Vote No

 

Unsolicited Letter to My Family and Friends in Minnesota

Dear Family and Friends in Minnesota,

I’ve had something on my mind for a long time. Because I live just 5 miles east of the St. Croix River, I will not be voting on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, which would limit marriage rights for those who are gay or lesbian. In some ways, I feel like my hands are tied, so I thought “Hey, I’ll just write down my thoughts to get them off my chest.” People can choose to read them or not. I am not really writing to change anyone’s mind, but instead, just to feel like I have a voice.

If you really believe that gay marriage is against God’s will for humanity, I totally respect that, as long as you have done some serious religious study of the issue. Do you understand ancient Israelite purity laws and all they forbid? Do you know which ancient laws you are compromising on and not following yourself? Do you know where the prohibition of homosexuality actually is in the Newer Testament and what kind of argument Paul was actually making in the context of an ancient Greco-Roman culture? If you think gay marriage is against the “Biblical definition of marriage,” have you studied all the forms of marriage/family the Bible deems as acceptable? Are you sure you aren’t confusing Reformation religious dogma about ‘family’ with the true message of Jesus Christ?

Again, I can respect someone who has studied the issue from a religious perspective and sincerely concluded gay marriage is contrary to God’s will, even though I have not concluded that myself. But I am bothered by people who say, “Well, the Bible just says it,” or “My pastor says so.” They never really study and discern. They simply always were told something and believed it, without allowing God to really take their mind and heart on a discernment journey.  Christians are shifting on this issue, just as the Body has shifted on many issues before.  Are you willing to limit the rights of someone else, without really allowing yourself to examine the issue big time?  Will you just go along with whatever you were once told, even though there was no discernment behind it?   

I also get frustrated by people who have no problem with gay rights, but because they consider themselves republicans, they are going to vote “yes” on the amendment anyway. Some people just want their party to win, regardless of how they actually feel about an issue. Politics is not a sport!  If you aren’t the type of person who wants to limit freedom (hey, that's you republican friends), then vote “no,” regardless of whether it means a victory for your party or not. Don’t let the divisiveness of politics lead you into compromising your own values.  Winning is not worth it.

Do you know someone who is lesbian or gay? So many people voting "yes" are reacting to stereotypes and false representations. I have to honestly admit, I went through a painful process on this one. (To my gay and lesbian friends, this is a confession, and I am so sorry.) In the back of my mind, I used to feel like the love they felt was different than the love I felt.  However, once I became friends with gay and lesbian people, I recognized that the love they feel is exactly the same kind of love I feel for Paul. It blew my mind! The love was not just sexual—the love was intimate and tender and comforting and joyous and real and sacrificial and ….dare I say it…. Godly. So, if you are the type of person who thinks this kind of love is actually perverted or unnatural, then I really encourage you to make fast friends with someone who is gay or lesbian, so you can understand how what you feel is what they feel.  If you are going to say gay love is unnatural, you better turn the finger around and point it at yourself too. 

Last point…. And I am making this to people in the generation ahead of me, with a high regard of respect for you. I live in a different world than you. And my children are going to live in a different world than me. And my children’s children are going to live in even a different world. Hey, just like you, I want to cling to what I know, what is comfortable. But the only thing constant is change, and I am glad we aren’t clinging on to ancient purity laws any longer and that I can eat pork.  I am glad Christians don't kill others who aren't willing to convert.  I am glad people don’t put white sheets over their heads and burn crosses in black people's yards. I am glad that I get to be a pastor, even as a woman, and that the Holy Spirit’s movement in my life is not limited to societal boundaries. The reality of the situation is that our grandchildren are going to live in a society where gay marriage is a non-issue. People pushing the “vote yes initiative" are hoping to ward off the inevitable. And in the mean time, we will have a generation who has to deal with further discrimination. They will have to undo the ramifications of amendments like this one. Future generations deserve better.

Well, it’s off my chest! I have no idea if anyone is still reading. If you are, thank you so much! 

Blessings, Kelly

PS- I want to be clear, this is not a political letter.  It is a spiritual one.  I am sure I'd feel this way, regardless of who gets my vote for president, which I haven't made my mind up on yet anyway.