‘A matter of profound belief’
Support for Proposition 8 is based on deeply held religious convictions by people of many faiths.
Experienced journalist Spencer Michals, who is a correspondent for the PBS television program NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, came away from a recent exchange with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, including an interview with San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer, with an epiphany. He exclaimed, "This marriage thing is a matter of profound belief for you Catholics."
Yes, indeed! The conviction that marriage is a union of one man and one woman is a matter of profound religious belief for Catholics and many people of other faiths as well.
This is why it is so disappointing to hear prominent individuals disparage voters who supported California's Proposition 8 in the November 2008 election. At the recent Oscar Awards in Hollywood, for example, Actor Sean Penn spoke of the "shame" that he said was the legacy of people who voted "Yes on Proposition 8."
However, what is truly shameful are the hateful words and violent actions directed at people who supported Proposition 8 by a small number of zealous advocates, who seek to defame and marginalize religions and ridicule and harass people of faith.
As attention to the battle concerning "same-sex marriage" increases with the approach of the March 5 oral arguments before the California Supreme Court, we might remember some important points.
Look for a strong anti-religion slant in the secular press, particularly in San Francisco. Local media, especially the San Francisco Chronicle, have been boisterous cheerleaders in the cause of "gay marriage." It is not surprising then that we are confronted with bastions of secular antagonism toward religion and religious belief.
The San Francisco Bay Area does not reflect the opinion of voters in the state as a whole. In the November election, Proposition 8 received a majority of votes in only one of the nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area. However, the state proposition, which said that only a marriage between a man and a woman is recognized in California, won a majority of votes in 42 of the remaining 49 counties of the state - including the five most populous counties.
Some observers point to a difference between the vote total of 61 percent won by Proposition 22 (which said that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid in California) in 2000, and the Proposition 8 total of 52 percent in 2008. What is not mentioned, however, is that the comparison is not apples to apples. Advocates for "gay marriage" convinced the state Attorney General to change the wording of the recent proposition ("takes away" a right) - a wording that at the time had a negative impact on support for Proposition 8 estimated in double digits.
Likewise, some advocates for same-sex marriage describe the 52 percent yes vote on Proposition 8 as a "narrow margin." These same people, unblushingly, then go on to call President Obama's 53 percent vote total "a mandate for change."
Society has a right to put in place statutes that contain limitations. Does the current and longstanding rule of marriage between one man and one woman discriminate against polygamists. One could argue it does, but society has concluded that it has a compelling interest in maintaining the definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman.
Catholic teaching is founded on respect for the dignity of human beings. The support of Catholics in California for Proposition 8 is not based on a desire to harm a segment of society. Rather it is an affirmation of our religious belief regarding marriage and family life. Marriage is not simply ceremony and celebration; it is a profound union based on our faith and a foundational aspect of our society based on our reason.
By Maurice Healy
From February 27, 2009 issue of Catholic San Francisco.
