California's Proposition 8 and Why It Failed

Just over one week ago there were many significant changes throughout America. We have a new President-Elect, our own state of Ohio kept their absolute ban on casinos, and gay "rights" were checked in many places, perhaps most surprisingly in California. Yes, California, that infamous hot spot of liberalism and progression, saw its Proposition 8, titled Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry, pass.
The debate over homosexual marriage is not a new one in California. Field polls have been tracking support for same-sex marriage in California since 1977. In its first poll, the issue found a mere 28% suport. Support actually reached a majority in 2008, with a 51% support. Despite this majority, the controversial issue received a vote in the negative last Tuesday.
We can feel certain that there was no confusion as to what the proposed bill was going to do. We thank California Attorney Gen. Jerry Brown for this when he changed the proposition's original title, "Limit on Marriage" to its much more descriptive(and much longer) one, "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry." I think that there's also little confusion over how the Att. Gen. feels on the issue...
The title is actually correct in a legal sense, for after a State Supreme Court decision in May, California had already revised its constitution to allow homosexual marriage in June, becoming one of only two states to allow such marriages, along with Massechusetts.In this sense, gay couples did have a "right" to marriage for the last five months. In those months California gave marriage liscenses to 18,000 homosexual couples. The court has said that the ban on gay marriage does not apply to those marriages.
But why exactly did the poposition pass? Why do gays no longer have the right to marry in California? The polls showed a majority support for gays, so why did the good people of Cali say no to them? I believe that there are two reasons.
Primarily, I believe that it shows how laughable the idea of true separation of Church and State really is. Institutionally speaking, the idea is obviously very possible. There is no religious institution in control of America. This is the bare minimum of separation and is what I believe our founding fathers meant. But it is not a true separatin, that is a separation in the minds of the people. I believe the fact that Proposition 8 passed shows that may still be hope for America for two reasons: 1) it shows that democracy just might work, and 2) it shows that people still vote with their principles. The press is blaming the Black community, which is largely Christian, for passing this bill. It says that they aren't, but should be, able to leave the Bible behind. The press says that this isn't separatin of church and State.
But this is just why such a separation is impossible. People do (and should) vote with their convictions and principles. And what determines these principles? Our religion. Blacks for the most part are "God-fearing folk." This means that they do what the Bible tells them to. And the Bible says that homosexuality is wrong.
Secondly, I believe that Proposition 8 passed because gays are still a true minority. Despite what the media says, people simply don't like gays. No matter how much we have homosexuality shoved down our throats, the American people are simply too traditional as a whole to ever truly accept them. The Black community is also blamed for this, with the press saying that Blacks should be understanding of how discrimination feels, and should be more supportive of gays. The reality, however, is tht they're not.
So California's Proposition 8 passed, and it passed not because the opposition's ads weren't forceful enough, but because the people of California voted with their principles, and those principles (which they got from the Bible) say that homosexuality is simply wrong.
I certainly feel no chagrin. In fact I feel hope (not because Obama is the President-Elect). I feel hopeful for America; if our most liberal state still has enough sense to ban gay marriage, maybe true change can happen. Stay tuned for tomorrow's installment!

Tomorrow: Was Obama elected because he was Black? We'll see...