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Homophobic Bigot to Give Invocation at President Obama’s Inauguration

Posted by Matt in Christianity, Marriage, News, Politics, Saddleback on December 17th, 2008

According to a press release from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, noted homophobe and warmonger apologist Rick Warren will be giving the invocation at President-elect Obama’s inauguration.

To say this makes me unhappy would be an understatement of near-criminal proportions. Since I posted about Warren’s medal of peace for GWB and his outright homophobia earlier this month, old Rick has been busy. He agreed with Sean Hannity that we should kill Iranian President Ahmadinejad, adding that the Bible gives the green light for it.

Then there’s the Beliefnet interview released yesterday afternoon. The Box Turtle Bulletin has the full transcript from the interview. Here’s an excerpt:
http://blog.mattalgren.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/Rick-Warren-Beliefnet-Interview-12-16-08.flv

Rick Warren: But the issue to me is, I’m not opposed to that as much as I’m opposed to the redefinition of a 5,000-year definition of marriage. I’m opposed to having a brother and sister be together and call that marriage. I’m opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that a marriage. I’m opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage.

Steven Waldman: Do you think, though, that they are equivalent to having gays getting married?

Rick Warren: Oh I do. Most people, you know… I have many gay friends, I’ve eaten dinner in gay homes, no church has probably done more for people with AIDS than Saddleback Church. Kay and I have given millions of dollars out of “A Purpose-Driven Life” helping people who got AIDS through gay relationships. So they can’t accuse me of homophobia. I just don’t believe in the re-definition of marriage.

Okay, Rick? Mr. Warren? YES WE CAN. Comparing the relationship between two gay/lesbian adults to child molestation MEANS YOU ARE A HOMOPHOBE. It doesn’t matter how many gay friends you think you have or what kind of food they served you or what kind of polite face you put on while you made yourself touch The Homosexuals who have AIDS. You. Are. A. Bigot. Your words have given you away.

Also, as I’m pretty sure I’ve said before, the 5,000 year definition of marriage is a LIE. Take half a second to think about it and you’ll realize that it hasn’t even been 50 years since the US government last changed the definition of marriage.

And now the committee in charge of the inauguration wants him to share a dais with Barack Obama? Seriously?

If you would like to contact the members of the committee (and you would) to ask them to reconsider their horrible decision, use the links below. Feel free to link them to my rage if you want. Or don’t. Just please, speak out and help correct this shockingly bad choice.

Committee Chairwoman Sen. Diane Feinstein
Sen. Harry Reid
Sen. Bob Bennett
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Rep. Steny Hoyer
Rep. John Boehner

One more email address (I totally stole it from the aforementioned Box Turtle Bulletin) is for Parrag Mehta , President-Elect Obama’s LGBT liason on the transition team.

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  • roy olsen
    Why try to make a egg an orange, is it possible, hum, so if we did agree to do it, should we throw another lable out there, like a e-ggo-bigiot. have we be come a nation of whining & labling every thing just because some one does not agree with a certain way of thinking. So if we condem some one for thinking the opposite of the other person, then would'nt it be there right to think that what your thinking is right or wrong and expressing that opinion openly and not hiding there opinion in the "closet" so my point is come out of the closet and express your self but do not expect others to agree or dissagree with your opinions. We as americans need to be very careful on labling or soon it could reverse on us, as becoming a nation of anti- free speech. "Point" make your point but do not expect your way by labling some ones opinion, and if so, then expect agreement or disagreement. Free -speech, be careful we all could all lose it. lets see how words you change this time.
  • roy olsen
    your to much of a lablest bigot,in order to speak freespeech andso your comment box sucks, it does not work its a commentbigot box
  • roy olsen
    you people put a lable on every thing that does not agree - yourwi with your thoughts in order to justify your means, in other wordss words,what ever is wrong you want to lable it right so you can can can but lables on others to look wrong to justify your wrong american
  • Hi Roy, thanks for stopping by. I have no idea what your second comment means. But in regard to the first, I do like to do the can can. You got me dead to rights on that one.
  • Donna D.
    Yes I'm gay. To bad that anyone here would let an A-hole like Rick Warren kill their hope. I personally think anything that has to do with religion has no place in any government ceremony of any type because it is a polarizing function no matter who believes what. The way to deal with ignorance is not to turn your back on it, but confront it upfront! Gay leaders turning away from the inauguration is NOT the way folks. Why give Warren that much power by not attending inaugaration or cutting internet ties with Obama? The fight for equal rights was and is going to be a fight because half of america is way anti gay. Yes it does piss me off to no end that Warren is going to be there, but I'm going to be there too because I do believe in inclusiveness and I am not a second class citizen. I recall alot of people blaming the passage of prop.8 on minority churches. But how much work was the gay community doing in the "minority" churches? The mormons obviously filled that gap for em' and then voila... Prop 8 passed!
  • Tom
    Today I told the http://my.barackobama.com website to unsubscribe me from their email with the reason being "Rick Warren -- having that man giving the opening blessing on the Obama Presidency has killed my hope." Maybe if we put a dent in their precious email list, we'll actually get their attention.
  • Nice, Jeff. Here's what I sent to all, with minor changes for each individual, of course.

    Sen. Feinstein:

    I was surprised and disappointed to learn of your committee's decision to include Rev. Rick Warren in January's Inauguration festivities.

    Just this week Rev. Warren cheerfully likened gay marriage to incest, polygamy, and child molestation. This is not contested information; video is widely available of his interview with beliefnet. If this does not disqualify Rev. Warren from President-elect Obama's (and your) tacit seal of approval, what does?

    Rev. Warren has also recently expressed the view that the US Government should "take out" Iranian President Ahmadinejad. Again, this is not a contested fact. I'm certain it should not be congratulated or rewarded with such an esteemed honor as offering the invocation at President-elect Obama's inauguration.

    This inauguration will set the tone for President-elect Obama's administration. Rev. Warren, I hope, is not a fair representation of his relationship with the American people.

    I'm writing to request that as chairwoman of the JCCIC you reconsider this decision and include a suitable clergyman/woman in the place of Rev. Warren.

    Thank you for your time.
  • JeffreyWKramer
    Here's the email I sent to Feinstein, and am sending (with minor changes to address and position) to the others on the Committee.

    Dear Senator Feinstein,

    I am writing this in regard to your role as the chairperson of the Presidential Inauguration Committee, and specifically asking that the Committee reconsider the truly bad decision it has made in selecting the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at President Obama's inauguration.

    I doubt it has escaped your attention that Rev. Warren has consistently opposed gay rights, and has made public statements equating homosexual relationships with incest and child molestation. Given that President Elect Obama has stated that he wants to be someone that brings people together, and given his statements in support of gay rights and for the concept that gays be treated with dignity and equality, it seems to me, and to many others, that the choice of so divisive an individual as Rev. Warren is a very poor choice to speak at the Inauguration. There are many within the evangelical and larger religious communities who demonstrate much more commitment to ideals of human dignity and equality than does Rev. Warren, and who would be much more appropriate choices to deliver the invocation at President Obama's inauguration.

    Respectfully,


    Jeffrey W. Kramer
  • JeffreyWKramer
    Here's what I posted on Obama's change.gov website.

    So, how exactly should one take seriously Pres. Elect Obama's stated support for rights and equality for gays when he picks a known anti-gay bigot like Rick Warren as his Presidential invocation speaker?

    Warren is, after all, a man who has compared homosexuality with pedophilia and incest. He's also a staunch opponent of abortion rights.

    Surely someone who has pledged to be a President that tries to bring people together could have made a better and less divisive choice to speak at his inauguration? This man is as poor a choice as would be Pat Robertson or James Dobson.
  • Kyle
    His definition of freedom of speech is the most irritating thing. I don't appreciate his belief that gay couples are just like incestuous and polymists couples, but that's his opinion (and would make it ok to call him a homophobe). When he talks about free speech and how somehow winning a popular vote makes the media not able to call him hateful...that's just ridiculous. No matter how many hateful laws get passed by popular vote, until you change your opinions about gay people, you will always be hateful and a homophobe, Rick. Your opinions are protected by freedom of speech. Your opinions being made law is what we don't think should be protected...but that's what's going on isn't it.
  • Spike-X
    What an amazingly bad decision this is. I'm not an American citizen, so I don't think it would be proper to use any of the email links you provided, but as somebody watching from the outside, hoping desperately that your country can right itself after the atrocities of the last eight years, this is an incredibly disappointing decision. I just hope it's a mis-step, and not an indicator of things to come.
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