Rachel Maddow vrs The Patriarchy

Rachel Maddow

I have been following Rachel Maddow's lively critique of Pastor Rick Warren, the preacher chosen by Obama to give the invocation at his inauguration. The choice of Warren has caused quite a stir on the left due in large part to the mega-church preacher’s support of California’s proposition 8 banning gay marriage and his likening of gay marriage to incest and pedophilia. Maddow, herself a lesbian, isn’t going to let this slide by without notice.

Pastor Rick Warren

Warren however, isn’t the only Christian leader to make audacious statements about gays lately. Pope Benedict, who not surprisingly, is opposed to gay marriage, recently likened homosexuality to the destruction of the rainforest saying, "The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less." According to Reuters, the pope called behavior beyond traditional heterosexual relations "a destruction of God's work." The pontiff warns that blurring the distinction between male and female could lead to the "self-destruction" of the human race.

Pope Benedict

To thinking people who do not have a stake in upholding the patriarchy, homosexuality and gay marriage are no threats to the human race. In fact, less thoughtless breeding by humans could come as a relief to the rest of the planet and benefit the human race as well. The only thing that is truly threatened by gay marriage is the patriarchy. Homosexuality makes male chauvinists like the pope and pastor Rick Warren squirm. Christianity is a patriarchal religion. If you want to keep women firmly in their place you do not want any blurring of gender distinctions.

Rachel Maddow on msnbc set

Obama has said all along that he wants to bring all Americans together. Choosing Preacher Rick may be a peace offering to all the Americans who loved Sarah Palin. Like it or not a large segment of the American population are bigots. At the same time this choice is a slap in the face to the gay community and an unhappy choice for civil liberties. I for one am enjoying watching the brilliant Rachel Maddow poke holes in the patriarchy with her sharp wit.