▪ prop 8: bigotry and hate masked as law

This was my response to a post in the Rants and Raves section of Craig's List:

“Homosexuals already have all of the rights of married people with civil unions"

All I have to say is... Brown vs. The Board of Education.

Separate but equal is by definition, unequal. It's not about philosophical or religious differences about sexuality. I don't really care what your view is of the yin and yang of sexual interplay. Our Constitution (I am speaking of the US Constitution) defines separations between church and state, religious belief and law. Obviously, that line was crossed in the Prop. 8 campaign. So much so that the tax-exempt status of some religious organizations is being called into question (the Mormon church spent about 18 million on prop 8, many pastors told their flock how they had to vote).

Prop 8 is religious hate and bigotry masked as law. It is ugly. The way it was forced down people’s throats with lies and fear tactics was despicable. I am amazed at how the religious right feels justified in resorting to lies and hate to reach its goals. What happen to truth and love?

The gospel of Jesus is very simple (10 years as a pastor and 25 years as a Christian I think gives me some credibility here). Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s it. Period. When asked how one loves his neighbor, Jesus simply said, “do to your neighbor what you would want done to you.”

When Christians violate this “golden” rule… they do so at their own peril. Because, if the religious right feels they're are within their right to do to others in this manner and strip people of rights… it is just a matter of time before some other group decides it is time to strip the religious right of their rights.

What happens when society is so fed up with the bigotry, hate, and meddling in the personal lives of others of the religious right that it decides to take away their rights? It might start with the tax-exemption being revoked and from there… who knows.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating anything like that and would not support it. As fucked up as much of organized religion is in this country, freedom of religion is a fundamental right as far as I am concerned.

But think about. If we truly live in a free society, then it means we must allow certain freedoms that we may not like in order to enjoy the freedoms that we personally cherish. Taking away others freedoms puts us on a dangerous path that threatens the very freedom that is at the core of this great nation.

So let me put it this way... you allow the same freedoms and rights that you enjoy to be enjoyed by all people and you get to continue to enjoy your religious freedom. Deal? I don't think you will like the alternative.