In his first interview since Inauguration Day, Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren tells Larry King that is a misconception that he is an "Anti-Gay Marriage Activist". He adds that he never took a stance on California's Prop 8 Same-Sex Marriage debate and he doesn't concern himself with things like Iowa's recent Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage.
"Mr. Warren compared same-sex couples to incest. I found that deeply offensive and unfair. If he was inviting the Rev. Warren to participate in a forum and to make a speech, that would be a good thing. But being singled out to give the prayer at the inauguration is a high honor. It has traditionally given as a mark of great respect. And, yes, I think it was wrong to single him out for this mark of respect."
In the spirit of balance, we commend President-Elect Obama for choosing Rick Warren to give the invocation at next month's Inauguration Ceremonies.
Yet once again, the radical Gay Rights Movement has resorted to angry protests to show their disgust with the choice.
Warren's Evangelical views on many social issues are well-known, including his stance against same-sex marriage.
On Thursday, Obama defended his decision, saying "I would note that a couple of years ago, I was invited to Rick Warren's church to speak, despite his awareness that I held views that were entirely contrary to his when it came to gay and lesbian rights, when it came to issues like abortion."
"And that dialogue, I think, is part of what my campaign's been all about: That we're not going to agree on every single issue, but what we have to do is to be able to create an atmosphere ... where we can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans."
Again, we applaud Obama for choosing tolerance and acceptance over hatred and anger.
