Spain is Third

Spain’s recently passed law to allow same-sex marriage went into effect over the weekend. While America debates banning flag burning and making discrimination against lesbian and gay Ameicans part of our constitution, Spain has stepped up and said that marriage is a civil right and ensured that it is extended to all of its citizens. The law makes Spain the third nation to pass a law allowing gay and lesbians to marry. It joins the Netherlands and Belgium. Canada is poised to become the fourth later this year.

The Catholic Church is apalled that Spain would do such a thing. Pope Benedict XVI even called on Spanish government officials to defy the law and refuse to carry out the ban. The level of hypocrisy in the leadership of the Catholic Church is amazing to behold. They spend years covering up the actions of their own pedophile priests, even to the point of allowing them to continue their practices in differenc dioces yet to allow two human beings to formally join their lives together in a loving, committed relationship is something they find immoral. To quote Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride, “They keep using that word. I do not think it means what they think it means.”

Fortunately, not all Christians are so rigidly closed-minded. The United Church of Christ has endorsed the concept of marriage equality. It is claimed that they are the largest Church in the US to support marriage equality. I congratulate them on their action and hope that Bush and his corps of advisors that uses religion as a weapon will take note that not all Americans will tolerate that behavior.

Congratulations to Spain!