Two controversial issues continue to dominate the news this week. On Friday, in a completely predictable move, President Obama, fresh off his second White House celebration of the Muslim holiday Ramadan, endorsed the construction of the Ground Zero mosque. Obama, who did not have time to attend the Christian Prayer Breakfast in his backyard on the National Day of Prayer, seems to always find the time to meet with Muslims at the White House. If the President is not trying to send a message to the varying faith communities, you could have fooled me. Christians of all stripes have had mixed reactions to the proposed mosque. An interesting discussion is taking place over at BaptistLife.com involving a variety of strong opinions on all sides of this issue.
Gay marriage once again was the topic of debate when U. S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker announced on Thursday that he will lift his stay on his Prop 8 gay marriage ruling. Same-sex marriage in California will be legal after August 18 unless the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals intervenes, a possibility that appears more remote at this point, given the issue of who has standing to bring an appeal. As of now, the parties to the lawsuit, Gov. Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown, have both indicated they have no intention of appealing the Judge’s ruling. Unless ProtectMarriage.com, the private group which “defended” the Prop 8 lawsuit in the District Court, is allowed to appeal the ruling, then this case may never even make it to the Supreme Court. Of course, Judge Walker’s opinion would only have controlling authority within the Federal District within which he has jurisdiction. Mark, at Here I Blog, links to a post refuting 10 of Judge Walker’s findings. A For a more in-depth look at the morality of gay marriage, check out the Daniel Spratlin’s five-part series, Gay “Marriage” Is Wrong, at DanielSpratlin.com.
Finally, President Obama, who promised the most transparent administration in our nation’s history, “has abolished the position in his White House dedicated to transparency.” This should not surprise us. Many a leader, whether in the legal, political, or religious worlds, have promised transparency, but in reality have done the opposite. Transparency, in almost every circumstance, is the best policy. But, even when the policy is good, people have a natural tendency to be secretive. In the end, that doesn’t inspire hope and trust in anyone.
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