Free Republic

…The argument, in short, was that California’s progressive values, particularly its embrace of LGBTQ+ rights and the protection of women’s rights, had angered God, and in response, He was punishing the state with fire. The comparison immediately struck me as absurd, not only because of its unsubstantiated religious implications but because it ignored the complex reality of wildfires, especially in a state like California. But more importantly, it made me wonder: If California’s progressive stances really had invited divine wrath, what about the conservative states that were also suffering from natural disasters? After all, hurricanes like Helene and Milton had...

ATLANTA -- With a possible historic vote looming on a measure supporting same-sex marriage, the head of the United Church of Christ on Tuesday publicly endorsed the resolution for the first time. The Rev. John H. Thomas said Tuesday that the church's General Synod "should affirm the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender persons" to have marriages "equal in name, privileges and responsibilities to married heterosexual couples." "I believe our local churches, as they are able, should move toward the development of marriage equality policies," Thomas added during a speech at Emory University. That remark drew a lengthy standing ovation...