This needs to be read and spread

[fpb]

God knows I am no fan of Christopher Hitchens' utterances on Christianity and Christians. But what he says here - http://www.slate.com/id/2207554/ - is simply just and commonsensical. To have Rick Warren attend the swearing-in of the new President, only two years after he all but prostituted himself to one of the worst tyrants in the world (who is also one of America's worst enemies), is to reward immorality and hucksterism of an almost caricatural extreme.

Comments

[wade-scott.livejournal.com]

Yeah...I'm not a fan of Rick Warren. I don't wholeheartedly oppose him, due to the fact he's not much on my radar, but I'm quite wary of anybody who has built themselves up to religious mega-stardom. At that point, I question their motives.

However, I find the fervor over Warren's invocation by the LGBT community interesting when you consider who is giving the benediction: Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E._Lowery. Lowery is also opposed to gay "marriage," but isn't creating as much of a stir on the same issue. Granted, he seems more moderate, plus he did march with the late Marting Luther King, Jr.

Something I find amusing.

[mentalguy.livejournal.com]

I don't see that there's anything surprising or ironic about it: the reason the LGBT movement doesn't object to Lowery's participation is because he doesn't oppose the aims of the movement in any substantial way. He's willing to put his name to statements like this, even.

As Lowery said in this interview:

I've never said I support gay marriage. I support gay rights, and I support civil unions. Like a whole lot of people, I have some difficulty with the term "gay marriage" because...deeply rooted in my heart and mind, marriage is associated with "man and woman." So I have a little cultural shock with that, but I certainly support civil unions, and that gay partners ought to have all the rights that any other citizens have in this country.