To avoid my wordiness, scroll down to the questions and the paragraph immediately preceding. I do hope you'll read the rest at some point though, because it illustrates my train of thought leading to the questions.
There are some people who voted for Amendment One because they are bigots. Hateful. Homophobic. It has nothing to do with God or faith, not really, or supporting marriage. Perhaps they support it under the guise of faith, but deep down it is because they hate "homosexuality" - the people, the act, everything. They fear it, they hate it, and they disguise their disgust by claiming Biblical support, or don't hide their disgust saying "it's unnatural". "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve".
I don't care about those people as much. I know why those people voted the way they did. It's the Christian response to the Amendment that puzzles me in so many ways. Many good, God-fearing, loving people voted both for and against the Amendment. I voted against. I don't think that is any shock or surprise to anyone, especially if you read any of my status posts about the vote. But many of my Christian brothers and sisters voted for the Amendment. Many of you pored over Scripture and the text of the Amendment, prayed, sought the counsel of your Christian peers and leaders. Some of you cried. Deliberated. Struggled. Wrestled. Some of you had your minds made up before you even read the text of the Amendment. There was not much struggling or wrestling. The intent to protect God's word, the sanctity of marriage, our Christian nation, was fierce. Regardless of how you came to the decision, you voted your conscience. You did as I did - voted as you felt Jesus would vote. As God would will. I would not ask anyone to do anything to violate their God-guided conscience (within the confines of law - abortion clinic bombers feel their "conscience" leading them to bomb clinics. I would ask someone to violate their "conscience" in a case like that) . No matter how it affects me or anyone I love, I just wouldn't ask someone to go against what they think is right.
I'm not questioning your belief that "homosexuality is a sin", though I would not necessarily agree with that. You can believe in your heart, in your church, support with your words, your moral and ethical and doctrinal code. I know most Christians, especially Conservative or Evangelical Christians, feel homosexuality is a sin. Stuff like that is up to the individual. Or the private corporation. I don't feel like Chick-Fil-A should "change their stance on homosexuality". I don't think the Baptist Church should allow the ordination of gay clergy, or perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. People and institutions are who they are in part because of their belief system. I would seek to educate and open minds, sure. To have people internalize what they believe, not swallow what they've been told their whole lives. But not to talk you into doing something you felt in your heart and soul and spirit was morally or ethically wrong. 15 years ago, maybe I would have voted for the Amendment. If I didn't love so many people who stand to be affected by it, maybe I would have voted for it. Who can say?
I just want you to ask yourself some questions, to find out what you really believe about marriage, the amendment, the Bible, God. Jesus. Yourself. Your fellow wo/man. I'm curious about your responses to these questions, but I more just want you to think about them rather than answer them "out loud". Some of these questions are harsh, and will seem like a personal affront. As though I'm making an assumption about you and what you believe based on the questions I pose. Unfairly assuming what you must think and believe based on how you voted. And, well, I guess I am. Because when you made the decision to vote for Amendment One, these are exactly the ideologies you decided to support. About yourself, God, and others. Whether or not you would consciously think the things I'm implying in these questions, these are some of the things you believe about yourself, God, and others as indicated by voting for Amendment One.
1) Did you read the text of the Amendment before you made your decision? When you heard about the possible amendment, did you think "I better research that before I form an opinion?" Or did you hear "marriage is between a man and a woman" and think, "well, I'll be voting for that amendment"? Did you look to the Bible and God to see how they might guide you to vote, or did you hunt for Scriptures that supported the viewpoint you already held?
2) Before going to your polling place to vote, did you read the actual text of the amendment on which you would be voting?
3) Did you watch or read any campaign advertisements that supported voting for the amendment? How about against?
4) Do you know a person who identifies as gay who will be affected by the amendment?
5) Do you know an unmarried heterosexual couple who will be affected by the amendment?
6) Do you believe that because you plan to marry (someone who is not your sex), or because you are married (to someone who is not your sex), that you are morally and legally superior to an unmarried heterosexual couple who lives together, has sex, and/ or has a child together, and that you deserve legal benefits for which they are not eligible? Do you belive that God blesses you more in your life than a couple who is not married but lives together, has sex and/ or has a child together? That God loves you more?
7) Do you believe that because you are not attracted to people of the same sex or have never been in a dating or sexual relationship with someone of the same sex, that you are morally and legally superior to someone who is attracted to someone of the same sex or in a dating or sexual relationship with someone of the same sex, and that you deserve legal benefits for which they are not eligible? Do you believe that God blesses you more in your life than someone who is attracted to someone of the same sex or is in a same-sex dating or sexual relationship? That God loves you more?
8) Have you ever loved a person who identifies as gay, lesbian, queer, transexual, bisexual? Like REALLY loved them? Platonically, of course. Thought fondly of them? Talked to them about work, life, relationships, God, their garden, their pets, get a play-by-play of their summer vacation for the sake of hearing their answers, getting to know them? Didn't spend the entire conversation or course of your friendship with bated breath, waiting for just the right moment to say just the right thing that was going to open their eyes to God, to their sin, to a better and more fulfilling way of life? Stopped worrying that their sexual preference was going to cause them to burn in hell for eternity, forget in some ways that they're even gay? See them as a PERSON, not "a homosexual"? Have you ever really loved a (gay) person, not seen the GAY (person) as an opportunity for ministry?
9) Would you support legislation to outlaw heterosexual couples living together before they got married, or having sex before they got married, or having kids before they got married? If so, how should that be enforced and regulated? What should the punishment be?
If you would not support this legislation against premarital sexual or domestic relationships, period, why not?
10) Would you support legislation to outlaw same sex relationships, period? Not just marriages, but any same-sex dating or sexual relationships? If so, how should that be enforced and regulated? What should the punishment be?
If you would not support this legislation against same sex relationships, period, why not?
11) Would you support amending or rescinding legislation so that the only legally acceptable cause for divorce is habitual marital unfaithfulness or spousal abuse?
12) Do you support mandating that marriage licenses only be granted to professing, practicing Christians? If so, how should that be regulated and enforced? If not, why not?
13) Do you think married Buddhists, Muslims, or atheists should receive insurance and other spousal benefits as a result of their legal marital status?
14) Would you support legislation banning all-you-can eat buffets? Banning the use of high-fructose corn syrup in any edible product? Were you angry when Michelle Obama encouraged a program which led to Snickers pulling their "King Size" bars off the shelves, seeing it as a violation of your individual rights? Would you support closing down ladies' gyms, salons, or coffee shops patronized largely by women?
15) Do you patronize restaurants, hardware stores, clothing stores, etc. on Sunday, generally held by Christians to be "The Lord's Day" or "a day of rest"? (Or Saturday, if you consider Saturday your Sabbath day of rest?)
16) Do you think the government should regulate and enforce religion?
17) If you have/ had a grandchild, would you want them to go without insurance or legally recognized benefits because your son or daughter was not married to the child's mother or father?
18) If you have/ had a grandparent or aging parent who lost a spouse and met someone else with whom they want to spend the rest of their limited life, yet decided for tax or logistical purposes not to marry that person, would you willingly take away your grandparent or parent's rights to visit their loved one in the hospital, to make medical or legal decisions on behalf of their loved one?
19) Are you aware that there are 2 different and contradictory creation accounts in the book of Genesis? Are you aware that Scripture supports adulterers being stoned? That Leviticus clearly outlines that it is a sin to wear clothes made of a combination of fabrics? That the Bible supports slavery? That the old testament judges and kings had more than one wife, and sometimes a thousand concubines? That Jesus never addresses homosexuality, but speaks against divorce mutliple times? That people who eat pork and shellfish are considered unclean? That marriage between one man and one woman is not, in fact, the only legally recognized domestic union acknowledged in the Bible? That the Jews are God's chosen people and Israel is God's chosen nation?
20) Do you acknowledge that Amendment One codifies discrimination, but defend it as "acceptable" , "justifiable", or "necessary"?
My last question to you is this: who is going to stand up for you when "they" - the government, or whoever - tries to take away your rights? When the government regulates which God you can and cannot worship, which church you can and cannot attend, which version of the Bible you can and cannot read, who will speak out for you - even if they do not worship your God, or attend your church, or read your version of the Bible? Who will stand up for you? Feel so strongly about the violation of freedoms, feel so much love for you that personal preference does not affect their desire to protect you and your rights?
Surely you are all familiar with this prose-poem:
"When they came for the Jews, I did nothing, for I am not a Jew. When they came for the Socialists, I did nothing, for I am not a Socialist. When they came for the labor leaders, the homosexuals, the gypsies, I did nothing, for I am none of these, and when they came for me, I was alone, there was no one to stand up for me."
(-- Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor from Nazi Germany)
If you isolate and ostracize everyone, everyone who believes or lives differently than you, stripping them of their rights, who is there to stand up for you when others would seek to strip you of your rights?
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