Where’s religion at the Prop. 8 trial?

Over at Religion Dispatches, there’s an assessment of the current trial and the absence of “religion” by Candace Chellew-Hodge. Nancy Cott, a Harvard University historian, dismissed the notion that marriage should be reserved for procreation. When Cott was cross-examined, “Jesus” makes an appearance. What follows is a summary of what transpired in court. The summary is on the local Silicon Valley newspaper, the Mercury News. See the heading, “11:02 a.m.: Witness appears impatient with cross-examination”.

Thompson is challenging one of Cott’s ideas that modern marriage laws are shaped now by civil law and social developments; the defense attorney is pushing hard on the anti-gay marriage thesis that heterosexual marriage is tied to history and religion restricting unions to men and women. He repeatedly suggested in his questions that marriage laws are tied to Christianity. At one point, asking Cott about monogamy being the result of the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, the professor got a little impatient. “I know very little about Jesus Christ and his apostles,” Cott shot back at Thompson.