Stories and images of fighting the enemy to his knees or his death, smiting those who oppose us, making them feel the hurt, are imbedded in our brains, whether you tune into the world news, are a movie buff or play video games. Smash them, thrash them, count the wins, count the bodies.
For a few hours in the past few weeks, it looked like the verbal battle of beliefs might turn physical. It didn’t quite escalate into a brawl in the state Capitol courtyard, but there was quite a lot of — what’s the politically correct expression — invasion of personal space. On both sides. At high volume.
“I did not see things ever get out of hand,” said Father Gary Secor, diocesan vicar general, who presented the Catholic Church’s position against same-sex marriage at the Senate committee hearing.
“It was verbal confrontation, to see who could shout louder. I did not see anything physical,” said Deacon Walter Yoshimitsu, director of the Hawaii Catholic Conference. He testified for the diocese at the state House of Representatives hearing.
Yoshimitsu said, “You have overzealous people on both sides, people who can’t separate themselves from the issue.” An example of that was when “in the past we have had people outside telling legislators they are going to hell.”
The two men were among a sizable crowd of Catholics, some bused in from parishes, to join in the Oct. 28 rally of opponents at the opening of the special session of the Legislature.
The priest and the deacon were back in the crowds who occupied the Capitol grounds daily during the session, but there was “only a smattering of Catholics,” said Father Secor, as the demonstration continued over two weeks.
The belligerence meter registered highest when a group of about 100 people from Episcopal, United Church of Christ, Methodist, Lutheran and other mainline Protestant churches, as well as other faith traditions who support gay marriage, armed with a state permit for their gathering, tried to hold a Nov. 6 prayer service in the courtyard.
Their words were drowned out by very loud and some very large opponents, identifiable by their T-shirts as evangelical Christians. It didn’t help that the news photographers were there, leading to an aggressive jostling to preempt the liberal clergy’s photo op. The proponent group gave up on their speeches but cranked up a fair decibel level singing “Amazing Grace.”
State officials stepped in to sidetrack the ideological battle from getting dangerous, setting up barricades to corral the two sides into their respective corners. I think that was a bit of an infringement on freedom of speech, especially when officialdom tried to set limits on who occupies what Beretania Street curbside space. But, hey, I do see it could have degenerated into a security nightmare, and I imagine that’s why Gov. Neil Abercrombie decided to do his ceremonial bill-signing thing away from the Capitol.
Catholics holding back
Do we wonder why Catholics weren’t as avid to take to the front lines in what was seen by some opponents as a religious war? Is it that, with our hierarchical structure, we are lethargically accustomed to laying back and letting the clergy do the talking?
Perhaps we have embedded historical memory of how toxic religious fervor can become when zealots become mobs. In how many centuries and countries, did mobs of ignorant Catholics “celebrate” Easter by killing Jews. Remember the medieval Inquisition which used torture and murder against “heretics” because their beliefs were seen as being evil? That was on us Catholics.
In my own ethnic heritage there’s the bloody history of Protestants versus Catholics clashes that devastated Ireland for centuries and the church in Poland under duress for decades of Communist rule.
I guess it’s that Irish Catholic versus Prods awareness, combined with my learning curve as a newspaper religion writer, that made me find discomfort and irony in the combination of opposition forces at the Capitol.
Evangelical Christians made up the bulk of the righteous horde, with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also providing a sizable contingent.
For both groups, in their teaching sessions not in the public arena, we Papists with our sacraments, rituals, statues, pope and ordained priests, are seen as having taken Christianity awry. So a little old lady with rosary in hand at the Capitol was in interesting company, indeed.
I can’t help it, I gotta say it: “Politics makes strange bedfellows.” To quote 19th century essayist Charles Dudley Warner, who lifted the thought from Shakespeare.
(No, that is not a comment on the effect of the new law.)
With the shouting over
With the shouting over, people who were divided on this issue are still part of the same wider community. Reconciliation is a goal of church people whatever side they’re on.
“Everyone needs to be treated with love and respect,” said Father Secor, appearing on a PBS Hawaii “Insights” show panel on the same-sex legislation Nov. 13.
“It is not right to treat anyone with disrespect or prejudice that will hurt them as a person,” he said in an interview. “God is forgiving and loving to gay people and straight people.” Nevertheless, whatever the legal situation has become, the church teaching will not change. “Homosexuals have the right to be who they are as a person. The issue is about an activity, it is a matter of nature not something you vote on.”
Moving forward “We have a lot of work to educate our own people. They don’t always agree with us. We need to articulate our ethic in a positive way. There is a pervasive misunderstanding of human sexuality,” Father Secor said.
Bishop Larry Silva said after the bill passed “We need to be at peace, it is a time for peace and reconciliation,” Secor said. “Hopefully at some point we can have a dialogue with people in disagreement with us.”
Episcopal Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick said, “We need to get beyond the one issue.” He was also a panelist on the “Insights” show, along with state Sen. Sam Slom and Rep. Chris Lee. “What we need to do is what we’ve done tonight. You debate, you listen to each other … without anger, without demonizing those who don’t agree with us.
“Homelessness, poverty, immigration and economic justice are issues that press on us as people of God. Going forward we need to care for the broken, the lost and the poor,” said the Episcopal bishop, whose denomination supports gay unions.
“We are not served by standing on opposite sides and yelling mottos.”
