Proposition 8: The church state dynamic and equal civil rights
Proposition 8 is a contentious and divisive issue which will be appearing on the November, 2008 General Election Ballot in California. As CitizenNewscaster.com understands it, the proposition proposes an amendment to the California State Constitution which would define marriage as being between a man and a woman. The proposition makes no distinction between marriage as a religious ceremony and marriage as a civil contract. In essence, the proposition would exclude same sex couples from marrying under the law. While the discussion regarding same sex marriage may not resonate with some, many others have profound concerns which run across boundaries of race, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs.
Some believe that the propositions appearing in this year's general election which propose constitutional amendments are based in fear and as such, they are about control as opposed to morality.
Since the California Supreme Court has indicated that marriage is a right, many say that the ban on same-sex marriage is discriminatory, and they characterize the battle against proposition 8 as a continuation of the Civil Rights movement
Some emphasize that a NO vote on Proposition 8 would be positive as such a vote would allow government to continue to impartially apply Civil law.
Proposition 8 seems to cross the boundary of the separation of church and state, and many religious leaders maintain that, if passed, Proposition 8 would impose the views of one religion on all religions and come between religious leaders and people within their congregations.
One thing is clear. It is up to each Californian voter to consider, each in his or her own way, these weighty issues of justice and equality. |
