A Christian Liberal is NOT an oxymoron.

Posted by XT on September 12th, 2009 in General

This is hard to believe. Maggie Gallagher, a conservative who fights against marriage equality, is taking her opponents to task for being mean and hateful. This is a bit like Charles Manson saying that other people don’t have the proper respect for humanity.

Not that Gallagher is, in any way, similar to Manson. It’s just that the words are so opposite to her actions, you’d think she’d choke on them.

First of all, her group’s main function is to stop people who love each other from having a legal marriage – not a religiously condoned marriage, but simply a scrap of paper from the state saying, “Ok, you are each other’s legal next of kin and will bear the burden of that relationship.”

Secondly, when Massachusetts State Representative Angelo Puppolo, Jr. decided to vote against putting marriage equality on the ballot, the National Organization for Marriage rented a billboard comparing him to Benedict Arnold and Judas Iscariot. Who is pushing hatred, Maggie? Who is pushing hatred?

Furthermore, in their ad campaign “A Gathering Storm” NOM makes several false claims, including the claim that the State of New Jersey punishes a member of a church group that refuses to marry same sex couples. The truth of the matter is that a pavilion in Ocean Grove, New Jersey was built and maintained to be open to the public for marriage ceremonies. What the state said is that the pavilion either had to be open to everyone or it had to be reserved for members of the church – in other words, it could be public or it could be private, but it could not be public but subjected to private regulations on usage. Who is pushing lies, Maggie? Who is pushing lies?

Just as an additional point, NOM has, in violation of federal law, refused to maintain a public record of its finances. And, since Maggie is talking about her actions in Maine, let’s just disclose that NOM is being investigated as an illegal front group.

But Maggie is absolutely right when she writes:

His question haunts me for its debased presumptions: Is using democracy to fight for shared values somehow an act of war against our neighbors? “Agree with me or you’re a hater” is not the authentic voice of peace and tolerance.

The odd part is that she actually heads up an organization that seeks to preserve intolerance as a legal option.

Now, of course, she has a right to stand up for what she believes in. I’ll defend her right to do that to my death. But let’s remember the Biblical imperative, “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” In other words, you will get what you’ve been giving to others.

I agree wholeheartedly that the marriage equality debate often tends to lead to shouting and childish actions. I’ve even found myself behaving that way a time or two. Any subject where passions run deep will, from time to time, devolve to such things. When that happens, we all need to step back, take a breath, and then rejoin the debate like adults.

I’d like to think that this is what Maggie Gallagher is trying to do. I just don’t have much faith that either she or her cohorts will actually do so.