thoreau

whiskerfish forwarded me a link via email to the challenge from the Courage campaign to host a debate on gay marriage between Rev. Rick Warren and Rev. Eric Lee. Quoting the Courage Campaign, "Rev. Eric Lee is a courageous leader on marriage equality in the faith community and in the African American community. Representing the SCLC, founded by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Lee expressed his strong opposition to Prop 8 in October by taking a stand with the Courage Campaign against the Mormon Church's heavy involvement in the Prop 8 campaign."

Now see - this is a positive development. This is the step beyond screaming about the Warren invitation; and actually using it as an opportunity to educate and change minds and hearts. The best way for folks to understand that Warren is a frighteningly out of touch religious leader is for him to demonstrate it himself.

I personally watched his interview on MSNBC and thought he'd done a fair amount of that for himself already - but then - as I've said before - I'm hardly the one that needs convincing here. Someone this media hungry is bound to open his mouth and spew something so utterly out of touch and wrong; he'll quickly fall off the national spotlight.

All of us on the side of marriage equality, rather - equality period KNOW that Warren is a steaming pile of moldy dung. Now that we've had a week or so to throw a collective tantrum - I'm glad we are moving on to proving to the rest of our peers in California the very same thing. and that won't happen by us blogging about what a Nazi he is - because well - everyone that reads my blog and your blog already agrees.

The real opportunity we've been handed by Obama's decision to involve Warren - is the opportunity to showcase the bigotry and wrongness of his opinions to the audience that didn't hear it during the Prop 8 campaign. It's a chance to educate folks in the central valley and the counties that voted 70% Yes on 8. And perhaps that 25% of San Franciscans that voted Yes on 8 as well. Despite how angry people are over Warren's involvement? I think it hands our side of the argument a divinely inspired educational moment that if we are patient will create a spotlight on the bile behind Prop 8 and help lead us to freedom.