Recently I had the misfortune of getting caught up in a thread
on Facebook having to deal with gay marriage and politics. It was in
response to a shared picture that showed two men lying on top of the North Carolina
Republican Party headquarters, sharing a kiss in protest of the state's recent
ban on civil unions. I have read my share of evil comments made by
ignorant jackholes- probably more than my share, because for some reason it is
difficult to stop scrolling down as the vitriol keeps coming. I
understand that everyone has their own opinion about homosexuality. I
understand that everyone has a stance on the legal side of the argument.
I also am well aware that much- if not all- of the hateful words have
spewed forth from the mouths (and fingers) of the so-called religious. I
will share two comments from this thread- one mine, and one his- both directly
copied and pasted:
Me: I think this was
specifically geared toward the state, not just the Republican Party at large.
And of course members from both parties oppose, but the vast majority is
conservative Republicans. Yeah I just looked it up. A few days ago North
Carolina banned not just gay marriage, but also civil unions. Hence the
protest. Almost all Democrats are for civil unions, even if they are opposed to
same sex marriage. And Chuckie, it's not really about the benefits of marriage,
or the name. It's about how straight people can marry whenever they feel like
it-take Britney Spears, for example- and they can't. It's about equality.
Straight people take the idea of marriage for granted (at least some do) and a
great deal make a mockery of the institution, whereas the conservatives say
allowing same sex marriage will ruin the institution of marriage. Which is
complete crap. If anyone ruins marriage, it's us. Statistically speaking, same
sex couples are much more likely to remain together than their opposite sex
counterparts, due in large part, I believe, because they have had to fight for the
simple human right to express their love in that manner. Ok, off my soapbox
now.
Him: another misconception... And missing the
mark.
This is why we never get things done and why we never get along with those that disagree because people now a days disagree without ever learning the TRUE facts and they just follow propaganda.
True married straight couples and more importantly TRUE practicing religious think most marriages between 2 straight people is wrong too. Churches do NOT and will NOT ever recognize a justice of the peace, a captain of a ship or an online minister as a legal marriage. Celebrity Weddings, Vegas Weddings, backyard weddings done by aunt Gemma, THESE ARE ALL wrong.
The problem with Gay marriage is that same sex couples, although may be in love, are NOT acting within the laws of nature. A gay couple says "I can't help who I love... who are YOU to tell me I can't love someone." Do me a favor look up the NAMBLA organization and learn about their "love". It's a pervertion... To me civil unions allow the legally binding contract without involving the churches. The moment "marriage" is put in the vocabulary it's only a matter of time before the Government and the ACLU force religions to recognize, perform and accept gay weddings in their congregation under the punishment of lawsuits and revoking tax exemption...
I
was never able to get him to explain what "true religion" was, but I
had to stare at my screen for a solid minute while I processed his
comparison between same sex couples and the pedophiles of NAMBLA (which stands
for, if someone doesn't know, North American Man/Boy Love Association, a group
so disgusting and vile I want to believe in hell simply so they can burn
there). I have never been able to comprehend the sheer magnitude
of hate and ignorance that can come from the overzealous. What is even more incomprehensible is how,
like in this instance, they keep nattering about how they alone know the TRUTH
and everyone else is just too far below them to understand. And yes, I see the irony. I am very often guilty of the same
condescension; but here is the difference.
When they do it, they speak of things ephemeral, they speak of things of
faith, of things invisible…they speak of a God that according to their own
religion they have no right to speak for.
When I condescend, I am at least polite enough to fact check before I do
so, and if I am still wrong, I readily admit it. In fact, I had to do that very thing a few
days ago, on a Republican friend’s wall post, and anyone who knows me knows how
little I enjoy being wrong in that arena.
None of my arguments, none of my opinions come from a place of faith,
because even though I have my own, it is simply that- my own. Further, and much more important, if I am
wrong in all things religious, if there is an omniscient and omnipresent deity
living in the sky taking notes on everything every single one of us do, and
judging us accordingly; if I die, and there actually are some pearly gates, and
a large book of my deeds being pored over by a man in a robe, and that man
tells me I am wrong, that everything I have ever said or believed is wrong- well,
then, shit, I was wrong. But here is the
important part; the only person who has the right to judge my beliefs, my
actions, my thoughts, or my soul IS that man in the robe (provided he exists). My faith has no such judgmental tribunal, no
everlasting torment, no eternal sing-alongs of kumbaya. However, because I believe in mine, it stands
to reason everyone else’s could be real too, so I hedge my bets and generally
try to not be an asshole. Unfortunately,
so few “truly” religious people follow my lead.
I hear them say that God will judge the sinners, and that they should
all be prepared to buy a whole lot of burn cream and breathable cottons, but
never, not once, do I hear these same people admit that they are right in line
behind me. The Bible is literally
chock full of tidbits about not judging others:
Matthew 7: 1-5: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the
judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will
be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but
do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your
brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your
own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”
Romans
2:1-3: “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges.
For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the
judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly
falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge
those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape
the judgment of God?”
Matthew
12:36-37: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for
every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by
your words you will be condemned.”
And about a thousand more. What has always struck me as horrifyingly
amusing is that these very religious people seemed to have skipped these parts. This offends me; not as a Christian,
obviously, because I’m not one, but because I am not one and I still believe in
the spirit of these words and they do not.
What gives any among us the right to hate anyone? Or the right to share that hate until it
festers, and grows, and becomes the Republican National Party? (I kid.)
Taking out the religion leaves us with just
the mere ignorance of these people.
Because of course there is the same type of people in every religion,
every race, both sexes. The person from
the above quote talks about FACTS and TRUTH and how nowadays everyone just
spits back propaganda. And I am willing
to bet that person typed that without the slightest hint of the irony. I have to say that TRUTH is hard to come by;
our media is controlled and conducted in such a way now that there seems to be
no separation between collective opinion and what these networks call the
news. We are all victims of propaganda
until we choose to not be anymore. We
have to decide to seek out what is true, even though that truth may not be what
we like. In this case, there is all
kinds of true scientific data to back up any argument having to do with same
sex couples and marriage; unfortunately, however, even in science you can run
across professional hypocrites who will conduct experiments that are designed
to yield only the result they want then publish that information as fact, upon
which the ignorant masses cling on to it as if it is a life preserver for their
hate. “See?” they say. “This study supports absolutely everything we
say, so the other twenty thousand studies done that disproves it HAS to be wrong.” People see what they want to see. That will never change.
Getting back to this marriage
thing. The above person claims that it
is fine if same sex couples have civil unions so they can get all the legal
benefits of marriage, along with the equal right to the unending hell of
splitting up assets if the union goes south, but says that by using the word
marriage, it automatically means that the union is a religious one; meaning
that no one is truly married unless the spokesperson of God has joined them as
such. If that is the case, there are a
hell of a lot of bastards running around.
Marriage is not a religious concept, nor can it be used by the
government to thwart the church’s god-given right to tax exemption History paints the accurate picture of what
marriage really is. Historically
speaking (meaning based in fact) “marriage” was more often than not simply an
agreement made to legitimize offspring, and to cement succession. In ancient Greece, it was literally just an
agreement between two people. In some
African tribes, marriage happens when two people agree and one moves into the
other’s tent. It wasn’t until the early
Christian era that the church wanted anything to do with marriages at all. However, the union of two (or more) people is
a concept so old that it predates written history. The same cannot be said for the Judeo-Christian
religions. So, then, were all those
unions wrong, or not approved by God?
Were they all illegitimate? And
further, how can that be, if God is omniscient and has his Hand in everything
that has ever been done on Earth? Did a
couple hundred thousand years slip his notice?
The fact is that all marriage is a civil union; it is a legal term, and
nothing more. To be a fine point on it,
two people can go through a wedding ceremony in a church, but until they file
that paperwork with the state, they are not married. Even if your god has sanctioned it, as far as
the government is concerned, you still can’t jointly file your taxes.
So, again, I am confused. Since factually, I have just outlined how
marriage is indeed a legal one that merely has religious significance to
religious people, how can someone be FOR civil unions, which give the same
legal benefits, but be AGAINST marriage, which is the same exact freaking
thing? There are a lot of non-religious
people who get married every day; this person thinks they are all living in sin
and their children are all bastards.
They say that same sex marriage will ruin the moral fiber of America (as
if we still had some to ruin) and will lead to the breakdown of society, and eventually
will lead to people wanting to marry their dogs. They say this because they have the mental
acuity of a turnip. They would have to
in order to make that cosmic leap. It
all comes down to, again, the biggest problem I have with people, but America
especially. They think that their
beliefs need to be forcefully undertaken by everyone else, regardless of
whether or not everyone else shares those beliefs. They think they are RIGHT, and by god, it’s
their duty to make sure everyone steps in line.
Why can’t we just live in a world in which everyone has their own
opinion but actually allows everyone else to have a different one? I’m disagreed with all the time; I don’t
care. I argue when I have facts to back
me up, but if it is simply opinion, then by all means, have your own. I may think you’re a moron who should avoid
breeding at all costs, but I will defend your right to disagree with me to the
death. The legalization of same sex
marriage doesn’t affect anyone who isn’t actively in the position to want one,
so why the fight? If God is as all
powerful as you think, I am pretty sure he’s got it covered. I am equally sure that there is no god that
wants or needs their people to hate and kill on their behalf.
And yet we still have people who believe
that hatred and judgment is the path to righteousness.
I will end with one of my favorite
quotes that was paraphrased from that same book all those religious people like
to ignore:
There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.
