With Liberty and Justice for All

There are some "social" issues that I have strong beliefs about. For example, abortion and the death penalty. I believe in the sanctity of life from conception to death. I do not believe that man has the god-given right to terminate a life, whether it is a life in the womb or a life buried away from society in a prison cell. I think it creates a scary world when we give one man the right to determine the worthiness of another man's life. Rather than diverge into a list of arguments to debate these positions though, I only mention them, to raise the point that although I have strong opinions on such controversial issues, I still respect the right for people to have opinions which differ from mine... despite how failed their logic may be.

Being so adamantly Pro-Life may lead some to the belief that I am a "Conservative."

However, an issue I feel equally passionate about is equality. Equality in the workplace and in the bedroom, and in every niche of society between the two. Equality in race and age, in gender and body types, in educational opportunities and socioeconomic status, and in sexual orientation.

Yes, this is a post about Marriage Equality, or more specifically the Defense of Marriage Act- the latest "trendy" social hot topic that has Facebook turning red, whether with a pink equality sign in support of Marriage Equality or images of the equality signs perverted into a cross to show opposition of overturning the law preventing government recognition of same-sex marriage.

Earlier in the week, I texted Jason to ask if he knew why so many folks on Facebook were changing their profile pics to the red & pink equal sign. He asked if I knew about DOMA. So... of course, I did a quick Google search and replied, "oh yeah, Defense of Marriage Act, I just didn't know what the sudden impetus was."

The truth is, even though I only learned about "DOMA" a few days ago, this has been an issue that has confused me for a long time. It confuses me both politically and religiously.

Politically. We are a patriotic family. My husband is a retired veteran, and the first 10 years of our lives together were spent with him deployed as often as he was home. I truly believe that our family dedicated our lives to the pursuit and defense of American freedom. However, that is in direct conflict with defending a government that strips so many citizens of a very basic human right- the freedom of choosing who we love.

I don't want to get into the debate of whether people are "born gay" or "choose gay." Although, I will throw something out there. I had a "girl crush" on Madonna for most of my teenage years, to be later replaced by Sandra Bullock. I can look at a woman and think, "Wow, she's beautiful." Yet, I do not feel a sexual attraction towards her. I did not "choose" to create that barrier; the attraction simply doesn't exist. Likewise, most of the people in my life for whom that barrier does not exist, for whom the object of their attraction is their own gender, I don't feel they made that "choice" either. On the contrary, most people I know struggled not to associate themselves with that ostracized sector of society and "chose" to shove away those authentic feelings until they just couldn't be contained any longer.

Thankfully, we are a society becoming slowly more tolerant of variations in sexual orientation. Unfortunately, as a government, we are not. My fundamental confusion on the issue politically is... Why is the government given the power to determine who we can or can't marry? I can marry someone of a different race. I can marry an illegal citizen. I can marry someone of a different religion, or no religion at all. I can marry a convict in prison. I can marry someone twice my age, or more. I can marry someone half my age, or even a minor with parental permission. I can marry someone that has been divorced again and again... and again. I can marry any human being on this Earth that I wish... unless we share the same number of X and Y chromosomes.

I am just at a complete loss on how this is possible in a country founded on principles of freedom. I don't even know HOW to debate the legality of such laws because it is such a flagrant disregard of the constitutional rights on which all laws of this country should be based.

A government that is allowed to create laws determining who its citizens can and cannot marry is just one step removed from a country that controls how many children a family can have. If you are unsure how that story ends, Google "female infanticide."

For me, the government issue is black and white. We are in the wrong, and it needs to be made right.

Religiously, this topic has so many twists and convolutions that there is no end to my confusion. The most common argument I saw against homosexuality this week involved Levitican law. Leviticus?! Just today, I sat down for Easter dinner with my husband (of my second marriage), he having been recently shaved and myself having had my hair cut just last week. We had ham for Easter dinner... with the fat... oh, and our clothes were of mixed fabrics. Ah hell, we just broke six Levitican laws right there, why even worry about sexual immorality?

To pull some antiquated Old Testament scripture out of context to defend an argument is futile to me. It's the same thing that happens when someone wants to use the Bible to tout the virtues of women being subservient to men, or the the "right" to beat children. Read just a few scriptures before or after the one being referenced and often the entire context of the argument will change.

However, let's say that's not always true. Let's say that there are many scriptures in the Old Testament referencing God's disgrace towards homosexuality. Let's say that God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah purely based on the sins of one man laying with another. Even if we could say that, what does it matter? Unless you are of the Jewish faith, why are you using Old Testament arguments to defend Christianity?

I will be the first to admit that I have tried to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelations many times, and failed every time. I will be the first to admit that I am of wavering faith often, and by no means exalting myself as a Biblical scholar. However, isn't the very essence of Christianity based on the premise that Old Testament law is no longer relevant? The crucifixion of Christ is what opened the doors to all, not living in allegiance to antiquated laws.

So then, let's carry this discussion into the New Testament. I imagine there are scriptures there too that could be used to defend morality against homosexuality. And if there are not, I am sure there are scriptures that are vague enough to be twisted into such. I'm sure this is true of many acts of immorality, from which we only want to highlight those that don't apply to our own lives. (Well, homosexuality must be a bigger sin than pre-marital sex, right?) However, when did the Christian God become one of such exclusion and hatred?

Jesus lived among the sexually immoral. He brought others into his faith by inclusiveness, not judgment and damnation. Today, Jesus would be in hospitals and hospices visiting AIDS patients. He would be volunteering in homeless shelters, talking to women who believe their only option for survival is prostitution. He would be driving by the strip clubs that proliferate around military bases, offering rides home to the drunken Sailors stumbling out of their doors at 2 a.m. He would be offering love and compassion, not only to those who lived like him and believed like him, but more importantly, to those who did not.

Ultimately, I believe in tolerance. I think the person who believes homosexuality is immoral and same sex marriage is an abomination has every right to his or her opinion. Likewise, I believe those who support Marriage Equality are equally deserving of their opinions. I do not believe that either side of the argument should be judged or persecuted for their beliefs. I see just as many Christians being condemned for their close-mindedness in social media as I do Equal Right supporters being bashed for Pro-Gay views. Neither side of the battle is in the right. Tolerance is the only answer.

The most truthful statement I have seen from this whole debate came from Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor who authored The Purpose Driven Life:

 

Disagreement, fear, hatred. Agreement, love, compassion. No matter which side of the argument you do or do not support. No matter which side of the argument I do or do not support. That is our belief. That is our right. And I do not believe the government should sit in a sovereign position to determine it for us.

I probably shouldn't say this...

... but that rarely stops me anyway.


Today is one of those days when I should not blog. However, I think back to an afternoon many... many... years ago when I went to the YMCA and there were two young ladies on the piece of torture equipment next to me that said, "Going to the gym is like going to church. You don't feel like going but once you get there, you're glad you went."  (Not that I was creeping on their conversation... no, not at all.)

I agree with what was said. Very similarly I would also say that church and diet/exercise are something easy to fall away from if you fall out of habit. Miss one Sunday, miss two. Skip your walk one night, turn week, turn month. I think this universal truth applies to blogging too. (Obviously as my seven years of intermittent blogging would show.)

So tonight, I blog.

Today, my only creative efforts involved Pinning ideas for future creative efforts. My only culinary adventures involved chocolate pudding in a pretty glass with a dollop of Cool Whip on top (although, don't pretty glasses just make everything fancier? I have a whole cabinet of them I need to use far more often. Would you like some popcorn... in a pretty glass?) Alas, the crux of productivity today was posting items on the local FaceBook sales page (and selling several, shoulder self-patting commencing).

I guess what's on my mind today is mainly the news. I unashamedly admit my conscious effort to stay unaware of current events.
I like to stick my fingers in my ears, sing "lalala" and bury my head in the sand.

For my husband, future history teacher that he is, who reads the paper, watches the news, and even listens to talk radio (gag!)... all that responsible citizen stuff, I am sure this is quite frustrating. Here is the gist of a near-daily conversation in out house:

He says: "Did you hear about____?" (fill in any current news event)

She says: "Nope"

Occasionally there are news stories that are so devastating that they can't be avoided... even if I don't log onto Facebook for the day. The latest of this type of story is, of course, the Colorado shooting at the Batman premier. Events like this disturb me on so many levels. It's stomach-churning to think that things like this can happen in our world, or society, our backyard.

I find the aftermath of these events just as disturbing though. Now, lawyers, and psychologists, and journalists will all clamor to create the most sensationalized explanation for WHY he did this. We have such a hard time accepting the fact that by the very definition of a "senseless act" of violence, there is NO way to make sense of it. Well-educated and highly reputable citizens with a childhood enveloped in love and reassurance can just as easily perpetuate a horrific crime as the jobless guy that flinches at the idea of even being hugged after such an abusive childhood. We want to create a logical explanation for illogical behavior... because it make us feel safe. It makes "that" person an "other"- not our family, our neighbor, our cashier at the grocery store.  I have never watched the show "Snapped," but I think it is likely to be the only scenario of these kind of stories that speaks the truth.

The District Attorney has already announced that she is "considering pursuing the death penalty against Holmes"... before the investigation is finished, before any psychological testing has been done. That too just causes me to be more disturbed. I do not believe in the death penalty. In any case. Under any circumstance. Trust me, I know that is not a popular opinion and I am okay with that. It is what I believe. I believe in the sanctity of human life, from conception to death. I do not believe that any human should be given the god-like power to end human life. I think it creates a scary society when man is given this power to deem who deserves life and who deserves death. I don't want that power, and I don't want another human to have that power either. I can empathize with those who believe in retaliatory punishment, meaning killing he who kills. What's the result? Does extreme punishment deter others from similar behaviors? Apparently not. It does achieve removing that cancer from our society... but so does prison. I'm not going to diverge into the topics of prison reforms and costs here, for now. We do not live in a classless society. Equal justice for all is a Utopian concept, and allowing man to "legally murder" has led societies down some dark tunnels in history.

To those of you checking into my little chaotic world, I half-hearted apologize for the heaviness tonight. I am not promising that I won't go back in the upcoming days and delete half this post as I have been prone to do with Facebook conversations that leave me saying, "Maybe I shouldn't have said that." It's definitely not the fodder of Mommy Blogs or Crafting Blogs, but I'm just not willing to pigeon-hole myself in that kind of niche right now... and this is what's heavy on my mind tonight.