Eat, Pray, Love — And Lobby? — At The Legislature
God and Hawaii politics have long been closely intertwined, testing the constitutional argument that church and state are separate.
Now, with the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings last month on same-sex marriage, Hawaii’s often contentious battle between faith and government enters a new chapter. And it’s got some state legislators already seeking counsel from faith groups.
Nothing wrong with that. But should that take place in a private meeting at the state Capitol?
On Wednesday, four Oahu pastors will meet with a handful of lawmakers at a fellowship luncheon, and the luncheon’s co-organizer plans to bring up the ruling on the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
“I will speak freely at the fellowship about the Supreme Court finding DOMA unconstitutional, because it is a game-changer,” said House Vice Speaker John Mizuno, a Democrat. “I am a Christian, and I want to share with pastors that do show up that the supremacy clause often prevails. If a federal law conflicts with state law, we have to give in.”
To that end, Mizuno said fellowship lawmakers would seek “guidance and wisdom” from the pastors.
Lawmaker invitation to fellowship luncheon.
Fellowship luncheons are closed-door meetings where state senators and representatives can share their concerns and offer support.
Legislators from both the Democratic and Republican parties have been meeting once or twice during session for a number of years, and the luncheons have often included religious leaders. Bishop Larry Silva attended a luncheon just this spring along with Hawaii Board of Education Chairman Don Horner.
The fellowship is now expanding into the interim period, in part to confront the issue of marriage equality. The meeting Wednesday in Room 437 at the Capitol is expected to include Allen Cardines Jr. from Hope Chapel Nanakuli, former head of the and an outspoken opponent of civil unions and marriage equality.
What kind of guidance the lawmakers will get is not known, but religious leaders like Cardines might well advise strongly against gay marriage.
The Hawaii Family Forum, a nonprofit, works closely with the Hawaii Catholic Conference, part of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii. Nationally, the forum has ties with Focus on the Family, the Colorado Springs-based evangelical ministry that promotes conservative views on public policy.
According to Hope Chapel Nanakuli’s , Cardines is also president of , which has sought to increase the influence of religion in government.
A message left Wednesday for Cardines was not immediately returned.
‘Share Their Manao’
Speaker Emeritus Calvin Say, who is providing lunch for Wednesday’s meeting, said the fellowship luncheons are a place for legislators to meet with “pastors, fathers, brothers and share their manao on how to address personal problems.”
Asked if the luncheons were political, Say said “not at all.” He likened the meetings to football players from opposing teams joining in a prayer of thanks on the field during a game.
“It’s really an informal get-together, more about how members can help members who need help,” he said.
“It’s a mechanism for lawmakers to share some of the things they are going through, and not have it released to the public,” said Mizuno.
Speaker Joe Souki and Vice Speaker John Mizuno.
One of the things lawmakers are going through right now is deliberating over what to do about gay marriage. After approving civil unions in 2010, the Legislature elected to not even hear marriage equality bills last session.
About a dozen Democrats, including Mizuno, are in hot water with the GLBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii because, rather than embrace the party’s marriage equality platform, the legislators have pushed a constitutional amendment question on traditional marriage.
Besides Say and Mizuno, the fellowship includes Senate Vice President Ron Kouchi, Senate Majority Leader Brickwood Galuteria, House Majority Floor Leader Karen Awana and Reps. Ty Cullen, Henry Aquino, Derek Kawakami and Faye Hanohano. Senate President Donna Mercado Kim has also attended luncheons, and House Minority Leader Gene Ward is a co-organizer with Mizuno.
Mizuno does not believe the Capitol is an inappropriate place to hold fellowship luncheons, which include prayer.
“It’s a place where we do not have to be concerned about the separation of church and state,” he said. “Even if you are not religious, people can share their thoughts. That’s the beauty of it — that we can share in a room where we believe it is not going to go viral.”
Mizuno said he would invite GLBT members to meet with pastors and lawmakers in the coming months.
Meanwhile, two more fellowship luncheons are planned for Aug. 21 and Sept. 18.
