The "Christian Right" has grabbed a new bone to shake…the "sanctity of marriage." Suddenly, gay marriage has become a threat to the very fabric of our society. When are these people going to quit making homophobia the basis for their entire moral code?
I’m not going to theorize on whether homosexuality is a life-style choice or a biological pre-determination. I’m not going to quote the scores of other things that are called "abominations" in the bible, but have been ignored as "archaic" for centuries. Those arguments have been made by people more learned than I…and they haven’t stopped the bible-thumpers from hollering their gospel of hatred and intolerance from their pulpits. Truth, facts, logic, compassion…these things have no place in THEIR moral world. Their commandments are fear, judgmentalism, small-mindedness and xenophobia. What amazes me—and frightens me—is that so many people find them reasonable.
The "sanctity of marriage", huh? "Protection of the family." What have these jokers done to REALLY protect marriage and the family? Where were they when the teen pregnancy rate began to skyrocket? Do they know that the majority of inner-city black families are headed by women, with no dad or male figure in the picture at all? How have they reacted to the fact that half the marriages in this country end in divorce? How many of them have rationalized their OWN divorce, affair, child out of wedlock? So now, suddenly, the prospect of gays being allowed to marry legally in this country is a threat to all we hold sacred? Bullshit. When, in the last fifty years, did this country start to hold marriage as sacred?
Let’s face it…their agenda is to clothe their meanness of spirit in an issue they believe will appeal to the broadest majority. Who doesn’t think that the institution of marriage has taken a beating in this country in the past few decades? But we can’t lay that at the door of people who simply want to be allowed to commit to each other publicly, in the eyes of the law and whatever they perceive God to be. The Christian Right claims to be shocked and overwhelmed by the "political agenda" brought forth by the gay community. I think they created their own monster…the gay community wouldn’t have HAD to become a political force if the rest of us had just left their personal lives alone.
Preach it! I think that gay people who have the courage to come forward and fight for the right to marry probably have a truer idea of a loving, committed relationship than most people do. The things you have to fight for tend to be the things you treasure. And as a Christian, the judgmentalism I see coming from some sectors of Christianity just saddens me.
ReplyDeleteBravo Lisa!! Terrific piece. I agree wholeheartedly with you on all scores.
ReplyDeleteKat
Well said! As far as I'm concerned, it's a big, cold lonely world out there, & if you can find someone to love & share it with, more power to you. Why this should frighten & enrage anyone is beyond me. Live & let live.
ReplyDeleteStill, there are people who cannot be happy unless every last individual thinks, believes & behaves exactly as they do, thereby assuring the status quo & their own limited sense of 'normality'. Too bad. The world needs more love, not less! : )
AS A LESBIAN I AM FOR THE RIGHT OF ANY TWO PEOPLE GAY OR STRAIGHT WHO WANNA COME TOGETHER AND COMMIT THEMSELVES. WHY SHOULD IT MATTER TO ANYONE. WE AS A PUBLIC SHOULD CONCERN OURSELVES WITH ISSUES OF MORE IMPORTANCE. I MEAN WE HAVE SO MANY ISSUES THAT NEED ATTENTIONAND ARE IGNORRED. LETS STOP OUR COUNTRY FROM HAVING STARVATION, HOMELESSNESS, MEDICAL ICAL INSURNACE FOR SENIORS .. THOSE ISSUES NEED THE REAL ATTION NOT GAY MARRAIGE~BERLY
ReplyDeleteOh really! It never makes any sense to me how allowing people to make a legal committment to each other, to profess their love, is going to damage the "sancticy of marriage". It's such a nonsensical argument.
ReplyDelete