Miss California, Carrie Prejean, says that she should not be penalized for her opposition to gay marriage and that America is a place for freedom of speech. She is absolutely right. People should not be penalized for their opinions.
But what puzzles me is how she believes that gay marriage would harm the institution of marriage and is anti-Christian but that her posing topless is none of those things.
Huh? The real danger to marriage in our time is the rampant culture of male womanizing, lack of commitment, and the assault on women's dignity which treats women as masturbatory material for men. Women who engage in pornographic offerings become complicit in their own degradation and further the male view that a woman is not to be respected as an equal but rather, is a means to salacious male ends.
Miss California also reportedly accepted breast implants for the Miss Universe pageant. Now, aside from the silly relic of beauty pageants still existing in a time when women ought to be appreciated for their minds and not just their legs, surely dissatisfaction with one's body and implanting foreign objects to enhance one's perceived physical shortcomings somewhat negates the Christian and spiritual message that beauty is something more than skin deep. Surely, if asked, Jesus would have said that women are more than male eye-candy.
Whether people oppose or support gay marriage, one thing is certain: since the gay population in the U.S. is approximately ten percent, and the heterosexual divorce rate is about fifty percent, we straight people ought to be blaming ourselves for the destruction of marriage instead of finding scapegoats.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach achieved worldwide recognition from bestsellers like Kosher Sex, radio and TV shows like TLC's "Shalom in the Home", and syndicated columns in the international press. In 2000 he was the London Times "Preacher of the Year".
For more information contact Kennia Ramirez on 201 816 3540 or write to Kennia@shmuley.com.