How Would You Feel...

...if you had to ask 260 million people for the right to marry?



(There's a better quality version of this going around Facebook, but I haven't figured out a non-Facebook way to link to it.)

Back in April, Matt Hooper of the Birmingham Weekly posted about Rep. Jay Love's (R-Montgomery) time-wasting resolution in support of "opposite marriage" Carrie Prejean. That post has remained on the Weekly's most popular list ever since, despite all the intervening coverage of Birmingham mayor Larry Langford's trials (and trial), and yesterday someone named work30 showed up to share his/her wisdom. I reproduce our exchange below:

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work30 1 day ago
I do not/will not promote same sex marriges.

work30 1 day ago
Everyone is out to make their personnal life public now. It's like everyone is saying their gay/bi-sexual. Here's the key word "Sexual", this is your sexual preference, which I am fine with. But to say that you want to have the same rights as a man/woman is wrong. I read the bible and I have yet to run across anything that says woman-to-woman, or man-to-man. Certain things we just should keep the way the LORD intended. Yes, he didn't make it on of his TEN Commandments, but he did make it known of this intended union to be between that of a Man and Woman.

Yes, you may love your significant other deeply and want to show them, but not this WAY. I can't judge you but I can say if you "Believe" in the LORD....and that he died for us, you would respect this one thing. This isn't the American way, Korean way, Arabic way, nor Buddist way..............its GOD'S Way.

Like I said I can't judge you.....I want every one to be happy....but don't judge those of us who try to the best of our ability to live by the LORD/

Kathy 21 hours ago
Well, when straight couples marry, they certainly make their "personnal" lives public. And last I checked, we didn't make law in this country based on what some people believe the Bible says. I suspect you'd have a fit if someone were pushing to base our legal system on the Koran. Not sure what Koreans or "Buddists" (it's Buddhists, btw) have to do with the issue.

No one asked you to promote same sex marriages. Those of us who support marriage equality believe the law shouldn't discriminate. We don't require belief in the LORD for citizenship, but our constitution is built on the idea that everyone is equal under the law, whether you approve or not.

And sexual orientation is just that -- an orientation, not a preference. It has to do with far more than sexual activity. Surely you don't think your straight partnership/marriage is only about sex. I certainly don't.

work30 18 hours ago
Thanks for the correction Kathy,

When I made the reference to "personal" life I am referring to sexual preference. I understand that no matter if your straight or gay you going to show affection for your significant other. My only issue is that with marriage, like I said I can't judge anyone on whom they chose to sleep with. And as far as citizenship, I do feel that this country's for fathers did require that you believe in the LORD for citizenship. Remember the Pledge of Allegiance "One Nation under GOD", but yet we still go against him on simple this like marriage.

This nation has become so sensitive on everything. In order to feel accepted we must categorize everything including one's sexual activity to make it an orientation, create a demographic to say "Hey we have RIGHTS!"

And No, I don't think my straight partnership is about sex, Jesus spoke it and wrote it to "IDENTIFY" that this between MAN and Woman is something MORE. But again, I don't an issue on whom ANYONE wants to be with!!!!!!!! NO ISSUES AT ALL. But MARRIAGE yes I do. And would you have a FIT if our legal system was based on it. Because you know what I wouldn't, I would just have to live with it. And if I was brought up in the Muslim religion then I would follow it, but I wasn't so I don't.

Were so bold to declare our orientation in the U.S., but let’s do this in the other parts of the world. U know even though Christians and Muslims don't see eye-to-eye on every religious aspect, we do believe in Jesus or Allah as they say. And what’s funny in both religions it’s MAN and Woman in marriage.

Again my point is Marriage, not whom you choose to spend your live/time with. Just don’t cross the line and say you want be married and want the same rights as a married Man and Woman. This to me wouldn't be in line with the teachings of Christianity or Muslim. As children I am sure that we all were brought up to love everyone. Love everyone regardless of race, color and now sexual preference. I agree with this but, marriage is written within our religions to exist between Man and Woman.

Pls don't take my words as being disrespectful because I don't mean to be.

Kathy 16 hours ago
Oh my! You really, really need to go back to your history books. You may feel whatever you want, but there is nothing in the constitution requiring religious faith as a condition of citizenship. The Pledge of Allegiance was not written by the founding fathers. It was written in 1892 and has been revised several times. The phrase "under God" was not in the original and was not added until 1954. Allah is the Arabic word for God, not Jesus. Muslims revere Jesus, but they do not consider him divine. And we won't even get started on the many different definitions of marriage that have been "ordained" over the centuries.

Civil rights in this country are not and should not be based on any one person's or group's interpretation of religious texts. That's an invitation to oppression of those in the minority, and you may want to consider that you could at some point find yourself part of a minority if your particular brand of Christianity falls out of favor (and please don't tell me how oppressed Christians are here in the United States -- we're not). Not everyone in this country is Christian, not everyone is a person of faith, not everyone agrees with your interpretation of text.

For the protection of our civil rights and our religious freedom, we need to keep the two separate. If we went your route, we'd likely still have slavery. After all, didn't the apostle Paul admonish slaves to "obey your masters"?

I have to wonder if this person is the product of "Christian" schooling, but I fear s/he is typical of so many people who slept through history and civics classes and simply swallow whatever they're spoon-fed by their pastor or their favorite talk radio host. This is why "equal protection under the law" should not be predicated on the ballot box.