After a couple of good, honest equalizing victories for gay people in this country, polls are showing a scary rise in opposition to them. The Post reports:
Opposition to blessing gay unions is strongest among Americans who go to church every week, The Post’s poll found. Three out of four frequent churchgoers opposed the Episcopal convention’s decision, and a similar proportion said they would object if their own faith took a similar step. But even among those who acknowledged that they rarely or never attended church, nearly six in 10 objected to blessing gay couples.
Again, I have to voice my own opinion: religion is ridiculous. Is it a simple coincidence that so many church-going people are intolerant or bigoted in this way?
“If my local church blessed gay unions and [the decision] was not movable, I definitely would leave,” said Sue Tegtmeier, 51, of Sumner, Iowa, who is a member of the Vineyard, an evangelical group. “It’s against the word of God. . . . The Lord didn’t make these rules to be mean to us. We will find our greatest amount of health and peace by following his law.”
I’m endlessly amused (not) by the self-righteous people who insist that their views are from “the word of God.” When did he come down to speak to them? These “words of God” of which they speak are in the bible, which they never seem to put into context. It was written by old, conservative men (gee, like a gaggle of Bush advisors) who lived thousands of years ago. And the people who read it literally do so selectively. Among the “rules” the Lord made are such things as prohibition of wearing two kinds of cloth and the direction to stone women to death. Um, do you think that Sue Tegtmeier is following those rules, leading her to heath and peace?
Others disagree. Darlene Midlang, 55, a Lutheran who lives in North Branch, N.Y., said she agreed with the Episcopal Church’s action and would be pleased if her denomination followed in its footsteps.
“It seems like the church is always blessing wars. Why shouldn’t it support love?” Midlang said. “If people love each other and they want to have a public recognition of that love, why shouldn’t we support it?”
This is a perceptive comment and I wish there were more like it. This country loves war and violence when a sneaky administration wraps it in the flag and calls it patriotism. Mostly because no one in this nation likes to stand up for beliefs unless everyone around them does, too. Gotta appear patriotic for the neighbors! But strangely, when it comes to love, this country is sorely lacking. And to say that God is opposed to two people loving each other is just… stupid.
