Another currently relevant comic by The Atheist Pig…
(click the image to see it full-size at TheAtheistPig.com)
gay marriage
Fearmongering Bigotry?
I just got an email about a new commercial being aired by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) concerning a “storm” that’s brewing in this country. What is the storm? Same-sex marriage, of course. The commercial is just filled with nonsense, but attempts to convey a sense of dread about how same-sex marriage is taking over the country and taking away the rights of our citizens.
Some quotes:
“Some who advocate for same-sex marriage have taken the issue far beyond same-sex couples.”
“They want to bring the issue into my life.”
“My freedom will be taken away.”
“I’m a California doctor who must choose between my faith and my job.”
“I’m part of a New Jersey church group punished by the government because we can’t support same-sex marriage.”
“Those advocates want to change the way I live.”
It goes on, but then turns brighter by saying that a “rainbow coalition” (oh, the irony!) is “coming together in love to protect marriage.” Then it invites viewers to visit the website and join them (the bigotry there is even more prominent, enhanced by the vehement denials of bigotry).
At the bottom of the video, there’s s line of text stating “The stories these actors are telling are based on real incidents.” No detail is provided, however, so we don’t know what happened to the woman who says, “My freedom will be taken away” or how the New Jersey church group was “punished by the government.”
Regardless of each story’s details, the one common thread is that all of them are born of religion-based bigotry. Sadly, in a country where about a third of the people see evolution as false, it’s not all that surprising. Religious belief removes the motivation for scientific inquiry and curiousity in the same way that it accentuates and validates bigotry and intolerance. Any time a claim is made of “absolute truth,” you can be somewhat sure that “truth” is nowhere to be found. Any time a claim is made of “objective morality,” you can be somewhat sure that “morality” is the last thing you’ll find.
The same-sex marriage opponents are the worker bees of religious dogma. If the ancient holy book claims that same-sex marriage is wrong, then same-sex marriage must be the evil storm of Satan trying to overtake and destroy this nation “under God.” Oh… and no shellfish.
Maybe they’d better form a rainbow coalition.
*snicker*
Hypocrisy? I think so.
Today I saw a video of an interview with Sarah Palin about gay marriage. The interview was The Christian Broadcasting Network in October of 2008, so it’s nothing particularly current. However, I think it highlights something that is all too common, not just regarding the gay marriage debate, but religious issues in general.
Here’s what Palin says during the interview.
In my own state, I have voted […] to ammend our constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that’s where we would go because I don’t support gay marriage. Ummm… I’m… You know I’m not gonna be up here judging individuals, sitting in a seat of judgement, telling them what they can and cannot do, should and should not do, but I certainly can express my own opinion here and take action that I believe would be best for traditional marriage […]
I want to be clear on something here. I 100% support her right to have and voice an opinion that is contrary to mine or anyone else’s. I would never want to squelch free speech on any issue.
What I have a problem with, in this particular case, is the blatant hypocrisy. She says that she supports a constitutional ammendment on a state and federal level that would ban gay marriage by defining it as between one man and one woman. Then she says that she’s not “gonna be up here judging individuals” or “telling them what they can and cannot do, should and should not do.” That’s in complete contradiction with her first statement.
So which is it? Only Palin knows for sure, but I can speculate based on information from other statements she’s made. She does want to tell people what they can and cannot do. She is judging people. Not only that, but she’s doing it based on teachings from her religious holy book. If you listen to the entire interview, she goes on to say the following.
[…] speaking up for traditional marriage… that… that… instrument that it’s the foundation of our society is that strong family and that’s based on that traditional definition of marriage.
Putting aside her mid-sentence shift of meaning, she started out saying that “traditional marriage” is the “foundation of our society.” At least it is today. Tomorrow, our foundation might be the Ten Commandments. Perhaps later it could be Christian values or the right to life or a good work ethic. It seems that the foundation of our society can shift and morph and become whatever it needs to be to support the argument at hand, whether that argument is about gay marriage, religion in schools, abortion, political prayers, or other religiously-motivated topics du jour.
The all-too-common refrain, however, closely mimics Palin’s statements. You’re free to do what you want and believe what you want… as long as it goes along with biblical teachings. Nobody will judge you or tell you what to do… as long as what you’re doing is acceptable according to the bible.
I guess I won’t be having scallops for dinner. (Leviticus11:11-12)