doubleplusundead

May 03, 2010

You know, can stupid people stop screwing things up for me?

As a follow up on Ember's Rage post, I have to say that I do understand why portions of the Religious Right believe that there is a homosexual agenda and that part of that agenda is to criminalize criticism of homosexuality. Why do I say this? Oh, I don't know, maybe it's things like a Christian preacher being arrested for saying that homosexuality is a sin. Yes, I know that's the UK and the UK doesn't even pretend to have freedom of speech. But I also know that there are those in the US who claims to speak for All Gays who would like to see the same thing happen here. There is a de facto if not de jure ban on any type of criticism of homosexuality in the academic setting. There is legitimate concern that if gay marriage is passed then religious organizations will be brought up on discrimination charges. There is legitimate concern that religious organizations will be facing financial penalties for not performing gay marriage. See re Catholic Charities and adoption in Massachusetts. This is a legitimate concern and one that I share. I think that there are some on the Right who support gay marriage who do not give those concerns the credit they are due.

I wish I didn't have to say this but I do. I think what happened in the UK is an abomination. I think that those who believe that I am going to hell have every right to tell me so. The only "gay right" that I want is the right to not have people try to send me to hell for being queer. Telling me I'm going to hell. Fair game. Yelling at me? Fair game. Preaching to me? Fair game. Because, you see, I want the right to yell back. And I will be damned if anyone is going to take away my right to state exactly what I think about, oh, say the Westboro freaks.

I do believe that a great deal of the urge to throw me and others like me out of the conservative movement stems from a belief that we're lying when we say that we don't want to impose these kinds of speech restrictions. The reason I've become more and more outspoken about being queer is to try to counteract those impressions. I also believe this is part of what's behind the huge fight about GOProud being a stealth leftist organization. I do not blame the Religious Right for thinking that what I really want is to take away their religious freedom. There is ample support for such an opinion. It's disheartening to me to have to stand up and state that I don't believe any such thing over and over and over again when I've tried to make my position clear. But I'll do it because someone has to stand athwart saying "no".

So, yeah, I get filled with The Rage at times about the attempts to heave me out of the movement. But I am even more furious at those who actually are trying to criminalize criticism of homosexuality. Stop. Making. Me. Look. Like. A. Fascist. Stop it. You don't speak for me. You are wrong. What you are doing is vile. Stop. It.

Posted by: alexthechick at 08:56 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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1 Evidently the new fascism is characterized by opinion free zones.

Posted by: BigDaddy1964 at May 03, 2010 09:48 AM (pOcKt)

2 alex, I hope you don't mind that I reposted this on a forum at my local newspaper(Great Falls Tribune). This, as well as ember's rant struck a nerve about free speech, conservatism and religion. It appealed to the Goldwater in me. Keep up the spirit.

Posted by: olredtrk at May 03, 2010 10:01 AM (58s4l)

I meant to comment on Ember's post, but I'm easily distracted, and forgot.

While I consider myself to be a Christian (I believe in God and Heaven, and the teachings of the Bible), I don't go to church,nor do I go around telling people that they are going to hell or will burn for all eternity for thier sins. My idea on this, is that the government should not be in the "marriage" business at all. For legal purposes, all such unions (whether hetero or homosexual) should be civil unions; and those of the religious bent may then also be "married" by thier church. This way everyone will have the same "right" to be joined to the person of thier choosing(of legal age, and consenting), and there will be no need to twist the meaning of the word marriage into something that it is not.

I am sick of the left twisting the meaning of words for thier own nefarious purposes. If two women (or two men) love each other, and are comitted to each other, and want to spend the rest of eternity together in a manogamous(sp?) relationship, then they should have every right to, and should have the same spousal rights as those in a heterosexual "marriage". But "marriage" is the joining of a man and a woman in Holy Matrimony.

Ok, tell me I'm wrong, or full of shit, or that I belong in a loony bin, or I'm going to hell. That is how I see it, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

And Alex, I would never kick you out of the party _{, nor would I kick ya outta bedwith mrsfixit, Ild dive right in!}

Posted by: mrfixit at May 03, 2010 10:14 AM (Bsm1s)

4 I think that the time has come for the Christian community to get up to the plate on the love for others that we are supposed to have. (Hate looks ugly on anybody's face, so for that reason alone, people should stop the hatred.) But to hate someone because they are or are not gay is so far beyond stupid that I can't imagine. Love others. Hate their actions if you must, but still, love them. It's not that hard.

Posted by: TimothyJ at May 03, 2010 11:06 AM (IKKIf)

Thanks, Alex. This post illustrates why you're one of my favorites.

The only "gay right" that I want is the right to not have people try to send me to hell for being queer.

Anyone who says or implies such (on this side of reality, where the supernatural always comes as a surprise), forgets they cannot, and that there is only One who holds such judgment. (Oh, I recognize there are idiots - lots of 'em - who think they can do precisely that ...but that's the proof they're idiots.) They should be ignored.

Safely ignored, actually.

By my faith (and understanding of the Word), it is a just God who will sort it all out in the end. And will judge all our sin. Those not saved by faith will be judged ...but they will be judged justly. (I can quote Scripture and verse on that btw: my doctrinal beliefs are grounded in, and formed by, the Word, period.)

And anyways, if God be not just, He is not God, but merely a god ...and so a pretender. And there would be no point in having faith in such ....

"1Cor 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

...pardon me for going all treacly and quotative on this: but it's a subject near and dear to me (that I've had to argue ...quite ...often, through the years).

Posted by: davis,br at May 03, 2010 12:02 PM (uCShA)

6 ...pardon me for going all treacly and quotative on this: but it's a subject near and dear to me (that I've had to argue ...quite ...often, through the years).

+infinity for using the KJV version. Shut up, I'm old school and prefer it. Oh man, if you want fights, let's start up the whole "The KJV is not a divinely inspired translation" war. I have actually seen that come to blows.

Posted by: alexthechick at May 03, 2010 12:21 PM (8WZWv)

Heh.

Posted by: davis,br at May 03, 2010 12:44 PM (uCShA)

8 (1) "The New Fascism" needs a logo design.

(2) KJV usage... depends on whether I'm going for style or to make an interpretive argument.

Posted by: JoeCollins at May 03, 2010 01:48 PM (WhxlY)

Hate their actions if you must, but still, love them. It's not that hard.

Love the sinner/Hate the sin. Requires a deft understanding of faith.

Oh man, if you want fights, let's start up the whole "The KJV is not a divinely inspired translation" war.

Not that pedantic, although I prefer the NKJV for clarity.

Posted by: Blackiswhite, Imperial Consigliere at May 03, 2010 03:02 PM (Am1h4)

10 I don't think that there is any historic reason to believe that any of the translations of the bible are Divinely Inspired. They are scholars doing their best to translate Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into modern English. The bible is inspired, I am not so sure about the translations.

Posted by: TimothyJ at May 03, 2010 03:11 PM (IKKIf)

11 Alex: what about me?

Posted by: The Vulgate Of St. Jerome at May 03, 2010 09:22 PM (HM1sl)

12 I like my New Oxford Annotated Bible, New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha. Its clear and still literary. The Psalms are awesome. The notes on the text are very illuminating.

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