My thoughts

"UK Government Source: Teachers May Face Firing for Refusing to Teach Gay Marriage"

As with any other job where you work with the public (and teaching children is "working with the public", unless you work at a private religious school or home school), you can't discriminate. If the law says you must teach about various types of families, you have to teach about those families, or you can find another job.

(Knowing regrettably little about the fight for equality in the UK or in the rest of the European Union, I'm coming at this from the perspective of an American. If anyone reads this who knows more about the laws in the UK or the EU, I'd love your input!)

Look, gays and gay families are here to stay. They're not going away just because some folks wish to ignore them and pretend they don't exist. Gay couples will get married (or have civil unions, domestic partnerships, or whatever) and adopt children or have their own whether the Religious Right likes it or not.  That's a given.

You see, I've read and heard (and agree) that part of "freedom of religion" is freedom from religion -- we're all free to believe, or not, in a Higher Power (whether it's God, Allah, Krishna, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster (for all my Pastaferian friends ;-)). As much as my Christian friends don't want to hear it, this is not a Christian Nation. Even though some of our laws coincide with biblical laws (e.g., "thou shalt not kill" and "thou shalt not steal"), those laws are in place to protect the rights of other Americans (i.e., the right to life and the right to their property).  Whose rights does not allowing gays to marry and have children protect? The rights of Christians not to have to see "those people" going around acting as though what they're doing is completely natural and normal? Sorry, but it is normal and natural -- for them. Gay people deserve to be able to be with the ones they're in love with, just like straight people do. (And if the thought of gay sex grosses you out, here's an novel idea -- do what I do and don't think about it! See how easy that was?)

I will say that I sometimes have sympathy for Christians who can't deal with the thought of gay rights or gay equality. I was right there with you up until about the time I was 25 or so. I was raised Southern Baptist, as a lot of you know, and a lot of you know that Southern Baptists are some of the most conservative folks around! (For all that they hate Catholics, they sure have some of the same ideas!) Then I moved to Dallas and met some gay people. And I discovered that hey! They're really no different than straights. Not one of them have ever tried to "recruit" me into the "gay lifestyle" (for lack of a better phrase), and I've grown to love some of them like my own family. There are rare occasions when I wonder if what I'm doing is "right", if maybe I'll end up going to hell for "doing what's right in my own eyes", but if I do, I know that a lot of other people will be there with me. I'm just trying to treat people the way I'd want to be treated, and that includes fighting to give them the same rights that I have -- the right to marry the person that they love, the right to raise children, the right to go where they want and do what they want without fear of being attacked (verbally and/or physically). As long as it's not harming anyone else (and it's not), it's nobody's business what they do or where they go.

Just read an article

"Roe vs Wade Gives Mortal Man the Legal Right to Commit Murder"

It's by Charlie Daniels (yes, that Charlie Daniels), and I have to say that I agree. I'm conservative enough to believe in the sanctity of life, but liberal enough that I know it's not my place to tell others that they must believe as I do or what they can and cannot do with their own bodies. I once heard someone refer to a fetus as a "parasite" (which technically it is, as all unborn creatures are -- they feed off their "hosts", i.e. their mothers), and I was horrified. Technically speaking or not, that "parasite" is a living being that nine months after it begins "feeding" on its "host" is able to live outside its mother's body.

When does life begin? A lot of people, religious and not, believe that life begins at conception, when the cells begin dividing. I, obviously, agree (although the Bible verse Mr. Daniels quoted seems to indicate that "life", at least spiritually, begins even before that.)

Mr. Daniels also posed a question that I've been asking ever since the Scott Peterson case (as you may recall, Peterson was sentenced to death for the murders of his wife, Lacey, and their unborn son, Connor). The question he asks is, "How can a court that upholds abortion consider the slaying of a pregnant woman a double murder?" I've asked that question myself, and have received no answer. Possibly because, as Mr. Daniels noted, it makes no sense. Is a baby only a baby (as opposed to a "fetus" or a "pregnancy" or whatever else you want to call it to make yourself feel better about taking a human life) when it's wanted? That makes no sense, either (at least to me). If someone who wholeheartedly believes that an unborn child is a "parasite", or simply a blob of tissue reads this, could you please explain it to me? I would like to know. I welcome any and all comments, even if you decide to bash me for my beliefs. They're strong enough that they won't be changed just because someone disagrees with me.

Would love some feedback

I just read a story on Huffington Post, and some of the comments got me to thinking. We're called not to judge ("Judge not lest ye be judged"), and yet we're also called to call sin sin. Now in my opinion, the kind of judging Christ was referring to was like "You're going to hell" for this or that. Some things are evil and sinful. If we're not to judge, how can we call the Holocaust evil? How can we say that Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden were evil men?

In this post, I'm not talking about gay rights or gay marriage, even though the HuffPost article was. I believe, as do a lot of other people, that God created some people gay, just like he created some people straight or bi or transgender. (I actually met a male-to-female transperson last year, and had no problem referring to her by her chosen gender identity.) I;m just speaking in general terms about how my view of any given topic can be right for me and yours can be right for you, and no one has a right to judge another. Well, we do judge each other all the time.

For example, I appreciate all the humanitarian things Angelina Jolie does, but I don't like her because 1. She stole Brad Pitt from Jennifer Aniston, and 2. She's a spoiled b!tch. From all I've read about her, in her personal life, it's her way or no way. You can't be that way in a relationship, and even though Brad was wrong in what he did, I think he's a saint to have put up with her for 7(?) years. (Of course, he does have his kids to think about, too, and I can totally understand his wanting to stay with her for their sake.)

And then there are all the hypocritical Republicans (Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, to name two). Newt because not only has he been married three times, but he cheated on Wife #1 with Wife#2, and on Wife #2 with Wife #3. And yet allowing gays to marry would "destroy the sanctity of marriage". WTF And of course with good ol' Mitt, when he was governor  of MA, there was Romneycare. Yet when we get Obamacare (which is exactly the same thing as Romneycare), suddenly he's against it. Why, unless it's just because Obama's a Democrat? It kinda disgusts me how the Republicans shoot down everything our President tries to do just because he's a Democrat. (The Democrats do the same to the Republicans, of course, but at least the Democrats aren't trying to send us back to the 50s or something. I'm talking about how they're against abortion -- I believe that sometimes it's necessary to have an abortion, like if the mother's health/life is in jeopardy, or even in cases of rape or incest. (Todd Akins's talk about "legitimate rape"? *gags* Where do people -- MEN -- like that get off?!) And they're being against birth control. It's up to the COUPLE to decide when they want to start a family, how many kids they want, etc. It's sickening how some people want to control a woman's body.)

If these people are so concerned about the "sanctity of marriage", why not outlaw divorce (except in isolated cases, such as infidelity or abuse)? Get rid of the "irreconcilable differences" bs (which as far as I can tell, means that on spouse refuses to "reconcile" themselves to the fact that the other is cheating on them every chance they get). (Yep, listen to me, the wise, NEVER-BEEN-MARRIED guru... lol.)

I think I may have just found a new church to try out. It's in all-inclusive church (White Rock Community Church on Garland Rd.... has anyone been there? Anyone know anything about it?) Yes, it's kind of far away, and I may continue church-shopping for one closer, but for now I think I'm going to check that one out (next Sunday -- unfortunately it's too late to make it to services this week. Of course I could try to go on Wednesday night, or one of their Friday night services.) I never thought I'd be interested in going to church again, but I really need the fellowship. I'm tired of never going anywhere or doing anything. Also, maybe if I start networking with people, I can find a job/a place to live. I won't get my hopes up, but it is a possibility. I can talk to the pastors there and see if they can help me out.

Well, again, if anyone has any feedback, I'd love to hear it!

Musings on God and Christianity...

...a macho sky daddy whose existence is factually- unsupported by any evidence one can see, hear or touch...

I read this description of God in the comments section of a blog just now, and I wonder... yes, God's existence is "factually unsupported" by any tangible evidence (except for the Bible, and as I've read so many other people say, you can't "prove" the existence of God using the Bible, since it's the supposed word of someone who's existence can't be proven (I have a headache now)). I'm not saying that's what I believe... in fact, I don't. What's wrong with having faith in something you can't see, hear, feel, touch?  What's wrong with believing that there's a God who created us? (Or, for some of us, who caused the lightning strike millions of years ago that started the cycle, and then "let nature take its course" (no pun intended))? Yes, there are Christians out there who aren't very Christ-like. They're hypocritical, they're mean, they're bigoted, and they do horrible things in the name of our God and our Jesus. But that's no reason to bash all Christians, for the actions of a relative few. (Those few just get better press and give true Christians a bad name.)

I was raised Southern Baptist, which, if any of you all don't know about them, they're the most conservative of all the Protestant denominations. I left the Southern Baptist church behind in my mid-twenties, and have had no great desire to go back since (especially knowing their view on homosexuality). I have thought over the years about finding an inclusive church... Episcopalian, Methodist, etc., but haven't really bothered looking. I prefer to think of myself as "spiritual" rather than "religious", and to me that means you can worship God where ever and whenever. You can sit in a park in the midst of God's creation and quietly read your Bible and pray. (Maybe not sing, unless you don't mind getting weird looks...) My point is, you don't need to sit in a church pew on Sundays and perhaps the occasional Wednesday night to worship. I agree that it's good to fellowship with other Christians, but again, you can do that anytime and anywhere. "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them," Jesus said.  (Matthew 18:20) Doesn't that prove that you can "have church" anywhere that a small group of believers are gathered?

...an unprovable mythology from ancient, unenlightened times in human history. As long as religion is given a free pass to destroy lives, we will never escape the dark ages.

Another comment from the same blog entry I referenced above. Again, there's no way to "prove" the existence of God (and no way to disprove it either), but that's where faith comes in. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1). THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING FAITH IN A HIGHER POWER. And it is not religion (Christianity specifically) that destroys lives; it's the abuse of the Bible. We are called to speak the truth in love, but for a lot of Christians, where's the love? We can condemn what we see as sin, but  for so many, it's only condemnation. No one can feel the love that we're supposed to exhibit.

And I wish Christians would stop condemning each other to hell for their beliefs!!! Again, not all Christians do this, but I've come across several who've told me that I'm going to hell for my support of gay rights and same-sex marriage. You do not get to tell me I'm going to hell. Only God can send me there, and if he chooses to, there's not much I can do about it. I'm not trying to be flippant about it (it scares the you-know-what out of me; who wants to burn for eternity?), but I'm trying to live my life as I think God would have me to. I think we'll all be surprised when we get to heaven at who he lets in and who he doesn't.

Well, this blog entry is long enough (I didn't intend to write a book here!), so I'll end it now. I'll be posting some more in this vein later, maybe even today. It's nice to be able to get my thoughts out there, even if not many people read them.

About me...

I was going to post this as a Facebook status, but it's way too long. I just wanted to get some things out about myself and my personal beliefs. I've read plenty on Facebook the past couple of days, people throwing stones at each other, liberals vs. conservatives, Christians vs. non-Christians/atheists, Democrats vs. Republicans.

I am a pro-Second Amendment, pro-choice pro-lifer. (I think you can be both. You can wish that there was no need for abortions; that women and young girls could carry their babies to term and put them up for adoption.) In fact, you know what would be ideal? If there could be a way to match up expectant mothers with couples or singles willing to adopt and have the adoptive parents pay all the mother's medical expenses. Why not? I mean, if the adoptive parents were to conceive a child, they'd have to pay all those expenses anyway, right? So why not pay them for a woman or girl who might not be financially able?

On the other hand, I would never, ever, tell a woman/girl that she shouldn't or can't have an abortion. It's totally her decision. I think it would be good for the parents to have input... until a girl is 18, her parents are/should be responsible for all her medical care. After all, a school nurse can't give a student an aspirin without parental consent, but he/she can send her off to have a medical procedure done? How does that make sense?

As far as being pro-Second Amendment, I've seen a few memes the past couple of days, the gist of which are taking guns away from the innocent people won't protect them from criminals. As I said earlier this morning, criminals will get guns any way they can, either by stealing them or buying them on the black market. They're criminals, of course they're going to get them illegally! One thing we MUST do to cut down on the number of shootings at schools, theaters, houses of worship, etc., is teach our children respect for firearms and respect for human life. Most of us know that guns are not toys, and violence is almost never the answer to a person's problems. (With the exception of self-defense, and even then you're supposed to only use the same force that's used against you. If someone slaps you in the face, you don't pull out a knife and stab them. Of course if someone slaps you, you're supposed to first try to talk it out with them, then try to walk away, and only if they escalate things is violence appropriate.)

Something I'm just going to put out there, even though this has nothing to do with what's been going on the past couple of days: I am all in favor of gay rights, marriage equality, and indeed anything that would help make things better for our GLBT brothers and sisters. Liberals talk about "separation of church and state". Conservatives say, quite rightly, that those five words appear nowhere in the Constitution, much less in the first amendment. They're right; as we all know, those words were written in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Baptist Church in Danbury, CT. But even though the words themselves are not in the Constitution, I  believe the spirit is there.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;[...]

 To me that means that there should be no national religion, whether it's Christian, Buddhist, Islam, Hindu, etc. And of course, we are all free to believe,  or not, as we wish. This is important. This means that even if we believe that homosexuality is wrong/sinful, we have no right to try to impose our religious beliefs on our fellow Americans. We could go on forever about the right we have to vote our consciences, which we all try to do. In the recent election, some people thought that Obama was the devil, and some thought the same thing about Romney. We all had our ideas about which of them was best to lead our country. (Personally, I voted for Obama because, well, better the devil we know than the one we don't. He did some good things during his first term (in my opinion), and he did some that weren't so good, but at least he has four more years to try to straighten things out. If he can just get Congress on board!) /digression

We can also go on about whether "gay civil rights" are akin to black civil rights, or if gays even have civil rights. I believe they should. Anytime a specific group of people is attacked because of who they are, it should be a civil rights issue. I am of the opinion that GLBTs can't change their sexual orientation any more than a black (or Latino or Asian or Middle Easterner) can change their skin color. It's just not possible. (And please don't get me started on the "ex-gay" thing. I've heard about too many studies proving that "conversion therapy" is a bunch of hooey.)

So. That's who I am and what I believe. A pro-Second Amendment, pro-choice/pro-life, pro-gay, liberal Democrat and Christian. For those of you who have made it all the way through this post and still want to be my Facebook friend, thank you. For those of you who don't want to be my friend, well I'm sorry. Unfortunately, I've learned in life that I can't please everyone, and I'd much rather please myself and hopefully God by being the best person I can be, treating my fellow humans as I'd want to be treated, and trying to make my corner of the world a better place.

I may be returning to this theme again... I haven't covered everything I believe, but these are important. Any questions you have, just ask!