News & Columns > Scott Straley > $154 Million Spent While 3 Million People Die

$154 Million Spent While 3 Million People Die

By Scott Straley
Monday, September 29, 2008

As a Christian, I'm often called upon to give to urgent needs presented by our church and ministry leaders. And, I frequently see many generous Christians open their wallets and answer the call, without second-guessing. But, sometimes, we need to step back and consider the options in front of us.

One of the most discussed political issues in California churches since May has been same-sex marriage. In May, the California Supreme Court issued a ruling that the state constitution does not permit marriage discrimination based upon sexual orientation, nullifying previous ballot initiatives and laws. This opened the way for the first same-sex marriages to be recognized by the State of California in June.

The decision ignited a firestorm of opposition from politically-aligned conservative Christian groups. In June, paid gatherers collected enough signatures to qualify Proposition 8 for the November 2008 ballot. Proposition 8, if passed, will add a new amendment to the California Constitution defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. This would be the first time a constitutional amendment in California was enacted to eliminate an already existing right for a group of people.

Over half of Californians oppose Proposition 8, but the percentages are very close, and both sides have spent $154 million, according to the LA Times, with nearly two-thirds of that being spent by proponents of Proposition 8. Conservative Christians and Mormons make up the majority of donors in favor of the proposition.

So much money has been spent on this proposition that it has become the most expensive ballot initiative in California history focusing on a social issue. And, by comparison, during the past four months, according to The Hunger Site, nearly 3 million people have died from hunger in the world. Three million people. Most of them children. If that $154 million were spent on feeding the hungry, then it could have fed 3.9 million starving people during the same four months.

So, when you see the less-than-accurate television commercials starting this week that encourage you to protect children from the horrors of hearing about gay marriage, think about the millions of children who don't even have the luxury of food. And, ask yourself: was it really worth spending all of that money, while millions die from something so preventable as hunger?

For more information on Proposition 8, visit BallotPedia.org.

For more information on hunger, visit The Hunger Site.

In my next blog on this topic, I'll talk about how our political involvement might be hurting our ability to be salt and light to the world.

This article was first published on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 12:25 pm. This article has been viewed 1433 times.

Scott Straley is the founder of RIMOFTHEWORLD.net. As part of the RIMOFTHEWORLD.net team, he is dedicated to keeping our community informed and engaged.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RIMOFTHEWORLD.net. This column is copyrighted by Scott Straley.