Clearly stung by criticism of his position on California’s Proposition 8, that took away marriage equality for gays and lesbians, Pastor Rick Warren on CNN’s Larry King Live now says:
You know Larry, there was a story within a story that never got told in the first place. I am not an anti-gay or anti-marriage activist. Never have been, never will be. The whole Proposition 8 thing, I never once went to a meeting, never once issued a statement. …
I wrote to all my gay friends, the leaders that I knew and actually apologized to them. That never got out. There were some things said, everybody should have 10% grace when they say public statements and when I was asked a question that made it sound like I equated gay marriage with pedophilia or incest which I absolutely do not believe. …
During the campaign on the anti-gay marriage California Proposition 8, Warren said:
I’m not opposed to that as I am opposed to a redefinition of a 5000-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.
Q: Do you think those are equivalent to gays getting married?
Warren: Oh, I do. For 5000 years marriage has been defined by every single culture and every single religion….
And the reason I supported Prop. 8 was because of a free speech issue. Because, if it had, first the court overrode the will of the people, but second is there were all kinds of threats if you, if that did not pass then any pastor could be considered doing hate speech if he shared his views that he didn’t think homosexuality was the most natural way for a relationship and that would be hate speech. …I just don’t believe in the redefinition of marriage.
Read it all at Crooks and Liars.
More at Pam’s House Blend.
Andrew Sullivan writes about The Lies of Rick Warren.