Want proof? Read this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/07/AR2008090702460_pf.html

Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion, if someone chooses so. And government should give benefits and legal protections equally, regardless of your religion or lack thereof.

Furthermore, many Jews are very distraught about both candidates trying to prove that the love Jesus more, as it’s something that’s very difficult to connect with when you aren’t a Christian. Most Jews take separation of church and state and religious discrimination very seriously as we have been targeted by it on many occassions in the past.

Some Jews might just not even vote for a President this year for the above reasons.

Sen. Obama will still probably get the majority of the Jewish vote, but he won’t have the overwhelming majority that Kerry, Gore or Clinton had.

SteveMD2: It is possible to be a gay Orthodox Jew if you find an accepting community or resolve to stay in the closet when in the public square. There is an openly gay Orthodox rabbi (Steven Greenberg) and a number of more liberal Orthodox rabbis that while they will not encourage homosexuality will accept it’s existence and tolerate it.

Andrew – in so many ways, they are the most evil force in the western world, but the most clever at terrorizing people into believing they will go to hell if the don’t follow the church, and get to the mythical heaven if they do. Just remember that in a slightly different vein, 19 people drove airliners into buildings, believing they would be rewarded in paradise with 72 virgins for their pleasure. It is the same murderous BS

The history of the catholic church is the history of 10’s of millions of Muslims murdered during the crusades, a million women burned at the stake as witches, & 100,000 tortured and murdered for daring to say the pope was wrong in his flat earth theory.

And in more modern times, the long term hatred of the Jews, which gave the church another way to rile up the people to their cause, gave the world WWII. Hitler, born a catholic, used hatred against the jews to consolidate absolute power, and WWII and the holocaust is history. And the main church heirarchy did little to help the Jews (John Paul was an exception as a priest), and after the war helped nazis escape to south america, via the issuance of Passports. Remember where Israel found Adolf Eichman – wsn’t it Argentina?

And as a Jew, married 40 years to a Jewish woman, I am amazed that the orthodox Jews are supporting the initiative to ban gay marriage in California. It just shows how corrupt the whole institution of conservative religion really is, be it christian, Jewish, of Muslim. I’ve also read how the ultra orthodox in Israel said that “gays were like bird flu” – a direct call in my mind for genocide against gays by the very people whose ancestors and cousins shared hitler’s crematoriums with the gays of germany.

The bottom line on this is that religion has the power to totally corrupt minds, and even make it’s victims believe in it. I’ve talked to many people who say it took them 10 years to leave their religious beliefs behind for beliefs in Justice and equality. The time to begin if people haven’t, and are/have been victims of conservative religious upbringing, is NOW.

And note that since our temple, while they apparently will do gay marriages, has been absolutely silent on the political front, here in the MD Capital. I now describe myself as having 1 foot out the door there, and if they don’t do a couple things I’ve asked, like showing Trembling before God on movie night, it is going to be goodbye. And I’ll join the Universalist-unitarian church, about 20% gay, 20% Jewish, which has been an activist supporter of gay people for a long time. And my dear wife will just have to like it or lump it. And all gay people and others who stand on the side of Justice and equality for all, should be saying “Free at last, Free at last……..”, but in a slightly different way, from right wings monstrosities left over from the past.

The LGBT community and Jewish community stand together on so many social issues. I think that is why both of our communities overwhelmingly vote for Democrats and overwhelmingly support Obama for President.

Also, the Reform branch of Judaism was one of the first main religious groups to support full marriage rights for our community. All minorities need to stand together now and vote for the one candidate who will promote full equality for all of us – together – Senator Obama.