Homosexuality: The Mother of Nonissues

Okay, here is the simple formula to create a senseless issue:

1. Find some writings written by goat herders in the Late Bronze Age.
2. Claim the writings are "the word of God" without providing a shred of evidence.
3. Out of hundreds of pages, cherry pick two scriptures that bash gays.
4. Use that scripture to discriminate against 7 percent of the population.

Are you kidding???? For much of my life I was a conservative Christian and the War on Gays did more than anything to push me away from religion and the Republican Party.

The ultimate turning point for me was in 1993 when my county, Cobb County, Georgia, passed an anti-gay resolution. I was still a good Michael J. Fox Republican at the time and I remember a coworker asking me, "Is hate a family value?" That comment put a fissure in my thinking that grew wider and wider.

What the Bible Says

I read it for myself and there's six scriptures commonly used to support the anti-gay agenda. Four are implied and only two hit the issue straight on:

• Leviticus 20:13 - The Bible gets straight to the point here — if you have sex with another man you are to be put to death. In fact, there are 23 capital offenses listed in the Bible. I always wondered how any Hebrew made it through life without getting executed. If you curse your parents or pick up sticks on the Sabbath, well, get ready for a stoning.
• Romans 1:26-27 - It appears that Paul is coming down on "unnatural" sex. Of course, a little later in the Bible, in 1 Corinthians 11:14, Paul says that long hair is unnatural too. And for this, my fundamentalist Christian father would drag me to the barbershop where the old barber with the shaky hand proceeded to give me a crew cut. Crap, and this was the 70s when everyone had mullets, so I really stood out. Hey, there's Todd, he's either in ROTC or a Christian fundamentalist.

Homosexuality is Natural

Despite the Apostle Paul not liking it, homosexuality is normal and natural. For the human species about 5 to 7 percent of offspring are going to be same-sex oriented. So what? It's not wrong, it's not abnormal, it is just a byproduct of our complex genetics and brain formation.

I believe homosexuality is a mix between genetic predisposition and environmental factors. According to one study, same-sex sexual behavior occurs in about 500 animal species, ranging from primates to gut worms. There will be a lot of gut worms in hell. 

The Pointlessness of Discrimination

When a person discriminates against another due to race, religion, sexuality orientation, etc... they are simply cheating themselves out of meeting wonderful people. Some of the most kindest, warmest people I've ever known happened to be gay. The gay community works hard, contributes to society, and harms no one. And I can't remember anyone ever saying that gays want special rights — only fairness and equality.

Most conservative Christians are so insulated in their yuppie religious worlds that I doubt they have any contact with gays. Yet, the issue comes up repeatedly in their War Against Everything. No marriage licenses to gays, and no putting two plastic men together on top of a wedding cake.

Sin

Growing up I've always been intrigued with the idea of "sin." Already, in our society there are tons of rules. Many are legal and civil rules, like stopping at stop signs or not punching someone for fun. Then there are all the social norm rules, like not putting your elbow on the table. Then, if you are religious you have to deal with an entire third layer of rules, which dictate what you eat, what you wear, when you can work, etc... If you break one it's called a "sin." Unlike a law, where you get thrown in jail, a sin is where you get punished later. As a young teen I tested a few sins, like skipping church, and noticed that I didn't get struck by lightening. The idea is that a "sin" pisses God off, but since Jesus died for our sins and forgave us, we're really not held accountable. We can still get into heaven no matter WHAT sin we commit, like being a serial killer. All we have to do is ask for forgiveness before we're strapped to the chair and we go to Heaven, like Ted Bundy did.

The point being is that calling homosexuality a sin is pointless, since Jesus has already paid for all sins and has forgiven all of us wild eyed heathens.

When I was in the religious community I regularly heard, "Hate the sin, love the sinner." I rarely drink and only occasionally let a curse word slip, so by the terms of the Christian evangelical I'm a good person. Well, except for all the anti-religious things I say in my blog. So, I'm happy to know that Christians will love me. Thanks, guys. But as for the gays, their sexual orientation is part of who they are, so, yes, you are hating them.

Conclusion

If a gay couple wants insurance coverage or wants to get married, it doesn't affect you good Christians in any way. So back off! The "homosexual agenda" is not destroying America or "eroding our moral fiber." Believe me, American morality is already destroyed — look at the divorce rate, even among Christians. Or look at the oversexed child that you elected as president. I mean, are you serious?

Gays have always been around and the human species has survived. I know that you need "enemies" to unify your base, but leave the gays alone. They are minding their own business and you guys should just focus on your Christmas musical and church softball teams, and all your other so-called "outreaches," which just really entertain yourselves. Better yet, make friends with a few gays and flush all your self-righteous demagoguery down the toilet.

Abortion Ban: A Step Closer To Theocracy

Few political tactics work as well as playing the abortion card at just the right times. It's a great model. First, you get the Christian evangelicals riled up by talking about murdering babies. They run to the polls and vote for extreme Republicans, who, in turn, dismantle policies that protect the environment and poor.

So, these emotionally charged Christians support big business and capitalism. You know, the economic system that is driven by selfishness and greed? Hmmm, those are two things that Jesus spoke out against in the Bible.

Anyway, I digress. Let me share a few things that most people don't know about abortion.

The History

The "pro-life" movement in the United States finds its roots in the Catholic church. Some of these people even thought that birth control was killing babies and some still do. Then there was a evangelical leader named Jerry Falwell who picked up on the idea under his organization called the Moral Majority. It was at this time that the Republican Party began the switch from fiscal conservatism to religious social control.

One of my favorite all-time politicians was Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ). He rightfully opposed turning the GOP into a social issues party, and he was one of the few politicians who stood up to Falwell.

At the beginning of the 1980s the pro-life movement was born and spread. The issue still has its power as the favorite emotional button and best way to sway single-issue voters. It's the issue of the ignorant.

The Bible

The Bible makes it clear (Exodus 21:17) that if you curse your parents you must be executed. But I can't find anything about God or Jesus opposing abortion. So, suddenly evangelicals ignore all the rules about getting the death penalty for picking up sticks on Sunday, but they can find a dozen, cherry-picked scriptures on how God values life. Maybe they missed those commandments where God orders the Israelites to slaughter children in Jericho, Heshbon, and other places. Oh, and how about God drowning all those innocent children? Or God telling people to kill their OWN children. And I always felt bad for all those Egyptian babies because, well, they were innocent and had nothing to do the Pharaoh's policies.

The fact is that the Bible says NOTHING about abortion. So, it is not a religious issue at all — it's a moral issue. It is, in fact, we the people who make laws that reflect our morals at the time. For example, the Bible clearly condones slavery, but most people now agree it's wrong.

The Realities

People who jump on the pro-life train should ask a few questions:

• Are abortions on the rise? Answer: Abortions are on a 25-year decline.
• Who are these women getting abortions? Often poor and desperate. They often become pregnant under bad circumstances. What are the right-wing evangelicals doing to help them?

A win-win solution is to focus on prevention, but evangelicals say that would promote promiscuity. But what they are really saying is that prevention would take away their best political leveraging tool.

Here We Are

I'm writing this because right now a Republican president is trying to "stack the deck" on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. This would be Donald Trump's big brownie point earner. But for me it's another step toward an Iran-like theocracy.

When the Supreme Court voted in favor of abortion in 1973, the issue was about a woman's right to privacy. Do we really want to take that away?

And the same people who scream "murder" are the same ones who want to take subsidized breakfasts away from poor kids and remove laws so that oil companies can resume coastal drilling, where oil spills kill thousands of living creatures. The same people who want to throw women in jail for having an abortion are the same ones who allow Big Business to exploit and plunder unabated.

Harsh Reality

Another overlooked point is that no one likes abortion. Abortions are expensive, scary, and emotionally stressful. It would be nice to see some male responsibility (wear protection, be respectful, etc..). It would also be nice to see comprehensive sex education in all schools and the reopening of the teen clinics that the Christian activists pushed to close.

World population is at 7.6 billion today. When I was born in 1960 it was 3.02 billion and in 1999 it hit 6 billion. Humanity is exploding at a mind-boggling rate, and wiping out several hundred animal species every week. As we grow uncontrollably we are turning Earth into an uninhabitable, foul waste dump. In light of our Malthusian self-destruction, the small percentage of terminated pregnancies is a mute point.

Right now, here in the hell pit of Georgia, we are in a political race. I am dumbfounded how candidates are bragging about being "pro-life" and "NRA endorsed" in the same sentence. Don't they know that the sole purpose of a gun is death? Do they think people and animals giggle when their bodies are punctured with hot lead? Guns are all about murder, and the hypocrisy makes me scream.

Conclusion

So, abortion is nothing but a button to help evangelical ministers and politicians with fund-raising and votes. Once Trump puts another pro-life judge on the bench there's a real possibility that abortion will become illegal in the U.S. Women in dire circumstances will be forced to go through with their unwanted pregnancies. The Republicans will continue to cut off social services, meaning the unwanted baby will have a rough life. Everyone's right to privacy — both men and women — will be compromised. There will be more government intrusion. Women who have abortions will sit in jail. And meanwhile, the billionaires at the top will be laughing because, once again, their social engineering has paid off. Yeah, nice scenario. And for the record I am passionately pro-choice.

MORE READING: A similar take by a fellow blogger named John Pavlovitz: "Dear Pro-Life Christian, Life Is Losing Right Now."

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