Calif. Justice Disputes Religious Hate Mail, Says God Is Tolerant

Judiciary

Calif. Justice Disputes Religious Hate Mail, Says God Is Tolerant

Posted Jun 26, 2008, 08:17 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

California Supreme Court Justice Joyce Kennard takes issue with hate mail she has received criticizing her vote to legalize same-sex marriages in the state.

The letter-writers insisted the ruling was contrary to biblical teachings, Kennard told the Recorder (sub. req.). But Kennard doesn’t agree. She believes God is a being "of love and tolerance."

Although Kennard does not regularly attend church, she has religious beliefs and says prayers. "The Bible is often quoted," Kennard told the publication. "But, as you know, you can quote the Bible to support anything you want."

In the Recorder interview, Kennard talked about her own difficult life experiences. Her father died in a Japanese concentration camp when she was a baby. Fom the ages of 10 to 14, she lived in a Quonset hut on the island of New Guinea with her mother and four other families. There was no indoor plumbing. At the age of 16, her leg was amputated due to a tumor.

Kennard said she has learned that sexual orientation doesn’t matter. "What's important is what kind of person that person is. Decency is one of the most important aspects of a person."

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