So, them getting fined for donating money to a political cause was just for fun, right? Why else would they get fined if they didn't do anything illegal?
Exercising influence by talking is one thing, but exercising it financially is totally different. To see a church go out of their way just to prevent you from doing something you want to do (that doesn't hurt the church) has to be pretty ****ing annoying, don't you think? Besides, aren't churches supposed to be teaching forgiveness and acceptance? Fail.
I'd be pretty pissed off at the church if I was a gay person living in California, too. It's not like they are getting the backlash for no reason, and it goes far beyond simply their stance or opinion. I can say I love the Jazz all I want but it doesn't mean anything until I put my money where my mouth is. The church did.
They should learn their place and stay out of political affairs... worry about themselves and what they are trying to promote instead of getting in everyone's way, preventing them from what they want to do. Unless, in fact, what they are promoting is something that ultimately stirs up society creating more problems than it solves.. which it does.. you'd think they would have a better sense of judgment and keep their opinions to themselves just so it doesn't cause so many problems among society. Seems like the church's intentions of improving society are outweighed by their intentions of making their members feel like they're better than everyone else in society. The irony here really is hilarious.
Besides, isn't this the modern day civil rights movement? The exact same story unfolded concerning black people in the US finally gaining rights equal to any non-black person. How long until it's finally integrated and the church changes their tune (again), making them look like jackasses again? You know it's going to happen, and you'd be ignorant to think this situation and the civil rights movements of the 70's aren't exact copies of one another.