John Boehner ‘Can’t Imagine’ His Gay Marriage Views Shifting

[brooklynite]

Source: ABC News

Hours after Sen. Rob Portman, the Ohio Republican, bucked his party and came out in support of gay marriage, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, reaffirmed his position against it in a wide-ranging, exclusive interview with ABC News’ Martha Raddatz for “This Week,” that will air on Sunday.

Boehner told Raddatz that he could not envision a situation where his views would shift on same-sex marriage – even if one of his children came out as gay.

“Rob’s a great friend and a long-time ally. And I appreciate that he’s decided to change his views on this,” Boehner said. “I believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. … It’s what I grew up with. It’s what I believe. It’s what my church teaches me. And I can’t imagine that position would ever change.”

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/john-boehner-cant-imagine-his-gay-marriage-views-shifting/

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Perhaps the reporter could have asked: "If one of your children turned out to be Gay, would you say you couldn't imagine them not burning in Hell?"

[kalli007]

1. I 'can't imagine' Boehner not being an idiot

Nt

[David__77]

2. That's a pretty tepid statement.

I find it interesting. He implies that it's only a reflexive position and not one based on reflection. I'm sure that's true, but for him to state it is of note.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

6. He left himself some room; that could have significance. n/t

[Iliyah]

3. Imagine by John Lennon, eh???

No you can't imagine, jerk.

[Empowerer]

4. Of course not - shifting views is proof of a capacity for growth ...

[davidthegnome]

5. Boehner has an imagination?

Seems more like a broken record to me.

[vanbean]

7. Do you think he realizes that gay people can't help being gay?

Doesn't everyone realize that by now? How can they not?

[Swede Atlanta]

8. Look at this reasons for why he does not support marriage equality

(1) It is what he grew up with - we all enter adulthood shaped by our childhood and adolescent experiences and the views and environment in which we grew up. BUT, an intelligent, engaged human being comes to adulthood with intellectual curiosity and learns about the world outside of his childhood. He or she grows to question and validate or invalidate those very beliefs from their childhood. Boehner doesn't seem to be able to be an adult

(2) It's what I believe - well I used to believe in Santa Claus but I lost that belief when FACTS taught me that there was no Santa Claus. Boehner doesn't seem to be able to challenge his own beliefs and validate them against the world around him based on facts.

(3) It is what his church teaches him - this is one of the biggest problems in America today. The right claim that the poor are lazy, simply follow in their parents' footsteps, learn to be lazy and welfare addicts from their parents. But so many that claim to be Christians, and especially evangelicals, go to their churches and sit blindly and accept what spews from the mouths of their pastors and church leaders as truth. THEY are the lazy ones when they don't engage in critical thinking and analysis of Jesus' message. They don't realize that Jesus would have hung around with today's drug addicts, prostitutes, illegal immigrants, gays and lesbians, women, etc.

I grew up in a church that taught me the world was created in 7 days and that homosexuality is a sin. Earth science in high school and a geology course in college taught me to challenge the belief the earth was created in 7 days. My belief in that has changed. As a gay man I have learned that my church was wrong about homosexuality. I am loved by God every bit as much as any heterosexual and since God doesn't make mistakes then my orientation and desire to have companionship and love with a member of my same sex can never be sinful.

(4) I can't ever imagine my position changing - again, he is so self-confident and arrogant (Jesus warns him about this) he can't even be open to any new ideas. That is the sign of someone who is still a child playing in a sandbox. An intelligent, competent adult is always challenging his or her beliefs and testing them against experience and knowledge.

His brief statement sums up the major problems of the GOP.

[surrealAmerican]

9. Ugh. You're not running a church, Mr. Boehner ...

... you're running a secular government. The law allows many things your church doctrine is opposed to, and that's as it should be. Legally allowing something does not make it mandatory for people who believe it is against their religion.