Here are some of the week’s most notable quotes culled from news reports from across Texas, and beyond.
Federal Judge Stephen Reinhardt, dismissing arguments by Idaho Gov. Butch Otter that same-sex marriage would make the institution of marriage “more adult-centric and less child-centric.”
We seriously doubt that allowing committed same-sex couples to settle down in legally recognized marriages will drive opposite-sex couples to sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll.
——————————–
The Rev. George Mason, senior pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, speaking about the fiancee of Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who died from Ebola this week at a Dallas hospital. At a time when those close to Ebola patients are often shunned, Mason’s church has been helping the people with whom Duncan was living when he became ill.
It’s certainly a terrible thing that’s happened, and we are mortified by it like everyone else, and we’re prayerful. But at the same time, she’s one of us. She’s part of our church. She is a full-fledged member. We love and care for her, and this is what we do as a church. We treat people as people and not as patients.
——————————–
Michael Che on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” noting the extra burdens on Texas teachers.
You know who I feel bad for? Texas schoolteachers. I mean, it’s hard enough going to school and teaching kids that God created the world in like, 1942, and the first two people were John Wayne and Barbara Bush. But now you gotta deal with 6 foot country boys coughing up a monkey disease.
——————————–
Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision to not hear any cases on marriage bans this term.
This is a total dereliction of duty. The Supreme Court abandoned its duty to take up or at least hold these marriage cases. The responsibility for the undermining of marriage rests solely at the U.S. Supreme Court. […] When the people lose confidence in the rule of law, the judiciary will lose is legitimacy. Everyone will be affected by same-sex marriage because it is an intolerant agenda that will directly collide with religious freedom.
——————————–
The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer, continuing his meltdown over Monday’s Supreme Court refusal to hear appeals to lower court rulings overturning same-sex marriage bans.
Today’s Supreme Court ruling is the Dred Scott of gay marriage. Legalizes something morally indefensible.
——————————–
“It’s certainly a terrible thing that’s happened, and we are mortified by it like everyone else, and we’re prayerful. But at the same time, she’s one of us. She’s part of our church. She is a full-fledged member. We love and care for her, and this is what we do as a church. We treat people as people and not as patients.”
Is it possible that the real church of Jesus Christ resides solely with negroes who have ties to Liberia? You know what he said,”The first will be last and the last will be first.” I can see the Religious Righters scrambling like mad to get away from the sick lady.
It’s not that I am wholeheartedly in favor of gay marriage from a strictly religious perspective. To some extent, I am probably not. However,I do believe in treating gay people fairly, compassionately, and equitably in civil affairs because I think most right-thinking people have compassion for the last little boy or girl in line when the Lemon-Aid jug runs dry.
On the gay rights issues, my real fun comes from watching the members of the Religious Right choking on utter and total defeat—not because they claim to be Christians (a claim I doubt—but rather because the defeat is JUST RECOMPENSE for years of behaving like totally obnoxious A-holes on the public stage—dealing in lies and deception—and so forth. It’s sort of like the “Karate Kid” movies when the bad guy gets what is coming to him. It is probably not right to laugh at their situation, but the whole theater feels all warm and fuzzy about the justice that was meted out. The Religious Right is experiencing that justice on the gay marriage issue because they decided to use Satan’s ways to win their argument—and the moral universe did not take kindly to that selection.