It's Wild Here: current events

I don't really want to do a lot of writing about politics here, because between friends and family who read, we really span the whole range of belief, and I really am not into raising anyone's blood pressure. Nevertheless, I am reading the latest book by Jimmy Carter, and he is a very articulate and interesting writer. He writes at length about his Protestant Christianity, to which he holds a lifelong dedication. So, this passage just seemed very relevant in light of current events:

I don't see any prospect for the multiple Christian denominations to resolve completely the debates about the religious status of gays and lesbians, but there is no reason for this issue to drive a wedge between us or for our country to be divided in the political arena. In fact, there is very little difference of opinion on this subject among political parties, with both presidential candidates in 2004 opposing gay marriages but approving legally recognized unions that would provide equal civil rights to gay or lesbian couples. Despite this agreement, the nonissue was hotly debated during the presidential campaign, pushed to the forefront by a few shrewd political demagogues who promoted defining marriage with an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Since the punishment for adultery in the Christian era and more ancient times was death, and since Christ himself strongly condemned both adultery and divorce, a constitutional amendment with more biblical authenticity might be "Adultery and divorce are condemned, and marriage is defined as a legal and spiritual union between and man and a woman until they are parted by death." With a clear majority of Americans condoning divorce and believing it is acceptable for gays and lesbians to engage in same-sex behavior, it may be best to leave the U.S. Constitution alone.

Rather than letting the controversial issue remain so divisive among our citizens, perhaps we should separate the two basic approaches, by letting the government define and protect equal rights for citizens, including those of "civil unions," and letting church congregations define "holy matrimony."

Carter also had very thought-provoking chapters about foreign policy, abortion and death penalty, to name a few.