Religion has no place in America when it comes to legislation. Why we humor it at all is questionable to me. It has been my experience that religion is often no more than a vehicle for the subjugation and discrimination of other peoples. The Bible has been used to legitimize slavery, popularize the submission of women to men, and of course, increase the hatred and alienation of homosexuals.
When I was much younger and attended a Lutheran church with my family, the pastor informed us on one occasion that a gay couple had wanted to come to our congregation and had also made it clear that they were not going to hide their relationship. The pastor acted as though they had informed him they were going to have sex on the altar, and he proceeded to tell all of us that their request to join our church was rejected, much the same way one rejects a college applicant.
I guess they just weren’t up to par. How the out-of-wedlock mother and the several adulterers in our congregation were still admitted, but a couple of men who had apparently been together for more than 15 years were not was really beyond me at the age of 15.
It was also beyond me to understand how the pastor believed himself capable of arbitrarily rejecting people from the house of God. As a Christian, I can think of few sins worse than barring another human being access to the Divine.
This matter of “allowing” gay people to be with one another is comical in its self-righteousness and hypocrisy. The last refuge of any homophobic individual attempting to bar the way to civil rights from gays is always the Good Book. There is no legitimate moral basis for condemning a consenting adult relationship. And whether or not same-sex attraction is genetic is of little relevance. In this country, just as it should be around the globe, people should have the right to do with their bodies as they please, as long as it does not harm another human being. How two women or two men engaging in a romantic relationship harm so many heterosexual people is inexplicable.
It is not enough that almost every media source, from sitcoms to dating sites, caters to the whims of this one kind of relationship (heterosexual). But now, as though the happiness of gays cannot be had without sacrificing the joys of heterosexuality, this majority and its arsenal of church institutions strive to limit access to basic rights that, if barred to any other group, would be noted as atrocious. Try stating publicly that interracial couples should not be allowed to get married and watch how popular you become.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb 18 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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I do not agree with not admitting people based upon sexual preference at all. Yet, it is a private group, with their own beliefs, and in the end they have the right to keep people out. Whether that is right or wrong is completely immaterial.
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John in the spirit of Lent I'm going to be the bigger man and end the conflict between us. I've manipulated you enough, attack me again and I'll keep this up. You started this and I'm ending it John I hope you learned your lesson.
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If anyone wants a good laugh on this issue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKM2p8NLv1w
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Dear John,
there is a reason why you are only an Opinion writer and not a story writer. Although I'm not sure you've ever even thought about keeping your opinion to yourself. Maybe you should start your own gay church and express your little opinion to them.
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i do agree with you sir, his opinions are obnoxious and annoying...........................
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shallow and pedantic
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Nice column, John. Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry that you had to witness homophobia in the church. Even though it might seem like it at times, not all Christians are like that.
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People choose to be homophobic, THEY ARE NOT BORN THAT WAY!
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Its interesting, this is a touchy issue. I, for one, am not homophobic and wouldnt protest ANYONE being allowed in my church, even though i may not exactly agree with homosexuality, im not about to judge anyone for their sexual preference, we ALL have access to God... and ill be damned if some MAN... some PERSON... standing at the front of the church is gonna tell ME who is allowed to worship my God. Thats the way you should look at it. Whether you agree or disagree is moot, unless YOU created Heaven and Earth, sit your self-important asses down and shut tha eff up!
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Amen to that.
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but my god is more important than yours...
you shall be smitten!
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Yes they are a private group, but they also do not pay taxes. It's just an end around for State sponsored bigotry.
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who doesn't pay their taxes
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Religion has no place in America when it comes to legislation.
I agree, its time to stop giving the racist apartheid state of Israel 30 billion dollars a year so they can murder innocent people and sell their organs on the black market.
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First of all I'd like to say that I'm sick and tired of people twisting what the Bible preaches and transforming it to suit their own needs-in this case, using it as a method to exclude people who I'm sure could have been valuable contributors to a church setting. The Bible, which is being attacked along with these ignorant people, says homosexuality is wrong. It also says lying, hating your neighbor, committing adultery, etc. is wrong. In God's eyes, we are all on the same plane-we're all sinners. Thus, to exclude one couple because their sexual practices (which should be private anyways) are different than the majority of the congregation is ridiculous.
Such is the community that church creates and is why I am a christian who chooses not to attend. I feel though that it is unfair to defame the entire institution of Christianity for which is entirely misrepresented by this group of people. People are the problem-people who enjoy creating groups where they can exclude others to make themselves feel important-not religion.
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This is a poorly written and poorly argued opinion piece. I believe the bible says one sin is no greater than another, and it classifies homosexuality as a sin. So on that basis yes it is looked down upon but does not mean that Gays would be subjected to eternal damnation. Therefore I think to generalize the church (which is all Christians) as being people that hate homosexuals, or homophobes is an inaccurate statement.
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Where exactly does the Bible say that no sin is greater than the other? At least from my perspective, most people seem to believe in degrees of rightness and wrongness, and our legal system reflects that too. Obviously, murder is worse than petty larceny, rape worse than making a crass remark at someone.
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James 2:10-12
["For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom"]
Please note that God's commandments are called the "law of liberty" That means, they set you free:)
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Anon who quoted James,
That does not mean all crimes carry the same weight. It could easily be said that it is simply saying you should not judge your neighbor because everyone sins, everyone is a lawbreaker and all will be judged.
No where does it indicate that murdering and adultery are one and the same, simply that both are violations of a codex.
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The line, 'you become a lawbreaker' reveals that much. Again...murder and adultery are not being compared by their weight as a crime, simply that both brand the person imperfect.
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not in God's eyes. no sin is worse than any other except for blasphemy of the holy spirit.
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I greatly agree with this article and the intolerance and even hatred of homosexuals is one of the reasons I separated myself from the Catholic church. Love is in such a limited quantity and such an amazing thing, why not celebrate any and all forms? I completely disagree that it will harm the sanctity of marriage, especially when so many heterosexual marriages fail so quickly and so often. A lot of my homosexual friends are some of the most amazing, caring, and loving people. Even after all the intolerance they have to deal with, they still stand tall and still have faith.
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