Monday, July 18, 2005

Civil ceremony doesn't threaten church

Brad Read
Special to The Spokesman-Review
July 3, 2005

I was raised as a Christian. From my earliest memory, the church my mother immersed our family in was my extended family. It was there where I was taught the principle of community, of the unconditional welcome that the life of Jesus represented. As a result, I have felt a renewed sense of anger and sadness as, especially in recent weeks, people claiming Christian values have used fear and misinformation in an effort to fight against equality, on the issues of domestic partner benefits and same-sex marriage. The fear and narrow thinking they represent is completely foreign to what I know of what it means to be Christian.

Sometime in the next few months, the state Supreme Court will rule whether or not same-sex marriage is constitutional in Washington, and whether as a result, the Defense of Marriage Act (defining marriage to be between strictly a man and a woman) is unconstitutional. Many on the Christian Right would have us believe that if the court rules in favor of equal marriage, then the bedrock principles of our Christian civilization will be eroded, ushering in an age of lawless chaos in which Christians will be persecuted and prohibited from practicing their faith.

A little over a year ago, I had the opportunity to participate in an experience that could represent the future for gay and lesbian couples in Washington, and no great crisis ensued.

When my good friends Ann and Melanie were married in March of 2004 in Portland, during the period when their marriage was legal in Multnomah County, my wife and children and I were proud to be witnesses, because we were participating in a moment of real and full equality, the kind promised by the United States Constitution. Even though it was later nullified by Oregon voters, it was a moment when the promises I grew up learning about in school came true.

It was also exactly what I was taught about the inclusiveness of the love of Jesus. But, and here is the important point, while my own religious, spiritual and moral values brought me to that moment in Portland, it had nothing to do with the church. It was about the state recognizing the full rights and equality of all of its citizens. That is what those on the Christian Right would scare us into forgetting.

Equal marriage is about what the state can and should provide, not about restricting the religious rights of individuals or churches. It is precisely the judges and the law that the Christian Right seems to fear that would protect their rights to protest and dissent. If the
Washington state Supreme Court rules against the Defense of Marriage Act, Christians' right to free speech will not be abridged. Their right to worship however they see fit, to preach whatever they like, to speak publicly about their values, none of those will be threatened. They are all protected by the Constitution, which is what this entire debate is about, not the Bible.

Conservative Christians continue to use fear and misdirection to confuse the issues. We must be clear and not let them. If DOMA is ruled unconstitutional, and the way is paved for Washington state to follow in the footsteps of Massachusetts (where people still worship and speak freely), there will be plenty of people in the church that raised me who vehemently disagree with, and who would never agree to, same-sex marriage in the church.

That is fine. That is beside the point. The church is not the state. This issue is about civil marriage, about whether the state will grant the rights and benefits of marriage to everyone. It is about the state protecting all of its citizens from discrimination. Those are Christian values all people in Washington should be proud to uphold.
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