religion

The Mormon church has asked its members to support the California ballot initiative that would amend the state's constitution to define marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman. Specifically, according to the Associated Press:

"We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to ensure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman," church leaders say in the letter. "Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage."

They should rethink that strategy and their own writings explain why: The LDS church claims, in a letter signed by the LDS president, that:

It's Labor Day in the United States, and in the US for many people that doesn't mean "let's celebrate workers," it means "let's get to the beach" so I was pleased to find a story in this morning's New York Times that was a beach-related public/private space kind of story that touches on issues of sexuality and human rights.

The question is whether the Boardwalk Pavilion in Ocean Grove, NJ, is public space or private space, and whether the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (a Methodist organization) must let the space be used by by gay and lesbian couples for the same purposes that straight couples use it: that is, for ceremonies celebrating their state-recognized unions.

According to a Pew Research Center poll on attitudes toward premarital sex 38 percent of adults in the US think that premarital sex is always or almost always wrong (note that the question is framed in terms of heterosexual couples only).

I thought this was odd given that a much smaller percentage of people actually do wait until they are married before having sex, so I poked around in some of the charts. In terms of basic demographics, there are predictable differences between people's attitudes depending on their age group, with older respondents being more likely than younger ones to think that premarital sex is wrong. Other demographic factors that are correlated with a greater likelihood of thinking premarital sex is wrong include income (as income goes up tolerance for premarital sex also goes up) and education (people with more education are less likely to think that premarital sex is wrong), thought the differences are small.

It looks like the Catholic League is slithering out of the closet again.

The Catholic League is the worst of the worst who represent the Catholic Church.  Ideologically, they hail from the bad old days, when everyone named Goldberg or Lieberman had hands that were literally, personally considered to be soaked in the blood of Christ.  The League has been an active force in trying to suppress art and expression that they considered to be "anti-Catholic," which is defined extremely broadly.  The sheer slavering paranoia of the Catholic League on virtually all fronts of the "culture wars" can be summed up by a single, infamous quote by League President William Donohue from an appearance on Scarborough Country in 2004:

I'm back in the city, which means I'm back in the country.

I just returned to NYC from Alberta and British Columbia where I spent six days meeting cousins on one branch of my partner's family tree, seeing beautiful countryside. We put over a thousand miles (1707 km) on our rental car, saw the oil industry service sector outside of Edmonton, the ranch land west of Calgary, the mountains separating Alberta and British Columbia, the lush greenness of British Columbia's Shuswap Lake region, and even got a peek at some of the disappearing glacier behind Lake Louise. And of course, as all my travels do, this one generated some sex-related insights.

Just before dawn, it's a little over sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Not too bad for summertime in Colorado. Perfect jogging weather. You know it's going to hit ninety today though, so you'd better get started. You've decided to loose a little bit of that midsection you've acquired over the years of your priestly duties.

Being a Catholic priest has few physical demands, and spending every day ministering to the needs of your parish, while important and necessary, is also sedentary. Time to get started here at the local high school track.

The cool mountain air is brisk on your face. It's just a little uncomfortable on your hands, as well. Fortunately, you're not sweating too much. That wouldn't be pleasant.

You're just finishing your second lap when the red and blue flashing lights appear, and tires squeal through the parking lot. Deputy Fife and his S.W.A.T. team of armed ninjas have you surrounded.

"Freeze!"

"As a strong believer in the dignity and sanctity of all human life, I stand with many other Louisianans in defense of those who cannot defend themselves. Together, we work daily to turn the tide toward respecting, protecting, and dignifying innocent human life.

My heart is rather heavy this morning. I actually came across this story last night, but was so depressed by it that I just couldn't bring myself to say what I so badly wanted to say.

The parallels are disheartening in their striking similarity to what would become of this country if we continue down this road we're on. Though I've been slightly encouraged by events that are small indications that the United States is waking up and reversing course, I am by no means comforted by such minor happenings.

As I've said many times, the basic underlying principle of our founding documents is that every American should be allowed to do whatever she wants, so long as she doesn't interfere with any other American's right to do the same. We have strayed so far from that ideal!