Here is a blog entry. It contains assertions that I am actually willing to make. That I am willing to stand behind and defend. I have not written anything like this in a long time for numerous reasons. That's all I have as a preface.
I've spent a good amount of time this past week thinking about Prop 8.
The title of this entry comes from a t-shirt some beardy white guy was wearing in Downtown Seattle during the Prop 8 Protest March.
The photos of the anti-gay, sign-wielding, Bible-shouting people are here. There's one shot in particular that I just don't understand. Sign reads: [Sports Nuts Baby Killers 1 Cor...] But the guy is wearing a Seahawks hat? Awww, No Homo Guy is being clever. That's nice.
It actually really bothers me that religion has gotten so entangled with this proposition and with homosexuality on the whole. It's not the 'separation of church and state' argument either. I do not believe that there are matters solely civil and solely spiritual. If I am to believe that a God exists, then it follows that God is present in this world, which means that God is present in both matters civil and spiritual.
What bothers me is that religious people, people who (as far as labels are concerned) fall under the same religious group as me--if I am to abide by some of the basic tenets of Christianity, then I think at the most surface level, I am a Christian--would push so hard to promote hate, fear, and judgment against queers...which means against me, my girlfriend, and my friends.
I know that the Mormon church pumped lots of money into passing Prop 8, so why am I not criticizing the Mormon church? I would never deny that they did a really shitty thing. But I'm not affiliated with the Mormon church. I do not consider myself a Mormon. My issues are more personal.
As a side-note: I was in Bellingham over the weekend and a friend pointed me to a Mormon High Priest who is basically going to be excommunicated for speaking out against Prop 8.
You can listen to Andrew speak here.
I have personal problems with Christians because my beliefs seem to come into direct conflict with the beliefs of those sign-wielding assholes, yet there seems to be a fundamental call to let those very differences go when approaching the table for communion. We are to make peace and reconcile before coming to the table, but I do not want to reconcile with those people. It is hard to reconcile with people who make it very known that they believe a part of you is wrong and warped at the very core. I know this because it has been hard for me to reconcile with people who have done something similar in censoring a part of me. But the table is there, and the invitation is open to all. It's extended to me and Mr. No More Homos all the way to the most militant atheist. But I personally do not want to ever take the wine and bread with someone who is so incredibly condemning. In reality, I will never end up in their churches and they will never end up in mind. But I cannot ignore that the space and invitation are there.
So what I'm having difficulties with is this: Do I ever need to become okay with knowing that I am, to certain degrees, going to be associated with those who hate queers. And if so, where do I find the graciousness to say 'Welcome to Church of the Beloved'?
I have more thoughts than these. Maybe another time.
