Jesus Wouldn't Give $200K to Back Prop 8

I was shocked, offended, and confused on Wednesday to learn that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had thrown down $200K to back Prop 8, which would revoke the right of same-sex couples to get married. I love Jesus, and I thought they loved Jesus too.

Wednesday night, while I walked the streets until two in the morning to distribute voter guides and talk with folks about the 37 propositions on the San Francisco ballot this year, no less than 15 people asked me for money to eat. I gave them what I had, but $200K would have gone a lot farther than the 20 bucks I had in my wallet.

I also must have seen at least 20 people sleeping in the streets. It's been raining this weekend, so some of them have hung tarps or plastic bags over their small sections of sidewalk to keep their sleeping bags and few belongings at least semi-dry. I wonder how many people would have a warm and dry place to sleep this weekend if that $200K went instead to build shelters or affordable housing.

I live a few blocks away from SF General Hospital. That's the place where poor people go to the emergency room. If they had insurance, they probably would have gone to the doctor a long time ago, rather than run to the ER for an expensive visit that costs taxpayers significantly more mnoney than it would have cost to insure them in the first place. I'll bet those Catholic Bishops - the ones who threw down $200K to back Prop 8 - I'll bet they all have health insurance.

Where would Jesus put his $200K? If we're going to politicize Jesus, then let's chat about Prop 6 for a minute. Prop 6 would invest billions of dollars that we don't have in California to build more youth prisons, and to put more youth in those prisons. You know what that means? That means that youth get taken away from their families and communities, and undocumented youth whose parents brought them here for a chance at a better life will get sent right back wherever they came from, with nothing in hand. Jesus wouldn't want to send more youth to prison, or to take them away from their families. Jesus would want creative solutions to keep those kids out of prison, and to help them make healthy choices in their lives. And if he had any money in the first place, Jesus would give $200K to defeat Prop 6.

I'm just a young gay Christian man without a lot of money or power. But if they'd have me, I'd like to lead those Catholic Bishops in a Bible study on one of my favorite passages from the New Testament - Matthew 25: 41-45. I'd also like to invite my sisters and brothers from Focus on the Family, who gave a whopping $450K to Prop 8. Oh, and also the American Family Association, who topped them all with $500K! All together, that's more than one million Christian dollars wasted on discrimination and hate, when it could have gone to make people's lives better.

This passage is one of the main reasons I believe that Christianity still has some relevance in the world, and it merits a literal reading here:

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"

Comments

[LoveFreedom2008]

As a lesbian I am overcome with feelings of disgust and disappointment. Last night I rejoiced in the moment that Obama was president because I knew that he stood for the gays, minorities, and everyone who has been overlooked. I thought we finally were going to be a country embracing change. But then sadly I heard about the Prop 8 passing and I felt very saddened. This will be the first time in American history where the constitution will be changed in order to discrimate a group of people. It upsets me even more to realize that the bishops are behind this. How can a person devote their life to serving God, a God that doesn't feel that gays deserve equal rights. I do believe in God but the God that I believe in love all races of people and types of people. My heart goes out to the beautiful couples that were turned away today from being able to get marriage for the simple fact that they are gay. It is easy to discrimate when it is someone else that is being discrimated against. But ask yourself how you would feel if your friend or family member was one of those people standing outside the courthouse and being told your love isn't welcome here.

[roger3815]

It's truly a sad day in America when we put an a group of people's rights/privileges up for a vote and no one so much as bats a eye.

This so called amendment is anti-America and it sickens me that it does get the ridicule it deserves.

[mercury613]

I'm an ex-Catholic who attended Catholic school for 11 years. One thing that was repeated over and over in my daily religion classes was "the ends never justifies the means".

The Catholic and Mormon churches have lied their ways through this entire campaign. They have, at least here in the U.S., just sold their souls to the devil.

[gaydm]

Through the 52 years of my life, I have been kicked, beaten, had knives waved in my face, threatened, and just plain slandered by church going people. I do not understand the hate, the viciousness, and plain pathetic behavior of these people. Why? What is it God hates so much about our love?
It boggles my mind, that we venerate violence, in TV shows and movies, But let love be shown, and we all get up in arms. Why? I do not understand.
In a way i kind of wish for a God, but now, after all I have witnessed over the years, I do not know what or who to believe. I do know this though, it will not be that hated God of the people who attack me for my love. That is not any kind of God I will believe in.

[RussellH]

What beautiful words, Kip! What has happened to "practicing what one preaches?" The Roman Catholic church has become a dinosaur, atavistic, irrelevant. But it still has money! Of course, it needs money to settle priest abuse cases. But what was once a major charity now funds hate laws. Time to revoke its tax-exempt status. And California laws need to address the legality of accepting funds from out-of-state individuals and organizations for or against our propositions. The LDS church is especially specious in this regard. I am proud to have voted NO on Prop 8

[yarddog]

All it would take is a concerted effort to file complaints with the IRS and the state Secretary of State regarding the churches not-for-profit and tax exempt status. As an already excommunicated catholic I worry not by saying that all they care about is money and power. If they want to play in the political arena, that's fine, but if they do, they have to pay taxes like the rest of us. Dog Out

[arachne646]

I'm not sure about yanking their tax-exempt status for playing in the political arena, yarddog, although I'm surely no fan of the RCC hierarchy. I'm afraid that if tax-exempt status is only given to churches who confine themselves to prayer and good works on a one-to-one basis of food banks, hot meals and shelters with warm clothing and new socks and underwear, youd be counting my church out. Poverty and blindness of society to it don't go away without political pressure, and one thing that takes is money. We have mostly accepted inside the church that diversity in cultures and sexual orientations and types of worship strengthen us, but to reach out to society, we believe that we need to use political methods to prmote these values.

So, even though I think that Prop 8 is equivalent to anti-miscegenation hate laws, and I know that many of its proponents would not consider me a real Christian, I would not advocate removing their tax-exempt status, although I wonder why they are so upset--no one is insisting they marry anyone, or even go to any wedding they don't approve of.

[babykatd1]

I am Catholic and I am disgusted by the way my church cannot accept gays. Jesus would have loved everybody. I voted NO on the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment as it's called here.
When I have to even think about these issues, I feel like we're still living in the dark ages!

[Sampo]

Well said Kip. It is more important to protect the citizens of the world than it is to protect a narrow view of the world. We'll know we are growing up when our compassion outweighs our fears.