Conflicted

Earlier this week, President-elect Barack Obama selected celeb pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his upcoming inauguration. The announcement has been met with much animosity, namely from gay rights supporters, due to the realization that Warren is a public antagonist of rights for homosexuals. I guess that my biggest qualm arises from what I am assuming to be Christian marginalization. As Christians, we are taught to be Christ-like examples in which we unconditionally love all people, regardless of who they are, what they've done and what they believe.We have also been taught that we should "judge not, lest [we] be judged, and with the same measure unto which [we] have judged." In spite of this, I have noticed that whenever the issue of homosexuality is brought up in religious circles, responses tend to range from indifferent to downright hateful. As a black heterosexual female, I have sympathies towards civil rights on the planes of race and feminism. However, I am finding that my greatest struggle is lying in my desire to support gay rights without compromising my religious beliefs. In light of the recent election of president-elect Barack Obama, it was discovered that African Americans in California overwhelmingly favored the possibility of a Black president, but also voted for Proposition 8 by a 7 out of 10 margin. For this reason, Blacks have been perceived as bigoted for desiring racial equality while simultaneously aiding in the prevention of social equality for homosexuals. The prevailing argument that I have heard amongst Blacks for this case is that racial discrimination was enforced without biblical warrant; homosexuality is clearly condemned by God as depicted by the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and 1 Corinthians 6. My skepticism arises from the fact that the Bible is once again being used to justify social issues (as it should be) while also being used out of context and in convenience. Rights for Blacks and women have been considered as "unnatural" and the oppression of the aforementioned groups were assumed to be the way that God intended for people to coexist. I believe in fairness. I feel that all of the rights allowed to me as an American citizen should be extended to all of my fellow citizens, regardless of gender or orientation. My question is: how can Christians show support for a group that the Christian right refers to as "abominations" without feeling a sense of condemnation? I sincerely want to support equality for all, but I have vowed that God's opinions trump those of man. I hope that someone will be willing to educate me on this issue as it is difficult to learn how to rally with my fellow Christians who so vehemently speak out against another group of people and their beliefs. Whatever happened to loving one another in spite of our differences?

PEACE