Another excellent article from Arianna Huffington at Salon.com
So Justin exposing Janet’s boob is a sin, but White House staffers exposing Valerie Plame is a win. Profiting from porno is a sin, but Halliburton’s wartime profiteering is a win. Two men getting hitched is a sin, but Cheney and Scalia shacking up in a duck blind is a win. Telling students condoms can prevent STDs is a sin, but lying about WMD is a win. And so, apparently, is GOP staffers hacking into Senate computers and Tom DeLay illegally funneling corporate money to Texas politicians.
The president’s culture war is little more than breasts and circuses. Election-year weapons of mass distraction. Hail to the panderer in chief.
Here’s my stance on gay marriage. How can the state discriminate against two people who are committed to each other? Bring up the litany of arguments against it. I’m going to bet all of them come from religion. In this country we have the separation of church and state. If a church wants to say no to gay marriage, that’s their right. If the state wants to intentionally discriminate against a group of people, that is wrong.
Obviously this is a divisive issue, and I’m not going to be very eloquent in defending my position. But to look at all the religious types spewing hatred at people who love each other, it boggles my mind and they should be ashamed of themselves. They claim to know the bible so well, and yet they are missing the most important part. Love. What did Jesus say? Love each other. Love your brother. Love your mother and father. Love.
Matt 19:
[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38] This is the first and great commandment.
[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
It’s really not all that hard. There’s too much hate, destruction and violence in the world to be denying people who are in love the chance to spread love, peace and happiness.
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{ 2 } Comments
I think you said it pretty damned well.
My stance is similar to your. I think that the state (and federal level also) have an obligation to recognize civil unions or legal marriage between any couple regardless of their sex.
I do not feel that the church (or other religious organization) should be (or would be) obligated to religiously advocate or even acknowledge same sex marriage. That is freedom of religion.
I personally think that people of faith in public service have forgotten that not everyone believes the same thing as they do. The state needs to be committed to the ‘melting-pot’…to the good of all people in our society. Not just to the ‘majority’ and especially not just people of a specific faith.
And yeah…what is up with all the hatred that some of the Christian organizations direct at the homosexual community? It is one thing to believe that homosexuality is not a beneficial practice in life (as a Christian belief), and quite another thing to discriminate and sow hate or scorn or lack-of-compassion towards people because you disagree with them. So, I agree with you A.J….isn’t that disobeying another commandment to love others?