Tuesday, June 9, 2009

I was reading 365gay.com today. Well, actually I read it everyday. I'm not sure it's actual news, but reading the comments are always interesting. Normally, more interesting than the original stories. There are times that I am truly amazed at the ingenious and often very bitter names some of my fellow gay men come up with for their opponents.

This got me to thinking about the whole equality movement on a whole. This time I wasn't thinking in terms of what is fair or equal, but in terms of the polarization taking place between the opposing sides. I am continuously amazed at the acrimonious rhetoric coming from both camps . I can't help but wonder if this is really going to solve anything.

We all know that the religious Evangelical Protestant Church, the Mormon church, and the Catholic Church are avidly opposed to any type of equality based on gender identity, sexual orientation, etc. They're deep rooted biased is based on their literal translation of the bible and of course their picking and choosing what Levitical Law they should follow. I also believe it is deeply rooted in their fear of loosing control over their "flocks" as people realize that all their religion does is promote discord and disingenuous interpretations of what God has made for mankind.

My issue is with their complete disregard for Paul's letters. Paul clearly stated that Levitical law was no longer necessary. It was through faith and faith alone that one would be "saved." Paul also made it possible that our religion would be able to grow and change as people became more educated and enlightened. Pretty powerful stuff. This doesn't diminish the power of God or his relevance, but in fact shows that God knew from the beginning the course of mankind and the progress man would make towards equality and social justice. So if you haven't read Paul's letters, please go back are re-read them with an open mind and eyes.

On the other side we have the GLBT population who are vehemently opposed to anything religious in our government. Yes, our great Constitution gives us the freedom to practice our individual faiths according to our conscience. It also allows those who choose not believe to be able to be free of religious persecution. The fact that the forefathers of our country believed in a society that was built on the conscience of man and not the dictates of a church are overlooked by the conservative right.

Right now there is a backlash in the GLBT community towards anything religious. Why, because the churches are interfering in the legal and political process. While this is nothing new, what it shows is just how impossible it is to separate religion and politics in this country. With petitions being signed before and after services at churches, large donations to block equality from the Catholic and Mormon churches, and the constant barrage of negative condemning rhetoric coming from the churches, the overwhelming feeling is that they should no longer enjoy the liberty of being tax exempt organizations.

The bottom line is, there are so major hurdles left in the march to full equality. But, it's not going to be done through name-calling, libelous rhetoric, or minds closed to communication. Neither side is going to win as long as there is no dialogue. Going through the courts may win the laws and force equality, but true equality comes from people's hearts and minds. Maybe we should be looking for common ground.

The million dollar question is.....How do you find common ground with religious extremists?