"Gay Rights"

While I doubt that anyone will ever read this, I do, however, enjoy writing, so I thought I'd put this out there and see what happens. If you know me, you know that I'm very opinionated. You also know that I'm into politics and all of that fun, messy stuff. Typically, that's what I'll be writing about, simply to jot my thoughts down for myself rather than for anyone else. You guys out there just get to read my stuff. Yay for you.

What prompted me to begin this blog, and what will hopefully prompt me to continue it, was a story on "Gay Rights". That's a big deal these days. We hear about it all the time, and the mainstream media loves to tell everyone how great being gay is or some nonsense like that. I'm not going to hate on gays, but I'll before I go any further on my thoughts about this particular issue, I'll put my stance right there out in the open, and I'll probably elaborate on it a little later.

I think homosexuality is wrong. I'm a Christian, I take the Bible at face value, I've read Romans 1, I think that the Bible still applies to us today, there's no reason it shouldn't; Homosexuality is a sin. But here's the thing that I don't think a lot of Christians get: Sex outside of marriage is wrong, lying is wrong, cheating is wrong, stealing is wrong, lustful thoughts are wrong, and I could fill up pages and pages of more things that are wrong. Of course, we Christians like to use the word "sin". Same difference.

Either way, if you're a Christian and you've read the Good Book like I have, you know that at one time or another, no matter how holy or righteous you think you may be, you did something wrong. Yes, I'm equating homosexuality with taking $5 out of your dad's wallet when you were 10. That's in the Bible.

So anyway, this story was talking about "Gay Rights". I'll say it again for emphasis "Gay Rights". Has anyone ever heard of Heterosexual Rights? I haven't. Here's the problem I have with that particular moniker: It implies that homosexuals are being denied rights that non-homosexuals have. Yes, in most states gay marriage is illegal, and you can get into the visitation rights issue and the 1138 federal laws pertaining to marriage (most of which have to do with taxes) that don't apply to homosexual couples, but that's not my point. My point is that the argument is inherently flawed in the first place. It's become a battle between gays and anti-gays.

Now, there’s a difference between anti-gays, and people who think that homosexuality is wrong. Anti-gays are people like the Westboro Baptist Church. They’re just as wrong as homosexuals. In fact, I dislike the Westboro Baptist Church more than I dislike homosexuality. The Westboro Baptists not only makes Christians look terrible, but also dishonors the lives of honorable soldiers who fought for this country. That really irks me, but I’m getting off topic.

The battle between gays and anti-gays is based on a false premise. That false premise is this: Gay marriage is the answer (for the gays) or the problem (for the anti-gays). Now, let me tell you why they’re both wrong. The gays want to be told that their relationships are equal to the relationship between a man and a woman: marriage. The anti-gays have a problem with this because they disagree. The Bible, and several laws, define marriage as a relationship exclusively between one man and one woman. There are plenty of people out there who aren't necessarily anti-gay, but who just think it's wrong. There's a difference. Anti-gays are the ones out there making lots of noise about the issue. Those other people are just entitled to their own beliefs and will exercise their voting powers to say no to gay marriage if given the chance.

Now, this entire argument is false for several reasons. I’ll get into two, and again mention that the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin. So, first reason: Marriage, in this day and age, isn’t some shining ideal. We’ve got a divorce rate over 50%, nobody “waits” until marriage anymore, and then you’ve got people who cheat on their spouse. So it’s not like marriage is treated, by the majority of people, like some holy status. It should be, but it isn’t.

The second reason, and the one that I’ll get into a bit more, is the fact that marriage is being dictated by the government. Marriage is a legal status more than anything else. Marriage grants you certain rights, like hospital visitation rights and inheritance and all that fun stuff. Which is all well and good, however I think we need a major remodeling on how marriage is treated. I like what Ron Paul has to say about it. During one of the 2012 presidential primary debates, Ron Paul basically said that the government has no business in marriage. Let’s give it back to the churches, let’s let the churches decide who can get married.

I agree with these sentiments wholeheartedly. Marriage is, after all, a religious institution, not a legal one. And yes, people will still have a problem with gays. However, there are churches out there who completely ignore Romans 1 and who are more than willing to marry a guy to another guy. So if we do give marriage back to the churches, it would be less of a legal status and more of an honorary title recognized by your particular religious organization. Whether or not we legalize gay marriage, or criminalize it, it'll still happen.

Again, I think it’s wrong. But we live in a fallen world, and homosexuality is no different than that one time you did something you knew you weren’t supposed to do and then lied about it. It may be a more prominent issue, but in God’s eyes, there’s no difference.

So anyway, that’s my stance on the so-called Gay Rights deal. I still take issue with the term Gay Rights because I don’t think they’re really being denied anything, and their entire premise is wrong, but hey, that’s my opinion, WHICH I AM ENTITLED TO. (I’ll get into that issue another time). So folks, thanks for reading, and if you disagree with anything I said, good for you for using your own brain! I’d love to hear about your thoughts. Just be civil about it.