I overheard a conversation between two gentlemen a few days ago.
The two individuals in question, if you saw them walking down the street, are the type that you would assume by their mannerisms and form of dress that they were fine, upstanding citizens. The type who love this country and all it stands for.
The conversation, was one of the most hateful things I’ve ever witnessed. Needless to say, I have lost much respect for them.
The topic of the discussion was how one of the gentlemen was ashamed to admit he was raised Methodist, since it has become one of the most “liberal” of the Christian sects, going so far as to allow a gay Minister to serve. The conversation continued this way for several minutes, using many derogatory terms I will not repeat here, and much hateful language. The gist of it was that homosexuals have no rights, and are barely people.
Now, I’ll be the first in line to support your freedom to practice your religion, whatever it may be. This was one of the founding principles of this country, that government can not be allowed to interfere with an individual’s right to practice their religion how they see fit, as long as the practice does not interfere with the rights of another. Obviously if part of your religion professed in the belief of burning down your neighbor’s homes, such behavior would not be tolerated in a fair and just society. But apparently gay-bashing is OK.
A Quote:
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. – Thomas Jefferson in “Notes on the State of Virginia”
I think therein is where we as a country have lost focus. A small, vocal subset of the Christian majority of this country has decided that homosexual behavior is immoral and wrong. To them, I say fine! Take your freedom to practice your religion how you see fit! But remember, as can you, so can they.
Just because this is a Democracy, and you are a majority, does not make it morally right for you to say they can’t marry, can’t adopt children, can’t serve in the military, etc. Either religion is an inalienable right, for all mankind, or it isn’t. Either you have the right to practice your specific form of your specific religion, or you don’t. I believe that is a key point. There are more distinct branches of Protestantism than I can count on my fingers, each with beliefs and ideas unique to them, that are not shared among the group of Christians as a whole. Each of them has the right to practice their religion freely, without interference. Some accept homosexuals into their rank and file. Other topics of disagreement among different Christian branches include divorce, abortion, women’s right, evolution, alcohol consumption, etc. Not to mention the 25% of Americans who are not Christian, and are likely to have very differing beliefs regarding a wide range of topics.
The freedom to practice your religion, in your way, as long as it does not interfere with the rights of another, is a natural right for all mankind. If your religion doesn’t give homosexuals the same rights as heterosexuals, that’s fine, but it has no place in politics. Deny them the ability to marry, worship, even enter your church if you wish, but it has no place in politics. Religion is by it’s very definition, illogical – a belief in something not empirically provable, also known as faith. Websters defines faith as “belief that is not based on proof”. Illogical behavior has no place in government, a government cannot have faith, only an individual can. For a government to be fair and just, it can only have rational laws, based on rational things, otherwise it penalizes individuals irrationally.
Not being the type of person to start a verbal fight in public, I remained silent through this conversation. I had been thinking about starting a website devoted to what I believe to the principles on which this country was founded. While I didn’t have the strength to speak out then, I can only hope this website gives someone else the strength to speak out in the future, and perhaps injects some common sense and civility into the political discourse.
Politics aside, to me bigotry based on sexual orientation is no different from racism or sexism, both of which have been practiced by various church in varying forms over the years. I’m sure the same arguments were made in those discussions as are being made now in this one. Charges of moral relativism, or proclaiming that the Bible says this, so I am just. Bigotry is bigotry, no matter what sheep’s wool it chooses to hide itself in. Women’s equality and racial equality have been settled for quite some time now, and I’d say we’re better off for it. It’s also worth pointing out that unless you’re reading a 2,000 year old bible in the original Hebrew/Greek/Aramaic, the biases of 2.000 years worth of translators is enshrined in the document you call sacred, not to mention all the books that have been added and removed to it over the years.
Religion has no place in a just government. If my word isn’t good enough for you, how’s the word of one of the men who built our government?