invoked & evoke

Some people had a good idea. For those of us who are outraged at the nonsensical choice of conservative evangelical pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at President-Elect Obama's inauguration.

The idea was this. Alternative Invocation: The blogswarm.

It's better when you do it yourself.

So I want to start with this song I love.



As most of my friends know I also love this movie (Godspell), but that's not the only reason I'm including it here.

You see, in this cast we have gay men, who Rick Warren is against. We have women. We may have gay women, too, but I'm only sure about two or three of the men.

But straight or gay, if they're capable of growing a person inside them, Rick Warren believes they should have no right to decide whether or not they want to. And that they should not be allowed to divorce their husbands, even if they are being abused.

One of these men and one of these women is black. I have no doubt Rick Warren would tell me he has nothing against black people and celebrates their civil rights. But I have even less of a doubt that the fire with which he burns is that which burned houses and crosses decades ago.

The fire that makes him tell me a woman is bad if she loves another woman or a man if he loves another man. Or that women must be treated like brood mares and if you have to take the whip to them to keep 'em in the pen, so be it.

I think about that, and I think about how, if I believe in god, it's because of people like these singing songs like this. Some of them gay. Some of them women. Some of them black. And all thanking the same lord.

Now, having invoked a movie of love, I will evoke one of derangement.

Of course, I mean Saw V.

(Now out on DVD, not that any of you are going to rush to pick it up).

I ask myself: If I could choose my judge, would I rather it were a man like Warren, or John "Jigsaw" Kramer?

Warren believes no gay person has a chance at true happiness, that women are somehow unworthy, and that his way is the right way. John Kramer believes everyone deserves a chance; the closest connections he made in life were to women.

Ok, he thought his way was the right way too--but in the end, when he saw the results, he felt remorse.

What I'm saying is Rick Warren is hate in love's clothing. John Kramer is love twisted past sanity. And I'll take wounded love, over hate that lies.



And now I move again, from the arguably sacrilegious, to the wholly holy:



Does that move you? Yes? Good.

Peace, y'all.