Lars Larson opposes gay marriage because such unions would, from his viewpoint, undermine the sanctity of traditional marriage. But that won’t stop the conservative talk show host from making a mockery of marriage by performing a wedding himself on air. From his press release:
(Portland, Oregon) ... Talk show host Lars Larson will perform a wedding ceremony live on-air at 2:45pm this Friday (6/4/10), uniting two listeners, who also happen to be Washington County Sheriff Deputies, in holy matrimony. Larson, who is licensed to perform marriages in Oregon and Washington, agreed to unite this couple after receiving an e-mail from the bride's sister with this special request. Rock violinist Aaron Meyer will be on hand to provide the musical accompaniment for Friday's ceremony.Larson talks politics but he doesn’t preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The happy couple is Erika Wagner and Don Cox, both huge fans of Larson's radio show as well as his political views. In fact according to the original e-mail request, they were willing to get married in the station parking lot or during one of Lars' bathroom breaks if that would seal the deal. They relish the fact that one of Oregon's true conservatives might perform their marriage ceremony as it would horrify their mostly liberal family members. They met and fell in love while working as Washington County Deputies, after Don returned home with a medical discharge from service in Afghanistan. Both share Larson's conservative viewpoint and are supporters of the 2nd Amendment.
"I'm flattered that I get the opportunity to officiate the marriage of two of our law enforcement public servants, not to mention one who has served this country in the Middle East," commented Larson. "I admire their willingness to let this happen live on my show with the whole Pacific Northwest listening in. I definitely won't be inviting a call from anyone who objects to this marriage!"Alpha Broadcasting's Director of Talk Programming Brian Jennings added, "Lars preaches anyway ... so this is just a natural extension of what he does every day."
And just how did Portland’s own Rush Limbaugh wanna-be become licensed to perform marriages in Oregon? I can only assume he obtained one of those mail order clergy certificates. Larson, clearly, never attended seminary and has no known theological training. He claims to attend church but will not say where. Larson will be turning what should be a religious ceremony (or a secular one performed by a judge) into a political circus.
Larson, whom I believe has also been divorced and remarried, believes in traditional marriage - unless, of course, he is involved.
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ (UCC) endorsed marriage equality in 2005. The UCC, which has roots going back to the Pilgrims, is ”a united and uniting, multiracial and multicultural, accessible to all, open and affirming, and peace with justice church.”
