Yesterday, I witnessed something that has me very disappointed in the lack of moral character of what seems to be the majority of citizens in the southeastern United States, specifically many of those who call themselves "Christians".
A local newsgroup I follow asked their "question of the day", which was inquiring as to whether we thought that homosexuals should enjoy the same rights and benefits of heterosexual couples, and should therefore be allowed to legally marry, as opposed to being limited to "civil unions".
First, let me clear the air for those who "don't understand what the big deal is" and who think that "civil unions should be enough for homosexual couples".
The social security administration does not recognize civil unions as being equal to marriage. If a homosexual couple (or a heterosexual couple, for that matter) enters into a civil union and pays the same exact social security taxes as you and I, when one of them dies, the other is denied the death benefits of their partner because they are not married. Furthermore, the fact that homosexual couples are required by law to pay the same social security taxes as the rest of us, yet are specifically excluded from receiving the same benefits upon death for their partners, means that we have effectively turned homosexuals into a sort of modern day slaves.
Sure, we may not be cracking a whip and forcing homosexuals to perform unpaid labor, but what we are doing is benefiting from the funds taken from them and put into a social security system that denies them from equally taking part in the benefits provided. That is not only wrong on a constitutional level (discriminates and denies equal rights to those who are equal contributors) it is also wrong on a moral level.
Furthermore, civil unions do not allow for the same rights when it comes to probate and other legal matters that those who are married enjoy and apparently take for granted.
The low-level, uneducated, ill-informed, and just blatantly ignorant responses that spewed from the keyboards of these southern "Christians" in response to the question posed by this newsgroup literally made me feel sick to my stomach. I'll give you some examples of what I saw:
"No, gays should not be allowed to marry, because the bible says that marriage is between a man and a woman."
(I've never seen that passage in "The Holy Bible". Perhaps they are referring to some other type of bible? After all, the word bible is a generic term meaning "book". Perhaps they were referring to the Bass Fisherman's Bible?
Who knows?)
Who knows?)"No, I do not agree with giving them the right to marry, because homosexuality is against nature."
(It's been proven that homosexuality is not only natural, but extremely common in the animal kingdom in general, not just among humans, and increases in animal populations as they rise in number in a given area. This suggests that homosexuality is not only natural, but quite possibly nature's way of preventing over-population.) Here are some links if you care to educate yourself on "nature":
- National Geographic article: Homosexuality Among Animals Stirs Debate
- Wikipedia article: Explains that there are more than 1500 species of animals with members engaging in homosexual behavior.
- An article from the Huffington Post by a lesbian Christian woman on her natural attraction to women.
and the very tired, poorly considered little rhyme:
"No! Gays should not be allowed to marry! God created Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve!"
(I couldn't get anyone to explain to me who or what they believed created Steve. Apparently poor Steve is just the bastard child of unknown origin. If your name is Steve, you should be aware that you are illegitimate in the eyes of these types of Christians. I say "these types" of Christians, because I have plenty of Christian friends who do not believe that certain cited passages in their religious text give them the right to practice bigotry and discrimination against any other person, even if they are believed to be "engaging in a sinful lifestyle" since they acknowledge that they, themselves, are sinners.)
What many of us attempted to do in an admittedly futile attempt at using logic and reason with illogical, irrationally thinking people, was explain that this was not a religious question, but a political one, and that religion has no place in determining whether we pass a law granting equal rights to equal contributors or not.
This country was founded on the principles of religious freedom. That means that no religion is to have any more favor in the eyes of the United States Government than any other, since that is the only way we are able to ensure religious freedom for all. By definition, this requires that religion not enter into our decisions for passing laws. If you can't come up with a non-religious reason for disallowing equal access to benefits and social institutions, then you don't do it.
Repeatedly, we asked those making bigoted comments to come up with an argument that did not bring religion into the picture. Not one person was able to do so.
To be fair, there were many Christians who acknowledged that, while they believed it was morally wrong for couples to live together as homosexuals, that it was "not their place to judge". There were also Christians who said that they didn't believe that "The Holy Bible" actually said that homosexuality itself was sinful, but that "The Holy Bible" was referring to the raping of men in Leviticus 18:22 and not to consensual sex between two men.
There were also many homosexual Christian members who spoke up and pointed out that "The Holy Bible" does not appear to say anything about homosexuality specifically, but that it has been misinterpreted by homophobes over the years.
Many of us also pointed out that not so long ago, interracial marriages were forbidden in America, because religitards believed that it was a sin for people of two different races to marry (including whites and hispanics mixing together, or native Americans and whites, or any combination thereof).
Sadly, the discussion that could have (and should have) taken place regarding the legal issues surrounding gay marriage were not able to occur, because so many were so distracted by their religious fervor they were unable to even consider the issue as it pertains to the U.S. Constitution. If they pretended to try to do so, it was only to say something ridiculous such as:
"The constitution doesn't guarantee gays the right to get married."
Yeah, and the constitution doesn't guarantee Christians the right to get married, either. What it does do, is forbid any person to be denied any right based on the religious beliefs of themselves or others, or the lack thereof, which is exactly what forbidding homosexual marriage does.
Then there's the asinine claim that homosexuals are asking for "special rights" by wanting to be able to have their marriages "legally recognized", since their "choice" and request for the right to marry someone of the same sex is "in addition to" their existing right to marry someone of the opposite sex.
Again, this all assumes that homosexuality is a choice, which, if you are educated about chromosomes, biology, and sexuality, you recognize is just as absurd as saying that your race is a choice. After all, you could undergo medical treatments to alter the color of your skin. (Yes, that's supposed to sound ridiculous. That's also how saying that homosexuals can get "therapy" and "change" their sexual preferences sounds to intelligent, educated people.)
The rampant, blatant ignorance displayed by those making these comments was disturbing enough, but the truly disturbing aspect of it all is the fact that so many people feel entitled to dictate to the rest of the world what should and should not be allowed based on their own religious preferences.
These same religious folk whine and bellyache when prayer is not allowed to be a mandatory activity for children in the classrooms of public schools, as though their right to religious freedom is threatened by not allowing them to force it on others. Can you imagine what would happen if we allowed Wiccans to engage in spell-casting in the public classrooms of America? There would be RIOTS! And yet, these same people who would riot in that situation feel it is their right to dictate to other people what they can and can not do according to U.S. law based solely on what they believe their religious text tells them.
Folks, this is why religion is viewed as such a potentially dangerous threat to the U.S. Constitution, to America itself, and to the safety of humans everywhere. Tyranny begins first with the attitude of superiority over others, whether genetic or religious superiority, then progresses from there with the next step being an attempt at control and dominance over those viewed as inferior or "wrong". This is what happened with Hitler, it is what happened with the Jihad and the terrorist attacks on our country, and it is the basis for every form of tyranny which has ever existed.
It is amazing how many people who live in a country founded on the principles of religious freedom are using that same religious freedom to limit the rights of others who practice a different religion, including homosexual Christians who do not interpret the very vague wording in certain passages of "The Holy Bible" as having anything to do with homosexuality as we understand it today.
As an American, I believe it is my duty to expose this behavior for what it truly is: an attempt at religious dictatorship, and regardless of your religious beliefs (if any), it is your duty to ensure that you do the same. Your ability to enjoy the basic rights of being an American depends on it, as does your right to exist as an equal human being regardless of gender, economic status, ethnicity, or religion.
A.
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