So now we know how the FRC views homosexually-led families. Not that their opinion came as any great surprise, of course. We are less-than. We are fundamentally wrong, and our children are damaged by our "lifestyle" of "same-sex attraction". We've heard this song and seen this show before. So why has this video gotten under my skin so much?
Because it scares me. The fact that this group (and others like it) are wanting to use their particular religious beliefs to affect legislation is frightening. And if you aren't scared too, you should be.
Our country was founded on the basis of freedom. It is the number-one criteria for America...to be free to celebrate life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Nowhere in there does it say "unless you're gay" or "unless you don't believe as the majority does". We are not a theocracy. That is not what this country stands for, and these people desperately want to make it one.
There is even a jaw-dropping quote by our friend Tony that illustrates their beliefs perfectly (although he does not identify what 'legal experts' told him this, as usual). He says:
"Legal experts agree that religious freedom and same-sex marriage cannot coexist."
Unfortunately, when something like this is tossed out and swallowed up by groups that are hungry for our demise, the burden of proof falls on us to prove that it wouldn't happen that way. To me, this just seems like such a common sense issue that I had trouble coming up with a detailed way to refute it. Then I realized there was no detailed way - it's just plain false.
Same-sex marriage has absolutely no impact on other people's freedoms - not to marry, not to worship, not anything. We are not forcing you to attend our weddings and give us your blessing. We are not demanding that you be ecstatic when we get engaged or help us plan our bachelorette parties. And we certainly aren't telling you that since we are now married, you can no longer be a Christian, for pete's sake. The only freedoms included in the equation at all are those of the same-sex partners who are free to be married under law as equal citizens.
So where is this coming from? I'll give you my opinion (for what it's worth), and then you can tell me in the comments if you agree or disagree, or have a better idea.
I honestly think these people believe that because SSM goes against their particular belief system (which is actually based upon misconception and misinterpretation, but that's another post altogether), their religious freedom to disapprove of and/or strike out against homosexuals as subversive and beneath them will be taken away. They will no longer be able to challenge equality legislation based on their theology, and same-sex couples and families would be recognized whether they liked it or not. Basically it all comes down to them not having a say in what other people do with their lives, therefore it takes away their freedoms.
I could be wrong, of course. I can't know for certain. But this seems for all the world to be a case of political pouting - we don't get to force our beliefs and rules and regulations on the country, and we don't get to set all the parameters for what is acceptable according to us. Therefore our freedom of religion is taken away.
They want the nation to be a theocracy, run by them and only them. And the kicker is, they believe it is their God-given right to rule the country in this way! Look up Dominionism sometime. But don't do it alone...it will give you nightmares.
This type of belief is where the allegations of taking away religious freedom stems from. We meet another 'expert' in the video - a Mr. John Rankin, President of the Theological Education Institute. He breaks it down for us, and explains the train of thought that leads to the religious right losing their 1st Amendment rights if 'the gays' get their way.
He states that the 1st Amendment guarantees religious liberty and other freedoms, which it does. The problem comes, he says, with the "theological issue between the sexuality given by God, the one true Creator, or any other idea that is outside the Bible." And then he further explains how this all comes together.
"Unless we are free to believe what we believe, we are not able to speak
it (freedom of speech); cannot publish it (freedom of the press),
cannot assemble on its basis (freedom of assembly), cannot challenge
the government (freedom to air grievances)."
I can almost respect that, because it is articulated and explained in a thorough manner and is not shot full of accusations and slurs. However, if these people would just listen to themselves, they would hear and understand that the very thing he is saying is what the LGBT community has been saying for decades.
Why are they the only ones who should have their beliefs protected and legally acknowledged? Where does it say that only fundamentalist Christians are worthy to make moral decisions for our country? So many people are hung up on the fact that the country was formed based on Christian values, when that simply is not true. A quick Google will tell you all you need to know about that.
No, there are no specific provisions in the Constitution for homosexual individuals. Neither are there any for heterosexual individuals. There is only one provision, that all are created equal. And that lends itself to the fact that equal citizens (read: everyone) deserve equal rights, regardless of whether or not you agree with who they are.
We are not going to take away anyone's rights. Well, let me amend that...the only rights we want taken away are the rights of others to persecute, discriminate, and demean loving families that just happen to be different from their own. That is a right I believe should be taken, because it is not a fundamental right at all. It's just a sick perversion of the truth, and we are the latest group to get hit with it. Women's rights, African-American's rights...now it's our turn.
Why haven't they learned from history? Why must they continue to be on the wrong side of it, claiming they know best and they have the direct line into God's ear? News flash: They're not the only religion in this country.
And even if they were, this is not a religious debate when it comes down to it. I think that is the thing they are most afraid of, because without their misconstrued and misinterpreted passages from scripture, they have nothing to fight back with.
If we are legitimized by the government, and shown to the world to be every bit as valid a family as any other, the religious right will have lost their battle to oppress that which they do not agree with. And if that is what they consider 'taking away their religious freedom', then by all means...let it start now.
I think this is one of my favorite statements: "this seems for all the world to be a case of political pouting - we don't get to force our beliefs and rules and regulations on the country, and we don't get to set all the parameters for what is acceptable according to us. Therefore our freedom of religion is taken away."
ReplyDeletePolitical pouting it is. The desire to control that which one does not have control over... or trying to control that which scares them... or trying to control someone or something they do not understand (or try to understand).
Fear is a great motivator. Motivating them to use any kind of "logic" to support their position. Government is full of that... but this gross misuse of asserting that one group is "right" in being able to control another because they are seen as different is incomprehensible.
It was that way with discrimination against those of African descent as well as with the perception of women as the "lesser" gender. They (those who desired the political control) used their perception of "God-given rights" to justify those positions also, and were proven wrong.
One must remember that people usually dislike other people that embody characteristics they dislike in themselves or are ashamed of... If they have been made to feel ashamed of feelings they find in themselves, they detest others that freely display the same feelings. They cannot achieve that balance, therefore they must punish those that do.
just sayin'...
Yes, homophobia has often been linked with buried, secret homosexual desires or thoughts. But even when it is not, it is linked with ignorance.
ReplyDeleteAnd you could not be more right regarding the history of oppression based on the "rightness" of those who wield the power. If only they would study that history, they might be able to see the pattern of their bigotry, and realize that they have been proven wrong and overcome each time they have tried these tactics.
This time will be no different, and our children's children will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about.