[Andyman_1970]

On why this is such a big deal to Christians (this coming from one).

I got this little gem in my email today:

Greetings from Colorado Springs! Do you know that your senators, Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, won't commit to keeping marriage as the union of one man and one woman? Can you believe that they won't support the institution that has served as the bedrock of civilization for millennia? In the next few days though, we have the chance to preserve marriage once and for all. But only if we act quickly.

The U.S. Senate will be debating and voting on the Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA) in early June. Two years ago, Sens. Lincoln and Pryor voted to kill this amendment and have not indicated that they will support marriage when the Marriage Protection Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – which will protect marriage from redefinition by rogue judges – comes to the floor.

Please contact your senators immediately and ask them to support the MPA. Marriage is at the crossroads – either it will be redefined by activist courts or it will be preserved by the people and their representatives. But you won't have that chance unless Congress sends the MPA to the states for ratification. Contact details and additional information are available in the Marriage Protection Amendment Action Center of our CitizenLink Web site.

Thank you in advance for making your voice heard in defense of the one-man, one-woman definition of marriage.

Sincerely,

Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President, Government and Public Policy

So my question is: why are Christians spending so much time and energy on this subject? If the MPA gets passed what does that benifit people (other than Christians)?

Don't get me wrong, I believe a marriage (if we're going to define it from the Judeo Christian perspective) is one man and one woman. But seeing that the divorce rate among evangelical Christians is higher (bumping 60% in the last Barna report I read) than non Christians in the US.............do we really have a leg to stand on imposing standards on people who don't even accept the Chrisitan faith when we ourselves don't really practice it *cough*Pharisees*cough*..............anyway.

I guess I don't get why a large chunk of Chrisitans spend so much time, energy and money on this when there are thousands of people around the world dying of hunger, poverty and diseases that we actually have the power to prevent (not to mention the poor and hungry right here in the US). I guess I don't get it and that's what I get for thinking.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Yep...that's what you get for thinking...a big headache....

They're spending so much energy on it because it's a "sexy" topic...by sexy, I mean it's in the public eye, it's in vogue, a hot button issue, etc. etc. etc. Apparently, people at a high level in many organizations think that if they spend all this energy on popular topics, it will get the faction that they run, support, whatever, more followers, money, whatever.......

"Ooooo, this here steeple like building says gay marriage is bad, mmmkay.....I think like they's do...I think I'll give them my mow-nay now."

Feeding starving African children can be left up to Angelina and Brad apparently, cause they're not married...but they sure are f*ckin' outta wedlock...but that's o.k. cause it's Bradelina.....

Every day I see this on the news, "Today 5 people were shot in this house. Let's go live to brain-strewn walls......(5 minutes elapse) Thanks Tom, don't get too close to that plant, I think there's evidence on it...In other news, Bill Gates just donated 1 billion dollars to local food banks....Now let's go to Cindy, who's standing by with Lt. Gen. John Hocknspit who's company just got done mopping up 19 dead bodies from a car bomb...."

Umm....could you elaborate on the feel good stories please....Thanks.

 

[Old Man G Funk]

So my question is: why are Christians spending so much time and energy on this subject? If the MPA gets passed what does that benifit people (other than Christians)?

How does it benefit Christians?

Also, aren't you supposed to be answering these questions for people like me?

 

[dante]

my guess is that they're afraid that gay people will have lower divorce rates than straight couples.

no clue on why the christian right is so up in arms. here in the NE it's not even that bad, but the bible-belts in the midwest and south are PARANOID about gays being given the same rights... no clue why, I (THANKFULLY) don't live in the south or midwest. ink:

 

[Andyman_1970]

How does it benefit Christians?

That’s exactly my question. I’m in no danger of “switching teams” so the whole gay issue (especially for people who do not share my faith) is a bit of a mystery to me why the evangelical right (as I would consider myself a moderate to progressive) spends so much energy opposing the issue.

So I don’t get why imposing “our” standards on a group of people who don’t believe like we do is a benefit other than the whole idea of trying to “assimilate” them…………that brings up images of forcing natives to convert when I think about it.

Also, aren't you supposed to be answering these questions for people like me?

It’s pretty bad when I don’t have the answers to basic “evangelical Christian 101” issues……….LOL

 

[Andyman_1970]

Feeding starving African children can be left up to Angelina and Brad apparently..................

Jesus expressly says that when His followers ignore the hungry and poor we're ignoring Him, He doesn't say "make sure you outlaw all sinful acts" (He does say don't chase after political power like the pagans do)...........so why do so many "super right" Christians ignore this? Ever wonder why alot of evangelical right pastors don't preach all the way through the Gospels.......but spend the majority of their time in the New Testament in Paul's letters.............

I think it's sad that celebrities have to take up the slack where Christians should be doing the work of feeding the hungry.

 

[Tenchiro]

Can you believe that they won't support the institution that has served as the bedrock of civilization for millennia?

I guess the Chinese and/or Muslim's don't count as "civilization".

 

[Inclag]

Jesus expressly says that when His followers ignore the hungry and poor we're ignoring Him, He doesn't say "make sure you outlaw all sinful acts" (He does say don't chase after political power like the pagans do)...........so why do so many "super right" Christians ignore this? Ever wonder why alot of evangelical right pastors don't preach all the way through the Gospels.......but spend the majority of their time in the New Testament in Paul's letters.............

I think it's sad that celebrities have to take up the slack where Christians should be doing the work of feeding the hungry.

Andyman, I've self concluded that it's one of two things. Either these people have been brought up in a way since childhood that these are their true convictions. Which I feel is very sad since I would like to believe that as one matures, one should be able to gain their own ability to learn, change, and self evaluate their ideals in a rational way (then again never underestimate how environment affects people as they raised). The other is that these people, and this isn't exclusive to the religious right, are unkind, mean, and selfish people that use faith and religion and translate it in a way so that they have a justification for THEIR beliefs.

 

[Ciaran]

I guess the Chinese and/or Muslim's don't count as "civilization".

Islam didn't begin till at least 550ad.

 

[Changleen]

Well, given that like the rest of the population, anything between 1 in 30 and 1 in 10 of them are gay themselves, I think it's just because they're plain fvcking retarded and unable to think in straight line. It seems like a fvcking disability to me. Maybe they need some re-education.

 

[sanjuro]

MPA is a "sexy" topic to fight for, and a pretty easy fight too. Show a couple of pictures from the SF City Hall during wedding season, and you have all the ammunition to support MPA.

Not that I would agree with this, but I would think fighting abortion is much more important for fundamentalists than gay marriage.

 

[Tenchiro]

Islam didn't begin till at least 550ad.

Which has been around longer than a millennia.