Streppin...

A little under the weather today...

I'll just suck it up and post anyway (skipping work...). Forgive me if this post is a failure...my mind is not right right now.

I have been perusing other blogs lately trying to get ideas for styling and structuring blog posts as I'm still relatively new at this. One blog that I happen to love (but most people think is trash) is Perez Hilton. Its hilarious to me how he trashes these celebrities who, in most cases, deserve the treatment. Cheating on your husband (Hi...LeAnn Rimes...) he's going to trash you. Some are undeserving but...eh.. they chose to be celebrities in the spotlight...take the good with the bad. Well...as we all know- Perez was a judge in the Miss USA (or some random pageant...why are there so many?) Pageant and asked one of the ladies, Miss California her opinion on gay marriage which she gave...



Now while I am all for being honest and straightforward...I would have also realized that this question was heavily weighted and I, if I really wanted to win this and didn't care about morals etc, would have given a more PC response a la "Without regard to my religion, I believe that we as a country should not interfere in people's personal lives...this country was built supposedly to be a land of free expression and freedom from persecution...we cannot continue to persecute" blah blah blah. In that, I stated that my religion does NOT support this (which is what her Church wanted to hear) without stating that I actually agree with gay marriage (I do...but I'm playing Miss California right now) or that I personally think they should be able to wed (again...Miss California). Tada...you offended no one. Think about it...who the hell watches these pageants? A mixture of people...including gay men and women. Try not to isolate your crowd, my dear. After you win...then you can talk all the shit you want. Most of the girls are taught ways to dodge difficult questions while seemingly answering them. They practice for weeks on what topics might come up and how to answer them. Knowing Perez Hilton was a judge should have been an "I'm going to get asked about gay marriage or something...prep for that".

Well...after she lost there was this big hoopla because she was running around claiming that she lost solely because of that question (though...we later found out that the winner Miss North Carolina was leading after every round) and that it wasn't fair to target her solely. Blah blah... Anyway...a former Miss California...the 2003 one (now an ordained minister) comes out with a statement that makes such total sense to me and shares many of my views... Copied from Perezhilton.com (any highlights...bolds etc are my emphasis alone :))
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"As a pastor and a former Miss California, I am often asked to interpret what the Word of God has to say on a particular subject. I am quite confident that God prefers that we human beings stick to speaking for ourselves. And yet there are occasions when God’s Word is used as a weapon, and I feel compelled to speak.

In the past few days, much has been made of the words of Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean. She stated that marriage is between a man and a woman. I write not in response to her opinion, but rather about her comments that followed: that the Bible condones her words. She said, 'It's not about being politically correct, it's about being biblically correct.' While this sentiment is shared by many who seek to condemn gay people and gay marriage, citing pieces of the Bible to further one’s own prejudice fails to meet the Bible on its own terms.

Most people seeking to condemn gay people point to the Book of Leviticus, where we read that men lying with men is an abomination. However, we rarely hear of other verses found in the book of Leviticus that are equally challenging. For example, Leviticus also tells us that eating shrimp and lobster is an abomination. And that a person should not wear material woven of two kinds of material—an impossible mandate for a pageant contestant!

In Paul’s letter to the community in Corinth we read, ‘For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church….’ And yet these words have not prevented Christian denominations from ordaining women, such as myself. Sadly, the Bible has been used to further prejudice throughout history. We have used it to permit ourselves to enslave people; to conquer and kill; and to denigrate the earth.

The truth is that it is difficult to know for sure the intentions of the biblical authors, but we do know something about God. Those of us who know God through Jesus of Nazareth know that he went to great lengths to express God’s love to people who were labeled as outcasts. He spent time with children, prostitutes, and lepers, all of whom were labeled as outside of the grasp of the Holy. As we continue to seek God’s vision for us as a nation grounded in a love for justice, I pray that we might move closer to the cause of grace.”

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PREACH SISTER!




P.S. I'm not saying Miss California should not be able to express her views (though I think that if she wanted to win...she could have found a happy median)...everyone should be able to express their views. I just wish there would be a little more dialogue involved. I listen to your opinions...you hear my rebuttal and then my opinions..then you speak your opinions again etc. I would love the two Miss California's to sit and talk...that would be interesting.