Universal Life Church
A letter to President Obama with an attached Legal Brief In Reply:
Reply to the President
We are all children of the same universe, and we each have a right to be here, marry who we want and to serve our nation in every capacity when needed.
Dear Mr. President,
Thank you for your response to our previous communications. I have taken into consideration the issues that you face and the momentous strategies that you are now forced to deal with. Nonetheless, your mantra of the “fierce urgency of now” rises to the forefront of this issue– equality for all Americans in all areas, black and white, young and old and now gay and straight.
Your reply letter implicates a new strategy of gradualism which acts to maintain a wrong, rather than to cure a bigoted injustice. Gradualism has no place in the denial of civil or human rights. Gradualism is but a crumb from the table as opposed to an equal piece of the American pie of justice. I recall Dr. King’s address at Riverside Church, wherein he raised the issue of “why we can’t wait” saying:
“We tolerated hate; we tolerated the sick stimulation of violence in all walks of life; and we tolerated the differential application of law, which said that a man’s life was sacred only if we agreed with his views.”
Mr. President, neither God nor Nature can wait for a scheduled gradualism in this 21st Century of Change.
I come as a redeemed sinner with a compelling purpose. A purpose to plead heaven and nature’s hidden truth: God made gay people and that heaven and nature demand justice, truth and fair play.
The LGBT community has been subjected to work and housing discrimination, bashings, lynching and murder throughout the history of this country. Let us not forget a young gay student, crucified on a fence and left to bleed to death on a cold Wyoming winter night, and many other similar situations too numerous to mention here. Nor can we ignore the latest studies showing that since 1999 there has been an increase in hate crimes, resulting in death and injury throughout America. One cannot hide the rising number of suicides by gay teenagers, or the number of teenagers who are bullied, beaten and abandoned by their families and churches, simply because God and Nature decreed their sexuality to be different from the majority.
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” – MLK
American hate derives from institutional instruction and attitudes which rise from the indifference of school officials who to turn a blind eye when they see a bully teasing a gay child. Moreover, it is reflected in the attitudes of the military, which contrary to the best interests of our country, insists upon rejecting soldiers simply because God made them gay. These actions wrongly support existing bigotry and teach our children that gays are not equal citizens among God’s children.
Mr. President, the world and Heaven is watching you. Our counsel to you is to follow the lessons of presidential history and tradition, empanel a Presidential Commission to set a date certain to remove “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and stay all pending DADT discharges. The nominees to head up this panel should be former President Clinton, former Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator John McCain, and last but most important, former General Colin Powell. They well understand the “urgency of now.” They will bring the prestige and experience to unite our military in line with the policies of our NATO military allies.
“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love” – MLK
Today, we ask that you instruct our Solicitor General to speak that truth. The truth that the United States of America respects the individuality and sexuality of all Americans, that we are all are children of the same universe, and that we each have a right to be here, marry who we want and to serve our nation in every capacity when needed.
To all: attached herein is a sample brief which outlines an astonishing heritage and contribution that the LGBT community has given to society. We ask that you use what works, remembering that the power and force of heaven sides with all messengers of truth and justice.
Respectfully,
G. Martin Freeman, Presiding Chaplain
Universal Life Church Monastery
October 21, 2009
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Proposed Arguments for First Amendment Marriage Equality |
Past correspondence:
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President Obama’s Reply (September 28, 2009) |
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Letter to Obama (June 17, 2009) |
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Please share your thoughts with us.
We have opened our forum for discussion as well
Also: We Need Help! Please send this to your friends and family. Here is a link to copy and paste: http://blog.themonastery.org/2009/10/we-cant-wait.html
This is a prime example of why Equal Rights for Same Sex Marriages should be based on the Constitution – not on Religion.
With all respect to President Obama, I believe he MUST set aside Religion in deciding on the SAME SEX MARRIAGE issue. You can’t force all AMERICANS to be of one Religious belief, anymore than you can force upon us our SEXUAL PREFERENCES and who it is an American chooses to marry.
President Barack Obama in an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, Obama said, “I’m a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.”
Brother Michael
I have read some of this.. and as to the claim that God “Made” Gay people. God did not make people to act sinfully. Homosexuality is a sin against God, it is not a willingness of God. So no, Gay people are not made by God but by men and women who choose to sin willfully!
To support or to protect people in their choice to sin; in my opinion is a sin it’self! I pray for the soul of that man who wrote this!
–Keshet Israel
This is America the last time I checked, the land of the free because of the brave. I feel that two consenting adults, gay or straight, should have the right to be just as happy (or as in most cases, as miserable) as every other couple. What if YOU loved someone so much & wanted to spend the rest of your life with that special someone, but someone else felt that THEY had the RIGHT to tell YOU, NO, YOU CANNOT do that because it would undermine the definition of marriage. Oh give me a break, & say what you really mean…it’s in the bible that it’s a sin, right??!!! Well I’ve got some bad news for you; the bible is FULL of stuff, that if you tried it would get you thrown in PRISON!! From incest; Lot & his daughters, Adam & Eve & thier Sons, Noah & his wife & daughters & sons, (how do you think that we supposedly got here?!) to attempted murder; Abraham & his son. I find it bizarre, that the people who preach this “holyer than thou” message, are in church on a Sunday, singing & praying with a smile plastered on their hypocritical faces, but their in the local bar on the next Saturday night doing everything but praying, but they’re going to tell somebody else how to live THEIR life???!!! Give ME a break!!! I know of a gay couple, they’re both hard working tax paying citizens, who are raising a little girl because the mother just happens to be addicted to drugs. The girl is 9 years old & is a straight a student, her grandma comes over practically every other day to spend sometime with her. Now if this is an indication that there’s something wrong, then I must be blind, because this kid is the MOST well adjusted girl I’ve ever met, not to mention the most polite!!
Well America, here’s a new concept for you, since it’s not a crime to be gay & they want to be as happy as we all are (or seem to be), how about doing us ALL a favor……MIND YOUR OWN D*MNED BUSINESS FOR ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree with what Keshet Israel says about homosexuality being a sin. Everything I have ever studied about God tells me that such a choice is in God’s eyes a sin. Its not one that is unforgivable but if you want forgiveness for it you have to stop being involved in it. Yes, you can choose to sin or to refrain from sin God gives us the choice but what sinners like to ignore is the consequences for choosing the sin. God states that the wages for sin is death (Romans 6: 23) Repentance of sin brings eternal life!