North Carolinians Should Vote Against Amendment 1 Tomorrow; Revised Billy Graham Says So May 7, 2012

North Carolinians Should Vote Against Amendment 1 Tomorrow; Revised Billy Graham Says So

By Hemant Mehta
May 7, 2012

Tomorrow, people of North Carolina will have a chance to vote on Amendment 1 — an awful bill that would not only deny same-sex marriage, but also civil unions… which also could imperil “some children’s health insurance benefits, along with child custody arrangements and safeguards against domestic violence” (according to the New York Times).

Please vote against Amendment 1 and urge your friends and family members to do so. It would be irresponsible of you not to. We know most Christians aren’t capable of doing the right thing, so the burden is on us.

In case you need inspiration, reader Andy was kind enough to revise Reverend Billy Graham‘s ad to make it less bigoted:

…

***Update***: There are some religious groups urging people to vote against the amendment and you can check them out here and here. If only the more prominent Christian “leaders” would follow in their footsteps. (Thanks to Mike for the links!)

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  • I bet I got the original photo from you, Hemant. Anyway, it’s much better now. 😉

  • These political campaigns just prove that anti-gay bigots lie through their teeth when they say they are only concerned about “preserving” “traditional” marriage. They aren’t happy that same-sex couples and families exist, period. This is about punishment. They want to make these people’s lives as difficult as possible. They’ve decided that people need to be punished for making what they see as inferior choices. It’s all about making sure “sinners” feel stigmatized. What other reason could there possibly be for this kind of mean-spirited vindictiveness?

  • Slavery has been done as early as 8,000 BC, up until today, though largely in South Asia. A common argument “Don’t change something that’s been around so long” is so hypocritical, as it essentially translates their belief “Well something’s been around awhile, why change it?”

  • 1) how is this shyster still alive?
    2) My preference is to say, “The bible is mute”. ………. Translation #3: remaining silent, undiscovered, or unrecognized<———— especially this one

  • leofwine

    Hello long time reader first time commenter.

    Hemant I feel I need to call you out on something here.

    To quote you ” We know most Christians aren’t capable of doing the right thing, so the burden is on us.” What? I see many atheists talking about how it is wrong when Christians say things like this about atheists so its a bit hypocritical for us to do it to them.

  • Bbsanchez

    I really don’t understand where being a christian has anything to do with it… I am a christian and thinking about voting against Amenment 1 myself. But after reading that statement you may have changed my mind.

  • ruth

    What is it now?  Something like 29 states have constitutionally banned gay marriage?  

    What happened to the world I envisioned when I was a teen in the 60’s?  We keep going backwards. 

  • Am I wrong? On this issue, most Christians seem to be polling toward a Yes vote.

  • So gay people shouldn’t have equal rights because you disagree with me?
    Way to take a stand.

  • Mary

    I am an atheist and think that any consenting adult should be able to enter into whatever contract they want to enter into (that doesn’t harm others). Frankly, I don’t think we should allow the government to define something like “marriage” anyway. But that poster just frustrates me. There is no way Christians will ever see our point when we make it this way. Billy Graham is an old man with an incredibly limited view of the world. But I honestly think he believes what he says and probably has no idea the harm it causes. Writing that he is irrelevant and naive is, in my opinion, an inconsiderate and hostile way to “take a stand.” It’s just another example of negative campaigning that I hate so much. Why not get out there and say what you actually want to say about the issue without purposefully throwing crap on other people? Must we be this childish? 

  • Ggsillars

    Do you perform all of your civic duties with so little thought as to the consequences?  Hemant annoyed you; so what?  There’s more at stake here than your bruised feelings, like the human rights of your fellow citizens–and not just the gay ones.

  • leofwine

    May be the case but my point still stands. We get upset when the Christians lump all atheists togeather so we should avoid doing it to them, even when a large part of the population fits the discription.

  • Yes. Yes we must. Old man with an incredibly limited view of the world == irrelevant. Of course he believes what he says. A lot of them do. A lot of them don’t. I’ll shut up when they shut up. And oh by the way, sometimes it’s fun to be childish.

  • I was kinda surprise he was alive. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess the photo is ten years old.

  • That’s where the adjective “most” comes in. As in the majority, but not necessarily all. When it comes to Christian leaders, it’s a runaway. As for the followers, it’s a bit closer. http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/08/breakdown-support-gay-marriage-religion/41964/

  • Baby_Raptor

    So you’re going to vote to deny an entire group of people rights because you dislike someone’s phrasing.

    Sir/Ma’am, I think you need to take a step back and then take a good, hard look at yourself. 

  • Well… we hope for some civic responsibility by setting the voting age to 18, but it’s a challenge when you still have voters acting like 10-year olds. No wonder the country’s in trouble.

  • He’s only barely alive- just a senile old puppet being manipulated by his handlers. I doubt he’s had a more complex thought in years than wondering where all that drool keeps coming from.

  • Onamission5

    I utterly fail to understand how anyone could justify voting against the civil rights of an entire population of human beings just because someone got snarky. To make the decision to strip others of what few rights they still have, causing significant upheaval in their and their children’s lives, I’d need substantially more goading than one solitary snarky picture.
     
     
    Must we always add qualifiers to every commentary in order for people who aren’t part of the problem to understand we’re not talking about them?
     
    Your brethren certainly do not do us the honor of qualifying every anti-atheist and anti-gay statement they make while they attempt to yank our shared nation into the dark ages. Surely you can understand why that would make some of us angry. Being polite has gotten us nowhere except having very, very thick skin.

  •  I, too, bought into the notion that the US was imperfect but always moving forward.  I’m grown up now and know better. 

  • If you don’t know where being a Christian has anything to do with Amendment 1 you haven’t been paying attention.

  • johnnyal

    I voted against this amendment about 90 minutes ago. I just can’t justify writing discrimination into our state constitution. Plus, since EVERY argument for this awful thing has been religious-based, I believe it violates the establishment clause of the 1st amendment to the US Constitution (as well as the 14th). The fact that other states have similar — but not the same — amendments is irrelevant. Once the SCOTUS rules on this in the future, they’ll all be stricken. Even one of the strongest supporters of this bill, Paul Stam (NC Gen. Ass.),  acknowledged that.

    I guess this is one way Republicans are bringing jobs to our state…unfortunately, it’s only for the lawyers who will be arguing about this amendment for the foreseeable future.

  • Patterrssonn

     Just means keep up the fight

  • Friendly Christian

    Jesus loves you all. You can turn from your sin and become a Christian or you can keep on doing things your way. The wages of sin is death. Jesus is the way to life.

  • Yukimi

    Lol, how honored I am for that love /sarcasm.  Are you a Poe, completely oblivious of where you are and not on topic or a not particularly bright troll?

  • At 93 years old, he should know that the definition of marriage has been debated many many times in his lifetime. I guess he was sleeping through the debates on interracial marriage, also known as the 1960s.

  • Patterrssonn

    Thanks Friendly, the way you put it makes so much sense.

  • Although the amendment is vile, I hope it passes. It is actually the extremism directed against same sex marriage that is driving society as a whole towards its formal acceptance. If the amendment fails, not much will change; if it passes, there will be a powerful backlash, legal hearings, and all the other stuff that ultimately forces change. Look at what is happening in California.

  • Stev84

    Much will change if it passes. It doesn’t just ban same-sex marriage, which is already banned by statute anyways. It will also immediately invalidate the domestic partnerships that exist in several cities in NC.

    Yeah, it will probably pass, but hoping for that is too cynical. There is also the fact that the NC Supreme Court is virulently anti-gay. So if they have anything to say, you know what it will be. And courts are slow. It has been 4 years since Prop 8 and the issue still hasn’t been resolved.

  • John Stepps

    IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER WHAT FALSE COMMENTS YOU POST ON THE WEB. GOD WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE LAST SAY! READ YOUR HOLY BIBLE PEOPLE!!!! GOD’S HOLY WORD STATES THAT THE ONLY MARRIAGE RECOGNIZED IN HIS SIGHT IS (ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN)  ‘LORD JESUS PLEASE FORGIVE US IN THIS COUNTRY FOR TRYING TO LEGALIZE OUR SINS”

  • Mary

    Notice I didn’t say that anyone should shut up. Acting childish when it comes to people’s rights is irresponsible.  If something is important to you, you will do everything in your power to communicate it clearly and *effectively*.  This poster makes atheists look mean and arrogant. Great. Just what we need.

  • Grinch

    …. It also has a talking snake in it, so I don’t know if we should really be taking the Bible seriously. 😉

  • leofwine

     True but we tend to complain even when they use the adjective “most” so it works out the same. Hemant was talking about Christians, not Christian leaders so what is the point to your statement “When it comes to Christian leaders, it’s a runaway. As for the followers, it’s a bit closer.”

  • matt

    Gods holy word also tells me that i can purchase male and female slaves from the nations around me (Lev. 25:44).   This alone should nullify it’s “godly” authority.

  • Onamission5

    Yet another fundie who thinks that yelling at people makes him right. I’ve got news for you, sweets. The US is not a christian theocracy, therefore, your religious beliefs should never be the determining factor when deciding on other people’s civil rights. People whom, by the way, may not follow your religion, or not follow your narrow interpretation of your particular brand of religion.

  • Onamission5

    I for one am not hoping it will pass, because of what it will do to the legal rights of my 12 year unmarriage. I am directly affected by this proposed amendment so it’s not a hypothetical for me or my children.

  • Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell are/were old men, too, but that doesn’t excuse their ridiculous and offensive statements. If  Billy Graham is too senile to have been aware of the message in this advertisement, then shame on his family for using him as a political prop. If he is such a sacred cow to Christians, then they ought to be more upset about him being manipulated in this way. I don’t see that as any reason not to mess with the ad, though. It’s horrid, and mockery is an effective way of pointing out how terrible it is.

  • I’m sorry for the unfortunate position your state and your country place you in. Nevertheless, I think the passage of this noxious amendment will go further towards turning your unmarriage into the real thing than its defeat will.

  • You mean I just single-handedly brought down the new atheist movement by de-hate-speeching an ad?

    It really makes atheists look mean and arrogant? Really? To a lot of Christians, I guess so. And to you, apparently. I think it makes atheists look high-effen-larious.

    Sometimes *effective* communication isn’t possible, Mary. Sometimes clarity sounds mean and arrogant, too. Whatev.

    Oh by the way, the image even makes atheists look friendly. Hell, it says as much in the top right corner.

  • I was referring to the Atlantic Wire article I shared. Lighten up, Leof Wine. It’s all good.

    (Leo Fwine? Leo F. Wine?)

  • Don’t explain “leofwine.” I’m not really interested.

  • Onamission5

    Well, it’s looking like you might get your wish. CNN is calling it passed with less than 50% of the vote in thus far. I sure hope you’re right about this being the death knell of bigotry, a last gasp before final exit.

     

  • layla

    What if Im not a christian?  And whether I am or not, does that make it ok for others to decide who I love as being wrong? This country will allow every nationality inside who believes in their own religion and gets married according to their own religion but when it comes to gay marriage, now it has to be the christian way??  OH PLEASE!!!

  • Against Amendment 1

    The Holy Bible also says that our bodies are a temple and yet a large portion of Americans are obese and overweight, don’t exercise, smoke, and drink alcohol, including many “christians.” So why don’t “christians” take a good look at themselves in the mirror and start spending their time, energy, and finances trying to close down fast food restaurants and pull unhealthy food off our grocery store shelves?!?! Seems like it would be a lot better use of your efforts that pushing your moral religious righteousness on other people.

  • Against Amendment 1

     Oh and just for the record, I am a Christian. Have you actually read the bible? Maybe you need to review John 8:7.

  • Against Amendment 1

     Thanks Matt, you made my day…….