The Pope has decreed that the Catholic Church “cannot bless gay marriage”. However, some progress has been made. The Pope has announced the church will continue to bless gay sneezes.
Connecticut just became the third state in the Union to grant the constitutional right of marriage to gay citizens as well as straight. All the angry, vitriolic people who foam at the mouth at the passing of every new law legalizing gay marriage, are really angry because they haven’t been able to REPLACE the U.S. and state constitutions with their King James Bibles. They are really angry because deep down they know, but don’t want to admit, that marriage does NOT require a church OR a religion.
It enrages them when you bring this up. “Excuse me, but it seems you are forgetting the argument-destroying fact that marriage is a legal institution, and that we don’t create laws based on your church doctrine.” They ignore you and rant on quoting Old and New Testament scripture spelling out God’s vengeful condemnation he has planned for gay people…eternal torment and burning in Hell(Forever?? I mean, wouldn’t a week or two of just making them wear out of style early 90’s fashions be enough?). Ask them about the obvious contradiction of a picture of such a vengeance-driven, torturous God and they will either ignore you again or get even madder.
Marriage does not require a church. It DOES require a license. You can get married by the captain of the Love Boat, remember? Two Christian heterosexuals can get married by a meth-dealing, half-drunk notary at Guido’s Marriage Emporium and Casino in Downtown Vegas. That is because marriage is a LEGAL institution. Christians ALWAYS ignore this and ignorantly insist that they corner the market on marriage. (To ignore this is the equivalent to ignoring your car alarm in Oakland, California…you’ll be walking for a while!).
Basically, the adding of a religious vow-based ceremony to a marriage is nothing more than ‘icing on the marriage cake’ – PERIOD. It is both secondary and unnecessary to the primary non-religious legal institution of marriage. This kind of blind, angry hate ignores the law, the constitution of the United States (specifically the 14th Ammmendment that guarantees equality for every citizen under the law), not to mention each state’s constitution which reflects the same principles.
It was this same kind of hate ignoring the law and constitution, fostered again by the same CHURCH, that fueled the Jim Crow era, violent racism and separate water fountains for blacks in the 50’s and 60’s. It was this very same kind of hate fostered by the same CHURCH, that sought to deny women and blacks the right to vote, again ignoring the law and the constitutional mandate of equality for all. These rights became reality after overcoming the hateful, un-American obstacles all too often created by religious institutions.
It is clear that people who dogmatically cling to this kind of biblical hatred and condemning beliefs-who speak of God as a ‘God of Love’ out of one side of their mouth, and then proudly describe God as a vengeful torturer out of the other side… it is CLEAR these people have not just an unhealthy religion, but actually a mental illness or disorder.
They might as well be 45 years old and still believing in Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny. (I still believe in the Easter Bunny, so I can’t criticize them too much). They are eagerly awaiting Jesus Christ returning from the clouds (literally) and floating down to earth (literally) and then condemning to Hell all those who they hate, supported by their “Godly inspired scripture” that they use as their excuse for their hatred. “God said it, I didn’t”, they will keep repeating to ease their conscience.
I grew up in a family just like this. I knew something was wrong as far back as I can remember, but these were people I loved and needed more than anything. I needed their love and so I tried so hard to believe the garbage they were surrounding me with in church. I could not reconcile the picture of God I constantly would read about in the Bible. For example, that he would kill all the Egyptian first born babies because he was mad at the Egyptian adults and the King who would not release his ‘chosen people’ the Jews (and this ‘chosen people’ is nothing more than a racist concept also, which also wasn’t lost on me early on).
If God is love, he or she loves all equally, none are above others, or preferencial, or ‘special’. Yet Christians truly believe they are ‘special’ and at the expense (or dispense) of all others are going to be with God forever. My family was no exception, teaching me these things as the “inerrant Word of God”. This caused me more pain and damage psychologically than I can begin to describe in words here. Eventually, I had to make it clear that they were wrong and I could no longer support their judgmental, harmful, unloving beliefs. I told my mother that God could not possibly be as she was expecting me to believe in him. What do you suppose the result was to my taking such a stand?…Love?… Agreeing to disagree? Not a chance.
It was absolute and total rejection- Ignoring of all Mother’s Day and Birthday and Christmas cards I’d send. Actually telling me I was dead to them. It is important to raise an awareness of the sickness organized religion often reflects- Catholicism, Islam and Judaism included, not just evangelical Christianity. It is not only un-democratic and un-American, it is truly a mental illness, and too many people are walking around every day in society, showing the proof they are very sick, and yet they are too often unchallenged and allowed to be accepted as though they are normal.
If we need to be dogmatic about anything, we should be dogmatic about equality, diversity, democracy and HUMANITY – not Christianity or whatever other religion or similar judgmental teaching you choose to insert in the blank. They all do not preach LOVE and equality, but are crammed full of hate instead.
(One last thing I remember from the Christian church that I want to share here. When I would ever be asked, “What religion are you”, I was taught to tell them, “I don’t have a religion. Religions aren’t of God. Christianity is not a religion. It is the only word of God.” This is the common response to that question you will hear from most Christians today as well.)
Gay Marriage is not going to be the downfall of America. I think some of you have your priorities mixed up. Children are running wild in the streets, exposed to drugs, violence, gangs – we have a massive, unnecessary war going on, we have the highest gas prices in American history, major companies are closing or filing bankruptcy, people are losing their jobs AND their homes and you want millions of dollars spent fighting a cause based upon two people loving each other, and their desire to make a commitment. This commitment in no way affects you, your spouse, your family, your church, your job, your anything. Countless men & women, and many of them gay & lesbian, have given their lives for you to be able to express your opinion, & this is where you feel the most need – bigotry, hatred & prejudice. Let them live their lives the way THEIR GOD meant for them to – if it is not the right thing, then it will be between them & THEIR GOD. VOTE NO ON DISCRIMINATION – VOTE NO ON HATE – VOTE NO ON 8.
— JSAMFAN