Yesterday's historic marriage equity decision affected me with an energy I never felt before; a bizarre hybrid dichotomy of "Finally!" and "I never thought I'd live to see the day."
Of course, amid the celebrations, there are the dissenters. These too, are allowed and I, for one, welcome them. As a writer, the last thing I want to give up is my freedom of speech. Some of those opposed are saying the ruling takes away their freedom of religion. I don't see it that way. I see this as adding freedom, fixing a long-overlooked wrong, giving our fellow Americans the same rights that straight (and straight passing) among us have long enjoyed. To me, the ruling was in alignment with one of our core American beliefs, that all men are created equal.
My favorite dissension comment was the following question which I assume (as I have learned it is most often in my own best interests to do when reading and debating on whether to respond to online comments about any issue) was rhetorical:
"Doesn't God get a vote?"
No. No he does not.
Making sure he does not was kind of the whole point of moving across an ocean and starting a brand new country on our own. In fact, our ancestors apparently felt so strongly on this point they thought nothing of practically wiping out an entire indigenous group of people in order to ensure this goal. (More on our past failings as a nation in a future post - this one was intended, believe it or not, to be positive.)
Are we that vain as to assume that God even wants a vote?
Are we that self-centered that we think the creator of space, time and the entire known and unknown universe cares or needs a vote in the pedantic governmental regulations of one fraction of a spec of dust floating in the vastness of infinite eternity? Assuming for a single moment that He did, are you, a single citizen of that fractal dust spec, so important as to be endowed with the omnipotence required to know what that vote is?
Are you carrying God's proxy?
What's that? Oh, oh, you're not. Neither am I. None of us mere humans have the capacity to know the motivations, desires or intentions of the master of the universe, let alone His political affiliations.
Assuming He even has time to think of us at all, there's a whole lot of horrible things happening on this planet that I think He'd have a problem with long before he'd have a problem with marriage equity.
Don't get me wrong, I value my freedoms more than anything else. I've been accused by relationship partners of valuing it even higher than love, so you can rest assured, the second I feel like my freedom of religion is being violated I will be right back here furiously blogging about it. As far as my reaction should anyone ever threaten my freedom of expression, let me just say this:
They can have my laptop when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
I'm grateful more than almost anything to live in a country where my opinions and thoughts can be openly and legally expressed. Many of us in the world are not so lucky. Raif Badawy comes to mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment