Disappointed, Not Surprised.
In Maine, the legislature voted to legalize gay marriage and the governor signed that bill into law early in May of 2009. Maine, unlike states like Vermont and Connecticut, has the “citizen’s veto” where if opponents of a law can gather enough signatures, it goes on the ballot to be decided by the people. That is what is happening with this gay marriage bill.
Unfortunately, the anti-equality forces have significantly more money than do the pro-equality forces ($340,000 v. $138,000). Strangely enough, however, only $400 of the $340,000 came from Mainers; the rest was from special interest groups like NOM and the Mormons (yes, I just classified the Mormons as a special interest group because that’s essentially what they have become). Although the wide financial gulf between the two sides is disheartening, I guess the fact that Mainers donated $80,000 to the pro-equality side versus the $400 on the anti-equality side provides reason to be hopeful.
The saddest thing to me as a former Roman Catholic, however, is the role that the Church is playing in the debate. The Diocese of Portland just donated $100,000 to the campaign. This donation was made despite the fact that the Diocese has recently shut down several parishes and made serious cuts at Catholic schools due to financial hardship. So, let me get this straight: the Diocese has enough money to make a hefty contribution to legislating morality but does not have enough money to put into education? Or how about feeding the poor? Or providing shelter for the homeless? As I remember from my years of attending and teaching Sunday School, the Bible talks far more about feeding the poor and clothing the homeless than it does about the gays.
Basically, I believe that the Church has tremendous power to do good—and there have been instances when it has used this power. Recently, however, the Church appears to have lost its way and has seriously strayed from its original message of faith, hope, and love. Hopefully the Church can find its way back before its too late.
