuse us Christians of taking away people's rights. There is nothing that gives two people the right to call themselves married. Marriage has always been a religious institution, the only reason the government ever got involved was to make money...not because it's a human right.



Also, people say there is a right that says two people of the same sex can get married because it's their choice...should one be able to marry a close relative if they both consent? How about 20 wives? Where do these "rights" end? Something to think about...



I've also learned there are a lot of Christians out there that respond to gay marriage supporters with too much hatred. We shouldn't just respond with our immediate thoughts and anger, we should consider what our answers will do to somebody's perception of what a Christian should be. No, I'm not perfect all the time, but I should give what I wrote a look over to make sure my language won't unnecessarily inflame the argument. Some people will take even what I said in an upsetting way simply because they disagree, but that doesn't mean I should reply in the same manner. Basically, I've learned that as Christians we need to be the light of the world, not respond as the world would respond.

Answer 3

The Mormons shouldn't have had anything to do with Prop 8;

Prop 8 is POLITICS and religion is supposed to be SEPARATE

from politics.



besides aren't mormons polygamists?

soooo, their arguement is that it is against god to be

a homosexual.

but where in the bible does it say that it's okay to

marry and screw a bunch of women at the same time?



and really, how many people have ACTUALLY been affected by

gay people? what have they done to you freaks?

they live their life and mind their own business.



i myself am not gay.

however i have friends and family member that are,

and i find it really unfair that in the state we live in,

they are not allowed to marry.



and for the people that are saying things like

"why is gay rights such a big deal, but children's rights aren't"

[i saw an answer like that on here]

well maybe that question should be directed toward the

government and the people that came up with prop 8.



the only reason why the rights of gays are an issue is

because people are trying to take them away.

Answer 4

Isn't God supposed to love everyone? Doesn't he forgive our sins? I hate how most religious people say that God loves everyone, yet then they're hypocritical when they say that you'll go to hell if you're homosexual. Um...what? I'm Catholic, I believe in God, am a heterosexual 19 year old woman, and I support gay marriage. I have gay friends and they are no different than any heterosexual person I know. So why must they be treated differently?



I think the problem with people who are so against homosexuality is that they've never taken the time to actually "know" a gay person. Sure, they might know an acquaintance who's gay or have passed by a gay person on the street...but have they actually taken the time to talk to someone who's homosexual? Trust me, if you would just put aside the fact that their sexual orientation is different than yours and actually try to get to know the person, you'll find out that they are a normal human being, just like you.



And whoever posted saying that we live in a "normal" country and that homosexuals are "deviants" who shall not be allowed rights. Um, have you ever watched the news? There are people who abduct and rape innocent children. There are priests who have molested young boys. There are teenagers shooting their classmates for no reason in school. There are people who still commit hate crimes. And you think that homosexuality is our biggest problem?! Honey, open your eyes. If you really follow what the Bible says then hopefully you haven't ever watched porn, used contraceptives (whether condoms or pills), or masturbated because then in your eyes you're probably going to hell too.



(Oh and I don't think I've ever seen gay people "parading" across the street teaching children homosexuality. I don't know what hallucinations you're seeing, unless you passed by a Gay Pride Parade and didn't notice. And if that's the case, well then just don't take your children to go see it...duh!)



We all just need to stop being intolerant of EACH OTHER and worry about things that are more graver than this.

Answer 5

The passing of Prop 8 confirmed what I already knew: that people, especially Californians, are way too concerned with what everybody else is doing. Here's a scenario: a small child sees sees a homosexual couple holding hands, and asks the parents about it. Is the child going to understand the difference between marriage and civil union? No. Oh wait, that's right, this proposition was about protecting the religious doctrine about the sanctity of a marriage between a man and a woman, right? Well, there's this little thing called separation of church and state, so the government has no say in a definition of a religious term. There's also something called the First Amendment, stating that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Granted, it does say the establishment of religion, but it also pertains to government interference with religion (unless, of course, your religion is bombing the Capitol building, which is a crime).



This country is supposed to be a place where people can live their lives without fear of persecution, yet it seems that once people are able to carve out a niche for themselves, they begin to ***** about something someone else is doing that's impinging on their happiness. Maybe you should consider that gay people have a right to happiness too, and that it's discriminatory and un-American to afford rights to one demographic, and then prohibit them from another. If marriage and civil union are synonymous, why are you so concerned with which group gets which? I fail to see how passage of Prop 8 does anything but discriminate against homosexuals. Hey, maybe next time we can pass a proposition saying that only whites are allowed to get married, and everyone else has to have a civil union! How awesome would that be? Oh, wait, that's discrimination, right? I'm a married straight white male who is disgusted with America's petty need to tell you what you can and can't do because what you're doing offends someone else.

Answer 6

I would have voted Yes. The reason is because as a Christian, I follow God's law of marriage between man and woman. Everyone has their right to believe in what they want; however, this doesn't mean I hate homosexuals. My brother is gay and I don't need to be forcing him to change or treat him any different. We're all humans and we all have feelings. All I can do is pray. Christians are here to love everyone, gay or straight. Sad to say that some christians don't represent this love in a way God would.



Even if prop 8 didn't pass I would love homosexuals the way they are. People don't need to be bashing and enforcing on to others what they believe. In a way, I would have wanted to vote No, just because voting Yes doesn't make Christians looks any better than they do now. I don't want homosexuals getting the idea that Christians hate them. But as I said, I follow God's law, and that's just me. And people (especially Christians) need to show that we love everyone and that we're not here to hate no matter what we believe in. God is love and that's what we're here to represent.



Anyways, if I learned anything it would be to just spread more love. I remember when I was driving, I saw a group of people holding up the "No on Prop 8" sign, trying to fight for their rights. It made me sad to see people trying to find their rights, when they should already have it. It is unfair to homosexuals when people discriminate against them, when we're all the same people. We all have a freedom for anything. Why do people need to discriminate when we're all the same humans, with free will that God gave us. And we don't need to be hating on what people voted for, we all have our freedom to vote too.

Answer 7

That people of color who wanted white people to support their civil rights while taking away the civil rights of others at a rate of 80 some odd percent is bulls***. I wonder how many of us would have voted McCain had we known a great many enough for McCain to have won.

Answer 8

Natassia, what you don't understand, and what most people don't understand is that God loves the sinner, but not the sin. Jesus ate with the sinners, even though he was criticized by the pharisees. But typically when speaking to the sinner, He would say something like, "Go thy way, and sin no more". He wasn't accepting the sin, but He still was able to love the sinner. We are often accuse of hate crimes because we don't accept same sex marriage. Personally, I don't hate any gays. I don't believe that homosexuality is right, but I am tolerant of those who do. That doesn't mean I accept the behavior. I can be tolerant of others, but when their choices affect society, I have to speak up, and even fight for what is right. But what I am seeing from the gays now is extreme intolerance for religion, even in the face of a legal vote that passed fairly. One has to wonder where the true hate crime really lies.

Answer 9

That the liberal left are sore losers and bigots. Wait.. I already knew that.



But it is nice to see so many of the churches backing each other up and defending one another.

Answer 10

I was happy to see the prop pass. I was happy to see the religious community come together for a common cause for the common good.



Randall..your rant was nothing less than drivel. You are more than happy to impose government on religion…but when religion tries to protect their rights…you get your panties in a bunch…talk about hypocritical. Why don’t you actually THINK about what the 1st amendment means…not just in your little world…but to the real world as well.



Natassia…Your rant was filled with as many holes as randal’s. You preach “tolerance” but only of your own agenda. We don’t agree with your agenda and see where your “agenda” can be harmful to our society. We are not any more perfect than any one else…we are just trying harder and applying the atonement into our lives. Repentance is powerful for those who use it. You are as bad as the man that tells his wife that she isn’t allowed to point out any of his mistakes because she isn’t perfect. Or that she isn’t worthy of his respect because she isn’t allowing him to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it, despite the fact that he is putting his own wants and desires above what is best for the family.



We are a family. Sometimes, one imperfect member has to point out an imperfection of another who is disregarding what is best for the family. That is all that has happened here.

Answer 11

It has been clear to me now that the denominations need to come together on so many things. When an ally of "No on 8" released a despicable ad about LDS missionaries invading a lesbian couple's home, many faiths came to their defense. That's how we need to work now. Sure, we have our differences about if we're saved already or if we still need 'works.' No question we all had to 'work' together on this issue. The hosts of the adversary will be back with another devious way of changing things to the detriment of societies and families. For such a time, we must be united in our common beliefs: God, charity, service, love, gratitude.



And I now see how intolerant the opposition was, not us. We disagree with them, then we're 'bigots.' We question why a gay's right is more important than a child's, and we're called 'homophobic.' So, far more intolerance was demonstrated from those who preach to us to be 'tolerant' of gays. But tolerance never meant abandoning our standards. It always meant love and forgiveness.

Answer 12

Mormons are hypocrites. They argue that marriage is between a MAN and a WOMAN,. . The counterargument against them should be "marriage is between A man and A woman". Not plural. Darn polygamists.

Answer 13

It was great to see churches work together to get this prop. passed. I kept hearing how the "Mormons" were the ones pushing it but it was the Catholics that approached the LDS Church!



It was sad to see the intolerance from the "no" group!

Answer 14

Yes I was in church praying yesterday. It was one of the most powerful hours of my life. But I have to be honest, I didn't think it was going to pass. What I learned is, follow the Word and pray without ceasing; leave the results to God.



And keep in mind that Jesus said, "if they hate you, remember they hated me first".

Answer 15

NO ON PROP. 8

ONLINE PETITION TO REOPEN PROP. 8



http://www.petitiononline.com/seg5130/petition.html

spread this around

Answer 16

There are people in this world who think that segregation is still okay, and perhaps a good thing. Now people are focusing their hatred on the gay community. Hatred against a group of people is what caused the Holocaust. Did we not learn from Hitler's reign in Germany and what occurred across Europe in concentration camps? Did we not learn from the internment of the Japanese? Are people really so hateful? Apparently so. What I learned is that many people have learned nothing from history and are doomed to repeat it.

Answer 17

A religion that sat back quietly while its priests raped children and another religion that practiced polygamy came together for prop 8? Sounds a bit hypocritical...

Answer 18

it proves that God is all mighty and will never let anything of that source happen. never.. and if it does then i think we'll have another Sodom and Gomorrah. lol not literally but i think something will happen.

Answer 19

I've learned that we are not the intolerant ones.

Answer 20

I've learned that they're still people out there that want to preserve the purity of humanity.

Answer 21

ya we can all come together to get the right thing done

Answer 22

I learned the majority of people in Cali are homophobic, bible thumping, and racist.



Does that count?

Answer 23

its only a matter of time before it turns.

but thats ok... this is not his kingdom.