"Separate is not equal". Many of us remember that
phrase from our history books as we learned about racial segregation, the Civil
War, and laws such as the Jim Crow laws that sought to segregate persons of
color (blacks) from white people. Despite the fact that slavery and segregation
has been abolished and rulings such as Brown vs. Board of Education has sought
equal rights for all regardless of race, these movements toward equal rights
were met with hostility then and are still met by opponents even today.
Throughout history there has been contention over whether women and persons of
color should be given equal rights. To this day, we continue to fight this
battle. Back in the 1950s, there were people who used God, the Bible or
religion to argue their point about why blacks or women were not equal. Today
they are using God, the Bible and religion to argue why Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual
and Transgender persons should not be granted equal rights. In the words of
Salman Rushdie, "From the beginning men used God to justify the
unjustifiable" (The Satanic Verses).
The fact of the matter is this: if you believe in God, then
you believe that God created all living things. He created you, me, blacks,
women, lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and transgender individuals. He does not make
mistakes. You can argue that the Bible says that homosexual behavior is wrong,
but so is lying, cheating, stealing, cursing, and above all, hatred. Everyone
sins, and the Bible is clear on the fact that one sin is not greater or lesser
than another sin. All sin is equal before the eyes of God, and so are all men.
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has moved to agree. Today they
ruled against Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), citing its
tenets as unconstitutional. Someday I would like to write in length about the
constitutionality (or lack thereof) of laws such as Proposition 8 and DOMA, but
for the purposes of this blog, I will keep it brief. Laws that restrict the
rights of human beings, that treat them as "less than" or
"other" have no place in our democratic society. Advocates of
Proposition 8 and DOMA cite that our country was founded on God, but our
country was also founded on religious freedom. One cannot expect everyone to
agree with their beliefs; that is not consistent with the philosophy of
America. Christians absolutely have a right to be Christian, to practice their
faith, to teach their children Biblical principles and that homosexuality is a
sin (though they really should not omit that all sins are equal). They even
have the right to believe that same sex marriages will not be honored by God
(though they should be careful about saying they are going to hell because
that's God's judgment, not theirs). They do not have the right to infringe upon
the rights of every person, regardless of not only race, but also creed and
sexual orientation. They also do not have the right to expect that it is everyone
else's job (school, media, etc.) to raise their child. It is their responsibility.
The Bible says to raise YOUR child in the way he should go and when he is old, he
will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6), not expect everyone else to raise your
child in the way he should go. A reasonable person would recognize that every
human being deserves to be treated like a human being and would teach their
children to believe the same.
The Supreme Court of the United States has made a step in
the right direction today. I hope this progression continues; that someday
everyone will have a right to marry, to hold the same legal rights as everyone
else and to be recognized as equal and treated as human. I know that hatred and
bigotry will persist, as they always have, but hopefully not in our government.
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