Postcards From The 8

To: Fellow Methodist
From: Tom Camp, M.D.

Recently the voters of California have put up a road block to the stability of gay couples. They have prevented their marriages.

As I think about this, I am reminded of the times in the fairly recent past when “main stream” Christianity have taken stands that they later came to realize was against what the Bible and Jesus teaches us. Two glaring examples were our unwillingness to take a stand against slavery prior to the Civil War and our passive support for segregation in the southern part of the US when I was a child. I vividly remember a Methodist pastor, who was also my uncle, preaching about how God wanted the “black birds and the white birds” to fly in their own flocks.

I think it is no great leap of logic to say, in the next generation, Methodism will be, or at least should be, on the forefront of the movement to allow our fellow gay members of society to be treated with respect and have the same legal rights as other members of our society.

I have gay family members, gay employees, gay professional colleagues, and gay friends who are all being discriminated against. The ones I personally know are all productive members of our society. They hold professional jobs, pay taxes, are active in both their professional and community organizations, and attend churches.

So, the question is why do we not want them to be allowed to marry and enjoy the same rights as our “straight friends”? It is well recognized that married couples are more productive, add more to the community, and function to serve society better than their unmarried counterparts.
Give this some thought. If you are praying person, give this some prayer.

Nath T. Camp, M.D.