I woke up this weekend to one of the most singularly momentous occasions in my country I have been alive to witness. There is now marriage equality in every single state across this nation.
And I am joyful. Elated, actually. Tears filled my eyes as I read Justice Kennedy's official statement.
And lo and behold--I am a Christian.
Based on most of the things being spewed on social media at this time, these two facts are probably very difficult to reconcile in some people's minds, both amongst those whose life altering celebrations have been so deeply wounded by the Church AND amongst those who consider me a Jesus-hating backstabber for my treacherous beliefs.
So, please, let me defend why SCOTUS made the only correct choice for this country if you are a tax paying civil citizen. PERIOD. Regardless of your religion or your political views (which, guess what, are two different things). Regardless of whether or not your church will refuse to marry these individuals (which will continue to be your right). Regardless of where your personal opinion stands at the end of the day (which every one is entitled to).
1. Not supporting this legislation shows a pure ignorance of American law and religious history.
This is NOT a Christian country founded upon Christian ideals. Put that in your pipe and smoke it once and for all. Our forefathers and mothers created a democratic republic based on DEISM; aka basically the opposite of Christianity if we're honest. Deists follow a morality system towards fellow man due to the belief in a possible high power or higher creator; therefore, elevating the status of man as one to be respected and given basic civil liberties. This respect displays itself in property rights, taxation with representation, a trial before peers, and citizenship. This does NOT mean that Christianity is the only religion in America, that we should have an oligarchy where all men are forced to bow down before laws based on the Torah, and that anyone who dares to conduct any lifestyle differing from the Church must be silenced and stopped.
Freedom of religion is not there to make us comfortable. It is there to make us free.
I see no radical evangelicals waving banners and spewing hate speech towards heterosexual couples who have been given common law marriages because they have lived together unwedded for over 10 years. But isn't that living in sin, according to conservative evangelicals?? Yet, somehow, no one raises an eyebrow at them simply because they are heterosexual? Furthermore, I see no Christians refusing marriages to Muslims, atheists, Jews, Hindus, Unitarians, or cheesy bohemian couples that get married in a daisy field with a friend who got ordained in ten minutes online. But isn't all of that not in line with the Christian view of marriage?? Aren't all of those people desecrating the holy union of God by not recognizing Jesus as the thing binding them? I continue to see no picket lines. No hateful banners. No pulpit yelling.
The conservative evangelical's marital theology seems only concerned with homosexuality. They have targeted one people group deemed "other" and "unholy" enough to be deserving of all their attention and shaming and loathing. But there marital theology is inconsistent. They ignore every other sector of "unchristian", "nontraditional" marriages and have chosen ONE to so viscerally attack as if God put them on this green earth to do only that one mission. Which leads to my next point...
2. Denying a fellow American citizen the same rights as you "because of Jesus" demonstrates an ignorance of the Bible.
You want to know another time in American history where evangelicals stood on the wrong side of progress and did not partake in what actually molds this nation to be more like the face of Christ? When Christians used the Bible to defend slavery, Jim Crow laws, and masked segregation via acts such as redlining housing. They said that because of Ham and his mark CLEARLY black Americans descended from this cursed man and were lesser on a very molecular level than white people--the "chosen" race to Christianize this world. Or when evangelicals did not support America joining in WWII to help end the Holocaust because clearly the Jewish people rejected Jesus and now they needed to be punished (PAUL. YEAH READ PAUL. HE MUST HATE JEWS SO WE CAN TOO, RIGHT?).
This shameful list could go on and on, my friends. People have used the Bible to defend their ignorant, selfish desires and personal biases for centuries. It dumbfounds me the amount of Christians I have seen who act as if an anti-homosexual agenda is the ONE POINT of Christianity. One reference in a chapter in Genesis must be what your entire religious system is about, huh? Ignore the fact that greed, pride, lying, indifference to human suffering, and idolatry (aka loving yourself and everything around you more than you'll ever love God) are actually the most frequently mentioned sins in the Bible. Every time Jesus confronted someone who was ungodly, were they the gays?? Ooooo did he finally get those stinky gays and put them in check?!?!? Hmmm. Never. He never mentions it. Instead, the man you claim to model your life after got much more furious about the poor being oppressed, women being abused, and malice destroying the hearts of people who were designed to live in unity with one another and with God.
So if you ARE going to be so bold as claim that two verses in Genesis should dictate your entire religious attitude and literal legislation towards a group of fellow equal American citizens, I expect to see you obeying EVERY SINGLE LAW in the Torah. I expect to see you waving banners that will make Congress once and for all get their heads out of their butts about this whole shellfish thing (seriously, President Obama, it smells and isn't kosher). Mixed fabrics? Where is the freaking bill to make our clothes finally holy!! Oh so you're not comfortable obeying all of the Torah? That's right... Because we are now under a New Way and a New Law with the covenant of Jesus Christ. Apparently his blood actually does save all mankind and his grace is sufficient for every single person. I guess this sort of situation is where your belief in that should *actually* come into play.
Conservative Christians, you are simply not allowed to take verses out of context anymore and make them the poster child for our religion. The tide has turned. There are too many Christians pursuing Jesus steadfastly and pursuing selfless relationships with fellow mankind (regardless of sexual orientation) to have you besmudging the beautiful name of the I AM.
3. Claiming that you are bashing gay marriage and directly confronting gay persons out of "love" and "concern" is a blatant misunderstanding of the character of God.
Whether you believe being gay is a sin or not (which I clearly don't but that's a discussion to be tabled for the time being), you are not showing Christ's love by acting as if this new legislation is somehow persecuting you and that it's now your role in life to try to confront all gay people in the U.S.A. The leader of your religion was publicly butchered for his statements about God and his defiance to religious leaders and the Roman state. The original Christian religion stood for everything the opposite of Roman politics at that time, and they continued to be publicly butchered for those beliefs. The original Christian religion completely separated themselves from politics and never EVER went about trying to change anything political--they focused on serving people. So if you are so bold and honestly ignorant as to believe that being a Christian inherently means that America has to be Christian, then you need to go and re-read that Bible and re-read the story of the martyrs. They did not die for politics. Jesus did not come to earth so that America would have a conservative evangelical political agenda. Therefore, how can you possibly believe that it is out of love or ANYTHING remotely godly to target gay Christians and gay persons and tell them they should not have the same American civil liberties?
This country is not an oligarchy. You are not being "loving" by trying to make it one.
It sickens my stomach to see the amount of people that have come out of the wood work to rebuke and show "concern" to so many gay people who they have ignored for YEARS. They chose to show no love, no sincerity, no selflessness that comes from Christ to any gay man or woman all this time. HOWEVER: oh boy do they know how to confront and rebuke and belittle someone out of "Christ's love" now.
If you really do believe being gay is a sin (heaven help us those that do), use your basic common sense to know that being nasty and confrontational and demoting a joyful day for the gay community is NOT going to make them suddenly see Jesus' love. And hey--big shocker--a lot of gay people ARE ALREADY Christians!! Whoa, there's a doozie for you evangelicals.
I'm sure I will get hate mail for this post. I'm sure I will be unfriended by some. I'm sure many past students from my Bible college will cheer at the proof that I truly am a heretic. But I cannot remain silent when I see Christians who lie, cheat, never give to the poor, hate other races secretly or outwardly, and live lifestyles completely contrary to the good news of Jesus our Lord suddenly act as if this subject is the *one* thing that makes them holier than others and that will "make our country Christian". You want to know who this God is that you claim to serve? He is this:
"Anyone who does not love remains in death. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made in perfect love."
-1 John 3:14, 4:7-8, 4:10, 4:16, 4:18
Christina Rae Smith
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis is so spot on. Sharing!
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