It's Good Friday... I took a day off, telling my boss that it just doesn't feel right to work on a day that means so much, a High Holy day when Jesus took my punishment and died on the cross so that I can live. It never feels right to work today....
Just found out that Kim Jung Ill has a bomb pointed at Austin. Great... But why Austin?? My friend and I said: Computers? Rick Perry? He's an Aggie?? I also added, "good thing I don't have a retirement plan..."
I have't posted since Tuesday, truthfully, because I've been down. The marriage subject has been cussed and discussed all week, and I am beyond frustrated that conservatives are not standing up on this. Where are the pastors and priests???? Where is ANYBODY but a few lone voices in the wilderness?? I GET it that no one wants to be thought of as judgmental our even unpopular. But God is VERY clear on this one. It will be as Roe vs. Wade, and we will never go back. It gets down to what we believe and what the majority in the country wants. THAT'S scary.
I've debated about doing this but here is my discourse on Facebook on the subject:
Me: Definition of the word "Marriage" - the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. Yes, this was defined by Judeo/Christian beliefs, as all of our American laws are. Are we as a society going to redefine an institution that has been around for over 5,000 years? No one is saying you cannot love who you choose, but we have reserved marriage for one man and one woman. There is no hate here. We don't make the rules - God does.
My daughter's ballet teacher Lisa posted: I cannot understand why anyone would oppose anyone's right to making a commitment to loving another. Isn't that the highest moral goal? Whom one chooses is their business, and and their choice is between them and their concept of divinity, not you, and not the government. Exclusive laws exclude. Freedom for All is at the very heart of the American creed. For ALL means ALL -- not freedom for only the select 'in-club.'
Me: Same sex marriage and Roe v. Wade are similar issues and belief systems steer us. Liberals say abortion is okay with a woman's 'right to choose' but conservatives like myself say it's murder because life begins at conception. You and I agree that one can choose whom they want to love. I say same sex couples can commit through civil unions and have all benefits but marriage should remain as it has for thousands of years for one man and one woman. Family trees are built on bloodlines. Majority rules through the belief system of the country. I guess as America leaves our religious beliefs that we were founded on, these rules will change...
Lisa: One group cannot pass laws to discriminate against another. What one believes is fine until it thwarts another's equal right to believe differently. If one does not think something is right or good, by all means don't do it. But respecting various views is very important to America. Otherwise we would no longer be free, rather we would be dictated to. Dictatorship or theocracy is not what we are founded on.
A friend of Lisa named Austin: Well the majority of civilization at one point felt that enslaving another race was morally and socially acceptable. Time as an argument to argue this point is valid is a moot one. If it is a battle of semantics, call it a "civil union" call it gay marriage, but they as Americans should be bestowed the same rights as "traditional" marriage.
Another dance teacher Regan: My only qualm with the religious argument is that it is legal for atheists and agnostics to get married. Whether or not they choose to.... it's still legal.
Lisa's friend Lois: (directed to my name on FB in derogatory words)... for thousands of years infamy in the name of the Lord have bastardized the words of Jesus through crusades and good Christians burning witches at Salem, etc... so please don't tell me Christians are infallible in their interpretations and belief in a book that was written by "God"... perhaps.. but was interpreted by men who needed to know more about Him
Lisa's friend Lise: Family trees are also built on adoption. Or is that not part of the conservative vision? Because it certainly is an important part of strategy to reduce abortion. Marriage is in no way threatened by calling gay people "married" when they make the same commitments and take on the same responsibilities as non-gay married people.
Lisa: As an adoptee with gay family members, I can safely say family trees are built on love.
Lisa's friend Marti: Very well said Lisa. Thank you for your thoughts.xxoo
Lisa: For the sake of illustrating, statistically it is found that children in same-sex homes and adopted children are less likely to be abused, either mentally or physically than those in biological heterosexual families. (This information comes from current sociological research.) Perhaps this is because these couples clearly chose to have children?) Sometimes biology isn't all it's cracked up to be. I would also cite that step-parenting can be a loving family structure as well, although statistically is not as safe as same-sex or adoption. Hummmm...
Lois again: Ya know... unless you are a concret thinker and cannot see the wisdom and value of symbols, you will always have sheep who follow the lead goat..... when I play with ideas and "what if" I wonder how the symbols fit into what is happening as a nation symbolically... and I caome up with the so called religious right as being symbolic of the "devel" (sic).... who wants to box or do away with the Christ's admonition.... to feed the poor... loving your neighbor as yourself or as you would love your own kids... if you are asked for a dime, give a dollar.. walk a mile in your neighbor's shoes... doing unto others what you want for yourself... I don't find anywhere in the Bible where it says they have to prove they are worthy by finding a non-existant job.. but I tell ya what... the righteous religious right have as their leader devotees of Ayn Rand who proclaimed she was an atheist in a loud and clear voice... more reason why they appear to me to symbolize the 'devel' (sic)...
Lisa: Poverty and substance abuse are the top 2 reasons for child abuse... How does cutting social spending, be it poverty relief, food, education, or mental healthcare ever benefit children?
Lisa's friend Janette: Marriage in the civil sense is really no different than any other contract and while there might be a few residual "public health" concerns (inbreeding, etc) still hanging on to it, it's essentially a financial agreement or ... what's the word... ah! ....PARTNERSHIP, and we all know our government hasn't the slightest interest in whether the individual parties to contracts are male, female or even, for that matter, how numerous. It's only when you give this particular contract a "special" name that people freak out, not because of their political persuasions but because their concept of marriage is inexorably linked to their religious affiliations. Imagine what would happen, if, tomorrow or next week, somebody decided to found a religion in which same sex marriage was favored over the alternative. Wouldn't the federales find themselves in a head-on collision with that pesky old, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" passage in the First Amendment? Perhaps a better question, though, is whether or not the tea partiers and the neo-cons would realize the potential consequences should the government SUCCEED in such a challenge - to THEM! My guess is no.
Me: I think it's great that we all have freedom of speech and can discuss subjects without attacking each other.
Sigh.
A few things. Lisa is a Buddhist and open to anything that comes past her. Many of her friends are psychologists (like you couldn't figure that out.) Notice they attacked the "religious right" from the little I said about my beliefs, and notice the attacking in general instead of civil discourse. At our small town's one public high school, my daughter said people argued about same-sex marriage all week and she deemed it was half and half on yes or no.
If not passed now, it will pass when her generation votes.
The liberal public school's agenda is "coming home to roost...."
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