My "favorite" time of year is coming.. NOT! Elections are coming. Contrary to what it may seem like based on my recent actions, I am not a political person. I know some people hate when others say that, but the reality is, politics make me physically ill. I just take things too personally. I can't help but get fired up and wrapped up in it. And it drives Tracy crazy. I am probably that way because whatever I get into, I get into deep and whole heartedly. As we have discovered, I'm an "all or nothing" kind of person. Obsessive much? *laugh*
Anyway, as you might have gathered, here in Idaho (and really around the country) the conversation of LGBT Rights and Religious Freedom are hot topics. It seems like every day, there is a new post on my Facebook newsfeed about some LGBT news related article, and yes, it is almost always combined with a Christian's view point.
Here are two links from my wall today.....
The Myth of Christian Discrimination
Christian School Bans Tomboy for the "Direction She's Heading"
So here's the deal. I am not anti-Christian. I believe in what our country's founders created. I believe in our Bill of Rights. I believe in Religious Freedom. The first amendment says this: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." I looked up what "respecting an establishment of religion" meant: "The Establishment Clause has generally been interpreted to prohibit 1) the establishment of a national religion by Congress, or 2) the preference by the U.S. government of one religion over another. The first approach is called the "separation" or "no aid" interpretation, while the second approach is called the "non-preferential" or "accommodation" interpretation. The accommodation interpretation prohibits Congress from preferring one religion over another, but does not prohibit the government's entry into religious domain to make accommodations in order to achieve the purpose of the Free Exercise Clause." The "Free Exercise Clause" is the exception when Government is allowed to get involved in making laws when the "Territory" feels as though religious practices are harmful (ie: human sacrifice or in the 1800's polygamy...which has recently been decriminalized in Utah).
(I must admit that all of this technical, legal reading is just about too much for my brain to understand. So while attempting to re-read the Bill of Rights, this is as far as I got. *laugh*)
Anyway, I also believe in a person's right to bear arms. However, that does not mean *I* want to own my own gun for protection purposes. I wouldn't mind owning one for sport; I like shooting guns. But I don't feel as though I need one. And I don't understand people's thought processes when it comes to owning the massive guns that they do own. I don't see a need in it. But I also understand the sport and wanting to shoot at targets. I do have a fear of guns. It's deeply rooted. It's not rooted in any religious way (the way fear of LGBT people are), but its rooted in childhood trauma where guns were regularly used as a threat in my home. So I have a personal reason for not wanting guns in my house or even trusting a stranger who I see holstering one or carrying one in their purse. But that doesn't mean I am going to take away your right to own a gun. Though (in my personal opinion) I would like some kind of regulation (though I have no idea what that would look like and I am not foolish enough to think that regulations would keep the bad guys from getting the guns they want if they wanted them.) I don't know what the answer to the amount of gun violence in the US is... but I certainly would not take away your right to own one.
I am also pro-choice. *gasp* That doesn't mean I am going to go out and get an abortion, but I also do not think it is any of my business what a woman chooses to do with her body. I believe a baby is a baby at conception. But I do not think its the government's place to tell me what I can and can not do with my body..which includes a fetus that might be inside of my body. Does that mean I judge the person who is having an abortion? No. Do I agree with it? It's really none of my business. Who am I to agree or disagree with their decision if it is not affecting me?
Basically, I am just tired. I am saying all of this for a few reasons. 1) I'm tried of "Christians" hiding behind their religious belief to discriminate against people. One person's relationship with another person is not going to affect you or your marriage. A same sex marriage is not going to affect your religious beliefs. Your religious beliefs are between you and your God and no one else. 2) Our country was founded on freedom of religion and specifically stated that it would NOT choose one religion over another as our "country's religion" So stop saying America is a Christian country. That simply is not true. It is also not true that "religious freedom" in our Bill of Rights gives you the freedom and protection to use your religious beliefs to discriminate and refuse service to someone (like not selling them cupcakes for their same sex marriage). 3) I once saw a meme on Facebook that said "If you believe in same sex marriage, you should also believe in gun rights". I thought that was an odd statement. But the same can be said in reverse. If you believe in gun rights, you should also believe in same sex marriage. Just sayin'. 4) It's no one's business what one person does as long as it not affecting them personally. If I am going to kiss a woman, it is NOT my neighbor's business to create a law to make it illegal. They don't have to like it, but what I do with myself is not their business.
Everyone has a right to their own opinion and to freedom of speech. I get that. I also get that as a private institution (such as a private Christian school) you have a right to refuse service to someone you believe does not follow your specific religious beliefs. That is part of your religious freedom I suppose....as this is happening in your church where you practice your religion. I get it. I may not agree with our opinion, but I get it. So if you think someone is Gay and that is against what you believe, then, yes, you can kick them out of school. Heck, if you are Christian and you think being gay is a sin, you don't even have to allow the gay person to be married by you in your church. There are plenty of Christian churches out there that support Same Sex Marriage. But that does't mean that if you are a Christian running a PUBLIC business, that you can use your Christian beliefs to refuse service to someone because of their sexuality. If you do, where does that line end? If you are Christian, would you refuse service to a Jew, Mormon (cause most christians do not see Mormons as Christians), Jehovah's Witness, Wiccan? Would you refuse service to someone with tattoos or wearig mixed material clothing? What about someone who has had an abortion? How would you even KNOW what they believed or have done unless you put them through some kind of application process?
With all of that said........I will also say this.....
You are entitled to your opinion. I have already stated that. You are allowed to think what you want and say what you want as long as it does not happen in a work place environment where what you say can make someone feel discriminated against or unsafe or bullied. I may not like it, but in a public forum, you are allowed to say whatever the hell you want to say. We don't have to agree, but it's your right to speak. The very first link I posted showed a meme that has been going around the social media sites. The first part of that meme, I could swear says almost EXACTLY what a friend of mine said on his own public Facebook wall. Among his friends list was his boss. His boss saw my friend's status message and fired him for it. This was not said in a work place environment, and it was my friend's heart felt thoughts. Do I share the same opinions as my friend? Obviously not. But I do not think he should have been fired for what he said on a public space. (But that is the problem with social media...whatever you say in public can and will be used against you....including in a court of law.)
I know this post is long. And if you have gotten this far, kudos to you. Thank you.
If I lived in my perfect world, I would live in a world where people loved and accepted everyone. People would listen to each other's stories and find out that we are not so different from the next person. People would put their guns away (except for recreational shooting). People would stop using religion to prove they are right and the other is wrong. People would allow for different religions in the same place and they would all get along and love each other even with their differences. People could love whomever they wanted. The word "Marriage" would not be some sacred word held hostage by the religious extremists. People would be allowed to marry whomever they wanted, and I know this is crazy talk, but as many as they wanted! (Do I need to pick you up off of the floor now?????) In my perfect world, there would be no more war. There would be no violence. No child would ever go hungry and everyone would have a roof over their head (if they wanted one). People would be free to be whoever they are in whatever way they decided to express themselves. No one would have to fear for their lives, job, housing for being different. Wow.........if only.
I was raised in a conservative Christian home. From the age of 11-14 I was in some kind of church surrounding 6 out of 7 days..sometimes twice a day. From the ages of 14-16 I was in some kind of church surrounding 7 out of 7 days (Christian school, Assembly of God Church and a Seventh Day Adventist Church). During these years, I went to church on Wednesday nights, Friday nights, Saturday and Saturday nights, Sunday and Sunday nights and then there was a youth thing in there on a Tuesday night too. Ages 16-24 I pretty much narrowed it down to only the 2 churches then only one church by the time I was 18. Between the ages of 11 and 25, I read the Bible several times over. I studied specific books of the Bible very closely. But out of everything I have read and everything I have studied in a Southern Baptist Church School, Assembly of God Church, and Seventh Day Adventist Church, the one thing I remember and still hold near and and dear to my heart is this......."I Corinthians 13:13: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." May we all think, feel, and act from that place. Before we make any decisions regarding the person in front of us, ask ourselves, "Am I acting from a space of love? What would Jesus do?" And remember, Jesus hung out with prostitutes and lepers and had no problem serving them!
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