Posted by
TheChair on Monday, August 25, 2008 1:37:29 AM
The L.A. Times is on to the vast cooperation of California churches to preserve normal marriage. Calling the plan of the Protect Marriage coalition to plant 1 million Yes on 8 yard signs on a date certain "a bold idea," the article rightly notes
[w]hat some observers say is one of the most ambitious interfaith political organizing efforts ever attempted in the state. Moreover, political analysts say, the alliances across religious boundaries could herald new ways of building coalitions around political issues in California.
One can only hope. The state government is part of the problem. The legislature gave us same-sex unions. The governor signed it into law. The state Supreme Court then took that law and held that if you go that far, you must go all the way and grant full-blown marriage. And the media, of course, is complicit as always. The only real hope is this new, ecumenical cooperation marshaling the membership of the various faiths. Only there will we find sufficient conviction, dedication and organization to hold the line.
"Pan-religious, faith-based political action strategies . . . I think we are going to see a lot more of [this] in the future," said Gaston Espinosa, a professor of religious studies at Claremont McKenna College.
The greatest involvement in the campaign has come from Mormons, Catholics and evangelical Christians, who say they are working together much more closely than they did eight years ago when a similar measure, Proposition 22, was on the ballot.