Miss California

I want to open this post by pointing out that I don't follow beauty pageants. I did when I was a kid and teen. But, as an adult, I find them utterly boring. And, judging from their TV ratings, most people have been bored to tears for a long time.

But, one happening from Sunday night's Miss USA competition has the country stirred up, because it is very possible that the answer to one of the questions in the Q&A session cost that contestant the crown.

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, lost the competition, and many folks think it was because of the following exchange with columnist Perez Hilton, who is openly gay:

Perez Hilton: “Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?”

Prejean: “Well, I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.”

I'm not so much concerned about the question or the response. The whole point of the Q&A in a beauty pageant is to try and make an irrelevant pageant into something relevant. In fact, if you look at the first part of her answer, she is giving the politically correct lines that most contestants do while they're searching for their real answer. But, it's the second part of her answer that is drawing attention.

For what it's worth, I personally agree with her answer. And, after watching video of the exchange, so did the majority of the audience, despite what the mass media is saying.

The first couple of days of this week have been filled with bloggers and commentators either standing up for Miss Prejean, or ripping her (mostly ripping) and those who think like her to shreds. In fact, in Twitter posts, Mr. Perez posted this: "I’d rather be fugly(and fat) than go through my life a pea-brained moron. Pretty fades, stoopid is forever!" Similar comments from he and others have gone out on blogs and news commentaries all over the country.

Sad to say, but people on both sides of the issue are warring this week, and many are resorting to low-life discussions that do nothing but tear other people down. As Christians, we should follow Paul's advice on addressing others. Christianity is inadvertently being pulled into this discussion, so how we answer people's questions and comments will do a lot toward winning them to Christ or alienating them.

Handle yourselves wisely, and you will not only with someones respect, you may also win them to Jesus.

UPDATE: Carrie Prejean gave this interview to Fox News. In it, she says she was being tested by God with the same-sex marriage question. I applaud her for standing up for what she believes in. And, all who believe like she does should voice their support for her in a respectful, but loud-enough-to-be-heard way, because her detractors are showing no respect, and are slaughtering her image.