It’s now a near-certainty that a marriage equality case will go all the way to the Supreme Court. That raises an interesting question–what will the religious right do if the Supreme Court decides that state-level bans on same-sex marriage violate the federal Constitution? Well, it looks like some elements of the religious right are already making contingency plans. An ultrafundamentalist pastor is openly calling for a constitutional amendment that would make homosexuality a felony.
Michael Wilson runs a site called “Preaching Politics,” and teaches a quarterly discipleship class at Church on the Rock in Texarkana, Texas. Earlier this week, Jeremy Hooper at Good As You stumbled on a sermonette Wilson posted in July. Wilson claims that Christians have been trying to compromise with the gay rights movement “in direct disobedience to God,” even though gays have become increasingly intolerant of Christians. To Wilson’s mind, the time has come to “resume obeying God and his word” by making homosexuality a crime once again. He then proposes a constitutional amendment so “activist judges and unaccountable bureaucrats” will have their hands tied. This proposed amendment has to be reproduced in full to be believed.
1. The United States of America is a Christian nation with Judeo-Christian principles, morals and values.
2. The practice of homosexuality in the United States of America and in all its territories and possessions, and in all its States, Counties and Cities shall be a felony punishable by ten years in prison at hard labor.
3. This Amendment shall take effect the first Sunday after ratification.
Wilson further demands that his listeners not vote for any candidate for Senate or House who will not commit to supporting this amendment. Apparently Wilson doesn’t realize that the chances of this amendment actually being ratified are somewhere between slim and none. Don’t laugh–from the looks of it, Wilson sincerely believes this monstrosity could pass. Remember, a significant percentage of the religious right lives in a bubble where Fox News Channel and Christian radio stations are considered news sources. However, we in the reality-based world know that given the current climate, such an amendment will have an uphill battle to get ratification from 38 states.
That being said, this can’t be dismissed as a rant from an obscure right-wing pastor. For one thing, given the extremist tilt of the House Republican Conference, there’s a very good chance of such an amendment being introduced in the House if the Supreme Court were to decide in favor of marriage equality. If it gets even that far, it would be an embarrassment to the nation. Additionally, it’s a sign that the foot soldiers on the religious right are getting restless. In just the last month, I’ve shown you that Texas pro-lifers are tracking the license plates of those going to abortion clinics, that Bryan Fischer has dusted off the old shibboleth that gays are no different from pedophiles, and that Dave Daubenmire thinks Christians have no business voting for Democrats. Speaking as someone who has studied the religious right for a long time, it’s not too far of a leap from sentiments like these to sentiments like the ones expressed by Wilson. The leaders are giving the rank-and-file exactly what they want. They just don’t know that the reality-based world is watching them as well.
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Darrell Lucus, also known as Christian Dem in NC on Daily Kos, is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
